APPSC Group 1 Recruitment 2026: 166 Posts, Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Salary and Apply Online

The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), Vijayawada, has opened the application process for Group-I Services Recruitment 2026. Through Notification No. 07/2026 dated 6 October 2026, the Commission is inviting applications for 166 posts across 13 categories, including Deputy Collector, Deputy Superintendent of Police, District Educational Officer, Assistant Commissioner of State Tax and Divisional Development Officer.

The recruitment is suitable mainly for graduates, although DSP (Communications) requires a specific engineering qualification. The online application process started on 6 October 2026 and will remain open until 27 October 2026, 11:59 PM. The Screening Test is scheduled for 24 January 2027, while the Main Examination dates will be announced later.

Because the recruitment covers several senior administrative, police, taxation, education, transport and development posts, candidates should check the post-specific age, qualification and physical requirements before selecting their preferences.

APPSC Group 1 Recruitment 2026: Key Details

The official notification confirms that applications are accepted through the APPSC website from 6 October to 27 October 2026.

166 Vacancies Across 13 Group-I Posts

The 166 vacancies cover a wide range of Andhra Pradesh government services. The largest individual vacancy groups are Deputy Superintendent of Police (Civil) with 36 posts and Divisional Development Officer with 35 posts.

The Commission notes that vacancy numbers and departments can change if additional requisitions are received from the concerned departments. Any additional vacancies would have to be notified before the Screening Test.

CF refers to carried-forward vacancies from earlier recruitment cycles.

Educational Qualification: Which Graduates Can Apply?

Educational eligibility depends on the post code.

For most Group-I positions, candidates need a Bachelor’s Degree from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification. The major exception is Post Code 04, DSP (Communications), for which a specific engineering qualification is required.

The prescribed qualification must be possessed as on the date of the Detailed Notification, 6 October 2026. The Commission also treats this date as the crucial date for calculating experience, including practical experience.

A Special Point for Distance Education Graduates

Degrees obtained through open universities or distance education must have the required recognition. The notification places the responsibility on candidates to establish recognition where necessary. B.E./B.Tech obtained through distance mode must meet the applicable AICTE recognition requirements.

Age Limit and Relaxation

The age requirement is not identical for every Group-I post.

For most posts, the prescribed age is 18 to 44 years. DSP (Civil) requires candidates to be 21 to 30 years, while DSP (Communications) has an age range of 18 to 30 years. The age is calculated as on 1 July 2026.

Age Relaxation

The notification provides applicable relaxation for eligible categories, including:

• SC candidates
• ST candidates
• BC candidates
• EWS candidates
• Persons with Benchmark Disabilities
• Ex-Servicemen
• Eligible NCC Instructors
• Certain regular Andhra Pradesh State Government employees
• Eligible retrenched temporary employees

For many categories, the relaxation is subject to the specific rules and maximum-age conditions applicable to the particular post.

Candidates can use the CareerAlert24 Age Calculator to check their age against the 1 July 2026 cut-off date.

Physical Standards for DSP Posts

Candidates applying for Post Codes 03 and 04, the two DSP categories, have additional physical and medical requirements. These conditions do not apply to the ordinary administrative Group-I posts.

For the specified uniform posts, the notification prescribes minimum physical standards including:

• General minimum height: 167.6 cm
• Minimum chest measurement for applicable candidates: 86.3 cm
• Minimum chest expansion: 5 cm
• For ST candidates, the specified minimum height is 164 cm and chest measurement is 83.8 cm
• Women candidates: minimum height 152.5 cm and minimum weight 45.5 kg

The notification also specifies separate vision standards and medical requirements for DSP (Civil) and DSP (Communications).

Candidates interested in the police posts should therefore check the detailed medical standards rather than relying only on the general Group-I age and qualification requirements.

APPSC Group 1 Salary and Pay Scale

The pay scale depends on the post.

The notified scales range from Rs. 54,060-1,40,540 to Rs. 65,360-1,54,980. Deputy Collector, Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, DSP and District Educational Officer posts carry a scale of Rs. 61,960-1,51,370. Divisional Development Officer has the highest listed scale of Rs. 65,360-1,54,980.

These figures represent the notified scale of pay, not an estimated in-hand salary.

Application Fee

Candidates have to pay the applicable application processing and examination fee through the online payment gateway.

The notification specifies a Rs. 250 application processing fee. The examination fee is separately applicable unless the candidate falls under one of the specified exemption categories.

Examination Fee Exemptions

The notification provides exemption from the examination fee for specified categories, including:

• SC
• ST
• BC
• Persons with Benchmark Disabilities
• Ex-Servicemen
• Eligible Andhra Pradesh residents holding a Household Supply White Card
• Eligible unemployed youth under the specified Government order

Candidates from other states generally cannot claim Andhra Pradesh reservation or the applicable fee exemptions merely because they belong to one of these categories, subject to the exceptions stated in the notification.

The fee is payable online through Net Banking, Credit Card or Debit Card. IPOs and Demand Drafts are not accepted. The fee is generally non-refundable and non-adjustable.

How APPSC Group 1 Candidates Will Be Selected

The selection process has three major stages:

Screening Test → Main Written Examination → Interview

The Screening Test is used to shortlist candidates for the Main Examination. APPSC states that candidates admitted to the Main Written Examination will normally be limited to 50 times the number of available vacancies, irrespective of community.

