Preparing for the UP TGT exam without a clear subject-wise syllabus in front of you is a bit like studying for a test with only half the question paper visible. The Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC), formerly UPSESSB, recruits Trained Graduate Teachers across more than a dozen subjects, and each one carries its own detailed topic list that candidates are expected to master before exam day.
This guide breaks down the UP TGT syllabus subject by subject, explains the current exam pattern (including a recent structural revision candidates need to know about), and closes with a quick-reference table and useful links so you can go straight to the source material.
Exam Pattern: The Foundation Before the Syllabus
Before diving subject by subject, it helps to understand the exam structure itself, since it’s changed recently and directly affects how you should weigh your preparation.
For the most recently concluded TGT cycle, the paper consisted of 125 multiple-choice questions worth 500 marks, split across four broad sections: General Awareness, General English, Quantitative Aptitude, and the Concerned Subject, with no negative marking. This structure rewarded attempting every single question, since a wrong answer cost nothing.
UPESSC has since revised the pattern for upcoming TGT recruitment cycles. Under the new structure, candidates answer 120 questions total — 90 from their concerned subject and 30 compulsory General Studies questions — for a combined 360 marks, and negative marking has been introduced for the first time. This is a meaningful shift: guessing blindly is no longer risk-free, so building strong elimination skills for uncertain questions now matters more than it used to.
Whichever pattern applies to your specific recruitment cycle, one thing stays constant: the Concerned Subject carries the heaviest weight in the paper, so your subject-wise preparation should absorb the majority of your study time.
Common Sections for All Candidates
Regardless of which subject you’re applying for, every TGT candidate needs to prepare for the same shared sections:
General Awareness covers national and Uttar Pradesh-specific current affairs, history (with particular attention to UP’s own history), geography, polity, and general science at a foundational level.
General English tests grammar, vocabulary, comprehension passages, sentence correction, and basic usage — straightforward but easy to underestimate if you assume your subject knowledge alone will carry you.
Quantitative Aptitude includes arithmetic, percentages, ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest, time and work, averages, and elementary data interpretation — nothing at an advanced level, but consistent practice matters since these questions are quick to lose marks on under time pressure.
Now let’s get into the subject-specific breakdowns.
Hindi Syllabus
The Hindi syllabus is built around both language mechanics and literary knowledge. Core areas include Hindi Vyakaran (grammar) covering sandhi, samas, alankar, ras, chhand, and word formation rules; literature spanning major poets and prose writers across Adikal, Bhaktikal, Ritikal, and Adhunik Kal (the four broad historical periods of Hindi literature); comprehension and unseen passage analysis; and letter writing, essay writing, and translation exercises. Pedagogy of Hindi teaching — methods for teaching language skills at the secondary level — also features prominently, since TGT is fundamentally a teaching qualification exam, not a pure literature test.
English Syllabus
English candidates should expect a mix of language and literature components. This includes grammar (tenses, voice, narration, parts of speech, error correction), comprehension passages testing inference and vocabulary in context, English literature covering major poets, playwrights, and prose writers typically taught at the secondary and senior secondary level, and pedagogy of English language teaching, covering approaches to developing the four language skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing — in a classroom setting.
Mathematics Syllabus
Mathematics is one of the more content-heavy subjects, spanning both pure theoretical topics and applied problem-solving. The core areas include Algebra (polynomials, equations, progressions), Geometry (plane and solid geometry, coordinate geometry), Trigonometry (identities, heights and distances), Mensuration (area and volume of standard shapes), Statistics (frequency distribution, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion), and elementary Calculus concepts at the level typically taught in senior secondary classes. Candidates should also expect application-based questions like time-speed-distance, work and time problems, compound interest, and banking/taxation-related numerical questions, alongside pedagogy of mathematics teaching, which focuses on methods for building conceptual clarity in students rather than rote memorization.
Science Syllabus
For the composite Science subject, the syllabus draws from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology at a level aligned with the NCERT secondary curriculum. Physics topics typically include mechanics, heat and thermodynamics, light and optics, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics basics. Chemistry covers atomic structure, periodic classification, chemical bonding, acids and bases, and organic chemistry fundamentals. Biology spans cell biology, genetics, human physiology, plant physiology, and ecology. Since Science is examined as a single composite subject rather than three separate ones, balanced preparation across all three branches matters — candidates who lean heavily on just one branch often find themselves short-changed on the other two sections of the paper.
Social Science Syllabus
Social Science is structured into four distinct sections — Geography, History, Economics, and Civics (Political Science) — each carrying its own detailed, granular topic list rather than broad chapter headings, meaning questions can be drawn from any specific point within a section.
Geography covers the origin of the solar system, Earth’s shape and motions, solar and lunar eclipses, latitude and longitude, determination of local and standard time, and both Indian and world physical geography.
