UPSSSC PET

Every topic matched to the official PDF Official notice, upsssc.gov.in

86 topics, each explained 15 units

UPSSSC PET (Preliminary Eligibility Test) is the gateway exam of the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission — without a valid PET score you cannot apply for any UPSSSC Group C post such as lekhpal, junior assistant or VDO. PET does not give you a job by itself it only produces a score, and the later Mains exams shortlist candidates purely on that score. The paper spans 15 subject areas, from history to reasoning, current affairs and data interpretation, so effort should be spread across all of them, with extra focus on the last few areas (current affairs, general awareness, Hindi passages, graphs, tables) since together they form half the paper.

Exam Pattern

UPSSSC PET (Preliminary Eligibility Test) is conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission, Lucknow. PET is the mandatory GATEWAY exam: to apply for ANY UPSSSC Group 'C' direct-recruitment post (lekhpal, junior assistant, VDO and more), you need a valid PET score — each Mains shortlists purely on normalized PET merit (zero/negative scorers are excluded). PET itself selects nobody; it produces a score card. Eligibility: 10th (High School) pass or equivalent by the application's last date; age 18-40 (as on 01 July of the exam year; relaxations per rules). Structure: single objective paper — 100 MCQs, 100 marks, 2 hours, NEGATIVE MARKING 1/4 (0.25) per wrong answer; 15 subject areas (subjects 1-10 carry 5 marks each, subjects 11-15 carry 10 each); academic subjects are NCERT Secondary/Senior-Secondary level; multi-shift scores are normalized. SCORE VALIDITY: 3 YEARS from the result-upload date — per UP Govt order No. 316/47-ka-3-2025 dated 28-04-2025 cited in the PET-2025 notification (this replaced the earlier 1-year rule). If you hold multiple valid scores, the highest normalized score is used. Fee (PET-2025): UR/OBC ₹185, SC/ST ₹95, PwD ₹25 (all including ₹25 processing). PET-2025 — the latest cycle — was held 06-07 September 2025 in two shifts daily across 48 districts. CONFIRMED against UPSSSC Advertisement No. 01-Exam/2025 (PET-2025) dated 02-05-2025, read from upsssc.gov.in, cross-checked with four live 2026 Mains advertisements that shortlist on PET-2025 scores.

Start PractisingPlay a free quiz in Meri Taiyari

UPSSSC PET — related updates

No new UPSSSC PET vacancy is open right now. It'll show up here the moment a notification lands.

Get Free Alerts

Full Syllabus

1 Indian History (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Indus Valley	Indus Valley Civilisation — remember city planning, seals and excavated finds from sites like Harappa and Mohenjodaro studying with pictures and maps makes this stick better.
Vedic culture	Vedic culture — focus on how society, religion and governance changed between the Early Vedic (Rig Vedic) and Later Vedic periods.
Buddha and Mahavir	Buddha and Mahavir — learn the core teachings of each (like the Eightfold Path and the five vows), plus the kingdoms where these movements grew link all three together while revising.
Maurya (Ashoka)	Maurya dynasty (Ashoka) — the key points are Ashoka's edicts, his turn to Dhamma policy after the Kalinga war, and how the empire grew from Chandragupta Maurya onward.
Gupta (Samudragupta, Chandragupta II)	Gupta dynasty (Samudragupta, Chandragupta II) — know why this era is called a 'Golden Age', and keep each king's titles and conquests separate so they don't get mixed up.
Harshavardhan	Harshavardhan — study his reign, the details of Xuanzang's (Hiuen Tsang's) visit to India, and the political fragmentation of north India that followed his rule.
Rajput period	Rajput period — make a rough outline of the major Rajput clans (Chauhan, Gahadavala, and others), their key rulers and mutual conflicts don't get lost in fine-grained dates.
Sultanate	Sultanate period — remember the sequence of the Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties focus on one or two key rulers and their major achievements in each.
Mughals	Mughal period — the sequence of rulers from Babur to Aurangzeb, the mansabdari administrative system, and Mughal architecture (like the Taj Mahal) are the main angles.
Marathas	Marathas — understand how Shivaji founded Swarajya, the ashtapradhan council of administration, and the rise and later decline of the Maratha empire.
rise of British rule	Rise of British rule — trace how the East India Company moved from trading post to ruling power, through key battles like Plassey and Buxar and the gradual annexation of Indian states.
1857	1857 — remember the causes of the revolt, its main centres (Meerut, Jhansi, Kanpur, and others) and key leaders (Mangal Pandey, Rani Lakshmibai) in pairs, so they don't blur together.
socio-economic impact of British Raj	Socio-economic impact of British Raj — remember examples like the land-revenue systems (Zamindari, Ryotwari), the decline of handicraft industries, and the recurring famines under colonial rule.

