APPSC District Probation Officer Grade-II / Intake Probation Officer Syllabus 2026 & Exam Pattern

APPSC DPO Grade-II / Intake Probation Officer – Complete Exam Pattern & Syllabus

As per APPSC Brief Notification No. 12/2026 dated 15-09-2026, the recruitment has a single-level objective examination in CBRT mode, with no Screening Test. DPO_IPO_122026

📋 EXAM PATTERN

Paper	Subject	Questions	Duration	Marks
Paper-I	General Studies & Mental Ability	150	150 Minutes	150
Paper-II	Social Work and Criminology / Psychology	150	150 Minutes	150
TOTAL	—	300	300 Minutes	300

Important Points

Exam Type: Objective Type
Exam Mode: Online CBRT
Standard: As prescribed in the notification's examination scheme
Screening Test: No
Total Questions: 300
Total Marks: 300
Total Duration: 300 Minutes
Negative Marking: 1/3rd of the marks prescribed for the question for every wrong answer.
If the examination is conducted in multiple sessions, normalization may be applied as per APPSC procedure. DPO_IPO_122026 DPO_IPO_122026

📚 COMPLETE SYLLABUS

PAPER-I

GENERAL STUDIES & MENTAL ABILITY

1. Current Affairs

Major current events and issues pertaining to:
- International
- National
- Andhra Pradesh State

2. General Science & Technology

General Science
Applications of Science to day-to-day life
Contemporary developments in Science & Technology
Information Technology

3. History of India

Broad general understanding of Indian history
Social aspects
Economic aspects
Cultural aspects
Political aspects
Special focus on Andhra Pradesh
Indian National Movement

4. Geography

Geography of India
Special focus on Andhra Pradesh

5. Indian Polity & Governance

Constitutional issues
Public policy
Reforms
e-Governance initiatives

6. Indian Economy & Planning

7. Sustainable Development & Environmental Protection

8. Disaster Management

Vulnerability profile
Prevention strategies
Mitigation strategies
Application of Remote Sensing
GIS in disaster assessment

9. Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability

Logical reasoning
Analytical ability
Logical interpretation

10. Data Analysis

Tabulation of data
Visual representation of data
Basic data analysis
Mean
Median
Mode
Variance
Data interpretation

DPO_IPO_122026 DPO_IPO_122026

PAPER-II

SOCIAL WORK AND CRIMINOLOGY

UNIT-I – Social Work

Definition and Scope of Social Work
Social Work Values and Ethics
Social Work Practice in India

UNIT-II – Criminology

Meaning of Criminology
Concept
Scope and extent
Deviance:
- Definition
- Concept
- Scope
Crime:
- Definition
- Concept
- Scope
- Characteristics

UNIT-III – Crime & Punishment

Forms of Crime
Crime in India
Patterns and trends
Punishment:
- Definition
- Nature
- Types
Corporal punishment
Capital punishment
Prison as a community
Prison programmes
Prison reforms

UNIT-IV – Correctional Institutions

Administrative functions
Programmes
Limitations of:
- Open prisons
- Borstal schools
- Certified schools
- Reformatory schools
- Remand homes
- Observation homes
- Juvenile homes
- Special homes

UNIT-V – Criminal Justice & Probation

Criminal Justice System
Courts
Correctional Administration
Probation:
- Origin
- Nature
- Process
- Practice in India
Parole:
- Origin
- Nature
- Process
- Practice in India
Role of Probation Officer in correctional setting

DPO_IPO_122026

🧠 PAPER-II

PSYCHOLOGY

1. Introduction to Psychology

Concept and definition
Nature and scope
Branches of psychology
Application of psychology to society and social problems

2. Methods in Psychology

Characteristics of psychological studies
Observation
Survey method
Clinical and case study method
Experimental method
Application of psychological methods

3. Quantitative Analysis

Measures of central tendency
Measures of dispersion
Correlation
Levels of measurement
Reliability
Validity
Application in test construction

