Part I — General Knowledge
1
General Science
Physics · Chemistry · Biology
Covers general appreciation of science from everyday life — expected of a well-educated person without specialised study. All topics are of basic nature.
Scientific Instruments – types, uses & working principles of common instruments
Inventions & Discoveries – landmark inventions and the context of their discovery
Scientists & Contributions – major scientists across physics, chemistry, biology and their notable work
Human Physiology – organ systems, their functions and basic anatomical knowledge
Diseases – causes, symptoms, methods of cure and prevention of common diseases
Diet & Balanced Diet – nutrients, dietary requirements and importance of a balanced diet
Human Genetics – basics of heredity, chromosomes, genes and genetic disorders
Animals, Mammals & Birds – classification, characteristics and notable species
Environment & Ecology – ecosystems, food chains, biodiversity and environmental issues
Elements & Compounds – periodic table basics, common elements and compound formation
Acids, Bases & Salts – properties, reactions, pH scale and everyday applications
Motion & Newton's Laws – types of motion, three laws and their real-world applications
Properties of Matter – states, density, viscosity, elasticity and surface tension
Electricity – current, voltage, resistance, circuits and electrical power basics
National Laboratories – major research institutions in India and their focus areas
2
History of India
Ancient · Medieval · Modern
Indus Valley Civilisation – key sites (Harappa, Mohenjo-daro), culture, trade and decline
Vedic & Ancient India – Vedic period, Maurya and Gupta empires, major rulers and governance
Medieval India – Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, regional kingdoms and cultural developments
Colonial Era – arrival of Europeans, East India Company, major battles and treaties
Freedom Movement – key events, leaders, movements (Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India)
Partition & Independence – 1947 independence, partition of India and Pakistan
Post-Independence Administration – constitution, integration of princely states, republic formation in 1950
Modern India – key dates and events shaping contemporary Indian administration
3
Geography
Physical · Human · Economic Geography
Regions of India – physiographic divisions: Himalayas, plains, plateaus, coastal regions and islands
Weather, Monsoon & Climate – seasons, monsoon mechanism, climate zones across India
Rainfall Patterns – distribution, high and low rainfall regions, variability
Natural Calamities – floods, cyclones, droughts, earthquakes and disaster-prone zones
Crops & Crop Patterns – Kharif, Rabi and Zaid crops; major producing states
Indian Towns & Places – important cities and their historical/industrial significance
Hill Stations – popular hill stations across India and their locations
National Parks & Sanctuaries – major parks, wildlife reserves and protected species
Major Ports – important sea ports, their locations and trade significance
Minerals & Natural Resources – coal, iron ore, bauxite, petroleum — locations and uses
Location of Major Industries – steel, textile, chemical, automobile — industrial hubs
Forests & Wildlife – types of forests, forest cover and conservation efforts
Population Distribution – density, urbanisation trends, census data highlights
4
Economics & Commerce
Agriculture · Industry · Policy
Agriculture in India – role in economy, major crops and production statistics
Major Crops & Patterns – food grains, oilseeds, commercial crops; Green Revolution impact
Industrial Development – historical growth, post-liberalisation changes
Major, Medium & Small Industries – categories, examples, role in GDP and employment
Cottage Industries of Tamil Nadu – handicrafts, silk weaving, handloom and their importance
Village & Rural Development – schemes, Panchayati Raj, MNREGS and rural upliftment programs
Housing & Drinking Water Schemes – government programs, PMAY and water supply projects
Price Policy & Inflation – MSP, inflation types, RBI's role in monetary control
Population & Unemployment – demographic pressure, types of unemployment and solutions
Imports & Exports – trade balance, major trading partners, export promotion
Five Year Planning – objectives of Five-Year Plans and NITI Aayog's role
5
Indian Polity
Constitution · Governance · Law
Indian Constitution – making of the Constitution, Preamble, sources and amendments
Salient Features – federal with unitary bias, secular, democratic republic, fundamental rights & duties
Citizenship – acquisition, termination and provisions under the Constitution
Elections – Election Commission, voting rights, electoral process and model code of conduct