2 Indian National Movement (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
early phase	Early phase — study the founding of the Congress in 1885 and the demands and methods (petitions to the government) of the early Moderate leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji and Gokhale.
Swadeshi and Civil Disobedience (Gandhi and other leaders)	Swadeshi and Civil Disobedience (Gandhi and other leaders) — remember the Swadeshi movement after the Partition of Bengal, and then the sequence and key events of Gandhi's Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements.
revolutionary movement and extremist nationalism	Revolutionary movement and extremist nationalism — keep the names and organisations of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad separate from the demands of extremist leaders like Tilak, Lal and Bal.
Government of India Act 1935	Government of India Act 1935 — remember its key features (provincial autonomy, the proposed federal structure) it also went on to shape parts of independent India's Constitution.
Quit India	Quit India movement — remember why it started in 1942, the 'Do or Die' call, and the sequence of the arrest of major leaders during the movement.
Azad Hind Fauj and Netaji	Azad Hind Fauj and Netaji — remember Subhas Chandra Bose's journey through Germany and Japan, the formation of the INA, and slogans like 'Jai Hind' and 'Give me blood, I will give you freedom'.

3 Geography (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
physical geography of India and the world — rivers	Physical geography of India and the world — rivers: learn India's major river systems (Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus) and the world's big rivers along with where they rise and where they meet the sea.
groundwater	Groundwater — understand what the water table is, how groundwater gets recharged, and why its availability varies from region to region.
mountains and glaciers	Mountains and glaciers — learn major mountain ranges like the Himalayas and Vindhyas, and India's important glaciers, with their location on the map.
deserts	Deserts — build a picture of Indian deserts like the Thar and major world deserts: where they are, their climate, and the effect on life there.
forests	Forests — get a rough sense of India's forest types (evergreen, deciduous, and others) and which states have the largest forest cover.
minerals (India-focused)	Minerals (India-focused) — link major minerals like coal, iron ore and bauxite to the states where they are found in the largest quantities.
political geography	Political geography — keep general awareness of India's and the world's country boundaries, how states and countries are divided, and issues like border disputes.
climate and weather	Climate and weather — understand how the monsoon forms, India's different climatic zones, and the basic difference between weather and climate.
time zones	Time zones — understand the link between longitude and time, and which meridian Indian Standard Time (IST) is based on.
demographic change and migration	Demographic change and migration — build an understanding of population growth trends, urbanisation, and the main reasons people migrate from villages to cities.

4 Indian Economy (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
1947-1991 (planning, mixed economy, Green and White Revolutions, Operation Flood, bank nationalisation)	1947-1991 (planning, mixed economy, Green and White Revolutions, Operation Flood, bank nationalisation) — link the purpose of the Five Year Plans with big steps like the Green and White Revolutions and bank nationalisation, remembering roughly why each happened.
1991 reforms	1991 reforms — the key point is why Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation (LPG) began, and how they opened up the Indian economy.
post-2014 reforms (agricultural, structural, labour, GST)	Post-2014 reforms (agricultural, structural, labour, GST) — understand in your own words the purpose of tax reforms like GST, changes to labour laws, and agricultural sector reforms.

5 Indian Constitution & Public Administration (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
salient features	Salient features — know the Preamble, the fact that it's one of the longest written constitutions in the world, and which other countries' constitutions influenced it.
Directive Principles	Directive Principles — understand how they differ from Fundamental Rights (not enforceable in court) and their purpose of building a welfare state.
Fundamental Rights and Duties	Fundamental Rights and Duties — learn the categories of the six Fundamental Rights and the list of Fundamental Duties as two separate sets.
parliamentary and federal system	Parliamentary and federal system — understand the roles of the Prime Minister and President at the centre, and how powers are divided between the centre and the states.
Centre-State relations	Centre-State relations — separately understand the roles of the centre and states across legislative, administrative and financial relations.
judiciary	Judiciary — know the structure from the Supreme Court down through High Courts to lower courts, and what the power of judicial review means.
district administration	District administration — build a basic understanding of the District Magistrate's main roles and how administration functions at the district level relating this to UP's own district structure helps.
local bodies and Panchayati Raj	Local bodies and Panchayati Raj — remember the three-tier Panchayati Raj structure (village, block, district) and the structure of urban bodies like municipalities.

