Paper II: Epics & Puranas
Not publishedof exam
RamayanaMahabharataBhagavataPuranas
Paper II: Agamas & Arts
Not publishedof exam
VaikhanasaPancharatraShaivaShaktaKuchipudi
Paper II: Vedas & Philosophy
Not publishedof exam
VedasVedangasVedantaHindu family law
Paper II: Endowments Administration
Not publishedof exam
EO dutiesBudgetsLandsAmended encroachment procedure
Paper I: General Studies & Ability
50%of exam
Current eventsHistory and geographyPolity and economyScience and ITEnvironment and disastersData and reasoning
Quick Facts
- Notice
- 23/2026; detailed 16 October 2026
- Written papers
- 150 questions each; 300 total
- Written time
- 150 minutes each; 300 total
- Wrong answer
- One-third assigned mark deducted
- Paper weights
- Paper I 50%; Paper II 50%
- CPT
- Qualifying; 60 minutes; 100 marks
- Notified age
- 18–44 on 1 July 2026
- Standard fee
- ₹250 processing + ₹80 examination
- OC/Sportspersons/Ex-servicemen/EWS minimum
- 40% written aggregate
- BC / SC-ST-PBD minimum
- 35% / 30% written aggregate
- Scope
- Subtopic weights unpublished; current affairs change
Seven Received Ramayana Kandas
Bala Ayodhya Aranya Kishkindha Sundara Yuddha Uttara
Seven-kanda received arrangementSundara: Hanuman’s Lanka mission
Epics, Gita & Puranas
- Ramayana received arrangement
- Seven kandas; regional retellings differ
- Sundara Kanda
- Hanuman finds Sita in Lanka
- Mahabharata major parvas
- 18 in the received arrangement
- Bhagavad Gita location
- Bhishma Parva; Krishna teaches Arjuna
- Bhagavata arrangement
- 12 skandhas in conventional arrangement
- Gajendra episode
- Bhagavata Skandha 8
- Krishna narrative
- Central to Bhagavata Skandha 10
- Telugu Bhagavatam
- Bammera Potana’s rendering
- Gita paths
- Action, knowledge and devotion
- Purana five characteristics
- Creation, recreation, lineage, manvantaras, dynasties
- Gita thematic grouping
- Three six-chapter groups; interpretive frameworkThemes overlap; traditions interpret differently
- Gita chapter 2
- Sthitaprajna: person of steady wisdom
- Gita chapter 11
- Vishvarupa: Krishna’s cosmic form
- Rama’s received genealogy
- Ikshvaku lineage; Ayodhya in Kosala
Common Agamic Pada Framework
Jnana Yoga Kriya Charya
Knowledge; meditation; ritual; conductFramework varies across textual traditions
Vaikhanasa vs Pancharatra
Vaikhanasa
- Associated with Vikhanasa
- Distinct Vaishnava ritual tradition
- Temple-specific priestly rules
Pancharatra
- Vaishnava samhita literature
- Distinct ritual systems
- Temple-specific practice still matters
Shared Vishnu orientation; different traditions
Agamas, Temples & Arts
- Vaikhanasa
- Vaishnava tradition associated with Vikhanasa
- Pancharatra
- Vaishnava samhitas and ritual systems
- Chattada or Sattada
- Distinct notified Vaishnava service tradition
- Shaiva Agamas
- Shiva-centered worship traditions
- Shakta Agamas
- Devi-centered worship traditions
- Smartha Panchayatana
- Five-deity worship; practices vary
- Nagara shikhara
- Commonly curving northern superstructure
- Dravida vimana
- Tiered pyramidal sanctum superstructure
- Gopuram
- Gateway tower; differs from vimana
- Vesara
- Deccan architectural developments and combinations
- Kuchipudi
- Andhra Pradesh classical dance tradition
- Bhamakalapam
- Siddhendra Yogi; Satyabhama-centered dance-drama
- Tirumala Dhruva Beram
- Main immovable presiding deity
- Tirumala Kautuka Beram
- Bhoga Srinivasa; daily worship image
- Tirumala Snapana Beram
- Ugra Srinivasa; specific ceremonial occasionsNot a universal daily-bathing claim
- Tirumala Bali Beram
- Koluvu Srinivasa; royal court/offerings
- Tirumala Utsava Beram
- Malayappa; processional deity
- Pancha Beras scope
- Tirumala’s Vaikhanasa five-image systemDo not universalize every temple’s routines