Parliament – Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, functions, powers and legislative process
State Legislature – Vidhan Sabha, Vidhan Parishad and state legislative functions
Executive – President, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers — roles and powers
States Administration – Governor, Chief Minister, state cabinet and their functions
Judiciary System – Supreme Court, High Courts, district courts, judicial review and PIL
Local Self-Governments – 73rd and 74th amendments, Panchayati Raj, urban local bodies
Centre-State Relations – legislative, administrative, financial relations and Article 356
Language Policy – official languages, 8th Schedule and three-language formula
Foreign Policy – Panchsheel, Non-Alignment, India's relations with neighbours
6
Current Events
National · International · Culture
Science & Technology Developments – recent breakthroughs in space, AI, medicine and defence
Political Developments in India – elections, policy changes, government initiatives
Trade, Transport & Communication – new infrastructure, digital payment, logistics updates
Historical Events – significant anniversaries and recent historical milestones
Fine Arts – dance forms, drama, major films and classical art exhibitions
Games & Sports – Olympics, Commonwealth Games, national championships and sportspersons
National & International Awards – Bharat Ratna, Nobel Prize, Padma Awards, Oscars
National & International Organisations – UN bodies, WHO, WTO, SAARC and India's role
Abbreviations – common acronyms in governance, science, technology and finance
Who is Who – current holders of key positions in India and world
Books & Authors – recently published notable books and their authors
India & Its Neighbours – bilateral relations, border issues and diplomatic events
Arts, Literature & Culture – India & Tamil Nadu – classical traditions, UNESCO heritage, contemporary artists
Social Media & Cyber Awareness – trends, fake news, digital literacy and cybercrime awareness
Technical Units — Open & Departmental Candidates
I
Electronic Devices & Circuits
Unit I
Semiconductor Fundamentals
Semiconductors – intrinsic semiconductors; covalent bonding, electron-hole pairs
Extrinsic Semiconductors – N-type (donor impurities, electrons majority) and P-type (acceptor impurities, holes majority)
PN Junction Diode – formation, depletion region, forward & reverse bias, V-I characteristics
Zener Diode – breakdown voltage, voltage regulation applications
Rectifiers – half-wave, full-wave, bridge rectifier circuits; ripple factor and efficiency
Transistors & Special Devices
Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) – NPN/PNP, CB, CE, CC configurations; biasing and characteristics
Field Effect Transistor (FET) – JFET, depletion/enhancement MOSFET; transconductance and drain characteristics
Unijunction Transistor (UJT) – construction, peak and valley points, relaxation oscillator application
SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifier) – four-layer device, triggering, firing angle control
DIAC & TRIAC – bidirectional switching devices, AC power control applications
IGBT & MOSFET – power switching devices, gate-controlled, high efficiency applications
Opto-Electronic Devices – LED, photodiode, phototransistor, optocoupler; working and applications
Amplifiers, Oscillators & Power Electronics
Wave Shaping Circuits – clippers, clampers, differentiator and integrator circuits
BJT Amplifier – common emitter, common base, common collector; gain, bandwidth and frequency response
FET Amplifier – CS, CG, CD configurations; high input impedance advantage
Feedback Amplifier – negative and positive feedback; effect on gain, bandwidth and stability
Oscillators – LC, RC, crystal oscillators; Barkhausen criterion for sustained oscillations
Converters & Choppers – AC-DC converters, DC-DC choppers; step-up, step-down topologies
Inverters – DC to AC conversion; single-phase and three-phase inverter topologies
PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) – ladder logic, input/output modules, industrial automation
DCS (Distributed Control System) – architecture, process control, SCADA integration
II
Electrical Circuits & Machines
Unit II
DC & AC Circuits
DC Circuits – current, voltage, power, resistance, conductance, resistivity; series & parallel networks
Ohm's Law – V = IR relationship, limitations and applications
Kirchhoff's Laws – KCL (current law) and KVL (voltage law); mesh and nodal analysis
AC Circuits – RLC circuits, phasors, impedance, power factor, reactive power
Resonance – series and parallel resonance; quality factor, bandwidth and selectivity
Transformers & Power Supplies – step-up/down, turns ratio, efficiency; regulated power supply design
Electrical Machines
DC Machines – construction, working principle, EMF equation of generator and motor
