AP DSC 2026 Syllabus and Exam Pattern: SGT, School Assistant Languages and Non-Languages (80 Marks)
The School Education Department's SCERT has published the DSC-2026 syllabus documents, and the first page of each one gives the mark distribution of the written test. This guide puts the official numbers for SGT, School Assistant (Languages) and School Assistant (Non-Languages) side by side, shows where the marks actually are, and gives you a small tool to add up your own section-wise marks. The brief notifications for AP DSC 2026 were issued on 13 October 2026; the detailed notifications are due on or before 3 November 2026.
At a glance
- Written test total: 80 marks for SGT and for School Assistant (both Part I of the syllabus).
- SGT: G.K & Current Affairs 8, Perspectives in Education 4, Educational Psychology 8, Content & Methodologies 60 (40 + 20).
- School Assistant: G.K & Current Affairs 10, Perspectives in Education 5, Classroom Implications of Educational Psychology 5, Content 40, Methodology 20.
- Content subject: for language posts the content is the concerned language; for non-language posts it is the concerned subject.
- Syllabus level (official documents): School Assistant content is "Class VI to Intermediate level"; SGT content is "Class III to VIII, difficulty level up to Class X".
- TET weightage: 20%, so the written test is 80 marks (confirmed for this guide by the site owner; check the detailed notification).
Official Mark Distribution
School Assistant (Languages and Non-Languages)
The syllabus documents for School Assistant Mathematics and School Assistant English show the same structure, with the subject name replacing the word "Content" and "Methodology". So the same distribution applies to every School Assistant subject, and the content paper is simply in your own language or subject.
| Section | Marks | Share of the paper |
|---|---|---|
| G.K & Current Affairs | 10 | 12.5% |
| Perspectives in Education | 5 | 6.25% |
| Classroom Implications of Educational Psychology | 5 | 6.25% |
| Content (concerned language / subject) | 40 | 50% |
| Methodology (concerned language / subject) | 20 | 25% |
| Total | 80 | 100% |
Secondary Grade Teacher (SGT)
| Section | Marks | Share of the paper |
|---|---|---|
| G.K & Current Affairs | 8 | 10% |
| Perspectives in Education | 4 | 5% |
| Educational Psychology | 8 | 10% |
| Content & Methodologies | 60 | 75% |
| Total | 80 | 100% |
The "Content & Methodologies" block of 60 marks is split into 40 marks of content and 20 of methodologies, so the effective structure is Content 40, Methodologies 20.
Side by side
| Component | SGT | School Assistant | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| G.K & Current Affairs | 8 | 10 | SA has 2 more |
| Perspectives in Education | 4 | 5 | SA has 1 more |
| Educational Psychology | 8 | 5 | SGT has 3 more |
| Content + Methodology | 60 | 60 | Same total (40 + 20) |
| Total | 80 | 80 |
The big picture is that three-quarters of the paper (60 of 80 marks) is subject content plus methodology for both posts. The differences are at the edges: SGT candidates gain 3 marks in Educational Psychology and lose 2 in G.K and 1 in Perspectives in Education.
What "Content" Means for Your Post
| Post | Content section is... | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School Assistant – Languages | The concerned language (for example Telugu, Hindi, English or Urdu, depending on the post you apply for) | Official syllabus: Class VI to Intermediate level |
| School Assistant – Non-Languages | The concerned subject (for example Mathematics, Physical Science, Biological Science or Social Studies) | Official syllabus: Class VI to Intermediate level |
| SGT | Language I (Telugu or Urdu), English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies: content and methodology for each | Official syllabus: Class III to VIII, difficulty level up to Class X |
The examples above are indicative; the subjects actually open for recruitment will be listed in the detailed notification. The official documents state the level for each post: School Assistant content is "Class VI to Intermediate level" (school classes 6 to 10 plus the Intermediate syllabus) and SGT content is "Class III to VIII, difficulty level up to Class X". Unit-wise lists for every subject are linked in the next section.
Unit-Wise Syllabus for Your Post
We have set out the official topic lists, unit by unit, for SGT and for each School Assistant subject for which a syllabus document was published:
- SGT: Language I (Telugu or Urdu), English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
- School Assistant Mathematics
- School Assistant Physical Science (Physics and Chemistry)
- School Assistant Biological Science
- School Assistant Social Studies
- School Assistant English
- School Assistant Hindi
- School Assistant Telugu
- Perspectives in Education and Educational Psychology (common to all posts)
Where the Marks Are: A Study-Time Plan
A simple rule is to split your study time in proportion to marks, then shift hours toward your weakest areas. For every 100 hours of preparation, the proportional split is:
| Block | School Assistant | SGT |
|---|---|---|
| Subject content (40 marks) | 50 hours | 50 hours |
| Methodology (20 marks) | 25 hours | 25 hours |
| G.K & Current Affairs | 12.5 hours | 10 hours |
| Educational Psychology | 6.25 hours | 10 hours |
| Perspectives in Education | 6.25 hours | 5 hours |
Two practical points follow. First, content and methodology together are 75% of the paper, but methodology is only 25%, and it is the part where focused revision of the pedagogy for school-level topics pays off fastest. Second, G.K and Current Affairs, Perspectives in Education and Psychology are small, finite syllabi: a few weeks of steady work can lock in most of their 20 marks, which is why they are worth finishing early.
Check Your Section-Wise Marks
Use this tool after each mock test. Enter your marks in each section, see which one is holding you back, and, if you wish, add your TET marks to see an estimated composite.
Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded. The TET weightage is 20% (20 marks), as confirmed by the site owner; the field stays editable in case the final notification changes it.
How Many Questions? What We Can and Cannot Say
The pages we reviewed give marks, not question counts. Our AP DSC calculator is currently configured with +0.50 for each correct answer and no negative marking, which is the structure the earlier DSC cycles used. If the 2026 paper keeps 0.5 marks per question, the 80 marks would translate into the following question counts (this is an estimate, not an official figure):
| Section | SA marks | SA questions (est.) | SGT marks | SGT questions (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G.K & Current Affairs | 10 | 20 | 8 | 16 |
| Perspectives in Education | 5 | 10 | 4 | 8 |
| Educational Psychology | 5 | 10 | 8 | 16 |
| Content + Methodology | 60 | 120 | 60 | 120 |
| Total | 80 | 160 | 80 | 160 |
Not visible in the pages we reviewed
- The number of questions, the duration and the language of the paper.
- Whether any negative marking applies.
- Qualifying marks and reservation rules for 2026. The TET weightage is 20%, so the written test is 80 marks (see also our roster and cut-off analysis); confirm everything in the detailed notification.
Using the Textbooks Effectively
- Treat the textbooks as the syllabus. Since the school-level content is drawn from the textbooks for the classes the official syllabus names, read each chapter for concepts first, then for how it is taught: learning outcomes, activities and common student errors are what methodology questions test.
- Use the same edition. Textbooks are revised from time to time, so make sure you are studying the current edition used in Andhra Pradesh schools, not older copies.
- Make a chapter-wise tracker. List every chapter in your subject by class and mark it as read, revised and practised, so that gaps are visible.
- Keep current affairs daily. Ten marks of G.K & Current Affairs for School Assistant (eight for SGT) are won by regular reading in the months before the exam, not by last-week cramming.
When the application dates arrive, check the detailed notification for the official syllabus links, and read our AP DSC 2026 notification guide for the vacancy breakdown by post and district.
About the author. Thaseen Fathima is a B.Tech CSE (AI) student at Vignan Institute of Engineering and Technology, Visakhapatnam, who builds examination calculators and writes the guides behind them.Check Your AP DSC Marks
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