UPSSSC PET 2026: Preliminary Eligibility Test Pattern, Syllabus and Preparation

As of 8 June 2026, the UPSSSC PET 2026 exam date and registration window have not been confirmed here. Every date and number on this page is last-cycle-based or candidate-reported; verify on the official UPSSSC portal at upsssc.gov.in, which is the binding source. UPSSSC PET is the mandatory qualifying gateway for most Uttar Pradesh Group C subordinate service posts. A valid PET score is required to apply for UP Lekhpal, VDO (Village Development Officer), Junior Assistant, Forest Guard, and other posts recruited by UPSSSC.

This guide covers the exam structure, subject-wise syllabus, eligibility, post landscape, and a focused preparation plan.

UPSSSC PET 2026 Status and Source Discipline

The Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission introduced the PET (Preliminary Eligibility Test) as a one-time qualifying test for multiple Group C recruitment drives. The PET score certifies eligibility; the actual job recruitment happens through separate mains-level tests for each post family.

UPSSSC PET Exam Pattern (Last-Cycle Basis)

The Written Test

Subject-wise distribution (last-cycle basis, confirm in notice):

The distribution above is indicative from recent cycles. Confirm the exact subject weightage in the official UPSSSC notification before preparation. The Uttar Pradesh special knowledge section and the social welfare schemes section are distinctly UPSSSC content and not generic national exam content.

Eligibility Table (Verify in the 2026 Notice)

Syllabus: Subject-by-Subject Breakdown

Indian History (5 marks, approximate)

• Ancient India: Indus Valley Civilisation (key sites, features), Vedic period, Mahajanapadas, Maurya Empire (Ashoka's Dhamma), Gupta Age
• Medieval India: Delhi Sultanate (key rulers and contributions), Mughal Empire (Akbar's administration, Aurangzeb's religious policy), Bhakti-Sufi movements
• Modern History: 1857 revolt, Indian National Congress formation, key national movement events (Swadeshi, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India), key leaders (Gandhi, Nehru, Subhas Bose, Bhagat Singh), Partition and Independence

Indian National Movement (5 marks, approximate)

• Moderates vs Extremists in the INC
• Major movements: Non-Cooperation (1920), Civil Disobedience (1930, Dandi March), Quit India (1942)
• Key personalities and their specific roles
• Partition of Bengal (1905) and its reversal
• Government of India Acts (1919, 1935) and their significance

Uttar Pradesh Special Knowledge (10 marks, approximate)

This section is unique to UPSSSC PET and differentiates UP-domicile candidates. It covers:

• UP history: ancient kingdoms (Hastinapur, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura), UP's role in the national movement, formation of Uttar Pradesh state
• UP geography: districts and divisions, rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghra, Saryu), agro-climatic zones, major cities
• UP government and governance: Chief Minister and Governor roles, UP Panchayati Raj, urban local bodies (Nagar Nigam, Nagar Palika)
• UP economy: agricultural production (wheat, sugarcane, paddy, potato, mango), industries (leather in Agra and Kanpur, textiles in Varanasi, handloom in Banaras), IT in Noida
• UP flagship schemes: Kanya Sumangala Yojana, Mission Shakti, Mukhyamantri Abhyudaya Yojana, UP Internship Scheme, One District One Product (ODOP)
• UP cultural heritage: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Sarnath (Buddhist heritage), Mathura-Vrindavan, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor
• Current affairs specific to Uttar Pradesh: Chief Minister's announcements, new industrial projects, expressways (Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Ganga Expressway under construction), religious and cultural events

Social Welfare Schemes and Unorganised Sector (10 marks, approximate)

• Central government schemes: PM-KISAN, PM Awas Yojana (Gramin and Urban), Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, PM Shram Yogi Maan-dhan, Ayushman Bharat
• Unorganised sector: definition, key worker categories (street vendors, domestic workers, construction workers, home-based workers), e-SHRAM portal (national database for unorganised workers)
• Social security: ESIC, EPFO, Construction Worker Welfare Boards, UP's own welfare boards for unorganised sector workers

Geography (India and World) (5 marks, approximate)

• Physical geography of India: Himalayas, Indo-Gangetic Plain, Thar Desert, Deccan Plateau, Western and Eastern Ghats, coastlines
• Important rivers, lakes, and water bodies
• Climate: monsoon, regions, rainfall distribution
• India's minerals, forests, soil types
• World geography: continents, oceans, important passes, latitude-longitude basics

Indian Economy (5 marks, approximate)

• Basic economic concepts: GDP, national income, inflation, fiscal deficit
• Five-Year Plans and current NITI Aayog
• Banking: RBI, commercial banks, types of bank accounts
• Budget: Union Budget basics, direct and indirect taxes, GST basics
• Current economic events and indicators

