UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC 2024: Syllabus, Important Topics and Study Plan

UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC exams aim to assess overall candidate competence via their subject knowledge of Indian polity & economy, industrial relations & labour laws, social security in India, general accounting principles, and more.

In this article, we’ll explain the UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC syllabus in detail along with the important topics, helping you prepare effectively for these exams. But first, let’s analyze the UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC exams pattern.

UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC 2024: Pattern

As per the latest 2023 exam, the EO/AO & APFC exams are conducted in two stages:

1. RT – Recruitment Test (Objective)
2. PT – Personality Test (Interview)

Recruitment Test

Recruitment test is an objective-type test conducted in offline mode. It lasts for 2 hours and carries a total of 300 marks. The test consists of 120 questions, each carrying 2.5 marks.

Negative marking applies, with a deduction of one-third of a mark for every incorrect answer.

Personality Test

Personality test assesses your personality, suitability, and communication skills. It carries a total of 100 marks and there is a category-wise minimum cut-off which is 50 marks for UR (General) 45 marks for OBC (Other Backward Classes), and 40 marks for SC/ST/PH (Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Persons with Disabilities).

Equipped with the exam pattern, let’s dive into the syllabus for the UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC 2024 exams.

Syllabus of UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC 2024 Exams

According to the official notification, the syllabus of the UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC exams broadly comprises the following topics:

• General English
• Indian Freedom Struggle
• Current Events and Developmental Issues
• Indian Polity & Economy
• General Accounting Principles
• Industrial Relations & Labour Laws
• General Science & Knowledge of Computer Applications
• General Mental Ability & Quantitative Aptitude
• Social Security in India

The syllabus in the official UPSC notification is indicative. Therefore, we analyzed previous years’ question papers to identify the detailed syllabus for each exam.

Below is the comprehensive subject wise syllabus of UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC exams:

General English

Here is the detailed general English syllabus:

• Parts of speech 
• Structure of sentence
• Subject – verb agreement
• Nouns and pronouns
• Verbs, tenses and modals
• Preposition, conjunction, articles
• Adjectives, adverbs, determiners 
• Reading comprehension
• Synonyms and antonyms 
• Idioms and phrases 
• One word substitution
• Rearrangement para jumbles
• Active-passive
• Synonyms
• Antonyms 

General Science

Here is the detailed general science syllabus:

Physics

• Units and measurements
• Kinematics including distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration
• Dynamics and Newton’s laws of motion
• Electricity
• Pressure and its applications
• Light – phenomenon like refraction, reflection, total internal reflection, dispersion, diffraction and interference
• Uniform circular motion and simple harmonic motion

Chemistry

• Physical and chemical changes
• Elements, compounds and mixtures
• Atoms and molecules
• Chemistry in daily life
• Energy – renewable and non-renewable
• Metals and non-metals
• Acids and bases 

Biology

• Food components
• Health and diseases
• Cells and tissues
• Organ systems – digestive system, skeletal system, muscular system, respiratory system, circulatory system and reproductive system

Space Technology (For APFC only)

• Satellites and orbits
• Indian space programme
• Important space agencies of the world
• Applications of space technology

Important Technologies (For APFC only)

• Nuclear technology
• Biotechnology
• Information and communication technology
• Nanotechnology

Current Events

Here is the detailed syllabus of current events:

• Government schemes
• Reports of national and international organizations
• First in news
• Defence exercises
• Environment
• Sports
• Awards and milestones
• Days in news
• Persons in news
• Appointments
• Fairs and festivals
• Places in news
• Books and authors
• Miscellaneous

Indian Culture, Heritage and Freedom Movement

Here is the detailed syllabus of Indian culture, heritage and freedom movement:

Decline of Mughal Empire and Rise of Regional Powers

• Reasons for disintegration of mughal empire
• Later mughals after Aurangzeb
• Emergence of regional powers
• Weakness of regional politics

Advent of Europeans

• Advent of Portuguese in India
• Dutch in India
• Advent of English in India
• Advent of Danes in India
• Advent of French in India 

