How to Prepare For Section Officer Exam

Hi I would like to know the syllabus as well as the exam pattern for the Section officer examination which may assist in better preparation for the examination?

[Pathak]

Union Public Service Commission leads a Combined Limited Departmental Competitive Examination for the Section Officers' Grade and Stenographers' Grade I/Grade 'B'.

Rundown of Categories and Services

Class I: Section Officers' Grade of the Central Secretariat Service

Class II: Sections Officers' Grade (Integrated Grade II and III) of the General Cadre of the Indian Foreign Service, Branch "B"

Class III: Section Officers' Grade of the Railway Board Secretariat Service

Class IV: Private Secretary Grade of the Central Secretariat Stenographers' Service

Class V: Grade I of the Stenographers' Cadre of the Indian Foreign Service, Branch "B"

Class VI: Grade 'An and "B" converged of the Armed Forces Headquarters Stenographers' Service {Participating just for the exam year 2013}

Class VII: Grade "B" of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographer's Service

Class VIII: Section Officers' Grade of the Intelligence Bureau

Class IX: Private Secretary Grade in Employees' State Insurance enterprise


Syllabus for Section Officer (Commercial) Examination under Staff Selection Commission (SSC).

Part A Written Paper:

Subject
Marks
Type
Total Marks
Time

Paper I
General Awareness
75

Objective
200
2 Hours

Arithmetical Ability
50

English
75

Paper II
Commerce
200

Conventional
200
2 Hours

General Instructions:
1. Candidates can answer Paper II either in Hindi or in English language.
2. Both the Papers I & II (except English Language) will be in bilingual form (English & Hindi).
3. Commission have authority to fix minimum qualifying marks in any of the papers or both the papers.
4. Paper II (Conventional Type) will be evaluated of only those candidates who have qualified in Paper I at the standard which may be decided by the Commission. Candidate who qualifies both the papers is eligible for interview/personality test.

B - Part II: Personality Test/Interview (100 Marks)
1. The interview/personality test is structured to test the candidate’s:
• Interests
• Knowledge
• Various traits
• Aptitude
• Suitability
• Academic qualifications
• Experience
• Extra-curricular activities
• General awareness/ knowledge
• Depth of knowledge of the subjects studied (10+2 onwards)
• Communicative skills
• Over-all personality.
2. Candidates can appear for interview either in English or Hindi Language.
Syllabus
Paper I (Objective Type Multiple Choice):
General Awareness
• General awareness of the environment and its application to society
• Current events
• India and its neighbouring countries especially pertaining to:
o Sports
o History
o Culture
o Geography
o Economic scene
o General polity
• Indian constitution
• Scientific research
Arithmetical Ability
• Number system
• Computation of whole numbers
• Decimals and fractions
• Relationships between numbers
• Fundamental arithmetical operations
• Percentage
• Ratio and proportion
• Averages
• Interest
• Profit and loss
• Discount
• Use of table and graphs
• Mensuration
• Time and distance
• Ratio and time
English
• Fill in the blanks (using verbs, preposition, articles etc.)
• Vocabulary
• Spellings
• Grammar
• Sentence structure
• Synonyms
• Antonyms
• Sentence completion
• Phrases and idiomatic use of words
Paper II (Conventional)
Commerce: This paper will cover all the subjects of Commerce commonly from the Degree Courses of Indian Universities:
Accountancy:
• Conceptual framework
• Income measurement
• Final accounts
• Accounting for partnership firms
• Hire-purchase accounting
• Corporate accounting (Issue, forfeiture and re-issue of shares)
• Stock exchanges' functioning
Business Organisation
• Business objectives
• Business environment
• Business entrepreneurship (including location, choice of form of business and growth strategies)
• Business operations including finance
• Production
• Marketing and human resource development.
Management:
• Concept of management
• Planning
• Organising
• Leading and Controlling
• Operational Research
• Marketing management.
Micro-economics:
• Price-mechanism
• Theory of consumer behaviour
• Elasticity of demand
• Production function
• Theory of costs
• Market structures
• Price determination under perfect competition and monopoly.
Indian Economics:
• Issues involved in planning for economic development
• Sectoral analysis of Indian economy including agriculture
• Industry and foreign trade.
Business Statistics:
• Analysis of univariate data involving measurement of central tendency and dispersion
• Correlation and regression analysis
• Index numbers
• Analysis of time-series
• Theory of probability
• Mathematical ability.
Business Law
• Indian Contract Act, 1872
• Sale of Goods Act, 1930
• Partnership Act 1932 and Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
• Laws relating to Banking & Insurance.
Company Law
• Kinds of Companies
• Matters involving incorporation of a company
• Shares and share capital and matters relating to issue and transfer of shares
• Members of a Company
• Management of company
• Meetings and resolutions
• Winding up of a company.
Cost accounting
• Procedures involved in cost accounting
• Marginal costing
• Cost volume
• Profit analysis
• Budgetary control
• Standard costing.
Auditing
• Meaning and objects of auditing
• Types of audit
• Audit process.
Income Tax
• Basic concepts
• Residence and tax liability
• Heads of Income.
Labour Laws
• Labour welfare laws including Payment of Minimum Wages Act
• Trade Union Act
• Industrial Dispute Act etc.