4. Physiological Psychology

Structure of neuron
Nerve impulses
Synapse
Neurotransmitters
Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
Neural control of behaviour
Hemispheric specialization
Endocrine system
Hormonal control of behaviour
Application of hemispheric knowledge to diagnostic purposes

5. Development of Human Behaviour

Individual differences
Heredity and environment
Lifespan development
Early experience
Mastering developmental tasks
Sensitive/critical periods of development
Application to the human life cycle

6. Perception

Perceptual process
Perceptual organization
Perception of form, colour, depth and time
Perceptual readiness
Perceptual constancy
Role of motivation
Social and cultural factors in perception
Application to skill development

7. Learning

Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Modeling
Observational learning
Transfer of training
Learning and motivation
Application to improvement of academic performance

DPO_IPO_122026

8. Memory

Physiological basis of memory
Memory and forgetting
Measurement of memory:
- Recall
- Recognition
- Relearning
Short-term memory
Long-term memory
Theories of forgetting:
- Decay
- Interference
- Repressive forgetting
Mnemonic devices and improvement of memory

9. Cognition and Language

Concept formation
Nature and development of thinking
Language and thought
Acquisition of language
Problem solving
Creative thinking
Applications

10. Intelligence and Aptitude

Definition and concept
Theories and models of intelligence
Measurement of intelligence
Measurement of aptitude
Exceptional intelligence
Mental retardation
Multiple intelligence
Emotional intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Applications

11. Motivation and Emotion

Instinct
Needs
Drives
Motives
Theories of motivation
Drive reduction theory
Maslow's motivational hierarchy
Social motivation
Achievement motive
Power motive
Affiliation motive
Influence of early experiences
Physiological basis of emotion
Theories of emotion:
- James-Lange
- Cannon-Bard
- Cognitive physiological theory

12. Personality

Concepts and definition
Trait approach
Type approach
Eclectic approach
Personality development
Freud
Erikson
Biological determinants
Socio-cultural determinants
Measurement of personality
Projective tests
Pencil-paper tests
Application of personality profiles in job placement

13. Adjustment and Stress

Concept and definition
Factors affecting adjustment
Frustration
Conflict
Sources of stress
Reactions to stress
Coping with stress
Stress management techniques

14. Social Behaviour

Socio-cultural factors and behaviour
Development of attitudes
Stereotypes
Prejudice
Measurement of attitudes:
- Thurstone scale
- Likert attitude scale
- Bogardus Social Distance Scale
Strategies for reducing prejudice
Changing attitudes
Person perception
Implicit personality theory
Integrating impressions
Impression management

Application of Psychology

Health & Mental Health
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Relaxation therapies
Education
- Programmed learning
- Self-instructional learning
- Learning styles
Community
- Self-help
- Group cohesiveness
- Leadership
Industry
- Assessment centre approach
- Selection
- Recruitment
- Training
Environment
- Man-nature interaction
- Personal space
- Pollution reduction
- Information technology applications
- Commercial applications
- Educational applications
- Health applications

DPO_IPO_122026

💻 COMPUTER PROFICIENCY TEST (CPT)

The notification separately provides a Computer Proficiency Test – Practical Type in Office Automation with usage of Computers and Associated Software. DPO_IPO_122026

Test	Duration	Maximum Marks	Qualifying – SC/ST/PBD	BC	OC
Office Automation & Computer Proficiency	60 Minutes	100	30	35	40

CPT PART-A

1. Introduction to Computers

Computer components and classification
Peripheral devices and their purpose
Input devices:
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Scanner
- Light pen
- Touch screen
- Joystick
- Microphone
- Digital camera
- Barcode reader
- Biometric sensor
Output devices:
- Display devices
- Printers
- Monitor
- Speaker
- Plotter
Secondary storage:
- FDD
- Magnetic tape
- USB
- Pen drives
- Disks
Input/output processing devices
Data
Information
RAM
ROM
Control Unit
Memory Unit
ALU

2. Computer Software Types

System Software
Application Software
Embedded Software
Proprietary Software
Open-source Software
Purpose and characteristics

3. Operating System

Purpose of operating systems
Single-user operating systems
Multi-user operating systems
Examples