Types of DC Generators – series, shunt, compound wound; characteristics and applications
Induction Motor – squirrel cage, slip ring; torque-slip characteristics, starting methods
Stepper Motor – permanent magnet, variable reluctance, hybrid types; step angle and applications
Universal Motor – AC/DC operation, commutator-based, used in portable tools
Measuring Instruments & Test Equipment
Measuring Instruments – PMMC, moving iron, dynamometer type; deflecting and controlling torques
Bridges – Wheatstone, Kelvin, Maxwell and Wien bridges; measurement of R, L, C
CRO (Cathode Ray Oscilloscope) – deflection system, time base, measurement of voltage, frequency and phase
Digital Storage Oscilloscope – sampling, memory depth, waveform capture and analysis
Function Generator – sine, square, triangular wave generation; frequency and amplitude control
Transducers & Sensors – active/passive transducers; temperature, pressure, displacement sensors
Digital Voltmeter & Multimeter – ADC-based measurement, auto-ranging, accuracy specifications
Power Devices & Trigger Circuits – snubber circuits, gate triggers for SCR and TRIAC
Inverters & Applications – UPS, solar inverters, variable frequency drives
III
Micro Electronics, Microprocessor & Microcontroller
Unit III
Digital Electronics Fundamentals
Number Systems – binary, octal, hexadecimal; conversions and arithmetic operations
Boolean Algebra – theorems, De Morgan's laws, SOP and POS simplification
Logic Gates – AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR; truth tables and universal gates
Digital Logic Families – TTL, CMOS, ECL; speed, power consumption, noise margin comparison
Combinational & Sequential Circuits
Combinational Circuits – adders, subtractors, multiplexers, demultiplexers, encoders, decoders
Sequential Circuits – flip-flops (SR, JK, D, T), registers, counters (synchronous/asynchronous)
Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp) – ideal characteristics, inverting, non-inverting, summing, differentiator, integrator
Phase Locked Loop (PLL) – VCO, phase detector, loop filter; frequency synthesis applications
DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) – weighted resistor, R-2R ladder; resolution and accuracy
ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) – flash, successive approximation, dual slope; sampling theorem
IC 555 Timer – monostable and astable multivibrator modes; timing equations and applications
Microprocessor – 8085 Architecture
Introduction to Microprocessors – evolution, 4-bit to 64-bit, differences from microcontrollers
8085 Architecture – ALU, registers (A, B, C, D, E, H, L, SP, PC), data/address/control buses
8085 Instruction Set – data transfer, arithmetic, logical, branch, I/O and machine control instructions
I/O & Timer (8085) – memory-mapped vs I/O-mapped; 8253 programmable timer interface
Programming of 8085 – assembly language programs: addition, subtraction, sorting, searching
Interrupt System (8085) – TRAP, RST 7.5, RST 6.5, RST 5.5, INTR; interrupt service routines
Serial Communication (8085) – SID, SOD pins; 8251 USART interfacing
Microcontroller – 8051 Architecture
8051 Architecture – internal RAM, ROM, SFRs, 4 I/O ports, on-chip oscillator
8051 Instruction Set – addressing modes, data movement, arithmetic, logical, bit-level operations
Timer/Counter (8051) – Timer 0 and Timer 1 modes; timer-based event counting and delay generation
Programming of 8051 – LED blinking, 7-segment display, delay routines in assembly
Interrupt (8051) – INT0, INT1, TF0, TF1, RI/TI; interrupt priority and enable registers
Serial Communication (8051) – UART modes, baud rate, SBUF, SCON registers; RS-232 interfacing
Interfacing Techniques – keyboard, LCD, ADC, DAC, stepper motor and relay interfacing with 8051
IV
Network, Antenna & Propagation
Unit IV
Networks & Passive Components
Networks – two-port networks; Z, Y, h and ABCD parameters; reciprocity and symmetry
Equalizers – attenuation equalizers; shaping frequency response for distortion correction
Attenuators – T, π and lattice attenuators; insertion loss and impedance matching
Filters – LPF, HPF, BPF, BRF; Butterworth, Chebyshev, Bessel filter designs
Antenna Types & Parameters
Fundamentals of Radiation – retarded potentials, radiation resistance, near and far field regions
Antenna Parameters – gain, directivity, efficiency, bandwidth, VSWR, radiation pattern
Oscillating Dipole – Hertzian dipole; radiation pattern of an elementary dipole
Half-Wave Dipole – resonant length, radiation resistance (~73 Ω), input impedance
Folded Dipole – 300 Ω impedance, improved bandwidth used in TV/FM reception
Yagi-Uda Array – driven element, directors and reflector; gain and front-to-back ratio
Aperture & Slot Antennas – horn antenna, slot antenna principle; Babinet's complementary structure
