UPSC APFC Syllabus 2025, Check New Exam Pattern

The UPSC EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation) Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC) Exam 2025 is one of the most aspired recruitment for Group A civil servants. The recruitment notification is out on the official website of the Union Public Service Commission. If you are applying for this exam, you should refer to the syllabus and exam pattern and understand them as your first step towards preparation. This comprehensive guide covers the latest syllabus, updated exam pattern, selection stages, and targeted preparation tips.

UPSC EPFO APFC 2025: Exam Overview

The highlights of the Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner exam conducted by UPSC is provided below. The online registration for this post will start soon on the official website of UPSC. Candidates who wish to appear in the exam must go through complete details provided.

UPSC EPFO 2025 Exam Summary
Exam Authority	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Post Name	Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC)
Vacancies	Total 74 for APFC post
Category	Govt Jobs
Application Mode	Online
Exam Mode	Offline
Registration Dates	29th July (12 noon) to 18th August 2025 (11:59 pm)
Job Location	Across India
Selection Process	Written Test, Interview/Personality Test
Medium of Exam	English and Hindi
Probation Period	2 years
Official Website	www.upsc.gov.in

UPSC APFC Written Exam Syllabus 2025: Overview

Sections	Subject Name	Marks	Duration of Test
Section A	General English	300 Marks	2 Hours
Section B	Indian Culture, Heritage and Freedom Movements, and Current Events
	Population, Development, and Globalization
	Governance and Constitution of India
	Present Trends in Indian Economy
	Accounting and Auditing, Industrial Relations, Labour Laws, Insurance
	Basic knowledge of Computer applications, General Science
	Elementary Mathematics, Statistics, and General Mental Ability
	Social Security in India

UPSC APFC Selection Process 2025

The selection process consists of a written exam (pen/paper based) and an interview.

Stage	Mode	Duration	Questions	Marks	Marking Scheme
Recruitment Test	Offline (pen‑paper)	2 hours	120 MCQs	300	+2.5 per correct and –0.83 per wrong (⅓ penalty) answer
Interview	Face-to-face	20–45 minutes	Conversational	100	Minimum qualifying: General – 50, EWS – 50, OBC – 45, SC/ST/PH – 40

Final Merit Score = Written (75%) + Interview (25%)

UPSC Exam Pattern for APFC 2025: Highlights

The UPSC EPFO APFC exam is conducted in two stages: Written Exam and Interview. In the written exam, you will face a total of 120 multiple-choice questions of 300 marks and the duration of the exam is 2 hours. Negative marking of 1/3rd of the marks allotted to the question applies for each wrong answer. The interview consists of 100 marks and the final score is counted based on both written marks (75% weightage) and interview marks (25% weightage).

Conducting Body: UPSC

Post: Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC) — Group A, Gazetted Officer

Selection Stages:

1. WRITTEN (MCQs, Offline)
2. INTERVIEW (Personality Test)

Written:

• 120 MCQs, each worth 2.5 marks, totalling 300 marks
• Duration: 2 hours
• Negative marking: ⅓ of the marks allotted to the question (≈ 0.83 marks deduction)

Interview: 100 marks. Final score = 75% (written) + 25% (interview)

UPSC APFC 2025 Written Exam Pattern

The written exam of UPSC EPFO APFC consists of 120 multiple-choice questions of a total of 300 marks.

These questions are from the familiar subjects like English Language, Indian Polity, Economy, Labour Laws, Social Security, Industrial Relations, General Science, Mental Ability, Current Affairs, etc.

The medium of the exam is English and Hindi. Each question is of 2.5 marks and 1/3rd of the marks allotted to the question is deducted as a wrong-answer penalty.

Particulars	Details
Exam Mode	Offline (Pen and Paper based – OMR sheet)
Type of Questions	Objective Type (Multiple Choice Questions – MCQs)
Number of Questions	120
Total Marks	300
Marks per Question	2.5
Negative Marking	Yes – 1/3rd mark (0.83) deducted for every wrong answer
Exam Duration	2 Hours (120 Minutes)
Medium of Exam	English & Hindi (except English language questions)
Subjects Covered	General English, Indian Polity, Economy, Labour Laws, Social Security, Industrial Relations, General Science, Mental Ability, Current Affairs, etc.

Important Note:

• All questions carry equal weightage.
• No sectional timing or sectional cut-off.
• The exam is qualifying for the interview round, and marks are added to the final merit list.

