APPSC Group 1 Recruitment 2026: 166 Posts, Apply by 27 Oct

APPSC Group 1 recruitment 2026 is open for 166 posts, including Deputy Collector, DSP, District Educational Officer and Divisional Development Officer. Apply on psc.ap.gov.in from 6 October to 27 October 2026 (11:59 pm). You need a bachelor’s degree in any subject (except DSP Communications, which needs an ECE-type BTech), and for most posts you must be 18 to 44.

The prelims (Screening Test) is on 24 January 2027. That’s about 15 weeks from today. That’s the number to plan your preparation around.

Detail	Information
Organisation	Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC)
Notification	No. 07/2026, dated 6 October 2026 (brief notice 15 September 2026)
Posts	Group-I Services, 13 categories
Vacancies	166 (includes 5 carried-forward posts)
Qualification	Any bachelor’s degree (BTech ECE/ETE/Radio for DSP Communications)
Age	18 to 44 years as on 1 July 2026 (21 to 30 for DSP Civil, 18 to 30 for DSP Comms)
Fee	₹250 processing + ₹120 exam fee
Apply online	6 October to 27 October 2026 (11:59 pm)
Corrections	Up to 7 days after the last date, ₹100 per correction
Prelims (Screening Test)	24 January 2027, offline OMR
Mains	Descriptive, dates to be announced
Official website	psc.ap.gov.in

One thing first: many sites still say 163 posts. That number comes from the brief notice of 15 September. The detailed notification released today lists 166, and that’s the one that counts.

APPSC Group 1 2026 vacancies and salary

Here is the post-wise break-up from the official notification. “CF” means carried forward from earlier recruitments; those get filled first.

Code	Post	Posts	Pay scale (₹)
01	Deputy Collector	12	61,960 – 1,51,370
02	Assistant Commissioner of State Tax	14	61,960 – 1,51,370
03	DSP (Civil), Cat-2	36 (3 CF)	61,960 – 1,51,370
04	DSP (Communications)	3	61,960 – 1,51,370
05	District Educational Officer	14	61,960 – 1,51,370
06	Regional Transport Officer	3	57,100 – 1,47,760
07	District Tribal Welfare Officer	1	57,100 – 1,47,760
08	Deputy Registrar (Cooperative)	16 (1 CF)	57,100 – 1,47,760
09	Municipal Commissioner Grade-II	12	54,060 – 1,40,540
10	Asst. Treasury Officer / Asst. Accounts Officer	2	54,060 – 1,40,540
11	District Employment Officer	3 (1 CF)	54,060 – 1,40,540
12	Assistant Audit Officer (State Audit)	15	54,060 – 1,40,540
13	Divisional Development Officer (Panchayat Raj)	35	65,360 – 1,54,980
	Total	166

DSP (Civil) with 36 posts and Divisional Development Officer with 35 are the biggest chunks. Deputy Collector, the post most people dream about, has only 12. Be realistic about that when you fill your post preferences later.

For comparison, the last Group-I notification (No. 12/2023) had 81 posts. This one has roughly twice as many.

APPSC Group 1 eligibility

Educational qualification

For 12 of the 13 posts, a bachelor’s degree in any subject from a recognised university is enough. BA, BCom, BSc, BTech, all fine. No minimum percentage.

The exception is DSP (Communications). It needs a BE/BTech in Electronics and Communication, Electronics and Telecommunication, or Radio Engineering.

Your degree must be complete as on the date of the detailed notification (6 October 2026). So if you’re in final year right now, you can’t apply this time.

Age limit (as on 1 July 2026)

Post	Minimum	Maximum
DSP (Civil)	21	30
DSP (Communications)	18	30
All other 11 posts	18	44

Age relaxation on top of the maximum:

• SC, ST, BC, EWS: 5 years
• Persons with Benchmark Disabilities: 10 years
• Ex-servicemen and NCC instructors: 3 years plus length of service
• Regular AP State Government employees: length of service, up to 5 years (corporation and municipal staff don’t get this)
• Retrenched census employees (6+ months’ service): 3 years

Physical standards (DSP posts only)

For both DSP posts, men need a height of at least 167.6 cm and chest of 86.3 cm with 5 cm expansion (ST men: 164 cm and 83.8 cm). Women need 152.5 cm height and 45.5 kg weight. There are eyesight standards too, and PwBD reservation does not apply to the DSP posts.

Local and non-local

All posts except DSP (Communications) follow the 95% local reservation under the Presidential Order 2025. Most posts are split into Multi-Zone I (Srikakulam to Krishna) and Multi-Zone II (Guntur to Kurnool and Sri Sathya Sai). Assistant Audit Officer posts are zonal. Your local status depends on where you studied from Class 4 to Class 7, so keep your study certificates ready.

APPSC Group 1 exam pattern 2026

There are three stages: Screening Test, Mains, Interview.

Stage 1: Screening Test (prelims), 24 January 2027

Paper	Subjects	Questions	Time	Marks
Paper I: General Studies	History & Culture, Polity & Social Justice, Indian and AP Economy, Geography (30 marks each)	120	120 min	120
Paper II: General Aptitude	Mental Ability & Administrative/Psychological Ability (60), Science & Tech (30), Current Events (30)	120	120 min	120

Negative marking: 1/3 of the marks for every wrong answer. It’s an offline OMR exam, and you must write both papers. The prelims only shortlists you. Its marks don’t count in the final merit.