Nagara vs Dravida
Nagara
- Commonly curving shikhara
- Northern regional developments
Dravida
- Tiered pyramidal vimana
- Southern regional developments
Gateway gopuram is not sanctum vimana
Common Mahavakya Associations
Prajnanam Aham Tat Ayam
Rig: Prajnanam brahmaYajur: Aham brahmasmiSama: Tat tvam asiAtharva: Ayam Atma brahma
Advaita vs Vishishtadvaita
Advaita
- Shankara
- Atman–Brahman nonduality
Vishishtadvaita
- Ramanuja
- Real selves/world dependent on Brahman
Different accounts of qualified nonduality
Philosophy & Tradition Picker
- Nondual self and Brahman→Shankara; Advaita
- Real dependent selves/world→Ramanuja; Vishishtadvaita
- Real self–God distinction→Madhva; Dvaita(Not Nimbarka’s Dvaitadvaita)
- Vaishnava samhita tradition→Pancharatra(Temple-specific rules still govern)
- Tradition associated with Vikhanasa→Vaikhanasa(Do not universalize one temple’s services)
Vedas, Vedangas & Darshanas
- Rig and Hotri
- Hymns and their recitation
- Yajur and Adhvaryu
- Sacrificial formulae and performance
- Sama and Udgatri
- Chants in sacrificial ritual
- Atharva
- Diverse hymns and practices
- Textual layers
- Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka, Upanishad
- Vedanga language tools
- Shiksha, Vyakarana, Chandas, Nirukta
- Vedanga practice tools
- Kalpa and Jyotisha
- Six school pairs
- Nyaya–Vaisheshika; Samkhya–Yoga; Mimamsa–Vedanta
- Purusharthas
- Dharma, artha, kama, moksha
- Ashramas
- Brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa
- Mahavakya: Tat tvam asi
- Chandogya Upanishad; Sama tradition
- Mahavakya: Aham brahmasmi
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad; Yajur tradition
- Satyameva Jayate source
- Mundaka Upanishad; truth alone triumphs
Alvars vs Nayanmars
Alvars
- Vishnu devotion
- 12 in conventional canon
- Divya Prabandham
Nayanmars
- Shiva devotion
- 63 in conventional canon
- Tirumurai tradition
Canonical counts exclude many other devotees
Acharyas, Bhakti & Family Law
- Shankara
- Advaita; nondual Atman and Brahman
- Ramanuja
- Vishishtadvaita; Sri Bhashya
- Madhva
- Dvaita; real self–God distinction
- Basava
- Kannada vachanas; Virashaiva/Lingayat movement
- Alvars
- 12 conventional Vaishnava canon saints
- Nayanmars
- 63 conventional Shaiva canon saints
- Alvar hymn collection
- Nalayira Divya Prabandham
- Shaiva hymn collection
- Tirumurai; includes Tevaram
- Succession section 6
- Daughters are coparceners by birthMitakshara; statutory savings apply
- Opposite-sex adoption
- Adopter at least 21 years olderHAMA section 11
- Adoptee age and marriage
- Under 15; unmarried, unless applicable custom
- Four mahavakya association
- Prajnanam: Rig; Ayam Atma: Atharva
- HMA section 5(iii) ages
- Bridegroom 21; bride 18Other statutory conditions also apply
- HMA section 7 ceremonies
- Customary rites of either partySaptapadi is not universally required
- Saptapadi where rites include it
- Seventh step completes the marriage
- HMA registration omission
- Omission alone does not invalidate marriageSection 8; other requirements still apply
- Tallapaka Annamacharya
- Telugu songs praising Lord Venkateswara
- Tallapaka song preservation
- Copper plates in Sankeertana Bhandagaram
- Bhadrachala Ramadasu
- Kancharla Gopanna; Telugu Rama devotion
Coparcenary vs Opposite-Sex Adoption
Succession section 6
- Mitakshara daughter: coparcener by birth
- Same rights/liabilities; savings apply
Adoption section 11
- Opposite-sex adopter: 21 years older
- Not every adoption’s universal age gap
Distinct Acts and different legal questions
Dittam, Budget & Funds
25 Dittam; 57 Budget; 69 Administration; 161 Welfare
Math Dittam: section 49Common Good Funds: section 70Current encroachment procedure: section 83
Classification, Boards & Management Picker
