UPPSC Samiksha Adhikari RO / ARO 2026 Exam at a Glance
| Particulars | Preliminary Exam | Main Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Objective (MCQ, OMR sheet) | Descriptive (you write the answers) |
| Papers | 1 paper | 4 papers |
| Questions | 200 MCQs (140 General Studies + 60 General Hindi) | Paper-I and II: 20 questions each; Paper-III: 8 questions; Paper-IV: 2 essays |
| Total marks | 200 | 800 (200 per paper) |
| Time | 3 hours | 3 hours per paper |
| Negative marking | Yes, 0.33 mark per wrong answer | Not applicable (descriptive papers) |
| Counted in final merit? | No, only for shortlisting | Yes, final selection is on Main marks |
| Minimum qualifying marks | 35% for SC / ST, 40% for others | 35% for SC / ST, 40% for others |
Part 1: Preliminary Examination
This is a single objective paper of 200 marks. It is only for shortlisting, so its marks are not added to the final merit.
Exam Pattern: Preliminary Examination (200 marks, 3 hours)
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Studies | 140 | 140 |
| General Hindi (word knowledge and grammar) | 60 | 60 |
| Total | 200 | 200 |
Negative marking explained: every question has 4 options and carries 1 mark. A wrong answer cuts 0.33 mark, so 10 wrong answers cut 3.3 marks. Marking more than one option is treated as wrong. A blank question has no penalty.
Syllabus: General Studies (140 questions, objective). The notification does not give the number of questions for each topic.
| Subject | Topics |
|---|---|
| General Studies |
|
Syllabus: General Hindi (60 questions, objective). There are 6 topics of 10 questions each.
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Opposites (Vilom shabd) | 10 |
| Sentence framing and correction | 10 |
| One word for several words | 10 |
| Words of same use and same nature | 10 |
| Noun defined by an adjective, and adjectives | 10 |
| Synonyms (Paryayvachi shabd) | 10 |
| Total | 60 |
Part 2: Main (Written) Examination
This is the deciding exam. It has 4 descriptive papers of 200 marks each (800 marks in total), and final selection is made only on these marks.
Exam Pattern: Main Examination (800 marks, 4 papers)
| Paper | Subject | What you have to write | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I | General Studies-I | 20 questions: 10 short answers (8 marks each, about 75 words) + 10 long answers (12 marks each, about 125 words) | 200 |
| Paper-II | General Studies-II | 20 questions: 10 short answers (8 marks each, about 75 words) + 10 long answers (12 marks each, about 125 words) | 200 |
| Paper-III | General Hindi and Composition | 8 questions (some have internal choice). Marks for each part are given in the syllabus below | 200 |
| Paper-IV | Hindi Essay | 2 essays, one from each section: 80 marks (about 800 words) + 120 marks (about 1200 words) | 200 |
Each Main paper is of 3 hours.
Syllabus: Paper-I: General Studies-I. History, society, geography, environment and science and technology.
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| 1. Indian History, Art and Culture |
|
| 2. Indian Society |
|
| 3. Geography of India |
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| 4. Environment and Disaster Management |
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| 5. Science and Technology |
|
Syllabus: Paper-II: General Studies-II. Polity, governance, economy, agriculture, ethics and current affairs.
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| 1. Indian Polity and Constitution |
|
| 2. Governance |
|
| 3. Economy and Agriculture |
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| 4. Ethics and Integrity |
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| 5. Current Affairs | Current affairs of regional, national and international importance including games and sports: Global, South Asia and SAARC, India and Uttar Pradesh |
Syllabus: Paper-III: General Hindi and Composition 200 marks. Marks of each part are given below.
| Topic | Marks |
|---|---|
| Unseen passage: give a title (5), explain three underlined parts (15) and write a summary (10) | 30 |
| Tabular summary of a given government letter | 10 |
| Letter writing: government letter, semi-government letter, office order, circular, reminder (anusmarak), office memorandum, press release, noting and report (10 + 10) | 20 |
| Technical terminology (administrative and commercial): Hindi to English and English to Hindi (10 + 10) | 20 |
| Idioms and proverbs: meaning and use in a sentence (only ten, 3 marks each) | 30 |
| Grammar: noun, pronoun, adjective, karak, verb (5 questions x 3 marks) | 15 |
| Punctuation marks | 5 |
| Correction of errors: spelling errors (5) and sentence errors (5) | 10 |
| Varna vichar: vowels and consonants and their classification | 10 |
| Hindi word groups: tatsam, tadbhav, deshaj, videshi | 10 |
| Hindi word formation: upsarg, pratyay, sandhi, samas | 10 |
| Hindi meanings: synonyms, antonyms, words with many meanings, one word for a phrase, similar sounding words with different meanings | 20 |
| General knowledge of computer | 10 |
| Total | 200 |
Syllabus: Paper-IV: Hindi Essay 200 marks. The paper has two sections. You must write one essay from each section: the first essay is of 80 marks about 800 words and the second is of 120 marks about 1200 words.
| Section | Essay topics (choose one) |
|---|---|
| First section (80 marks) |
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| Second section (120 marks) |
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