6 General Science (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
elementary Physics	Elementary Physics — revise the basic rules of everyday topics like motion, force, energy, sound and light from a school-level textbook.
Chemistry	Chemistry — learn the properties of elements and compounds, a basic understanding of the periodic table, and the chemical composition of everyday substances.
Biology	Biology — revise the human body systems (digestion, respiration, circulation), basic plant processes (photosynthesis) and common diseases at school level.

7 Elementary Arithmetic (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
whole numbers	Whole numbers — sharpen basic calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and practise doing them mentally without a calculator.
fractions	Fractions — adding, subtracting, comparing fractions and converting them to decimals all get solid with a little daily practice.
decimals	Decimals — practise addition, subtraction, multiplication and division on decimal numbers, and converting them to fractions and percentages.
percentage	Percentage — practise finding the percentage of a number and solving percentage-increase/decrease problems this underpins many other topics like profit and loss.
simple equations	Simple equations — practise forming and solving one-variable equations, and get comfortable turning word problems into equations.
squares and roots	Squares and roots — memorise squares and square roots of the smaller numbers it makes calculations noticeably faster.
exponents	Exponents — learn the laws of exponents (how powers add or subtract when multiplying or dividing) well most mistakes happen from forgetting these rules.
average	Average — learn the formula for average, and understand how changing the average affects the other numbers in the group.

8 General Hindi (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
sandhi	Sandhi — learn the rules and examples of vowel, consonant and visarga sandhi recognising through examples works better than rote-learning the rules alone.
antonyms	Antonyms — make a list of opposites for commonly used words and revise a few every day so they stay in memory.
synonyms	Synonyms — learn several synonyms of a single word (like the many names for 'sun') by grouping them together while studying.
one-word substitution	One-word substitution — practise remembering a single precise word for a longer phrase, like 'immortal' for 'one who never dies'.
gender	Gender — learn both the rules for masculine-feminine forms and the exceptions that don't follow those rules keep a separate list for the exceptions.
samshrut-bhinnarthak words	Samshrut-bhinnarthak words (homophones) — learn word pairs that sound alike but mean different things by studying them together as pairs.
idioms and proverbs	Idioms and proverbs — learn each idiom's meaning along with an example sentence memorising just the meaning alone is forgotten quickly.
common errors	Common errors — practise spotting and correcting everyday grammar mistakes (like errors in gender or number agreement).
authors and works	Authors and works — remember well-known Hindi authors paired with their famous works.

9 General English (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
grammar	Grammar — strengthen tenses, parts of speech, articles and basic sentence structure through a little practice every day.
unseen-passage questions	Unseen-passage questions — practise reading an unfamiliar English paragraph and answering questions on it build the habit of reading one short passage every day.

10 Logic & Reasoning (5)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
order and ranking	Order and ranking — for questions about who is standing where in a line, build the habit of counting from one fixed end consistently that cuts down mistakes.
blood relations	Blood relations — build the habit of drawing a family tree to solve these, rather than trying to keep the relations in your head, which causes mix-ups.
odd one out	Odd one out — first identify what's common among the rest, then check which item doesn't fit that common pattern.
calendar and clock	Calendar and clock — memorise the formulas for finding the day of the week and the angle between clock hands these keep coming up.
cause-effect	Cause-effect — practise identifying which of two given statements is the cause and which is the effect, reasoning through them in order.
coding-decoding	Coding-decoding — practise spotting patterns in letters and numbers working it out on paper is more reliable than trying to do it in your head.
deductive reasoning	Deductive reasoning — practise drawing only the conclusions that follow directly from the given statements, without adding your own assumptions.

11 Current Affairs (10)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Indian and global	Indian and global current affairs — build the habit of reading a newspaper or a reliable news app daily, and keep a short running note of the month's important events.

