UPSSSC has released 295 posts for Platoon Commander and Block Organizer through Advt No. 10-Exam/2026. Both posts go through the same written exam — 100 MCQ questions, 100 marks, 2 hours, with 0.25 negative marking per wrong answer. After the written test, there is a physical measurement test and a running race, both qualifying only.
This article maps the complete syllabus subject by subject, explains how marks are distributed, and tells you what most prep guides skip — including the fact that there is no General Hindi section in this exam.
- 100 MCQ, 100 marks, 2 hours — negative marking at 0.25 per wrong answer
- UP GK is 20 marks — the single heaviest section in the paper
- No General Hindi section in this exam — prep time on Hindi grammar is wasted here
- Physical tests are qualifying gates only — they add zero marks to your merit
Also Read — UPSSSC Platoon Commander Cluster:
Exam Pattern at a Glance
| Detail | Specification |
|---|
| Exam Type | Objective Multiple Choice (MCQ) |
| Total Questions | 100 |
| Total Marks | 100 (1 mark per question) |
| Duration | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
| Negative Marking | 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer |
| Language | Hindi and English |
| Mode | Offline (OMR-based) |
| Merit basis | Written exam marks only — physical tests are qualifying |
Source: [FJA], [CSJ]
Subject-wise Syllabus — 11 Sections, 100 Marks
The written exam is divided into 11 subjects. Here is the official breakdown with marks and what to actually study in each: [FJA], [CSJ]
| Subject | Marks | Focus Areas |
|---|
| General Information — Uttar Pradesh | 20 | History, culture, folk music, literature, geography, economy, agriculture, industry, government schemes, current affairs of UP |
| Computer/IT & Contemporary Tech | 15 | MS Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint), internet, hardware, OS basics, cybersecurity awareness, recent tech developments in India |
| Indian Polity & Constitution | 10 | Fundamental Rights & Duties, DPSPs, Parliament structure, President/PM/Governor roles, Panchayati Raj, Constitutional amendments |
| Indian Economy & Social Development | 10 | GDP, inflation, Five-Year Plans, poverty alleviation schemes, population census, social welfare programmes |
| Environmental Ecology & Disaster Mgmt | 10 | Climate change, pollution types, biodiversity, national parks, NDMA, disaster types, Sendai Framework |
| Data Interpretation | 10 | Bar graphs, pie charts, tables, line graphs — reading and calculating values, percentage change, ratio |
| History of India & National Movement | 5 | Ancient/Medieval/Modern India, Freedom movement (1857–1947), major personalities, important events |
| Geography of India & World | 5 | Rivers, mountains, climate zones, soils, UP geography, world geography basics |
| Current Events (National & International) | 5 | Awards, appointments, schemes, sports, science & tech news — last 12 months |
| Sports in India | 5 | Major sports events, Olympic/CWG/Asian Games results, UP sports, national sports day, recent tournaments |
| Human Anatomy | 5 | Major body systems (circulatory, respiratory, digestive, skeletal), bones count, organs and their functions, first aid basics |
| TOTAL | 100 | |
Source: Official subject list per [FJA] and [CSJ]. No General Hindi/Language section in this exam.
Section-by-Section Prep Guide
UP GK — 20 Marks (Your Biggest Single Investment)
Twenty marks from one subject — no other section comes close. UP GK in this exam is not just facts. It covers Uttar Pradesh's history and culture (Lucknow Nawabs, Awadhi literature, folk instruments, important temples), geography (rivers, districts, wildlife sanctuaries), economy (sugarcane, wheat, leather industry, MSME clusters in Agra/Kanpur/Varanasi), and UP government schemes. A good Lucknow or Allahabad newspaper for 3 months + a solid UP GK book gets you 14–16 of these 20 marks.
