Telangana · TGPSC

TGPSC Paper I: General Studies & General Abilities

Syllabus, pattern and topic mix

Every TGPSC recruitment of 2026 has the same Paper I: general studies with a strong Telangana focus, plus reasoning and Basic English. 8 notifications listed here share it, for 427 posts. Paper II is the post's own subject.

Official pattern

TGPSC Paper I exam pattern

PaperPaper I: General Studies and General Abilities
Questions150 (objective, multiple choice)
Time150 minutes
Marks150
LanguageEnglish and Telugu
Negative markingNot mentioned in the 2026 notifications
ModeComputer-based (CBRT) or OMR, as TGPSC announces for each post

Who takes it

8 TGPSC 2026 recruitments share Paper I

Exam dates only when TGPSC has announced them. Open a post for its Paper II, eligibility and how to apply.

TGPSC 2026 recruitments with the common Paper I
PostNotificationPostsExam datePaper I syllabus
HMWSSB Manager (Engineering) 04/OG/HM/2026 130 Tentatively December 2026 (para 1.9 of the notification) 15-item wording
MPSO / ASO 07/G/ES/2026 102 Tentatively January 2027 (para 1.9 of the notification) 13-item wording
DIET Lecturers 04/G/SE/2026 86 Tentatively November 2026 (para 1.9 of the notification); not in TGPSC's schedule web note of 28/09/2026 15-item wording
AEE Electrical (R&B) 02/G/RB/2026 49 Tentatively October 2026 (para 1.9 of the notification); not in TGPSC's schedule web note of 28/09/2026 15-item wording
DEO / Gazetted HM 03/G/SE/2026 24 12 November 2026 15-item wording
Seed Certification Officer 03/OG/SD/2026 19 Tentatively October 2026 (para 1.9 of the notification); not in TGPSC's schedule web note of 28/09/2026 13-item wording
Assistant Director of Town Planning 05/G/TP/2026 10 Tentatively October 2026 (para 1.9 of the notification); not in TGPSC's schedule web note of 28/09/2026 15-item wording
Town Planning Assistant 06/G/TP/2026 7 Tentatively October 2026 (para 1.9 of the notification); not in TGPSC's schedule web note of 28/09/2026 15-item wording

Official syllabus

Two wordings, one syllabus

The 2026 notifications print Paper I in two wordings. The 15-item version is in HMWSSB Manager (Engineering), DIET Lecturers, AEE Electrical (R&B), DEO / Gazetted HM, Assistant Director of Town Planning, Town Planning Assistant. The 13-item version is in MPSO / ASO, Seed Certification Officer: the same topics in shorter wording, with polity "with a focus on local self-government". Read the one in your own notification.

15-item wording

Paper I: General Studies and General Abilities

150 questions · 150 min · 150 marks

1. Current affairs
  • Regional, national and international
2. International relations
  • International relations and events
3. General science
  • General science
  • India's achievements in science and technology
4. Environment
  • Environmental issues
  • Disaster management: prevention and mitigation strategies
5. Economy
  • Economic and social development of India and Telangana
6. Geography of India
  • Physical, social and economic geography of India
7. Geography of Telangana
  • Physical, social and economic geography and demography of Telangana
8. Modern Indian history
  • Socio-economic, political and cultural history of modern India
  • Special emphasis on the Indian National Movement
9. Telangana history
  • Socio-economic, political and cultural history of Telangana
  • Special emphasis on the Telangana statehood movement and formation of the state
10. Polity and governance
  • Indian Constitution
  • Indian political system
  • Governance and public policy
11. Social exclusion and rights
  • Social exclusion
  • Rights issues such as gender, caste, tribe and disability
  • Inclusive policies
12. Telangana society and culture
  • Society, culture, heritage, arts and literature of Telangana
13. Telangana policies
  • Policies of Telangana State
14. Reasoning
  • Logical reasoning
  • Analytical ability and data interpretation
15. Basic English
  • Basic English (10th class standard)

13-item wording

Paper I: General Studies and General Abilities

150 questions · 150 min · 150 marks

1. Current affairs
  • Regional (Telangana), national and international
2. International relations
  • International relations and events
3. General science
  • General science
  • India's achievements in science and technology
4. Environment
  • Environmental issues
  • Disaster management
5. Economy
  • Economy of India
  • Economy of Telangana
6. Geography
  • Geography of India, with a focus on Telangana
7. Polity
  • Indian Constitution and polity
  • Focus on local self-government
8. Telangana society and culture
  • Society, culture, heritage, arts and literature of Telangana
9. Telangana policies
  • Policies of Telangana State
10. Modern Indian history
  • History of modern India
  • Focus on the Indian National Movement
11. Telangana history
  • History of Telangana
  • Special emphasis on the movement for Telangana statehood
12. Reasoning
  • Logical reasoning
  • Analytical ability
  • Data interpretation
13. Basic English
  • Basic English