Rise of British in India

• Anglo French struggle for supremacy
• British conquest of Bengal
• British conquest of Mysore and Maratha empire
• British conquest of Sindh, Punjab, and Awadh
• British annexation beyond Indian frontiers
• Reorganization of British political system
• Police administration
• Revenue administration
• Significant policies of British to consolidate 

Early Reforms During British Rule

• Administrative reforms under British rule
• Aspects of British administration in India
• Civil services
• Police system
• Judicial system
• The army
• Development in press
• Development in communication and education
• Development of railways

Revolt of 1857

• Causes of revolt of 1857
• Beginning and spread of revolt
• Suppression of revolt
• Cause for the failure of revolt
• Nature of revolt
• Consequences of 1857 revolt

Rise of Nationalism & Formation of INC

• Reasons for rise of Indian nationalism
• Political associations before Indian National Congress
• Highlights of pre – congress political work
• Foundation of Indian National Congress
• Early nationalists – the moderate era
• Contributions of moderate nationalists
• Powers and functions of parliament
• Prominent moderate leaders
• Indian council act of 1892

Swadeshi Movement and Rise of Extremisim

• Understanding extremists
• Swadeshi movement
• Morley Minto reforms

Important Events from 1908 – 1918

• First phase of revolutionary activities
• Delhi durbars
• First world war and nationalist movement
• Entry of Mahatma Gandhi in Indian freedom struggle
• Important congress sessions between 1908 – 1918

Important Events from 1919 – 1929

• Post war economic hardships
• Government of India act, 1919
• Rowlatt act 1919
• Non-cooperation and khilafat movement
• Swarajist and 2nd phase of revolutionary interview
• Growth of left movement in India
• 2nd phase of revolutionary struggle
• Simon commission and Nehru report

Important Events from 1929 to 1939

• Civil disobedience movement – first phase
• Karachi congress session
• Round table conferences
• Second phase of civil disobedience movement
• Communal award and Poona pact, 1932
• Government of India act of 1935
• Aftermath of civil disobedience movement
• Provincial elections of 1937

Important Events from 1940 to 1947

• Wardha resolution
• August offer and individual satyagraha
• Cripps mission
• Quit India movement
• Constitutional deadlocks after quit India Movement
• Indian national army and RIN mutiny
• Run up to independence 

Socio – Religious Reform Movements

• Backdrop of Indian renaissance
• Important reform movements and their leaders – eastern India
• Important reform movements and their leaders – western India
• Important reform movements and their leaders – north India
• Other important movement and their leaders
• Reform movements of other religions

Miscellaneous Topics of Modern History

• Anti – colonial rebellions in India
• Tribal uprisings
• Politico – religious uprisings
• Major peasant movements

Miscellaneous Topics of Ancient and Medieval History

• Indus valley civilization
• Vedic age
• Rise of mahajanapadas
• Mauryan dynasty
• Post Mauryan
• Gupta age
• Harsha empire
• Delhi sultanate
• Mughal rule in India

Religion & Philosophy in India (For APFC only)

• Schools of Indian philosophy
• Buddhism & Jainism
• Bhakti & sufi movement in India
• Important saints in India

Sculptures & Architecture in India (For APFC only)

• Sculptures in Indus valley civilisation
• Ancient Indian art – Mauryan & Post Mauryan and Gupta & post Gupta art
• Sculptures  under Delhi sultanate & mughal rule
• Modern sculpture
• Pottery in India
• Architecture during Indus valley civilisation
• Rock cut & cave architecture

Temple Architecture in India (For APFC only)

• Indo Islamic architecture

Indian Music (For APFC only)

• History of music in India
• Anatomy of Indian music
• Types of musical instrument
• Schools of Indian music – Hindustani & Carnatic music
• Popular folk music styles
• Popular folk theatre 

Indian Dance Forms (For APFC only)

• History of dance in India
• Important aspects of dances in India
• Classical dance forms in India
• Folk dance forms in India

Indian Paintings (For APFC only)

• Pre historic paintings in India
• Mural paintings in India
• Miniature paintings in India
• Folk painting styles in India
• Modern Indian paintings

Indian languages & Literature (For APFC only)

• Language families in India
• Scripts in India
• Linguistic composition in Indian population
• Literature in India

Important Fairs & Festivals in India (For APFC only)

UNESCO World Heritage in India (For APFC only)