UPSC APFC Syllabus 2025

The syllabus addresses both core and advanced topics from English Language, General Knowledge, Current Affairs, and Core Subjects. The complete syllabus has been divided into three sections for convenience. In the actual exam, 120 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) will be asked, and they will be a mix of all the topics mentioned in the syllabus. Check the topic-wise complete list:

UPSC APFC General English Syllabus

• Grammar & vocabulary: tenses, articles, clauses, parts of speech
• Comprehension, error correction, sentence completion
• Idioms, phrases, one‑word substitutes
• Word Formation, Fill in the Blanks, Synonyms & Antonyms
• Vocabulary, Theme Detection, Articles, Subject-Verb Agreement
• Passage Completion, Unseen Passages, Sentence Rearrangement
• Active And Passive Voice, Spotting the Error, Cloze Test

UPSC APFC General Knowledge & Current Affairs Syllabus

• Indian culture, heritage, freedom movements
• Current economic and social developments
• Governance and Constitution of India
• Environmental, Social, and Governance Oversight

UPSC APFC Core Subjects Syllabus

• Economy: contemporary economic trends
• Accounting & Auditing, Industrial Relations, Labour Laws, Insurance
• Social Security in India
• Mathematics, Statistics & Mental Ability: arithmetic, data interpretation, reasoning
• General Science & Computer Basics: Basic physics, chemistry, biology, MS Office, networking

UPSC APFC Accounting Syllabus

• Financial Reporting, Tax, Personal Financial Planning, Firm Practice Management
• Governmental Audit Quality, Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality, Not-for-Profit
• Forensic and Valuation Services, Information Technology, Professional Ethics
• Plain English Accounting, Business, Industry, and Government, Audit Quality
• Fair Value Measurement

UPSC APFC Computer Knowledge Syllabus

• MS Word, Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Access, Introduction to Computer Science
• Boolean Algebra, Computer Networks, Emerging Technologies and Web Publishing
• PC Software and Office Automation, Database Management System, Data Structures
• MS PowerPoint, MS Visio and MS Excel, Microsoft Outlook, The Internet
• Workplace Productivity Tools, MS Project, Microsoft Publisher

UPSC APFC General Science Syllabus

• Chemical bonding and molecular structure, Electrochemistry and chemical kinetics
• Haloalkanes and Haloarenes, States of matter: gasses and liquids, Laws of motion
• Units and measurements, Physical, Gravitation, Kinetic theory, Mechanical properties of solids
• Thermodynamics, Motion in a straight line, Electrostatic potential and capacitance
• Electromagnetic induction, Current electricity, Magnetism and Matter, Oscillations
• Ray optics and optical instruments, Alternating current, Atoms, Nuclei, Wave Optics
• Motion in a plane, Classification of elements and periodicity in properties, Environmental chemistry
• Biomolecules, Solid-state, Systems of particles and rotational motion, Mechanical properties of fluids
• Moving charges and magnetism, Electric charges and fields, P-block elements, Electromagnetic waves
• Semiconductor electronics, Thermal properties of Matter

UPSC APFC Statistics Syllabus

Describing and displaying data, Linear regression, and correlation, Experiments and sampling
Probability, Hypothesis tests, and confidence intervals.

UPSC APFC Elementary Mathematics Syllabus

Abacus, LCM and HCF, Fractions and Decimals, Place Value & Face Value, Addition and subtraction
Multiplication and Division, Counting, Counting Money

UPSC APFC General Mental Ability Syllabus

Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Alphabet Test, Sitting Arrangements, Direction Sense Test, Mathematical Operations, Arithmetical Reasoning, Analogy, Classification, Series, Number, Ranking, and Time Sequence Test, Eligibility Test, Inserting the Missing Character

Weightage & Focus Areas for UPSC APFC Exam

• General English: With a heavy emphasis on language skills.
• Core domains (Economics, Labour Laws, Accounting) contribute significantly to securing at least 50% of marks.
• Analytical & Interdisciplinary topics (Mental Ability, Social Security, Governance) support the remainder.

Preparation Strategy For Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner Exam 2025

1. Understand the structure: Familiarize yourself with each section and marks distribution.
2. Segment study plan:
   • Phase 1: English & GK basics
   • Phase 2: Core Labour & Accounting Laws
   • Phase 3: Maths, reasoning, science basics
3. Refer to PYQs: Download and solve previous years’ question papers (2023, 2019) to spot recurring questions.
4. Mock Tests: Focus on accuracy and speed. Deduct one-third from total for negative marking.|
5. Interview practice: Prepare to discuss your written test topics and general administration knowledge.

Additional Tips For UPSC APFC 2025 Exam Preparation

• Build strong language and reasoning fundamentals.
• Prioritize high-scoring core sections (Labour Laws, Accounting).
• Regularly solve MCQs and attempt mock tests in actual exam conditions.
• Stay glocal: connect current affairs to subjects like Governance & Economy.
• Practicing filling the mock tests answers in your OMR sheet.

UPSC Exam Important Dates

Check EPFO exam date 2025 and other important dates below:

Events	Dates
UPSC EPFO Notification 2025	22nd July 2025
Opening date of Registration	29th July 2025 (12 noon)
Closing date of Registration	18th August 2025 (11:59 pm)
Admit Card	—
UPSC EPFO Exam Date 2025	November 2025 (expected)

Conclusion

A well-structured preparation covering language proficiency, core subject mastery, and analytical skills is important for cracking the APFC exam. Use official syllabus, past patterns, mock tests, and timely revision to boost performance. Stay updated with official notifications and apply preparation strategies accordingly.

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