Why it matters
Nobody runs a race well without knowing the distance. The exam pattern is your distance. It tells you three things before you study a single chapter:
- How fast you must work — about 54 seconds per question.
- Whether you should guess — yes, and this lesson shows why.
- What score keeps you in the race — your qualifying marks.
Every year, some aspirants who know enough still drop out. They leave questions blank, fill two bubbles for one question, or do not know their own qualifying line. All of these mistakes are avoidable once you understand the pattern.
Every official fact in this lesson comes from the SLPRB notification Rc.No.91/SLPRB/Rect.2/2026, dated 16-09-2026. Dates for the online application and the Preliminary Written Test will be announced by SLPRB press release. As of October 2026, none have been announced.
Two written tests, one pattern
This recruitment covers five posts. All five write the same written tests:
| Post code | Post |
|---|---|
| 21 | SCT Police Constable (Civil) |
| 22 | SCT Police Constable (AR) |
| 42 | Firemen |
| 53 | Warders (Men) |
| 54 | Warders (Women) |
You write a written test twice: once at the start, and once near the end of the selection process.
| Preliminary Written Test (PWT) | Final Written Examination (FWE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | All eligible applicants | Only those who clear the PWT and then the physical tests (PMT and PET) |
| Papers | One paper | One paper |
| Questions | 200 | 200 |
| Time | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Maximum marks | 200 | 200 for post codes 21, 42, 53, 54; 100 for post code 22 |
| Question type | Objective, answered on an OMR sheet | Objective, answered on an OMR sheet |
| Syllabus | Annexure II | The same Annexure II |
| What the marks do | Only decide whether you qualify | Decide your merit rank |
Why this helps you: the PWT and the FWE have the same syllabus and the same format. Every hour you spend preparing for the PWT is also preparation for the FWE. You are not preparing for two different exams.
The seven subjects
The notification lists seven subjects at Intermediate standard:
- English
- Arithmetic (SSC standard)
- Test of Reasoning / Mental Ability
- General Science
- History of India, Indian culture, Indian National Movement
- Indian Geography, Polity and Economy
- Current events of national and international importance
The notification does not say how many questions come from each subject. For planning, PrepAtlas uses the split below. This is a PrepAtlas planning assumption, not an official rule. The real paper may differ.
| Subject | PrepAtlas planning split |
|---|---|
| English | 20 |
| Arithmetic | 40 |
| Reasoning | 40 |
| General Science | 25 |
| History and culture | 25 |
| Geography, Polity, Economy | 30 |
| Current events | 20 |
| Total | 200 |
The language rule
The question paper is set in English, Telugu and Urdu. You choose your language option when you submit the application form.
There is one important exception. The English questions stay in English even in the Telugu and Urdu versions of the paper. So a Telugu-medium student still needs to practise English grammar and vocabulary in English.
How marks are awarded
The official rule, in simple words:
- You get full marks for a question only if you darken only one bubble, and that bubble is the correct answer.
- If you darken no bubble, you get zero for that question.
- The notification does not prescribe any negative marking.
What this means in practice:
- In a 200-mark paper with 200 questions, each question is worth one mark.
- If you darken two bubbles for one question, you do not get the mark, even if one of them is correct.
- A blank always gives zero. The notification lists no deduction for a wrong answer, so PrepAtlas treats a wrong answer as zero too — the same as a blank. This means a guess can only add marks; it can never take marks away.
- If there is a dispute about a question or its answer, the decision of the Subject Experts Committee is final. The Board does not prescribe any textbook.
Worked example. Suresh and Fatima both answer 140 questions they are sure of, and all 140 are correct. Suresh leaves the other 60 blank. His score is 140. Fatima removes the options she knows are wrong and makes her best choice on all 60. Even if only 15 of her guesses are right, her score is 155. Under the printed rule, Fatima can never score less than Suresh — she can only score the same or more.
Before time ends, make sure every question has exactly one bubble filled. If you have no idea, cut the options you know are wrong and choose from the rest. A smart guess beats a blank.
You must answer on the OMR sheet with a Blue or Black ball point pen only, and you must bring your own pens.
Qualifying marks
To move to the next stage, you must reach a minimum percentage. The percentages are the same for the PWT and the FWE.
| Category | Minimum | PWT (out of 200) | FWE, post codes 21, 42, 53, 54 (out of 200) | FWE, post code 22 (out of 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OC (including EWS) | 40% | 80 | 80 | 40 |
| BC | 35% | 70 | 70 | 35 |
| SC / ST | 30% | 60 | 60 | 30 |
- Special-category candidates (Ex-Servicemen, Home Guards, MSP, CPP, CDI, NCC and CJP) must reach the qualifying marks of their own communal category. For example, a BC candidate applying under the NCC quota needs 35%.
- If you score below your qualifying mark, you are disqualified and cannot go to the next stage.
Why the qualifying mark is a floor, not a target:
- At the PWT, your marks are used only to decide whether you qualify. They are not carried forward and have no role in final selection. But you cannot know in advance how hard the paper will be. Aim well above your line so a difficult paper does not push you out.
- At the FWE, crossing the line is only the first step. Selection is made strictly on relative merit, and the number of posts is limited. Many candidates will cross the line; only the highest-ranked get posts. Here, every extra mark matters.
- If two or more candidates in a category have equal marks, the candidate who was born earlier gets preference.
Clearing 40%, 35% or 30% at the FWE does not get you a job. It only keeps you on the merit list. Your rank on that list is what decides selection.
