Complete syllabus and exam pattern of the HP Subordinate Allied Services Examination (HP Allied exam), conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC), Shimla, for Class-III (Group-C) posts such as Election Kanungo, Extension Officer (Industries), Excise and Taxation Inspector and Inspector (Audit). The scheme below follows the latest HPPSC advertisement (2024 cycle).
HP Allied exam pattern at a glance
| Stage | Paper | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims (screening) | General Knowledge — 200 objective questions | 200 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper I — English (conventional) | 150 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper II — Hindi (conventional) | 150 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper III — General Knowledge | 200 | 3 hours |
| Interview | None | — | — |
- Negative marking: 0.25 mark is deducted for every wrong answer in Prelims. Marking more than one option counts as wrong; unattempted questions carry no penalty.
- Prelims is screening only. Its marks are not added to the final merit.
- Final merit is prepared from the three Mains papers (500 marks) and the post preference you give in the application. There is no interview.
- Qualifying marks in Mains (recent cycles): at least 35% in each paper and 40% in aggregate.
Prelims syllabus (200 marks, 3 hours)
One objective-type General Knowledge paper in three parts:
Part A — Himachal Pradesh (60 marks)
- History of Himachal Pradesh
- Geography of Himachal Pradesh
- Socio-economic development of Himachal Pradesh
Part B — Current events and general science (60 marks)
- Current events of national and international importance
- Everyday observation and experience with a scientific angle, at the level expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of science
Part C — India (80 marks)
- Modern Indian history (from 1857 onwards)
- Indian culture
- Indian polity
- Indian economy
- Geography of India
- Disaster management
- Environment
- Gender issues
- Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi
Mains syllabus (500 marks)
Paper I — English (150 marks, 3 hours)
- Comprehension of a passage and correct use of words
- Reasoning, drawing inferences and separating important points from less important ones
- Essay writing
- Précis / summary of a given passage
Paper II — Hindi (150 marks, 3 hours)
- Translation of an English passage into Hindi (अनुवाद)
- Explanation of Hindi prose and poetry passages in Hindi (व्याख्या)
- Composition: essay (निबंध), idioms and proverbs (मुहावरे और लोकोक्तियाँ), and sentence correction (शुद्धिकरण)
Paper III — General Knowledge (200 marks, 3 hours)
- History, geography and socio-economic development of Himachal Pradesh
- Current events of national and international importance
- Everyday science and scientific observation
- Modern Indian history and Indian culture
- Indian polity and Indian economy
- Geography of India
- Teachings of Mahatma Gandhi
Prepare for HP Allied with Raman Academy
Our HP Allied Services coaching covers the full Prelims GK paper and all three Mains papers, with weekly English, Hindi and GK answer writing. You can also practise with our free previous year question papers and topic-wise MCQs.
Exam pattern and syllabus can change from one cycle to the next. Always confirm against the latest official notification on the HPPSC website.