Indian Constitution and Polity (5 marks, approximate)

• Preamble and its significance
• Fundamental Rights and Duties
• DPSP
• Parliament: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, process of law-making
• Union Executive: President, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers
• Judiciary: Supreme Court, High Courts, basic judicial review concept
• Local bodies: Panchayati Raj (73rd Amendment), Urban Local Bodies (74th Amendment)

General Science (5 marks, approximate)

• Biology: human body basics, diseases and their causes, nutrition, vaccines and antibiotics
• Physics: force, motion, light, electricity basics
• Chemistry: chemical reactions, common chemical substances, acids and bases
• Health and sanitation: safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene

Elementary Arithmetic (5 marks, approximate)

• Number system and operations
• Fractions, decimals, percentage
• Ratio and proportion
• Simple and compound interest
• Profit and loss
• Time and distance, time and work

General Hindi (5 marks, approximate)

• Sandhi, Samas, Karak
• Vachan, Ling
• Muhavare and Lokoktiyan (idioms and proverbs)
• Common errors in Hindi sentences
• Hindi comprehension

General English (5 marks, approximate)

• Tenses, active and passive voice
• Parts of speech
• Vocabulary: synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution
• Common errors in English sentences
• Short comprehension passage

Logic and Reasoning (5 marks, approximate)

• Number series
• Coding and decoding
• Blood relations
• Direction sense
• Analogy
• Odd one out
• Simple statement and conclusion

Graphs and Tables / Data Interpretation (10 marks, approximate)

• Bar graphs
• Pie charts
• Line graphs
• Tables
• Questions based on reading and interpreting data from given figures

UPSSSC Group C Posts That Require PET

The main Group C posts for which UPSSSC PET qualification is mandatory (last-cycle basis; confirm current list on upsssc.gov.in):

Confirm the current post-PET linkage on upsssc.gov.in because new posts are periodically added to the PET-linked pool.

Preparation Strategy

Core Approach: Breadth and Accuracy, Not Depth

UPSSSC PET has 100 marks across many subjects, each worth only 5 to 10 marks. Spending excessive time on any one subject at the cost of others is the most common mistake. The goal is 70 to 80 accurate answers, not perfection on 10 subjects.

Phase 1: Uttar Pradesh Knowledge First (Weeks 1 and 2)

The UP special knowledge section (10 marks) and social welfare schemes section (10 marks) together give 20 percent of the paper. These are not covered well by generic competitive exam books. Study UP government's official website for scheme details, UP tourism for heritage sites, and UPSSSC past papers for the UP-specific question pattern.

One District One Product (ODOP): know the product associated with major UP districts (Agra leather, Varanasi sarees, Moradabad brassware, Lucknow chikankari). This is a recurring PET question cluster.

Phase 2: Standard Subjects (Weeks 3 and 4)

Cover Indian history, polity, geography, and economy from Class 6 to 12 NCERT textbooks. These are the most efficient sources for PET's depth level. At 5 marks per subject, the questions are not deep; they test standard textbook knowledge.

General Hindi and General English practice: do 10 to 15 questions daily from each. Error correction and idiom questions are predictable patterns.

Phase 3: Data Interpretation and Reasoning Practice (Week 5)

Data interpretation (10 marks) rewards careful reading of charts and tables. Practise 20 to 30 DI sets specifically. Reasoning (5 marks) should be practised daily with sets of 5 to 7 questions.

Phase 4: Mock Tests (Week 6 and Beyond)

Attempt full-length 100-question mock tests under 2-hour conditions. Analyse wrong answers, particularly in the UP knowledge and social schemes sections, where specificity matters.

Sample Questions with Answers

Q1. UPSSSC PET score qualifies a candidate to apply for which level of posts? Group C subordinate service posts under UPSSSC such as UP Lekhpal, Village Development Officer, Junior Assistant, and Forest Guard.

Q2. What is the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative in Uttar Pradesh? ODOP is a Uttar Pradesh government initiative to identify and promote one unique traditional product from each district to boost local manufacturing, employment, and export. For example, Lucknow is associated with chikankari embroidery, Varanasi with silk sarees and brassware, and Moradabad with brassware. Confirm the current district-product mapping on the official ODOP UP portal.

Q3. The e-SHRAM portal is a national database for which category of workers? Unorganised sector workers. e-SHRAM provides a national registration system for unorganised workers (construction workers, street vendors, domestic workers, migrant workers) to enable access to social security schemes.

Internal Links

For state-level PSC guides, see the UPPSC PCS 2026 guide on PapersAdda. For the SSC GD 2026 guide and the 2026 government exams calendar, see PapersAdda.