How final merit is calculated
- Post codes 21, 42, 53 and 54: merit is based on your FWE marks out of 200, among candidates who qualified the PET. Here the PET is qualifying only — it adds no marks.
- Post code 22, PC (AR): merit is based on FWE (100 marks) + PET (100 marks) = 200 marks. So for AR, physical performance is half of your final score.
Managing 54 seconds a question
Three hours is 180 minutes, or 10,800 seconds. Divide by 200 questions: 54 seconds per question on average.
This is an average, not a rule. A current-events fact may take 10 seconds. A long arithmetic problem may take two minutes. The time you save on quick questions pays for the slow ones.
A simple PrepAtlas strategy for the 3 hours:
| Phase | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | About 120 minutes | Go through the whole paper. Answer every question you can solve quickly. If a question looks long, skip it and move on. |
| Round 2 | About 45 minutes | Return to the skipped questions. Solve what you can, then use elimination and guess the rest. |
| Final check | About 15 minutes | Check that every question has exactly one bubble and no question is blank. |
Watch the bubble row. If you skip question 37 but put the answer of question 38 in row 37, every answer after that is in the wrong row. Check the question number each time you fill a bubble.
Practise arithmetic by hand, the way you will solve it in the exam hall, and take full timed practice papers so 54 seconds per question starts to feel normal.
- ✓- Two written tests — PWT and FWE — each with 200 objective questions in 3 hours, on the same seven-subject syllabus at Intermediate standard.
- ✓- PWT is out of 200 for all posts. FWE is out of 200 for post codes 21, 42, 53, 54, and graded to 100 for post code 22.
- ✓- Full marks only for exactly one bubble on the correct answer; a blank gets zero; no negative marking is prescribed. Never leave a question blank.
- ✓- Qualifying marks: OC (incl. EWS) 40%, BC 35%, SC/ST 30% — that is 80, 70 and 60 out of 200.
- ✓- PWT marks are not carried forward. Final merit comes from the FWE (plus PET marks for post code 22).
- ✓- English questions stay in English even in the Telugu and Urdu papers.
- ✓- Dates will be announced by SLPRB press release; none are announced yet.
- ✓The AP Police Constable recruitment has two written tests with the same pattern: 200 objective questions, 3 hours, OMR sheet, same seven subjects. The PWT is a filter — reach 40% (OC including EWS), 35% (BC) or 30% (SC/ST) and you move on, but those marks are not used later. The FWE decides your rank, so qualifying there is only the minimum. Because only a single correct bubble earns marks and the notification prescribes no negative marking, attempt every question. Budget about 54 seconds a question, work in two rounds, and keep the last minutes for checking your bubbles.
తెలుగు సారాంశం (Telugu summary)
- ఈ నియామకంలో రెండు రాత పరీక్షలు ఉంటాయి: ప్రిలిమినరీ రాత పరీక్ష (PWT) మరియు ఫైనల్ రాత పరీక్ష (FWE). అధికారిక ఆధారం: SLPRB నోటిఫికేషన్ Rc.No.91/SLPRB/Rect.2/2026, తేదీ 16-09-2026.
- ప్రతి పరీక్షలో ఒకే పేపర్: 200 ప్రశ్నలు, 3 గంటలు, ఆబ్జెక్టివ్ పద్ధతి, OMR షీట్. సగటున ఒక్కో ప్రశ్నకు 54 సెకన్లు.
- రెండు పరీక్షలకూ ఒకే సిలబస్ (ఇంటర్మీడియట్ స్థాయి): ఇంగ్లీష్, అంకగణితం (SSC స్థాయి), రీజనింగ్, జనరల్ సైన్స్, భారత చరిత్ర–సంస్కృతి–జాతీయోద్యమం, భారత భూగోళం–రాజ్యాంగం–ఆర్థిక వ్యవస్థ, కరెంట్ అఫైర్స్.
- ప్రశ్నపత్రం ఇంగ్లీష్, తెలుగు, ఉర్దూ భాషల్లో ఉంటుంది. కానీ ఇంగ్లీష్ విభాగం ప్రశ్నలు తెలుగు, ఉర్దూ పేపర్లలో కూడా ఇంగ్లీష్లోనే ఉంటాయి.
- మార్కులు: సరైన జవాబుకు ఒకే ఒక్క బబుల్ నింపితేనే పూర్తి మార్కు. ఏ బబుల్ నింపకపోతే సున్నా. నోటిఫికేషన్లో నెగటివ్ మార్కింగ్ లేదు. కాబట్టి ఏ ప్రశ్ననూ ఖాళీగా వదలకండి.
- అర్హత మార్కులు: OC (EWS తో సహా) 40% = 200 కి 80, BC 35% = 70, SC/ST 30% = 60. ప్రత్యేక కేటగిరీ అభ్యర్థులకు వారి సామాజిక వర్గం ప్రకారమే అర్హత మార్కులు.
- PWT మార్కులు తుది ఎంపికలో లెక్కలోకి రావు. తుది మెరిట్ FWE మార్కులతోనే నిర్ణయిస్తారు. పోస్ట్ కోడ్ 22 (PC AR) కి FWE 100 మార్కులు, PET 100 మార్కులు, మొత్తం 200.
- అర్హత మార్కు కనీస స్థాయి మాత్రమే, లక్ష్యం కాదు. ఎక్కువ మార్కులు సాధించడమే లక్ష్యంగా పెట్టుకోండి.
- పరీక్ష తేదీలను SLPRB ప్రెస్ రిలీజ్ ద్వారా ప్రకటిస్తారు. ఇంకా ఏ తేదీలూ ప్రకటించలేదు.