History spans Ancient, Medieval, and Modern India, with heavy emphasis on the Indian National Movement, alongside significant coverage of Modern India from 1858 to 1958.
Economics includes economic theory, public finance, and applied topics like the Indian economy and foreign trade.
Civics covers the Indian Constitution, governance structures, fundamental rights and duties, and the functioning of democratic institutions.
Because all four sections carry roughly equal weight, dividing preparation time evenly across them tends to work better than concentrating heavily on just one or two.
Sanskrit Syllabus
The Sanskrit syllabus centers on Vyakaran (grammar) — sandhi, samas, karak, and verb conjugation rules — alongside classical Sanskrit literature, covering major texts and authors typically studied at the secondary and senior secondary level. Translation exercises (Sanskrit to Hindi and vice versa), comprehension of unseen Sanskrit passages, and pedagogy of Sanskrit language teaching round out the syllabus.
Urdu Syllabus
Urdu candidates should prepare grammar fundamentals, Urdu literature covering major poets and prose writers, comprehension of unseen passages, and translation exercises, along with pedagogy focused on effective Urdu language instruction at the secondary level.
Commerce Syllabus
The Commerce syllabus covers Accountancy (fundamentals of bookkeeping, financial statements, partnership accounts), Business Studies (principles of management, business organization, and economic environment), and foundational Economics concepts relevant to commerce education, along with pedagogy of commerce teaching for secondary-level classrooms.
Agriculture Syllabus
Agriculture is a comparatively specialized subject with syllabus coverage across Agronomy (crop production practices), Horticulture (fruit and vegetable cultivation), Soil Science (soil types, fertility management), Crop Protection (pest and disease management), Natural Farming practices, and Agricultural Management, including basic farm economics. Since Agriculture tends to attract fewer overall applicants compared to subjects like Hindi or Social Science, candidates with a strong agricultural science background often find comparatively less crowded competition here.
Home Science Syllabus
Home Science covers Nutrition and Food Science, Textiles and Clothing, Child Development, Family Resource Management, and Home Management principles, along with pedagogy focused on teaching practical life-skills subjects effectively at the secondary level.
Art Syllabus
The Art syllabus spans Art History (major movements and periods, with attention to Indian art history specifically), Art Techniques (drawing, painting, and composition fundamentals), Applied Art concepts, and pedagogy of art education, covering how to nurture creative skills in secondary-level students.
Music Syllabus
Music syllabus content is generally divided between Vocal and Instrumental streams, covering music theory (ragas, talas, notation systems), practical performance knowledge, and the history of Indian classical and light music, along with pedagogy for teaching music appreciation and practice at the secondary level.
Physical Education Syllabus
Physical Education covers Sports Science fundamentals (anatomy and physiology as applied to physical activity), principles of physical training and conditioning, rules and techniques across major sports disciplines, health education, and yoga, alongside pedagogy focused on organizing physical education programs in a school setting.
How to Approach Your Subject-Wise Preparation
A few practical points worth keeping in mind regardless of which subject you’re preparing for. First, treat the official syllabus PDF as your primary reference document rather than any single summary article, since subject-wise topic lists get updated and the official version is always the final word. Second, notice that pedagogy — the “how to teach this subject” component — appears across virtually every subject syllabus; candidates sometimes focus purely on content mastery and underprepare for pedagogy-oriented questions, which is a fixable gap with just a bit of targeted attention. Third, since the revised exam pattern now includes negative marking, build the habit of eliminating clearly wrong options before attempting uncertain questions rather than guessing outright, particularly in the Concerned Subject section where questions tend to get more specific and detail-oriented as the paper progresses.
Quick Reference: Subject-Wise Syllabus and PDF Access
| Subject | Key Topic Areas | Where to Access Detailed PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | Vyakaran, literature (all historical periods), comprehension, pedagogy | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| English | Grammar, literature, comprehension, pedagogy | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Mathematics | Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mensuration, Statistics, Calculus basics | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Science | Physics, Chemistry, Biology (composite, NCERT-aligned) | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Social Science | Geography, History, Economics, Civics | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Sanskrit | Vyakaran, literature, translation, pedagogy | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Urdu | Grammar, literature, translation, pedagogy | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Commerce | Accountancy, Business Studies, Economics | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Agriculture | Agronomy, Horticulture, Soil Science, Crop Protection | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Home Science | Nutrition, Textiles, Child Development, Home Management | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Art | Art History, Techniques, Applied Art, pedagogy | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Music (Vocal/Instrumental) | Theory, practical performance, history | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
| Physical Education | Sports Science, training principles, health education, yoga | Official UPESSC syllabus portal |
To download the exact subject-wise PDF, visit the official UPESSC website, open the Syllabus section from the homepage navigation, select UP TGT Syllabus, and choose your subject code from the dropdown list. Always confirm you’re downloading the version matching your specific recruitment cycle, since older and revised syllabus PDFs sometimes circulate simultaneously across different websites.