- Classifying an institution→Use amended section 6(Check applicable notified monetary limits)
- Appointing a trust board→Use amended section 15(Do not reuse 2014 board counts)
- Checking religious trustee eligibility→Read section 19 with amendments(Religion: section 19(1)(j))
- Checking EO religion→Use section 29(3)(Section 29(4) is wrong)
- Checking EO property disposal→Apply sanction and procedural requirements(Trustee resolution alone is insufficient)
Act 30: EO, Boards & Budgets
- Section 29(3)
- EO must profess Hindu religion
- Section 29 duties
- Lawful management; not unrestricted disposal
- Section 6
- Classification; later notified limits possible
- Section 15
- Trust-board composition; amended in 2024
- Annual income over ₹20 crore
- 17 trustees under amended section 15
- Section 17(5)
- Specified representation provisions; read amendments
- Section 25
- Dittam; institutions other than maths
- Section 49
- Dittam for maths
- Section 55
- Administrative schemes; not Dittam
- Section 57 budget
- Submit 90 days before year-end
- Establishment salary ceiling
- 30% of section 65 annual income
- Section 34 exceptions
- Recognized archaka families; TTD Sannidhi Yadavas
Current Endowments Procedure Picker
- Dittam outside maths→Section 25(Math Dittam belongs to section 49)
- Preparing annual budget→Section 57; 90-day deadline(Use section 65 income base)
- Considering inam transaction→Section 75; Government sanction(Check permitted transaction and procedure)
- Considering ordinary immovable alienation→Section 80; Commissioner sanction(Apply publication and sale safeguards)
- Receiving section 83 notice→Submit reply within one week(Amended Act 36/2023 procedure)
- Appealing section 83(2) order→Tribunal within 15 days(From receipt of the order)
Act 30: Funds, Lands & Remedies
- Section 69
- Endowments Administration Fund
- Section 70
- Common Good Funds
- Section 161
- Archakas and employees Welfare Fund
- Welfare contribution: non-TTD
- 3%; section 65 income >₹20 lakh
- TTD welfare base
- ₹5 crore; 10% every 5 yearsAct 30/2021 statutory formula
- Section 75 inam transaction
- Prior Government sanction where permitted
- Section 80 alienation
- Prior Commissioner sanction; statutory procedure
- Section 43
- Institutional registration and property records
- Amended section 83 notice
- Reply within one week of receipt
- Section 83(6) appeal
- Tribunal; within 15 days of order-receipt
- Sections 84–86
- Omitted by Act 36/2023
- Section 87
- Specified institutional/property-status disputes
Written CBRT vs Qualifying CPT
Written CBRT
- Two papers; 300 marks total
- Each paper 150 minutes
- One-third wrong-answer penalty
Qualifying CPT
- 60 minutes; 100 marks
- Published minima 30/35/40
- Separate from written merit
Current notice has no old screening
Paper I & CPT Reasoning Picker
- Changed group sizes→Use a weighted mean(Weight by observations, not groups)
- Successive percentage changes→Multiply the change factors(Bases change at each step)
- Clock smaller angle→Reduce difference to ≤180 degrees(Hour hand also moves each minute)
- Suspicious recruitment message→Verify on psc.ap.gov.in(Never share passwords or OTPs)
- CPT qualification→Separate 60-minute practical test(Not extra written merit marks)
History, Polity & Governance
- Veeresalingam
- Widow remarriage and women’s education
- Andhra State
- 1 October 1953; Kurnool capital
- Andhra Pradesh reorganization
- 1956; distinct from 2014 bifurcation
- 2014 appointed day
- 2 June; Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
- Article 25
- Individual religious freedom; constitutional limits
- Article 26
- Denominational rights; administration under law
- Part III
- Judicially enforceable Fundamental Rights
- Article 37
