The Assam Public Service Commission conducts the prestigious Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) for state civil services posts in Assam. The APSC has officially released the APSC CCE Syllabus 2026 alongside the detailed notification on its official website, https://apsc.nic.in/. With 262 vacancies announced, this presents a golden opportunity for aspirants seeking government careers in Assam. Interested candidates can jumpstart their preparation using the comprehensive syllabus and exam pattern outlined below.
APSC Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026
To excel in the APSC CCE Exam 2026, begin by thoroughly reviewing the detailed syllabus, then design a targeted study plan covering every stage of the selection process. The recruitment stages for APSC comprise the preliminary examination, main written examination, and a personal interview round. To successfully clear both the prelims and the mains, candidates must align their study strategy with the official APSC Syllabus 2026. Below, we break down the key highlights of the examination.
APSC CCE Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026
Organization Name
Assam Public Service Commission
Exam Name
APSC Combined Competitive Exam (CCE) exam 2026
Category
Syllabus
Mode of Exam
Offline
Total Marks
Prelims-400 Mains-1500
Time Duration
Prelims- 2 hours per paper Mains- 3 hours per paper
The APSC Combined Competitive Examination 2026 selects candidates through a rigorous three-tier process: Preliminary, Mains, and Interview. The preliminary exam features two papers—Paper I and Paper II—with each paper carrying 200 marks. Candidates who qualify for the prelims advance to the main examination, which is subsequently followed by the personality test. The mains stage consists of six papers worth 250 marks each, while the final interview carries 180 marks.
Preliminary Examination
Mains Examination
Interview
APSC Exam Pattern 2026
Before diving into your preparation, familiarize yourself with the APSC Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) Exam Pattern 2026, which outlines the structure, individual papers, core topics, and marking scheme. Here, we provide a detailed overview of the papers, subjects, total marks, and time allocations for the upcoming APSC exam.
APSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
The preliminary examination accounts for a total of 400 marks, divided equally between General Studies I and General Studies II at 200 marks each. The allotted time duration for each prelims paper is 2 hours.
APSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
Papers
Subjects
Total Questions
Total Marks
Time Duration
Paper-1
General Studies I
100
200
2 hours
Paper-2
General Studies II
80
200
2 hours
Total
180
400
4 hours
APSC Mains Exam Pattern 2026
The APSC CCE Mains Exam 2026 spans 1500 marks across six distinct papers, including Essay, General Studies 1 through 5, and specialized General Studies of Assam. Each paper is worth 250 marks, with a time duration of 3 hours per paper. The examination format includes both descriptive and objective-type questions. For your convenience, the complete APSC Mains 2026 exam pattern has been neatly tabulated below.
The APSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 covers General Studies I and General Studies II. Specifically, General Studies I features a total of 100 questions, while General Studies II consists of 80 questions.
APSC Prelims Syllabus 2026
Papers
Topics
General Studies I
Current events of national and international importance.
History of India and Indian National Movement.
Indian and World Geography: Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World.
Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc
General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity, and Climate change that do not require subject specialization
General Science
General Studies II
Comprehension.
Interpersonal skills, including communication skills.
Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
Decision-making and problem solving.
General mental ability.
Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc.) (Class X level).
APSC CCE Mains Syllabus 2026
The APSC Mains Syllabus 2026 comprises six core papers. Only candidates who successfully clear the Combined Competitive Prelims exam are eligible to sit for the mains. To maximize your chances of success in the mains, it is strongly advised to review the comprehensive syllabus provided here.
Papers
Topics
Essay Writing
The topics of the essay will be given in the exam paper; candidates can choose any language from English or Assamese.
General Studies I
Salient Features of India's and World's Physical Geography.
Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
The Freedom Struggle - its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Role of women and women's organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental Issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Effects of Globalization on Indian society.
Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.
Social empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism & Secularism.
Indian culture shall cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
General Studies II
Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
Parliament and State Legislatures structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/Informal associations and their role in the Polity.
Salient features of the Representation of People's Act.
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies. Statutory, Regulatory and various Quasi-Judicial bodies.
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation."
Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources, issues relating to poverty and hunger with emphasis on Assam.
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance-applications, models, successes,
limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures with emphasis on Assam.
Role of civil services in a democracy.
India and its neighborhood relations.
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India, affecting India's interests.
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora
Important International institutions, agencies and forums their structure and mandate
General Studies III
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Government Budgeting.
Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
Land reforms in India.
Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Investment models.
Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; Indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, Nano- technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Disaster and disaster management with emphasis on Assam.
Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism with emphasis on Assam.
Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.
General Studies IV
Ethics and Human Interface- Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
Human Values lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in Inculcating values.
Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behavior; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, Integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government. Right to Information. Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct Citizen's
Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
Case Studies on above issues.
General Studies on Assam
History, Art, Culture, Literature, Tradition & Heritage of Assam. Major Landmarks in the History of Assam, Major Dynasties, their Administrative and Revenue systems, Socio-cultural Issues, Freedom Movement, Political Awakening and Integration,
Salient features of Architecture and Monuments, Arts, Paintings and Handicrafts, Important Works of literature, Fairs, Festivals, Folk Music and Folk Dances, Culture, Tradition and Heritage, Religious Movements, Leading Personalities.
Geography of Assam Broad physical features, Major physiographic divisions, Natural Resources of Assam, Climate, Natural Vegetation, Forests, Wildlife and Bio-diversity, Mines and Minerals, Population and Major Industries.
Political and Administrative System of Assam Governor, Chief Minister, State Assembly, High Court, Assam Public Service Commission, District Administration, State Human Rights Commission, State Election Commission, State Information Commission, Public Policy, Legal Rights and Citizen Charter.
Economy of Assam Macro overview of Economy, Major Agricultural, Industrial and Service Sector Issues, Growth, Development and Planning, Infrastructure & Resources, Major Development Projects, Programmes and Schemes- Government Welfare Schemes for SC/ST/Backward Class/Minorities/Disabled Persons, Destitute, Women, Children, Old Age People, Farmers & Laborers. Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management with relevant emphasis on State of Assam.
APSC Syllabus 2026 PDF
Official APSC Combined Competitive Exam Syllabus PDFs for both Prelims and Mains papers are available for download below, enabling candidates to streamline their preparation effectively.