Computer/IT — 15 Marks (Fastest Marks in the Paper)
At 15 marks, this is your second-biggest section and the fastest to prepare if you have basic computer knowledge. The questions follow a predictable pattern: MS Office shortcuts (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+F etc.), file formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pdf), internet terminology (URL, HTTP, browser), hardware basics (RAM, ROM, input/output devices), and 2–3 questions on recent Indian tech policy or digital initiatives. Prepare a shortcuts cheat sheet and memorise it. Two days of focused prep can get you 12–13 marks here.
Indian Polity — 10 Marks
Standard competitive exam polity — focus on Articles (Article 14, 19, 21, 32, 51A, 243, 356), constitutional bodies (CAG, UPSC, Election Commission), emergency provisions, and the 7th Schedule. NCERT Class 11 Polity textbook + Laxmikant's summary chapters is sufficient. Expect 2–3 questions on UP-specific constitutional matters (UP Governor, UP Legislature structure).
Indian Economy & Social Development — 10 Marks
Focus on schemes (PM Awas Yojana, MNREGA, PM Garib Kalyan, Digital India), recent Economic Survey data points, and social development indicators (literacy, IMR, sex ratio). Also prepare UP-specific economy — ODOP (One District One Product) scheme is a favourite for UP GK overlap.
Environment & Disaster Management — 10 Marks
National parks and wildlife sanctuaries in UP (Dudhwa, Chandra Prabha), global environmental agreements (Paris Agreement, CBD), and disaster management agencies (NDMA, SDMA) are high-frequency topics. Prepare the disaster types and response phases (mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery).
Data Interpretation — 10 Marks
This section trips many candidates because they treat it as pure maths. It's not — it's reading comprehension with numbers. Practise reading bar charts and pie charts from any standard DI book. Focus on: what percentage does X represent, what is the change between year A and year B, which category has the highest/lowest value. No complex calculations required — most answers follow from simple reading.
Human Anatomy — 5 Marks
Most candidates ignore this section entirely. That's a mistake — 5 free marks if you spend 4 hours on it. Prepare: total number of bones (206 in adults), chambers of the heart, functions of the liver and kidney, types of blood groups, respiratory system (trachea, bronchi, alveoli), and basic first aid (CPR steps, treating fractures). This is 10th standard Biology — nothing complex.
History (5) + Geography (5) + Current Events (5) + Sports (5)
These four sections together are 20 marks — same weight as UP GK alone. History: concentrate on the 1857 revolt, Indian National Congress founding, Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements, Quit India, and Partition. Geography: major river systems of India, climate zones, soil types. Current Events: last 12 months of national/international news. Sports: focus on Indian performances in last Olympics, CWG, Asian Games, and recent ICC/FIFA tournaments.
Negative Marking Strategy
At 0.25 negative marking, the break-even for a random guess on a 4-option question is exactly 1 in 4 attempts — meaning if you guess randomly, your expected score is zero. This matters because many candidates prepare for UP police exams (which have no negative marking) and carry that "attempt everything" habit into this exam. That strategy will actively hurt you here.
The right approach: attempt questions where you can eliminate at least 2 of 4 options. If you can get it to a 50-50 guess, your expected value is +0.25 per attempt. Skip questions where all four options look equally plausible — leave them blank. A well-targeted 80-question attempt outperforms a reckless 100-question attempt in this format.
Sections where you should always attempt: Computer/IT (predictable topics, high certainty), Human Anatomy (if you've prepared it, questions are unambiguous), UP GK (if you know UP well).