Stage 1: Screening Test

The Screening Test is an objective examination conducted in offline OMR mode.

Paper I covers:

• History and Culture
• Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations
• Indian and Andhra Pradesh Economy and Planning
• Geography

Paper II covers:

• General Mental Ability
• Administrative and Psychological Abilities
• Science and Technology
• Current Events of regional, national and international importance

There is 1/3 negative marking for every wrong answer.

Stage 2: Main Written Examination

The Main Examination is descriptive and contains two qualifying language papers plus five merit papers.

The Telugu and English papers are qualifying and their marks are not counted for final merit. The five merit papers contribute 750 marks, followed by a 75-mark interview, making 825 marks for the final merit calculation.

Language Medium in Mains

Except for the Telugu and English papers, candidates can choose English, Telugu or Urdu as their writing medium.

Once a medium is selected, candidates must use that medium consistently across the relevant papers. Mixing languages within a paper is not permitted.

Minimum Qualifying Marks

The Telugu and English qualifying papers have separate minimum qualifying requirements. Securing the minimum qualifying marks alone does not guarantee selection.

Stage 3: Interview

Candidates qualifying in the Main Examination are called for the Interview/Personality Test. APPSC states that candidates will be called in a 1:2 ratio with reference to the number of vacancies, subject to the applicable reservation provisions.

Final appointment is based on merit in the Main Written Examination and Interview, subject to eligibility, reservation and medical requirements.

APPSC Group 1 Exam Dates and Application Timeline

The Commission has confirmed the Screening Test date as 24 January 2027. Main Examination dates will be announced separately.

APPSC Group 1 Application Process

Candidates must complete the application through the official APPSC website. First-time applicants need to complete One Time Profile Registration (OTPR) before submitting the recruitment application.

Step-by-Step Application

1. Visit the official APPSC website.
2. Complete OTPR registration if you do not already have an OTPR account.
3. Log in using your OTPR/User ID and password.
4. Select Notification No. 07/2026.
5. Enter the required qualification, local/non-local status and other application details.
6. Select applicable post preferences and examination centres.
7. Review the information carefully.
8. Use Save & Submit to proceed with the application.
9. Pay the applicable fee online.
10. Check the payment reference and final submission status.
11. Download and retain the completed application for future correspondence.

APPSC specifically states that OTPR registration by itself is not an application. Candidates must separately submit the application against the Group-I notification.

Correction Facility After Application

Candidates are permitted to make eligible corrections by paying Rs. 100 per correction during the specified correction window.

However, important fields such as Name, Fee and Age Relaxation are not available for correction. Candidates should therefore verify their details before final submission rather than relying on the correction facility.

Important Things Candidates Should Check Before Applying

This recruitment has several conditions that deserve attention before payment and final submission:

• Check the qualification against the specific post code, especially if applying for DSP Communications.
• Check the age against 1 July 2026, not the application date.
• DSP applicants should verify the physical and medical standards.
• Candidates claiming BC reservation should have the required Non-Creamy Layer certificate within the prescribed period.
• EWS applicants must meet the prescribed certificate requirements for FY 2025-26.
• Check local-candidate conditions because local reservation applies to specified post codes under the applicable 2025 Presidential Order framework, while Post Code 04 is a state-level post.
• Review post and examination-centre preferences before submitting.
• Do not leave required application fields blank.
• Keep the OTPR mobile number and email active for future communication.
• Save the final application and payment details.

Examination Centres

The Screening Test will be conducted at district centres across Andhra Pradesh, including the newly organised districts. Candidates can provide up to three preferences, although APPSC retains the authority to allot a centre based on administrative requirements.

The Main Written Examination will be conducted at four listed centres:

• Visakhapatnam
• Vijayawada
• Tirupati
• Ananthapuramu

Candidates select one Main Examination centre, but APPSC retains the right to make changes for administrative reasons.

CareerAlert24 Insight

APPSC Group-I is a particularly broad recruitment because the 166 vacancies are spread across administrative, police, taxation, education, transport, cooperative, municipal, treasury, audit and development services.

For ordinary graduates, the main opportunity lies in the posts where a general Bachelor’s Degree is accepted. However, candidates should not assume that every Group-I post has identical eligibility. DSP posts have additional physical and medical requirements, while DSP Communications requires a specific engineering background.

The examination structure is another major consideration. Clearing the Screening Test only gets candidates into the next stage. The Main Examination and Personality Test determine final merit, with 825 marks counted for the final merit calculation. Candidates targeting APPSC Group-I should therefore plan for descriptive writing and the five merit papers rather than preparing only for the objective Screening Test.

Important Links

Conclusion

APPSC Group-I Recruitment 2026 provides 166 opportunities across 13 state services, making it relevant to graduates seeking administrative, taxation, education, police, audit and development careers in Andhra Pradesh.

Candidates should first identify the post codes for which they are eligible, then check the age cut-off, reservation/local-status requirements and, where applicable, physical standards. Since the application closes on 27 October 2026 at 11:59 PM, applicants should complete OTPR registration, application submission and fee payment well before the deadline.

Written by

Saanvi

I'm Saanvi Sharma, a content writer with over 3 years of experience in job news and recruitment updates.I focus on providing clear, accurate, and timely information on government jobs, exams, and career opportunities to help job seekers stay informed and succeed.

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