APPSC calls 50 candidates per vacancy to Mains. With 166 posts, that’s roughly 8,300 seats in Mains.

Stage 2: Mains (descriptive)

Paper	Marks	Counts for merit?
Telugu	150	No, qualifying only
English	150	No, qualifying only
Paper I: General Essay	150	Yes
Paper II: History, Culture and Geography of India and AP	150	Yes
Paper III: Polity, Constitution, Governance, Law and Ethics	150	Yes
Paper IV: Economy and Development of India and AP	150	Yes
Paper V: Science, Technology and Environmental Issues	150	Yes

Each paper is 3 hours. To pass the Telugu and English papers you need 40% (OC, EWS, sports quota), 35% (BC) or 30% (SC, ST, PwBD). You can write Papers I to V in English, Telugu or Urdu, but all five must be in the same medium.

Stage 3: Interview

75 marks, at a ratio of 1:2 (two candidates per post). Final merit = Mains (750) + Interview (75) = 825 marks.

Exam centres

Vijayawada, where APPSC is based and one of the 4 Mains centres. Photo: Srikar Kashyap / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Screening Test is held in all 26 districts, from Srikakulam to Kurnool. You pick 3 preferences in the form.

Mains is held only in 4 cities: Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Ananthapuramu. You pick one, and you can’t change it later. Choose the one you can reach without an overnight trip, because Mains runs over several days.

Application fee

Category	Processing fee	Exam fee	Total
General / OC / EWS	₹250	₹120	₹370
SC, ST, BC, PwBD, ex-servicemen	₹250	Exempt	₹250
White ration card families (AP residents)	₹250	Exempt	₹250
Unemployed youth (with declaration)	₹250	Exempt	₹250

Candidates from other states can’t claim the exemption (except PwBD and ex-servicemen). Pay online by net banking, debit or credit card. The fee is not refunded.

How to apply for APPSC Group 1 2026

1. Create or update your OTPR. Go to psc.ap.gov.in and register for One Time Profile Registration if you’re new. If you already have an OTPR, check your name, date of birth, community and white card details now. These fields can’t be corrected after you apply.
2. Log in with your OTPR ID and password, then click Online Application Submission.
3. Click Fill Application against Notification No. 07/2026.
4. Fill in local/non-local status, qualification, Screening Test centres (3) and Mains centre (1).
5. Click Save & Submit. Clicking only “Save” doesn’t submit your application, and the payment link appears only after Save & Submit.
6. Pay the fee online and download the filled application PDF.

Certificates to arrange before you apply:

• BC candidates: Non-Creamy Layer certificate issued on or after 1 April 2026 and before 27 October.
• EWS candidates: EWS certificate for FY 2025-26, in digital format, issued on or after 1 April 2026.
• Study certificates from Class 1 to 7 (for local status).

If you get a BC or EWS certificate after 27 October, it won’t count. Apply at your Tahsildar office this week.

Important dates and links

Event	Date
Brief notification	15 September 2026
Detailed notification	6 October 2026
Online application	6 – 27 October 2026 (11:59 pm)
Correction window	Up to 7 days after 27 October
Screening Test	24 January 2027
Initial answer key	After the exam (objections within 3 days, ₹100 per question)
Mains	To be announced

Official notification and application: APPSC Recruitment Notifications page. Never pay anyone who promises a “direct” Group 1 post. APPSC selects only through this exam.

Other APPSC notifications open now

Group 1 is one of 20 APPSC notifications with 892 posts in total. Their application windows open in batches:

Notification	Posts	Apply dates
Group-I Services (07/2026)	166	6 – 27 Oct
Assistant Environmental Engineer (08/2026)	40	6 – 27 Oct
Horticulture Officer (19/2026)	37	6 – 27 Oct
Hostel Welfare Officer Gr-II (25/2026)	73	9 – 29 Oct
Assistant Statistical Officer (20/2026)	196	13 Oct – 2 Nov
Executive Officer Gr-III, Endowments (23/2026)	104	16 Oct – 5 Nov
Industrial Promotion Officer (24/2026)	78	16 Oct – 5 Nov
Forest Section / Beat / Range Officer (17, 18, 16/2026)	26 / 23 / 4	16 Oct – 5 Nov

Post counts for the other notifications are provisional, from APPSC’s 15 September notice. If you’re preparing for Group 1, Assistant Statistical Officer and Executive Officer share a lot of the same General Studies. Apply to those too.

Should you apply?

Yes, if you’re a graduate from AP and you can give it serious time. 166 posts is about double the last round, and these are the best state jobs a graduate can get without UPSC. A Deputy Collector or DDO career goes much further than most private jobs.

But be honest with yourself about the work. Mains has five descriptive papers plus two language papers, and AP-specific history, economy and culture carry a lot of weight. If you start only after the prelims result, you’ll be late. Most toppers prepare for prelims and Mains together from day one.

If you’re aiming for DSP (Civil) and you’re close to 30, this may be your last chance. Apply even if you feel underprepared.

If you’re applying to central jobs too, the Supreme Court JCA recruitment closes the next day (28 October), and its General Studies overlaps.

Your next step: open your OTPR today and check the community and white card fields. Then apply before 20 October, because government portals tend to slow down in the last few days.