12 General Awareness (10)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
neighbours	Neighbours — learn the names and capitals of all countries bordering India, and which Indian state each border touches.
capitals and currencies	Capitals and currencies — make a list pairing major countries with their capital and currency, and revise it as a set.
states and UTs	States and UTs — learn the names, capitals and current chief minister/administrator of all Indian states and union territories.
Parliament and state legislatures	Parliament and state legislatures — understand the basic structure of the Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha and state assemblies/councils, and how their membership is decided.
national and international days	National and international days — remember important days (like Republic Day, World Environment Day) along with both their date and purpose.
world organisations	World organisations — learn the headquarters and main function of major international bodies like the UN, WHO and WTO.
tourist places	Tourist places — link famous Indian tourist spots to their state looking them up on a map helps the memory stick better.
art and culture	Art and culture — link India's major dance, music and craft traditions to the state each belongs to.
sports	Sports — keep track of major tournaments, trophy names and well-known players across different sports, and follow recent sports news.
research organisations	Research organisations — learn the full form and main work of Indian research bodies like ISRO, DRDO and CSIR.
books and authors	Books and authors — learn famous books paired with their authors, and also keep an eye on recently discussed books.
awards	Awards — learn the categories of major awards like Bharat Ratna, Padma awards and the Nobel Prize, along with recent winners' names.
climate change and environment	Climate change and environment — build a basic understanding of global warming, pollution, and related international agreements like the Paris Agreement.

13 Hindi unseen-passage analysis (10)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
2 passages × 5 questions	2 passages × 5 questions — practise reading an unfamiliar Hindi passage and answering questions strictly from the information given in it, without adding outside knowledge.

14 Graph interpretation (10)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
2 graphs × 5 questions	2 graphs × 5 questions — practise reading bar, line and pie graphs check the axes and units carefully first, then work through the question.

15 Table interpretation (10)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
2 tables × 5 questions	2 tables × 5 questions — practise reading table data carefully and comparing, adding or subtracting values from it don't pick numbers off the table in a hurry.

Not covered in this pack — where to find it

Vacancy / seat count	Not stated in this pack — PET itself has no vacancies; vacancy numbers belong to the separate UPSSSC Mains recruitments.
Qualifying / cut-off score	Not stated in this pack — it only says zero and negative scorers are excluded, no specific cut-off percentage is given.
Next PET exam date	Not stated in this pack — only the past PET-2025 dates (06-07 September 2025) are given, not the next cycle's date.
Admit card release date	Not stated in this pack — the admit card timeline is not covered.

Free practice — 20 questions

Work out the answer yourself first, then tap “Show answer”. Every answer shows the method, not just the letter.

How many total questions are there in the UPSSSC PET exam paper?
- A 80
- B 100
- C 120
- D 150
Show answer

B — 100

The official notification states PET is a single objective paper of 100 MCQs, 100 marks, in a 2-hour duration.

Exam Pattern
What is the total marks of the UPSSSC PET paper?
- A 100 marks
- B 80 marks
- C 90 marks
- D 120 marks
Show answer

A — 100 marks

The exam pattern states 100 MCQs carrying 100 marks total.

Exam Pattern
What is the duration of the UPSSSC PET exam?
- A 1 hour
- B 90 minutes
- C 3 hours
- D 2 hours
Show answer

D — 2 hours

The official notification states the paper is written in 2 hours.

Exam Pattern
How many marks are deducted for each wrong answer in UPSSSC PET?
- A 1/2 (0.5) mark
- B No negative marking
- C 1/4 (0.25) mark
- D 1/3 (0.33) mark
Show answer

C — 1/4 (0.25) mark

The pack explicitly states negative marking of 1/4 (0.25) per wrong answer.

Exam Pattern
In UPSSSC PET, how many marks are allotted to EACH of the first 10 subject areas (like History, Geography, Economy)?
- A 5 marks each
- B 3 marks each
- C 8 marks each
- D 10 marks each
Show answer

A — 5 marks each

The pattern states the first 10 subjects carry 5 marks each (10 x 5 = 50).

Exam Pattern
Together, how many marks (out of 100) do the last 5 high-weightage sections make up in UPSSSC PET?
- A 30 marks
- B 50 marks
- C 40 marks
- D 60 marks
Show answer

B — 50 marks

5 subjects x 10 marks each = 50, which the pack's key_note confirms is exactly half the paper.