Physical Measurement Test (PMT) — Qualifying
PMT is held after the written exam merit list. It does not add marks — pass or fail only. Fail PMT and your written score becomes irrelevant. [RB]
| Category | Height | Chest (Unexpanded) | Chest (Expanded) |
|---|
| Male — General / OBC / SC / EWS | 167.7 cm | 78.8 cm | 83.8 cm |
| Male — ST | 160 cm | 76.5 cm | 81.5 cm |
| Male — Hilly Area | 162.6 cm | 76.5 cm | 81.5 cm |
| Female — General / OBC / SC / EWS | 152 cm | — | — |
| Female — ST / Hilly Area | 147 cm | — | — |
Source: [RB], [FJA]
Physical Efficiency Test (PET) — Qualifying
Separate from the UPSSSC PET-2025 (which is the preliminary eligibility test for applying). This PET is a running race held during the selection process. [FJA]
| Gender | Distance | Time Limit |
|---|
| Male | 4.8 km | Within 25 minutes |
| Female | 2.4 km | Within 14 minutes |
Failing to complete within the time limit results in disqualification. [FJA]
What No Other Site Will Tell You
1. There is no General Hindi section in this exam.
Search for "Platoon Commander syllabus" and most results will list Hindi Grammar as a subject — because they're copying old UP police or UPSSSC Lekhpal patterns. The official 10-Exam/2026 notification lists 11 subjects and Hindi Grammar is not one of them. [FJA], [CSJ] Candidates who've been spending hours on sandhi-samas-muhavare for this exam need to redirect that time to UP GK and Computer topics immediately.
2. Human Anatomy is 5 marks that most candidates leave on the table.
This appears unusual in a Home Guards exam, but it makes sense — Platoon Commanders are expected to have first-aid awareness. The topics are 10th standard Biology. Most coaching centres don't cover it. Most self-prep guides skip it. That makes it one of the least competitive sections in the paper — 5 marks you can secure in under 5 hours of prep while others ignore it. [CSJ]
3. The physical tests happen AFTER written merit is declared.
PMT and the physical PET are conducted only for candidates who make the written exam merit cutoff. Failing physical tests does not give you another attempt at the written exam. You lose your written score entirely and do not make the final list. This means you must prepare both components in parallel — not sequentially. Start running today, not after the written exam result. [KSB]
4. Block Organizer gets 243 posts vs Platoon Commander's 52 posts.
Both posts share the same written exam, but separate merit lists are maintained. Your competition for Platoon Commander is much tighter (52 seats) versus Block Organizer (243 seats). If your written score is borderline, your realistic shot is Block Organizer, not Platoon Commander. Factor this into your cutoff expectation — don't aim for Platoon Commander and be blindsided when you fall into the Block Organizer merit. [RB]
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the written exam the same for Platoon Commander and Block Organizer?
Yes — same paper, same 100 MCQ, same 11 subjects. Separate merit lists are maintained and vacancies allocated post-wise. [FJA]
Is there negative marking in this exam?
Yes — 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer. Do not attempt questions where you cannot eliminate at least 2 options. [FJA]
Is General Hindi in the UPSSSC Platoon Commander syllabus?
No. The official 11-subject list does not include General Hindi or Hindi Language section. Most prep guides that list Hindi are copying from other UP exams. [FJA], [CSJ]
Do physical test marks count in the final merit?
No. PMT (height/chest) and PET (running race) are qualifying stages only. Final merit is based entirely on written exam marks. [KSB]
What is the PET in the selection process?
There are two different "PETs." UPSSSC PET-2025 is the Preliminary Eligibility Test required to apply for this recruitment. The Physical Efficiency Test (also called PET) is the running race during the selection process — 4.8 km for males in 25 minutes. They are different stages. [FJA]
How many posts are there in total?
295 posts — 243 Block Organizer and 52 Platoon Commander. Application opens 16 June 2026, closes 6 July 2026. [RB]
Which subject has the most marks?
General Information about Uttar Pradesh — 20 marks out of 100. Followed by Computer/IT at 15 marks. These two sections alone account for 35% of the paper. [FJA]
📌 UPSSSC Platoon Commander / Block Organizer 2026:
Start with UP GK (20 marks) and Computer/IT (15 marks) — together they're 35% of the exam and both are learnable with focused study. Add Human Anatomy (5 marks) because nobody else is preparing it. Run 4.8 km every few days from now — don't leave physical prep for last. And check that you have a valid UPSSSC PET-2025 score card before the form opens on 16 June 2026.
