UPSC EPFO APFC Syllabus 2026: 80 Posts, 20 Dec RT

The Union Public Service Commission has published the Recruitment Test scheme and syllabus for Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC) in EPFO under Special Advertisement No. 52/2026 (Vacancy No. 26085201722). There are 80 Group-A posts. The pen-and-paper RT is on 20 December 2026. Appendix-I of the official notice is the only syllabus source. It lists nine broad heads, a two-hour objective paper, equal marks per question, Hindi and English, and a one-third penalty for a wrong answer. The RT is worth 300 marks and the interview 100 marks (weightage 75:25). This page expands that official list for study. It does not invent a question count — Appendix-I does not print how many questions will be asked.

UPSC EPFO APFC Syllabus 2026 PDF Out @upsc.gov.in

Download Special Advt. 52/2026 and read Appendix-I in full. Apply, if the window is still open, only on UPSC ORA. Coaching mocks that advertise “120 questions / 300 marks” are practice products, not a UPSC-published paper design.

Download UPSC Special Advt. 52/2026 PDF (Appendix-I: scheme, syllabus, weightage). ORA: upsconline.nic.in/ora.

Official links

• Special Advertisement 52/2026 (English PDF)

• UPSC Online Recruitment Application (ORA)

• upsc.gov.in

• epfindia.gov.in (organisation site; syllabus remains in the UPSC PDF)

Highlights

Official RT scheme (Appendix-I)

The Commission shortlists for interview from the RT. You must clear the category-wise interview suitability floor. The RT cut-off is decided case by case.

Official syllabus heads (Appendix-I)

UPSC says the test “broadly comprises” these nine topics. Sub-bullets below are a study outline, not a second official syllabus.

1. General English

The notice asks for understanding of English and workman-like use of words. Prepare grammar and usage, vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, error spotting, sentence improvement, para jumbles, cloze and short comprehension at graduate officer level.

2. Indian Culture, Heritage and Freedom Movements

Art, architecture, literature and philosophy in outline; major religions and reform movements; monuments and cultural institutions; the national movement from early resistance through 1947, including organisations, leaders, movements and constitutional steps that appear in standard graduate texts.

3. Developmental Issues and Present Trends in Indian Economy

Growth, inflation, fiscal and monetary outline, banking and financial inclusion, poverty and employment, agriculture and industry, external sector, NITI / planning history in brief, and current Union Budget and economic-survey themes. Link facts to labour, social security and formalisation where they help an EPFO post.

4. Governance and Constitution of India

Preamble, citizenship, fundamental rights and duties, DPSPs, Union and State executive and legislature, judiciary, federalism, emergency, amendments, constitutional and statutory bodies, local government, and basics of public policy and accountability (CAG, CVC, RTI, e-governance) at the level expected of a Group-A labour-administration post.

5. General Science and Basic Knowledge of Computer Applications

Everyday physics, chemistry and biology; environment and health in outline. Computers: hardware and software, OS, office tools, internet, email, networking terms, cyber hygiene, and MIS-style uses that match APFC office work described in the same notice (claims, cash book, reports).

6. Elementary Mathematics, Statistics and General Mental Ability

Number system, percentage, ratio, average, profit-loss, SI/CI, time-work, time-distance, algebra and mensuration at elementary level. Statistics: mean, median, mode, range, simple tables and graphs. Mental ability: analogy, series, coding, blood relations, directions, syllogism, and basic data interpretation.

7. Industrial Relations, Labour Codes and Social Security in India

This is the professional core. Cover industrial relations concepts (trade unions, standing orders, dispute machinery, collective bargaining) and the four labour codes as notified for study — Code on Wages, Industrial Relations Code, Code on Social Security, and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code — plus the older Acts they consolidate where still relevant in questions. Social security: EPF & MP Act 1952 and schemes (EPF, EPS, EDLI) at conceptual level, ESI, gratuity, maternity benefit, and the role of EPFO / CBT. Read the UPSC PDF duties line (enforcement, recovery, accounts, claims) and prepare the matching statute outline. Confirm current notified sections on labour.gov.in and scheme pages on epfindia.gov.in; do not treat a coaching booklet as the Code text.

8. Principles of Accountancy, Auditing and Insurance

Accounting equation, journal-ledger-trial balance, subsidiary books, bank reconciliation, depreciation, final accounts of simple entities, and basics of government / fund accounting useful for a commissioner-cadre accounts role. Auditing: vouching, internal control, types of audit, audit report. Insurance: risk, premium, life vs general, and social-security insurance ideas (EDLI / ESI) in outline.

9. Current Events of National and International Importance

Twelve to eighteen months of national polity, economy, labour and social-security news, Supreme Court labour-related holdings in outline, international organisations and reports that touch work and social protection, and science or awards that routinely appear in UPSC objective papers. Prefer PIB, upsc.gov.in notices, and official ministry sites.

Selection and interview floor

How to download the official syllabus

1. Open upsc.gov.in or the PDF link above.

2. Download AdvtNo-52-2026-Special-Engl-210826.pdf.

3. Read the APFC vacancy block and then Appendix-I (scheme, nine heads, 300/100 marks, interview floors).

4. Keep a print or offline copy; the Commission may host corrigenda only on its site.

Important dates

Note

Apply dates (22 August–11 September 2026, 18:00) and the 20 December 2026 RT are as printed in Advt. 52/2026. Centres, admit card and any change of date appear only on UPSC sites. Do not rely on third-party mock counts as the official paper pattern.

FAQ

Where is the official UPSC EPFO APFC 2026 syllabus? Appendix-I of Special Advertisement 52/2026 on upsc.gov.in (AdvtNo-52-2026-Special-Engl-210826.pdf).

How many questions will the RT have? UPSC has not printed the number. It has printed 300 marks, two hours, equal marks per question, and −1/3 for a wrong answer.

What is the interview weightage? RT 300 and interview 100, combined in the ratio 75:25 as stated in Appendix-I.

When is the exam? Pen-and-paper RT on 20 December 2026, unless UPSC issues a change on its website.