Population, Development and Globalization (For APFC only)

Here is the detailed syllabus of population, development and globalization:

Indian Geography (For APFC only)

• Landforms in India – mountains & hill ranges, plateaus, islands etc.
• Political geography – borders of India, locations of states/UTs, etc.
• Drainage systems – rivers, lakes, wetlands, etc.
• Important places in news

Population (For APFC only)

• Distribution of global human population
• Population in India – attributes, distribution, and census 2011 data

Development (For APFC only)

• Concept of development – meaning, pillars, and processes
• Human development – concept and human development index

Globalisation (For APFC only)

• Meaning of globalisation
• Triggers & barriers for globalisation
• Impact of globalisation

Environment (For APFC only)

• Basics about pollution & climate change

Governance and Constitution of India

Here is the detailed syllabus of governance and constitution of India:

Constitutional Framework of India 

• Historical background of Indian constitution
• Making of Indian constitution
• Features of Indian constitution
• Preamble of Indian constitution
• Amendment of Indian constitution
• Basic structure theory of Indian constitution

Indian Union and Its Citizens

• Making of Indian union Indian citizenship

Rights and Duties of Indian Citizens

• Fundamental rights
• Directive principles of state policy
• Fundamental duties

Centre State Relations

• Legislative relations
• Administrative relations
• Financial relations
• Committees/commissions for centre state relations
• Interstate relations – interstate councils, zonal councils etc.
• Emergency provisions in India

Executive in India

• Union Executive
  • President of India
  • Vice president of India
  • Prime minister of India
  • Council of ministers at centre
  • Cabinet committees

• State Executive
  • Governor
  • Chief minister
  • Council of ministers at state

Legislatures in India

• Parliament of India
  • Composition of parliament of India
  • Presiding officers of the parliament
  • Proceedings of parliament
  • Legislative procedure in parliament
  • Annual financial statement – budget
  • Powers and functions of parliament
  • Parliamentary privileges
  • Committees of the parliament

• State Legislature
  • Composition of state legislature
  • Eligibility of a member of state legislature
  • Presiding officers of the state legislature
  • Proceedings of state legislature
  • Legislative proceedings in the state legislature
  • Election system in India

Judiciary in India

• Supreme court of India
• High courts in India
• Subordinate courts
• National legal service authority
• Tribunals in India

Constitutional and Non – Constitutional Bodies in India

• Major constitutional bodies
• Major non – constitutional bodies
• Quasi – judicial bodies
• Pressure groups
• Regulatory bodies

Local Governments in India

• Panchayati raj institutions
• Municipalities

Miscellaneous Topics

• Union territories
• Scheduled and tribal areas
• Special provisions for some state
• Comparison of Indian constitution with other countries

Present Trends in Indian Economy

Here is the detailed syllabus of present trends in Indian economy:

Introduction to Demand and Supply

• Microeconomics v macroeconomics
• Basics of demand
• Basics of supply
• Equilibrium

Elasticity of Demand

• Concept and factors affecting demand
• Shift in demand curve
• Price elasticity of demand
• Cross elasticity of demand
• Income elasticity of demand

Measurement of Growth

• Basics of economy
• Circular flow of income
• Gross domestic product
• Important macroeconomic identities
• Growth, welfare and development
• Market structures

Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation in India

• Poverty
  • Poverty and its types
  • Measurement of poverty
  • Poverty related sustainable development goals

• Employment in India
  • Employment generation in India
  • Types of unemployment in India
  • Measurement of unemployment
  • Status of employment in India

Economic History of India

• Indian economy: a brief overview
• Various sectors of the economy
• Features of the Indian economy
• Concerns facing the Indian economy
• Underdevelopment
• Meaning and types of economic planning
• Economic planning in India before and after independence
• Economic reforms in India 
• NITI aayog

Monetary Policy

• Basics of monetary policy
• Monetary policy in India
• Instruments of monetary policy
• Types of monetary policy
• Financial institutions in India

Inflation

• Meaning and its causes
• Effects of inflation
• Important terms associated with inflation
• Measures to control inflation
• Measuring inflation
• Inflation targeting in India
• Trends of inflation in India