Our analysis of past papers

What Paper I really asks

Questions per syllabus item in seven real Paper I papers (1,050 questions), classified by us question by question. These are our counts, not TGPSC figures. "Technical posts" is the average of the 2023 AEE (three shifts), Agriculture Officer and Horticulture Officer papers, the closest match to the 2026 posts.

Questions per syllabus item in past TGPSC Paper I papers
Syllabus itemTechnical posts 2023 (avg)RangeGroup 4 2023Group 1 Prelims 2024
1. Current affairs 7.6 4–10 18 7
2. International relations 2.8 2–5 6 9
3. General science, S&T 9.9 8–11 19 22
4. Environment, disaster management 11.1 9–12 11 9
5. Economy of India and Telangana 15.0 10–17 13 17
6. Geography of India 9.8 8–13 12 7
7. Geography of Telangana 6.7 6–8 5 5
8. Modern India, national movement 7.1 7–8 15 7
9. Telangana history, statehood movement 8.2 6–11 14 13
10. Constitution, polity, governance 9.0 8–11 20 13
Local self-government 3.0 2–4 1 2
11. Social exclusion, rights 4.1 2–5 1 8
12. Telangana society, culture 10.6 7–15 8 3
13. Telangana policies 6.4 4–9 7 3
14. Reasoning, analytical ability, DI 19.3 17–20 0 25
15. Basic English 19.4 18–20 0 0
Total150150150
Telangana-specific, all items≈ 38 (25%)36–4342 (28%)29 (19%)

Group 4 Paper I has no reasoning or English (those are in its Paper II), and Group 1 Prelims has no English, so they follow different syllabi; they are shown for comparison. Image-based questions were assigned by the paper's block order, so single cells can be off by about 2. The two 2026 papers (Assistant Scientist and Assistant Environmental Engineer, October 2026) are not public yet.

Prepare in Medha AI

TGPSC Paper I course: coming soon

We are building the TGPSC Paper I course to this syllabus and topic mix: notes, practice and full mock tests in English and Telugu. It is not open yet. Tell us your post and we will let you know when it opens.

MPSO / ASO candidates: the TGPSC MPSO / ASO course already has Paper I mock tests. See the MPSO / ASO page.

TGPSC Paper I questions

Is there negative marking in TGPSC Paper I?

None of the 2026 notifications mentions negative marking. In the 2023 computer-based Paper I papers we analysed, every question carried 'Wrong Marks: 0'. Check your own notification and hall ticket instructions.

Is Paper I the same for every TGPSC post?

Yes. All 8 TGPSC recruitments of 2026 listed here set Paper I as General Studies and General Abilities, 150 questions in 150 minutes for 150 marks. 6 print the 15-item syllabus, 2 a shorter 13-item wording; the content is the same.

How many questions are on Telangana?

In the five 2023 technical-post papers we analysed, 36 to 43 of 150 questions (about 25%) were specifically about Telangana: geography, history and the statehood movement, culture, state policies and economy. This is our count, not a TGPSC figure.

How many questions are on reasoning and English?

In the 2023 technical-post papers, about 20 reasoning and 20 Basic English questions, and about 110 on general studies. TGPSC does not publish a fixed split; this is from the papers.

What level of English is asked in TGPSC Paper I?

Basic English of 10th class standard, as notified. In 2023 that meant short questions on articles, tenses, prepositions, voice, question tags, error spotting, synonyms, antonyms, spellings and homophones, with no long passages.

Can I write TGPSC Paper I in Telugu?

Paper I is set in English and Telugu, so you can read every question in either language. Paper II depends on the post; for the R&B engineering posts it is in English only.

How should I prepare for TGPSC Paper I?

Cover the Telangana items first (history and statehood movement, geography, culture, policies), about a quarter of the paper. Then general studies, with current affairs of the last 12 months. Practise reasoning and English daily, and take full 150-question tests in 150 minutes.

All TGPSC notifications and posts

Medha AI is an independent preparation service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to APPSC, TGPSC (formerly TSPSC), MPSC, UPSC or any other commission or government body. Pattern and syllabus are from the 2026 TGPSC notifications; check your own notification on tgpsc.gov.in.

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