Rojgar Studies

The Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has released the syllabus for the Screening Test for recruitment to five posts under the Directorate of Geology and Mining, Assam, Mines and Minerals Department: Assistant Geologist, Chemist, Drilling Engineer, Assistant Mining Engineer, and Geophysicist. This article covers the APSC Assistant Geologist syllabus 2026 in detail, along with the syllabus for the other four posts released under the same notification. Since all five posts share a common Paper-I and have separate subject-specific Paper-II syllabi, checking the syllabus and exam pattern together helps candidates plan their preparation stage by stage.

APSC Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 – Overview

APSC Exam Pattern 2026

The exam pattern below is common in structure across all five posts, since each post has the same Paper-I and a post-specific Paper-II. Each paper is conducted separately.

Paper-I Exam Pattern (Common for All Posts) – General Studies

Paper-II Exam Pattern (Post-wise) – Subject Paper

The number of questions for Paper-II is not specified in the official notification for any of the five posts.

APSC Exam Syllabus 2026

The syllabus for each post is divided into Paper-I (General Studies, common to all posts) and Paper-II (subject-specific). Full subject-wise topics for all five posts are given below.

1. Paper-I: General Studies (Common for All Five Posts)

• Constitution and Political System of India
• Current events of National and International Importance
• Indian Economy and Planning Process of India
• Geography of India, Assam and World
• Role of Science and Technology in India
• Culture and History of Assam, India and World
• Indian National Movement with special reference to Assam

2. Assistant Geologist Syllabus – Paper-II: Geology

(A) Structural Geology and Seismology

• Structural Geology: stress and strain, ductile and brittle deformation, faults and folds, thrust systems, strike-slip faults, shear zones, rheology, and graphical interpretation of structures
• Seismology: earthquake terminology, seismic waves, magnitude scales, focal depth, peak ground acceleration and velocity, and palaeoseismology

(B) Mineralogy, Crystal Chemistry and Thermodynamics in Geology

• Mineralogy: chemical composition of minerals, X-ray crystallography, ionic bonding, mineral transformation and exsolution in rock-forming silicates
• Thermodynamics: laws of thermodynamics, Gibbs free energy, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, Raoult’s and Henry’s laws

(C) Geoinformatics, Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology

• Geoinformatics: remote sensing, photogrammetry, thermal and microwave remote sensing, image processing, and GIS
• Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology: Quaternary Period divisions, dating methods, Quaternary climate and tectonics, stratigraphy, and sedimentary records from India

(D) Hydrogeology, Climatology and Oceanography

• Hydrogeology: hydrologic cycle, groundwater occurrence and movement, Darcy’s law, well hydraulics, and groundwater assessment
• Climatology and Oceanography: atmospheric composition, precipitation, weather disturbances, and ocean classification

(E) Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

• Igneous Petrology: magma generation, geochemical characteristics, phase equilibria, IUGS classification, and major igneous rock types
• Metamorphic Petrology: regional metamorphic textures, P-T-t paths, mineral assemblages, geothermometry and geobarometry

(F) Geochemistry, Isotope Geology and Engineering Geology

• Geochemistry and Isotope Geology: crust-mantle geochemical systems, radiogenic and stable isotopes, statistics in geology
• Engineering Geology: engineering properties of soil and rocks, dams and reservoirs, tunnel construction geotechnics

(G) Economic Geology

• Genesis of ore deposits, metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits of India, radioactive minerals, and methods of mineral prospecting, exploration and mining

(H) Sedimentology, and Surveying and Mapping

• Sedimentology: textural elements, sedimentary structures, depositional environments, genetic classification of sedimentary rocks
• Surveying and Mapping: types of surveys, GPS/GNSS, geologic surveying and field mapping

(I) Stratigraphy and Geodynamics

• Stratigraphy: principles of stratigraphy, Indian stratigraphy from Precambrian to Cenozoic, stratigraphy of Northeast India
• Geodynamics: plate tectonics, sea-floor spreading, Himalayan tectonics, and planetary geology

(J) Palaeontology and Fuel Geology

• Palaeontology: micropalaeontology, foraminifers, vertebrate palaeontology, and palynology
• Fuel Geology: origin, sampling, petrography and utilization of coal; nature and origin, reservoir rocks, drilling and exploration of petroleum