Fiscal Policy

• Basics of budget
• Basics of fiscal policy
• Components of budget
• Measures of government deficit
• Public debt in India
• Goods and services tax

Regional Economic Cooperation

• Regional Economic Integration
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations
• Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
• Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
• Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
• One Belt, One Road and Maritime Silk Route
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization
• Indian Ocean Rim Association

• Indian Ocean Commission
• Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
• BRICS
• India’s Experience with Free Trade Agreements

International Economic Institutions

• Introduction
• The world bank
• The international monetary fund
• World trade organisation

Opening UP of the Indian Economy, Balance of Payment

• Balance of payment
• Exchange rate
• Types of currencies
• Exchange rate management in India

Industrial and Labour Policy

• Introduction
• Evolution of India’s industrial policy
• Disinvestment
• Micro, small and medium 
• Enterprises in India
• Special economic zones
• National investment and 
• Manufacturing zones
• National manufacturing policy
• Industrial corridors
• Indices/surveys to measure industrial performance in India
• Labour policy

Finance Commission

• Appointment
• Composition of finance commission
• Roles & responsibilities
• Procedures and functioning
• 14th finance commission
• 15th finance commission

Accountancy

Here is the detailed accountancy syllabus:

Introduction to the Accounting

• Meaning of an economic event
• Branches of Accounting
• Understanding the process of accounting
• Objective of Accounting

Theory Base of Accounting

• Accounting principles and conventions
• Accounting terminology

Recording of Transactions

• Business transactions and source document
• Accounting equation
• Accounting books – journal, ledger, cash book and other accounting books
• Rules of debit and credit
• Types of accounts
• Logic of recording of transactions
• Trial balance
• Concept, importance, and role of trial balance
• Types of accounting errors
• Formation of trial balance
• Suspense account

Bills of Exchange

• Concept and introduction
• Parties of bill of exchange
• Modus operandi of bills of exchange
• Promissory note
• Discounting of bills – process
• Rebate of bill of exchange

Accounting Standards

• Accounting for share capital
• Accounting for inventory and investment
• Accounting for bonus shares and buyback of shares

Preparation of the Final Accounts

• Understanding of trading account, profit and loss account and balance sheet

Ratio Analysis

• Concept and type of ratios
• Cash flow statement

Auditing (For APFC only)

Here is the detailed auditing syllabus:

• Nature, objective and scope of auditing
• Audit strategy, planning & programme
• Risk assessment and internal control 
• Vouching and verification
• Company audit
• Auditor’s audit
• Audit of different type of entities
• Classification of audit

Industrial Relations and Labour Laws

Here is the detailed Industrial Relations and Labour Laws syllabus:

Industrial Relations

• Overview of industrial relations
• Indian labour force
• Trade union
• Collective bargaining
• Industrial discipline and grievance procedure
• Industrial conflicts and disputes
• Settlement of industrial disputes
• Labour welfare
• Wages
• Workers participation management
• International industrial relations
• Industrial health & safety
• Miscellaneous

Labour Laws

• Payment of wages act, 1936
• Minimum wages act, 1948
• Trade union act, 1926
• Factories act, 1948
• Industrial employment (standing orders) act, 1946
• Industrial disputes act, 1947
• The child and adolescent labour (prohibition and regulation) act, 1986
• Inter-state migrant workmen (regulation of employment and conditions of service) act, 1979
• Payment of bonus act, 1965
• Building and other construction workers act, 1996

Labor Codes

• Code on wages
• Industrial relations code
• Social security code
• Occupational safety, health and working conditions code

Insurance (For APFC only)

Here is the detailed Insurance syllabus:

Introduction to Insurance (For APFC only)

• Insurance – basic concept and definition
• Risk and insurance
• Different parties of insurance
• Modus operandi of insurance
• Basic terminology of insurance

Principles of Insurance (For APFC only)

• Principle of utmost good faith
• Principle of insurable interest
• Principle of proximate cause
• Principle of subrogation
• Principle of loss minimization
• Principle of indemnity
• Principle of contribution

Types of Insurance (For APFC only)

• Life insurance and its types
• Term insurance
• Unit-linked insurance plan
• Pension plans
• Money back policy
• General insurance and its types
• Motor insurance
• Home insurance
• Fire insurance
• Miscellaneous other type of insurance