- DPSPs not directly court-enforceable
- 73rd Amendment
- Panchayats; Part IX; Eleventh Schedule
- 74th Amendment
- Municipalities; Part IXA; Twelfth Schedule
- Non-Cooperation
- 1920 launch; 1922 suspension
- Civil Disobedience
- 1930 Salt March launch
- Article 123 ordinance
- Six weeks after Parliament reassemblesLater reassembly date; earlier termination possible
Geography, Science & Statistics
- Godavari and Krishna
- East-flowing; Bay of Bengal deltas
- Eastern Ghats
- Discontinuous hills; not coastal plain
- Total internal reflection
- Higher-to-lower index; above critical angle
- Ideal transformer
- Vs/Vp = Ns/Np; changing flux
- GWP
- Equal-mass comparison; stated time horizon
- PSLV stages
- Solid, liquid, solid, liquid
- LVM3
- Solid boosters; liquid core; cryogenic upper
- Even-number median
- Mean of two sorted middle values
- Population variance
- Squared-deviation mean; divide by n
- Sample variance estimator
- Divide by n−1; n > 1
- CV interpretation
- Positive ratio-scale mean required
- Clock 3:30
- Smaller hand angle 75 degrees
Economy, Environment & Disasters
- Real versus nominal GDP
- Constant-price volume versus current-price value
- GDP and GVA
- GDP adds net product taxes
- Fiscal deficit
- Expenditure minus non-debt receipts
- Primary deficit
- Fiscal deficit minus interest payments
- Revenue deficit
- Revenue expenditure minus revenue receipts
- Climate mitigation
- Reduce emissions or increase sinks
- Climate adaptation
- Reduce vulnerability to climate impacts
- Mangroves
- Nurseries, carbon storage, coastal-risk reduction
- Hazard versus exposure
- Threat versus exposed people and assets
- Vulnerability
- Susceptibility to harm; capacity matters
- GIS
- Combines location-based information layers
- Cyclone preparedness
- Evacuate exposed people before dangerous conditions
IT, Data & Reasoning
- Phishing
- Impersonation to obtain secrets or money
- HTTPS limitation
- Encryption does not prove genuine owner
- APPSC message verification
- Navigate independently to official portal
- Weighted mean
- Sum weighted values / total weight
- 20×60 plus 30×70
- Combined mean 66 marks
- 25% rise restoration
- 20% fall restores original
- 3 km east; 4 north
- Distance 7 km; displacement 5 km
- Valid contrapositive
- P⇒Q implies not-Q⇒not-P
- Converse fallacy
- Q alone does not establish P
- Data chart comparison
- Check axes, units and denominators
- Current-affairs fact
- Use dated primary evidence
- CPT spreadsheet formula
- Relative references change when copied
Common Traps
Old vs Current Eviction Procedure
Old sections 84–86 ≠ Current amended section 83
Classification vs Board Composition
Section 6 classification ≠ Section 15 trust-board composition
Non-Math vs Math Dittam
Section 25: non-math Dittam ≠ Section 49: math Dittam
Administration vs Employees Welfare Fund
Section 69: Administration Fund ≠ Section 161: employees Welfare Fund
Qualifying vs Selected
Minimum qualifying threshold ≠ Guaranteed merit selection
Distinct Vedanta Schools
Madhva: Dvaita ≠ Nimbarka: Dvaitadvaita
Last Minute
- 1.Written papers: 150 questions each
- 2.Written papers: 150 minutes each
- 3.Wrong answer deducts one-third mark
- 4.CPT: 60 minutes, 100 marks
- 5.Paper I and II: 50% each
- 6.EO religion: section 29(3)
- 7.Dittam: sections 25 and 49
- 8.Budget: 90 days before year-end
- 9.Salary cap: 30% statutory income
- 10.Section 69: Administration Fund
- 11.Section 161: employees Welfare Fund
- 12.Section 83 reply: one week
- 13.Section 83 appeal: 15 days
- 14.Sections 84–86: omitted in 2023
- 15.Clock 3:30: 75 degrees
- 16.25% rise needs 20% fall
- 17.Even median: sorted middle-pair mean
- 18.CV needs positive ratio-scale mean
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