(K) Fluvial System and Environmental Geology

• Fluvial System: drainage basin evolution, fluvial processes and landforms, fluvial depositional environments
• Environmental Geology: pollution and hazards due to mining, landslides, floods, and water pollution

3. Chemist Syllabus – Paper-II: Chemistry (Based on Gauhati University Syllabus)

Group 1: Inorganic Chemistry

• Bonding in polyhedral boranes and carboranes, organoboranes, chemistry of Al, Ga, In and Tl
• Fullerenes, silicates, clays, zeolites, and organometallic compounds of Li, Be, Mg and Hg
• Chemistry of second and third transition series elements, bonding in coordination compounds (VBT, CFT, ligand field theory)
• Electronic spectra and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes
• Mechanism of inorganic reactions, nuclear and radiochemistry, and introduction to solid state chemistry
• Organometallic chemistry: metal carbonyls, metal alkyls, carbenes, and catalytic reactions

Group 2: Modern Methods of Analysis

• Characterization of inorganic and organic molecules using IR, Raman, NMR, EPR, Mössbauer, UV-visible, MS, and LC-MS
• Thermal methods (TGA, DTA, DTG, DSC), diffraction techniques (powder and single crystal XRD)
• Separation techniques (GC, HPLC, GPC), and electro-analytical methods (polarography, cyclic voltammetry)

Group 3: Physical Chemistry

• Equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics, statistical thermodynamics, polymer chemistry
• Sampling and data analysis: standard deviation, linear regression, correlation coefficient

Group 4: Experiments on Conductometric Titrations

• Strength comparison and determination of components of binary and ternary mixtures by conductometric titration
• Determination of degree of hydrolysis and concentration by conductance measurement

Group 5: Spectroscopy

• Fundamentals of absorption and emission spectroscopy, rotational, vibrational and Raman spectroscopy
• Electronic spectroscopy including UV-visible, fluorescence and phosphorescence spectroscopy

Group 6: Organic Chemistry

• Oxidation reactions (Sharpless, Jacobsen, Shi epoxidation, Baeyer-Villiger, Wacker oxidation)
• Reduction reactions (catalytic hydrogenation, metal-based reductions, hydride transfer reagents)
• Qualitative analysis of binary mixtures (solid-solid, solid-liquid, liquid-liquid)

Group 7: Catalysis Science and Technology

• Catalyst synthesis and preparation, zeolites, mesoporous materials and clays
• Energy and catalysis: oil refining, steam reforming, hydrotreating, and fuel cells

Group 8: X-ray Crystallography

• Crystalline state, principles of X-ray diffraction, X-ray diffraction in practice
• Applications of powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, macromolecular crystallography

Group 9: Green Chemistry

• Essentials and principles of green chemistry, green chemistry metrics, waste production and prevention
• Catalysis and sustainability, feedstock chemicals from biomass, and designing sustainable solutions

4. Drilling Engineer Syllabus – Paper-II: Mechanical Engineering

• Statics: application of equilibrium equations
• Dynamics: equations of motion, simple harmonic motion, work energy and power
• Theory of Machines: links and mechanisms, gears, governors, balancing, vibration of bars
• Mechanics of Solids: stress-strain, Hooke’s law, bending moments and shear force diagrams, torsion of beams
• Manufacturing Science: metal cutting, machining processes, casting and welding methods
• Production Management: method and time study, product design, break-even analysis, routing
• Thermodynamics: laws of thermodynamics, Carnot, Rankine, Otto and Diesel cycles
• Fluid Mechanics: hydrostatics, continuity equation, Bernoulli’s theorem, laminar and turbulent flow
• Heat Transfer: conduction, fins, heat transfer coefficient, heat exchangers
• Energy Conversion: compressors, hydraulic pumps and turbines, boilers, power plant layout
• Environmental Control: refrigeration cycles, refrigerants, psychrometrics, cooling and dehumidification