Insurance as a Part of Social Security (For APFC only)

• Insurance schemes
• Insurance role in social security
• Difference between social security insurance schemes and private insurance schemes
• Current state of insurance in India
• Emerging concepts in the insurance industry

Social Security

Here is the detailed social security syllabus:

Social Security Schemes

• Types of retirement schemes
• National pension system
• Atal pension yojana
• Social security schemes

Social Security Legislations

• Employees compensation act, 1923
• Employees’ state insurance act, 1948
• Employees’ provident fund and miscellaneous provisions act, 1952
• Maternity benefit act, 1961
• Payment of gratuity act, 1972
• Unorganized workers social security act, 2008

Basic Knowledge of Computer Applications

Here is the detailed syllabus of basic knowledge of computer applications:

Introduction to Computer

• Computer – definition and major parts of computer
• Uses of computers, along with advantages and disadvantages of using computers.
• History of computer
• Generation of computer
• Types of computers

Computer Organisation and Data Processing Cycle

• Computer organization
• Data processing cycle
• Instruction cycle 

Hardware and Software

• Introduction to the computer hardware and software parts, input and output devices
• Functions of motherboard
• Types of software

Memory

• Introduction
• Memory hierarchy
• Memory management
• Memory measurement

Operating System

• Introduction
• Functions of operating system
• Types of operating system
• Basic understanding of MS-DOS and windows

Computer Network

• Introduction
• Components of computer network
• Types of computer network
• Computer network architecture
• Network protocols
• Network topology
• Introduction to the internet

Commonly Used Short-cuts and Full Form Used in Computer Parlance 

Quantitative Aptitude

Here is the detailed quantitative aptitude syllabus:

• Simplification
• LCM and HCF
• Percentage
• Ratio and proportion
• Mixture and allegation
• Profit and loss
• Simple and compound interest
• Average
• Time and work
• Pipe and cistern
• Time and distance
• Boats and streams
• Mensuration 2D and 3D
• Data interpretation
• Probability

General Mental Ability

Here is the detailed syllabus of general mental ability:

• Alphabetical and alphanumeric series
• Coding and decoding
• Syllogism
• Direction sense
• Ranking and order
• Blood relation
• Letter series
• Analogy
• Clock
• Calendar
• Dice
• Venn diagram
• Counting figure
• Cube and cuboid

Statistics (For APFC only)

Here is the detailed syllabus of statistics:

• Basics of statistics 
• Understanding of the core concepts 
• Mean, median and mode 
• What is standard deviation and its use 
• What is dispersion and its application part
• Sampling and different methods of sampling

Here is a video explaining the decoded syllabus of UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC exams. 

After getting familiar with the UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC exams syllabus, let’s understand the important topics.

UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC: Important Topics

We have done a detailed analysis of past years papers and the evolving trends of the EPFO exams conducted by UPSC. Each topic mentioned below has been selected based on its frequent occurrence in past exams and its current relevance, ensuring you make the most of your valuable study time. Here are the important topics for the UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC exams.

Quantitative Aptitude

Here are the important topics of quantitative aptitude:

• Simplification
• Number series
• Number system
• Percentage
• Ratio and proportion
• Mensuration
• Profit and loss
• Simple and compound interest
• Time and work
• Time and distance

Reasoning Ability

Here are the important topics of reasoning ability:

• Coding decoding
• Blood relation
• Direction sense

General English 

Here are the important topics of general English:

• Subject verb agreement
• Tenses
• Preposition
• Complex preposition
• Advance verbs
• Phrasal verbs
• Sentence improvement
• Reading comprehension
• Synonyms & antonyms
• Idioms & phrases + one word substitution

Current Affairs

Here are the important topics of current affairs:

• Government schemes
• Reports/surveys
• National news
• Awards and honors
• Sports
• Defence news
• Persons in news
• Science and technology
• Days in news
• Terms in news

Indian Polity for EO/AO / Governance and Constitution of India for APFC

Here are the important topics of Indian polity / governance and constitution of India:

• Regulating act of 1773
• Indian council act of 1909
• Government of India act of 1919 and 1935
• Features of Indian constitution 
• Preamble of Indian constitution 
• Fundamental rights 
• Directive principle of state policy (DPSPs)
• Emergency In India
• President of India and governor of state
• Parliament of India 
• Supreme court of India
• Finance commission and its recommendations
• National human right commission election commission
• Committees of electoral reforms
• Panchayati raj institution 
• Urban local government
• Scheduled and tribal areas

Indian Economy

Here are the important topics of Indian economy:

• Law of demand and law of supply
• Movement and shift in the demand curve and supply curve
• Types of market structure
• Elasticity of demand – price elasticity, cross elasticity, and income elasticity
• National income and related aggregates 
• Concept of inclusive growth, growth versus development, real GDP, nominal GDP, and GDPdeflator
• Meaning and types of poverty
• Meaning and types of unemployment
• Five year plans
• Economic reforms since 1991  
• Instruments of monetary policy – quantitative tools and qualitative tools
• Monetary policy committee (MPC)
• Components of budget – types of receipts and expenditure
• Types of government deficit with significance
• Meaning, tools, and types of fiscal policy
• Inflation and measurement of inflation – wholesale price index and consumer price index 
• All about IMF and world bank 
• All about WTO
• Regional economic cooperation
• Meaning and components of balance of payments – current account and capital account
• Determination of exchange rate – flexible, fixed and managed floating exchange rate
• Industrial performance – situation and growth of indian industries since independence
• Special economic zones

General Science

Here are the important topics of general science:

• Kinematics including distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration
• Dynamics and Newton’s laws of motion
• Electricity
• Light
• Magnetism
• Elements, compounds, and mixtures
• Atoms and molecules
• Physical and chemical changes
• Chemistry in daily life
• Metals and non-metals
• Acids and bases
• Food components
• Health and diseases
• Cells and tissues
• Organ systems – digestive system, skeletal system, muscular system, respiratory system, circulatory system and reproductive system
• Biotechnology
• Space technology 
• Information and nano technology

Indian Culture and Heritage (for APFC only)

Here are the important topics of Indian culture and heritage:

• Buddhism & Jainism
• Caves and temples in India
• Indian dance styles
• Indian scriptures
• UNESCO heritage
• Archaeology in India
• Important dynasties in India
• Bhakti movement

Indian Freedom Struggle

Here are the important topics of Indian freedom struggle:

• Indian national congress
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Important policies & laws by British
• Important peasant and tribal uprisings
• Major social reformers
• Revolutionary leaders
• Important battles

Population, Development and Globalization (for APFC only)

Here are the important topics of population, development and globalization:

• Growth of population
• Characteristics of population
• Concept of human development
• Information in latest human development report by UNDP
• Impact of globalisation

Basics of Computer Applications

Here are the important topics of basics of computer applications:

• History and generation of computers 
• Computer organization 
• Computer memory 
• Computer hardware 
• Computer software 
• Operating system 
• Computer network 
• Number system 
• Microsoft office 
• Database management system 
• Computer security 
• Miscellaneous topics 

Industrial Relation, Labor Laws, and Labor Codes

Here are the important topics of industrial relation, labor laws, and labor codes:

• Industrial Relation
  • Industrial relations and the constitution of india
  • National commission on labour
  • Theoretical perspectives of industrial relations
  • Conditions influencing an employee’s decision to join trade unions
  • Robert hoxie’s trade unionism
  • Types of trade union
  • Collective bargaining
  • Industrial discipline
  • Methods of discovering grievances
  • Strikes
  • Settlement of industrial disputes
  • Labour welfare
  • Wages
  • Workers’ participation in management
  • International labour organisation (ILO) and philadelphia declaration
  • Theories of accidents
  • Different concepts of labour
  • Union security measures/agreements

• Labor Laws
  • Payment of wages act, 1936
  • Minimum wages act, 1948
  • Industrial employment (standing orders) act, 1946
  • Trade unions act, 1926
  • Factories act, 1948
  • Industrial disputes act, 1947
  • The child and adolescent labour (prohibition and regulation) act, 1986
  • Inter-state migrant workmen (regulation of employment and conditions of service) act, 1979
  • Contract labour (regulation and abolition) act, 1970
  • Payment of bonus act, 1965
  • Building and other construction workers (regulation of employment and conditions of service) act, 1996
  • Mines act, 1952