4. Windows Operating System

GUI
CUI
Difference between CUI and GUI
Files and folders
File Manager
Program Manager
Printer setup
Webcam setup
Scanner setup
Other peripheral devices

5. Linux / Mac OS

Basic concepts
Linux features and advantages
File handling commands
Directory handling commands
User management
File permissions
Macintosh Apple Computer (MAC) OS
Advantages
Basic commands

6. Internet Concepts

Hardware and software requirements
Communication protocols
Internet facilities
Web browsers
IP Address
Connecting system to network
Uploading files
Downloading files

7. Electronic Mail

Sending and receiving emails
Basic email functions
Using word processor for email
Finding email addresses
Mailing lists
List servers

8. World Wide Web

WWW
Advantages of Web
Web navigation
Web searching

DPO_IPO_122026

🖥️ CPT PART-B

1. Office Suite

MS Office
LibreOffice
Apache OpenOffice
NeoOffice
Windows / Linux / Macintosh

2. Getting Started with Office

Introduction to Office software
Starting and exiting Office applications
Office Shortcut Bar
Customizing Office Shortcut Bar

3. File Operations

Opening applications
Creating files
Entering and editing text
Saving files
Opening files
Closing files
Exiting applications
Managing files

4. Office Application Tools

Key combinations
Cut, Copy and Paste
Drag and Drop
Menu bars
Toolbars
Undo and Redo
Spell checking
AutoCorrect
Find and Replace
Help
Templates
Wizards

5. Word Processing – MS Word / Equivalent

Creating/opening documents
Typing and editing
Text formatting
Copying and moving
Saving
Page setup
Print Preview
Printing
Find / Replace / Go To
Document views
Zoom
Page Break
Header and Footer
Page Number
AutoFormat
Footnotes
Fields
Symbols
Captions
Cross Reference
Index
Tables
Sorting
Graphics
Pictures
WordArt
Charts
Hyperlinks
Bookmarks
Fonts
Paragraphs
Bullets
Borders and Shading
Columns
Drop Cap
Themes
Change Case
Background
Frames
Styles
Spelling and Grammar
Word Count
Auto Summarize
AutoCorrect
Merge Documents
Protect Document
Envelopes and Labels
Templates and Wizards
Merge/Split Cells
Table AutoFormat
AutoFit
Sort
Formula
Macros
Keyboard Shortcuts
Mail Merge

6. Spreadsheet – MS Excel / Equivalent

Excel worksheets
Cell selection
Navigation
Data entry/editing
Text boxes and notes
Spell checking
Undo/Repeat
Formulas
Cell references
AutoFill
Custom fill lists
Protection
Formatting
Moving/copying cells
Sorting
Inserting/deleting cells
Page setup
Column width
Row height
AutoFormat
Styles
Format Painter
Alignment
Borders
Colour and shading
Page breaks
Hiding rows/columns
Functions
Charts
Chart Wizard
3-D charts
Trend lines
Data Map
Graphics
Macros
Subtotals
Databases
CSV
Worksheet as database

7. Presentation Software – MS PowerPoint / Equivalent

Presentation views
Slides
Colour schemes
Slide formatting
Creating presentations
Templates
Master slides
Text editing
Spell checking
Find and Replace
Text formatting
Images
Clipart
Drawing
Objects
Pictures
Graphics
Multimedia
Animation
Slide-show enhancements
Transitions
Timings
Master slide
Setting up slide show
Running slide show
Printing

DPO_IPO_122026

📊 CPT ASSESSMENT PATTERN

Component	Weightage
Part-A – MCQ Test	20%
Typing Speed	25%
Organizing & Inserting Different Objects	15%
Excel – Data, Formulae, Formatting & Graphs	20%
PowerPoint Presentation	20%
TOTAL	100%

The practical assessment includes model document preparation and formatting, typing speed, tables, images/WordArt, mail merge, Excel data/formulas/conditional formatting/graphs, and PowerPoint presentations with formatted text, images, tables, transitions and animation. DPO_IPO_122026