5. Assistant Mining Engineer Syllabus – Paper-II: Mining and Geology

Unit 1: Basic Concepts of Mining and Geology

• Mining terminology, mineral and energy resources, engineering and economic geology basics, ore and gangue, ore formation processes, Indian mineral deposits, seismic zones of India

Unit 2: Mine Development and Surveying

• Methods of access to deposits, underground drivage, drilling principles and machines, explosives and blast design
• Mine surveying: levelling, theodolite, tacheometry, triangulation, GPS/DGPS, GIS and drone survey in mining

Unit 3: Geomechanics and Ground Control

• Geotechnical properties of rocks, rock mass classification, theories of rock failure, subsidence, rock bursts
• Design of pillars, roof supporting systems, and mine filling

Unit 4: Mining Methods and Machinery

• Surface mining layout and mechanization, underground coal mining (bord and pillar, longwall), underground metal mining
• Mining machinery: haulages, conveyors, hoisting systems, crushers, continuous miners

Unit 5: Surface Environment, Mine Ventilation, and Underground Hazards

• Air, water and soil pollution control, Environmental Impact Assessment, mine ventilation systems and networks
• Underground hazards from mine gases, fires, explosions, dust and inundation; mine rescue and safety

Unit 6: Mine Economics, Mine Planning, Mine Management

• Mineral resource classification, discounted cash flow analysis, mine valuation and investment analysis
• Sampling methods, reserve estimation, cutoff grade, pit planning, PERT/CPM, and budgetary control

Unit 7: Mine Legislation

• Approval of Mining Plan and Mine Closure Plan, grant of mining lease, environment and forest clearances
• Regulatory framework: National Mineral Policy 2019, Mineral Concession Rules, Mines Act 1952, Coal Mine Regulation 2017, DGMS circulars

6. Geophysicist Syllabus – Paper-II: Geophysics

• Mathematics and Physics: vector calculus, differential equations, Fourier analysis, numerical methods, classical mechanics, electromagnetism
• General Geology: physical geology, geomorphology, mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, stratigraphy, plate tectonics
• Gravity and Magnetic Methods: Earth’s gravity and magnetic fields, anomalies, corrections, data processing and interpretation
• Seismic Methods: elastic wave theory, seismic refraction and reflection, seismology and crustal studies
• Electrical and Electromagnetic Methods: resistivity methods, self-potential, induced polarization, TEM/FDEM/MT, borehole geophysics
• Radiometric and Thermal Methods: natural radioactivity, gamma-ray surveys, geothermal and heat-flow studies
• Applied and Exploration Geophysics: mineral, coal and groundwater exploration, oil and gas exploration basics, engineering and environmental geophysics
• Remote Sensing, GIS and Computing: principles of remote sensing, GIS applications, geophysical modeling and inversion
• Field Work and Practical: geophysical instruments, field survey techniques, technical report writing

How to Prepare for APSC Assistant Geologist Exam 2026

• Start with the official syllabus PDF and mark out topics under each group so you know exactly what to cover in Geology, rather than relying on generic geology reference books alone.
• Since Paper-I (General Studies) is common across all five posts, build a separate, ongoing routine for current affairs and Assam-specific history and culture rather than leaving it for the last week.
• Break Paper-II preparation into the lettered groups (A to K for Assistant Geologist, or the equivalent groups/units for other posts) and set weekly targets for each group.
• Use standard postgraduate-level geology, chemistry, mechanical engineering, mining engineering, or geophysics textbooks aligned to the specific topics listed in the syllabus, since the exam is objective and topic-specific.
• Practice previous year question papers of APSC screening tests for technical posts to get familiar with the difficulty level and question style, even though PYQs specific to this exact notification are not yet available.
• Revise diagram-based and numerical topics (structural geology diagrams, thermodynamics equations, spectroscopy principles) separately, since these are commonly tested through applied questions rather than direct definitions.

Important Links

• APSC Assistant Geologist Syllabus 2026: Click Here
• APSC Chemist Syllabus 2026: Click Here
• APSC Drilling Engineer Syllabus 2026: Click Here
• APSC Assistant Mining Engineer Syllabus  2026:Click Here
• APSC Geophysicist Syllabus 2026​​​​​​​: Click Here
• Official Website: apsc.nic.in