• Labor Codes 
  • The code on social security, 2020
  • The code on wages, 2019
  • The industrial relations code, 2020
  • The occupational safety, health, and working conditions code, 2020

Social Security

Here are the important topics of social security:

• Social security schemes
• Employees compensation act, 1923
• Employees’ state insurance act, 1948
• Employees’ provident funds and miscellaneous provisions act, 1952
• Maternity benefit act, 1961
• Payment of gratuity act, 1972
• Unorganized workers social security act, 2008

General Accounting Principles

Here are the important topics of general accounting principles:

• Basics of accounting
• Preparation of financial statements
• Ratio analysis
• Cash flow statement
• Accounting for share capital transactions
• Accounting for bonus shares and rights shares
• Buyback of securities
• Accounting standard for inventories
• Accounting standard for revenue recognition
• Accounting standard for property, plant and equipment
• Accounting standard for investments
• Preparation and presentation of company final accounts
• Accounting for not-for-profit organisation

Auditing (for APFC Only)

Here are the important topics of auditing :

• Nature, objective and scope of auditing
• Audit strategy, audit planning, and audit programme
• Risk assessment and internal control
• Vouching and verification/audit of items of financial items
• Company audit
• Auditor’s report
• Audit of different types of entities
• Classification of audit

Insurance (for APFC Only)

Here are the important topics of insurance :

• Basics, history, and features related to the insurance
• Fundamental principles governing insurance contract 
• Types and classification of insurance 
• Difference between life and general insurance 
• Insurance sector in india 
• Emerging concepts and products in the insurance sector

Now that you have understood the important topics for the UPSC EPFO EO/AO and APFC exams, let’s get an overview of a 6 months study plan.

UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC: 6 Month Study Plan​

Before understanding the 6 months study plan, let’s understand how much you need to study each day.

• Category 1 (Working Professional/Housewife): If you fall into category one, you have a busy schedule and limited time for preparation. However, for effective preparation, it is recommended to allocate an average of 5 to 6 hours daily.
• Category 2 (Full Time Aspirants): If you fall into category two, having the flexibility to dedicate more time, you can comfortably allocate 7 to 8 hours on a daily basis for effective preparation.

Here is how you can cover these hours:

Category 1	Category 2
You can cover 5 to 6 hours in two shifts: Morning Shift: 6:00 am to 8:30 am Evening Shift: 8 pm to 11 pm	You can cover 7 to 8 hours in three shifts: Morning Shift: 8:00 am to 10:30 am Afternoon Shift: 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm Evening Shift: 5 pm to 8 pm

Important Note: If you are also preparing for the other exams, you can allocate your morning and afternoon shifts to cover those exams, and keep the evening shift to prepare for the EPFO EO/AO & APFC exams. Moreover, this is a suggested average time requirement that you can adjust based on your individual needs.

6 Month Study Plan​
Days​	Morning Shift​	Evening Shift​
1 – 40 ​	Accountancy​	Quantitative Aptitude​
41 – 65 ​	Social Security​	Logical Reasoning​
66 – 90 ​	Indian Economy​	General English​
91 – 125 ​	Indian Culture, Heritage & History​	Industrial Relations & Labor Laws​
126 – 135​	Computer Awareness​
136 – 165​	Governance & Constitution of India​	Auditing + Insurance​
166 – 180 ​	PDG​	General Science + Statistics​

A subject-wise timetable for your 2024 UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC preparation can be immensely helpful in getting you started. However, you should tailor the above given study-plan and preparation strategy to align with your strengths, weaknesses, and the available time. 

Additionally, after each session, review your performance, pinpoint your weak areas, and allocate additional time to improve your weaknesses. 

Conclusion

This blog post has provided a comprehensive overview of the UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC exam pattern, syllabus, and the most important topics. The discussed pattern and syllabus are based on the latest official notification of UPSC EPFO EO/AO & APFC 2023. It is subject to change at the UPSC’s discretion. Utilize our provided 6-month study plan as a reference to create a customized study plan tailored to your individual strengths and weaknesses.

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