Spiral Antenna – frequency independent, circular polarization; wideband applications
Helical Antenna – normal mode and axial mode helix; high-gain circular polarization
Log Periodic Antenna Arrays – frequency independent design; broadband TV and HF communications
Antenna Measurements – radiation pattern measurement, gain, impedance testing using network analyser
Radio Wave Propagation
Ground Wave Propagation – surface wave, amplitude attenuation with distance; used for AM broadcast
Sky Wave Propagation – ionospheric layers (D, E, F1, F2), critical frequency, MUF, skip distance
Space Wave Propagation – line of sight, troposcatter, fading; used for VHF/UHF/microwave
V
Communication Engineering & Systems
Unit V
Analog Modulation Techniques
Amplitude Modulation (AM) – DSB-FC, DSB-SC, SSB; modulation index, bandwidth and power relations
Angle Modulation – FM and PM; frequency deviation, modulation index, Carson's rule for bandwidth
Pulse Modulation Techniques – PAM, PWM, PPM and PCM; sampling theorem and quantisation
Digital Communication
Information Theory – entropy, source coding, Shannon's channel capacity theorem
Digital Modulation Techniques – ASK, FSK, PSK, QPSK, QAM; BER performance comparison
Channel Codes – block codes (Hamming), convolutional codes, turbo codes and LDPC
Spread Spectrum Techniques – DSSS, FHSS; processing gain, PN sequences and CDMA
Optical & Wireless Communication
Optical Communication – optical fibre types (SM, MM), numerical aperture, attenuation, dispersion
Wireless Technologies – 2G – GSM architecture, TDMA, GPRS, SMS and voice services
Wireless Technologies – 3G – WCDMA/CDMA2000, data rates, HSPA, video calling capability
Wireless Technologies – 4G – LTE/LTE-A, OFDMA, MIMO, all-IP network, high-speed broadband
Cellular Concepts – cell splitting, frequency reuse, co-channel interference, handoff
Multiple Access Techniques – TDMA, FDMA, CDMA, OFDMA; capacity comparison
Radar Systems – pulse radar principle, range equation, Doppler effect, clutter filtering
Navigational Aids – GPS, ILS, VOR, TACAN; working principles and aviation applications
VI
Programming & Application of Computers
Unit VI
Computer Hardware & Peripherals
Introduction to Computers – generations, classification; CPU, memory hierarchy, I/O organisation
Hardware & Software Installation – assembling desktop PCs, OS installation, driver management
Firmware Upgrading – BIOS/UEFI update procedures, flashing firmware on routers and peripherals
Troubleshooting Desktops & Laptops – POST errors, blue screen diagnosis, overheating, component failure
Scanners & Printers – flatbed/document scanners, laser/inkjet printers, DPI, connectivity
Facsimile (FAX) Communication – transmission standard, encoding, Group 3/4 fax protocols
Audio & Video Systems – codecs (MP3, AAC, H.264, HEVC), streaming protocols, display standards
Office Applications & Internet
Word Processing – formatting, styles, mail merge, track changes (MS Word / LibreOffice Writer)
Spreadsheet – formulae, functions (VLOOKUP, IF), pivot tables, charts (Excel / Calc)
Database Software – tables, queries, forms, reports in MS Access; basic SQL commands
PowerPoint – slide design, animations, transitions, master slides, presentation delivery
Internet Software – browsers, email clients, FTP, cloud services; search engine techniques
Social Media & Cyber Security Trends – phishing, cyber bullying, digital footprint, social engineering attacks
Networking & Security
Computer Network Devices – hub, switch, router, bridge, gateway, access point; roles and comparison
OSI Model (7 Layers) – physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation, application layers
TCP/IP Protocol Suite – IP addressing (IPv4/IPv6), subnetting, TCP vs UDP, ARP, ICMP
IEEE 802.X Standards – 802.3 (Ethernet), 802.11 (Wi-Fi), 802.15 (Bluetooth), 802.16 (WiMAX)
Cryptography & Network Security – symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, public key infrastructure (PKI)
Encryption & Decryption Algorithms – AES, DES, RSA, ECC; key length and security strength
Authentication & Integrity Algorithms – MD5, SHA-1/256, HMAC, digital signatures, certificates
Programming in C
Introduction to C – history, structure of a C program, compilation steps (preprocessor → compiler → linker)
Program Development Process – problem analysis, algorithm design, flowchart, coding, testing and debugging
C Operators – arithmetic, relational, logical, bitwise, assignment, conditional and sizeof operators
I/O Statements – printf(), scanf(), getchar(), putchar(); formatted and unformatted I/O
Decision Making – if, if-else, nested if-else, switch-case, ternary operator; loop control (break, continue)
Simple C Programs – sum, factorial, Fibonacci, prime check, pattern printing, basic array operations