Exam Pattern
How many total subject/topic areas make up the UPSSSC PET syllabus?
- A 15
- B 10
- C 12
- D 18
Show answer

A — 15

The pack lists exactly 15 subject areas, the first 10 worth 5 marks each and the last 5 worth 10 marks each.

Exam Pattern
How long is a UPSSSC PET score valid, from the date the result is uploaded?
- A 1 year
- B 2 years
- C 5 years
- D 3 years
Show answer

D — 3 years

The official notification states score validity is 3 years from the result-upload date, per UP Govt order No. 316/47-ka-3-2025.

Exam Pattern
PET-2025 was conducted across how many districts?
- A 24 districts
- B 48 districts
- C 36 districts
- D 60 districts
Show answer

B — 48 districts

The official notification states PET-2025 was held on 06-07 September 2025 in two shifts daily across 48 districts.

Exam Pattern
A student scored 45 marks out of 60 in a test. What percentage of marks did the student get?
- A 75%
- B 65%
- C 70%
- D 80%
Show answer

A — 75%

(45/60) x 100 = 75%.

percentage
Simplify: 3/4 + 1/8
- A 5/8
- B 7/8
- C 1
- D 9/8
Show answer

B — 7/8

3/4 = 6/8, so 6/8 + 1/8 = 7/8.

fractions
The average of four numbers 12, 18, 24 and X is 20. Find the value of X.
- A 20
- B 24
- C 30
- D 26
Show answer

D — 26

Sum = 20 x 4 = 80. 12+18+24 = 54, so X = 80 - 54 = 26.

average
Solve for x: 3x - 7 = 20
- A 9
- B 7
- C 8
- D 11
Show answer

A — 9

3x = 20 + 7 = 27, so x = 27/3 = 9.

simple equations
What is the square root of 225?
- A 13
- B 15
- C 14
- D 16
Show answer

B — 15

15 x 15 = 225, so the square root of 225 is 15.

squares and roots
Simplify: 2^3 x 2^4
- A 64
- B 96
- C 256
- D 128
Show answer

D — 128

By the law of exponents, 2^3 x 2^4 = 2^(3+4) = 2^7 = 128.

exponents
In a certain code, each letter is replaced by the next letter of the alphabet (A becomes B, B becomes C, and so on). If CAT is coded as DBU, how will DOG be coded in the same way?
- A EPG
- B DPH
- C EPH
- D EOH
Show answer

C — EPH

Each letter shifts forward by one place: D becomes E, O becomes P, G becomes H, giving EPH.

coding-decoding
Pointing to a photograph, Ravi said, 'She is the daughter of my mother's only son.' How is the girl in the photograph related to Ravi?
- A Daughter
- B Sister
- C Niece
- D Cousin
Show answer

A — Daughter

Ravi's mother's only son is Ravi himself, so the girl in the photograph is Ravi's own daughter.

blood relations
Find the odd one out: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
- A 9
- B 5
- C 7
- D 11
Show answer

A — 9

3, 5, 7 and 11 are all prime numbers; 9 (= 3 x 3) is not prime, so it is the odd one out.

odd one out
In a class of 40 students, Meena ranks 15th from the top. What is her rank from the bottom?
- A 24th
- B 26th
- C 25th
- D 27th
Show answer

B — 26th

Rank from bottom = (Total students - Rank from top) + 1 = (40 - 15) + 1 = 26.

order and ranking
Statements: (1) All roses are flowers. (2) Some flowers are red. Which conclusion definitely follows from these statements?
- A All roses are red
- B All red things are flowers
- C No conclusion follows
- D Some flowers are roses
Show answer

D — Some flowers are roses

Since all roses are flowers, at least one rose exists among flowers, so it validly converts to 'some flowers are roses'. The other options add information not given in the statements.

deductive reasoning

These questions are built from the official pattern and syllabus on this page. Every answer was independently re-solved before it was published.

This exam recruits at these levels: 10th Pass

Note — Always confirm the syllabus and pattern against that year's official notification — changes are possible.

Start PractisingPlay a free quiz in Meri Taiyari

UPSSSC PET — related updates

No new UPSSSC PET vacancy is open right now. It'll show up here the moment a notification lands.

Get Free Alerts

Official source: https://upsssc.gov.in/