UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF 2022 | Syllabus | Book List

UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF 2021 | Syllabus | Previous Papers- Before the inception of UPSC SO STENO Preparations, candidates must go through the Study Material given for their better understanding. Using the syllabus, candidates can prepare for their examination in the right direction without wasting a single minute. Understanding the UPSC SO STENO Study Material  will help the candidates to plan effective strategies in a systematic manner.

Candidates will be able to cover all the topics mentioned in the Study Material in order to secure qualifying marks. Aspirants can write down the Study Material and then start the preparation so that they can make a schedule out of it by covering all the relevant topics and not from outside.

UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF 2021 | Syllabus | Previous Papers

Organization Name	Union Public Service Commission
Name of Exam	UPSC SO/ Stenographer (GRADE-‘B’/GRADE-I)
Frequency of Exam	Once a year
Exam Mode	Offline Mode
Application Fee	The fees of UPSC Steno/SO 2021 Application form is Rs 100/-
Mode Of Payment	The payment of fees can only be made through any online mode or also through Offline mode.
Official Website	https://www.upsc.gov.in/

About UPSC

• Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) appoints and conducts examinations for all India services and group A and B posts of central services.
• Earlier UPSC was known as Federal Public Service Commission which was renamed into today’s Union Public Service Commission after independence.
• UPSC is consulted by the government of India in matters relating to the methods of recruitment to civil services and for civil posts, transfer, promotion, and disciplinary matters.
• Being a constitutional body it is autonomous and free, along with the Election commission and the country’s higher judiciary.
• UPSC is headquartered at Dholpur, New Delhi, India.
• UPSC’s current chairman is Mr. Arvind Saxena.

UPSC SO STENO Eligibility Criteria

Candidates are advised to ensure their UPSC SO/Steno 2021 Eligibility Criteria before applying for the exam. Given below are the all-important of eligibility:

• Category 1: Section Officers Grade of the Central Secretariat Service.
• Category 2: Section Officers Grade (Integrated Grade II & III) of the General Cadre of the Indian Foreign Service, Branch ‘B’
• Category 3: Section Officers Grade of the Railway Board Secretariat Service
• Category 4: Private Secretary Grade of the Central Secretariat Stenographers Service.
• Category 5: Grade I of the Stenographers’ Cadre of the Indian Foreign Service, Branch B
• Category 6: Grade ‘A’ & ‘B’ merged of the Armed Forces Headquarters Stenographers Service
• Category 7: Grade ‘B’ of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers Service.
• Category 8: Section Officers Grade of the Intelligence Bureau.
• Category 9: Private Secretary Grade in Employees’ State Insurance Corporation.

Check the category wise UPSC SO/Steno exam eligibility from the given below table:

Category	Eligibility
Section Officers’ Grade of the Central Secretariat Service	Candidates must have 5 years of working experience and have at least four annual performance appraisals in the assistant’s grade of the Central Secretariat Service Personal Assistants’ Grade of the Central Secretariat Stenographers Service. Must possess the degree of bachelor from any recognized university.
Section Officers’ Grade (Integrated Grade II & III) of the General Cadre of the Indian Foreign Service, Branch ‘B’	Applicants must have not less than five years of experience in Grade 4 of the general cadre or Grade 2 of the stenographer’s cadre or Grade 2 of the Cypher sub-cadre of the Indian Foreign Service or branch B of IFS or all the mentioned criteria.
Section Officers’ Grade of the Railway Board Secretariat Service	Must have at least five years experience in service in the assistant’s grade of the Railway Board Secretariat Service or Grade 2/Grade C of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers’ Service or both.
Private Secretary Grade of the Central Secretariat Stenographers’ Service	Must have not less than 3 years of work experience in service in Personal Assistant Grade of the Central Secretariat Stenographers’ Service. Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree from any recognized university or any equivalent.
Grade I of the Stenographers’ Cadre of the Indian Foreign Service, Branch B	Should have at least five years of work experience in service of Grade 2 of the Stenographers cadre of the Indian Foreign Service, Branch B.
Grade ‘A’ & ‘B’ merged of the Armed Forces Headquarters Stenographers’ Service	Candidates require to have at least three years of experience in service of Grade 2/Grade C of the Armed Forces Headquarter Stenographer’s Service
Grade ‘B’ of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographers Service	Applicants should have 5 years of experience in service of Grade 2/Grade C of the Railway Board Secretariat Stenographer’s Service.
Section Officers’ Grade of the Intelligence Bureau.	Candidates who are permanent or regularly appointed Assistants/ Stenos Grade 2(PAs) of the IB with not less than 4 years of experience. If candidates are selected through LDCE, the exam must not be held 5 years before the crucial date.
Private Secretary Grade in Employees’ State Insurance Corporation	Applicants need to have 3 years of approved and continuous work experience in Personal Assistant Grade in employees State Insurance Corporation.

Application Fee

• Aspirants who wish to apply for this Exam will have to pay the application fee of Rs. 100/- through online or offline mode.

Selection Process | UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF

The (UPSC) Union Public Service Commission conducts examinations of Section Officer and Stenographer after 07 years. We can expect several applicants to take this test this year.

• The hiring of the UPSC SO / Steno 2021 is done through the Competitive Departmental Competition Test.
• Examination for the recruitment of Section Officers (SO) and Stenographers in the various grades and divisions of the departments of the Government of India.
• Applicants need prior experience from the relevant cadres to apply for this recruitment.
• Applicable aspirants are selected through written and short tests in Hindi and English.
• Eligible candidates for the written exam must go through an evaluation of the service record which carries qualifying marks.
• The aspirants’ selection process depends on the written exam and evaluation of the service of students.
• Aspirants are called for assessment only after they can secure minimum qualifying marks.
• Once the assessment of the service period of the candidates is over, verification of eligibility criteria is done.

Salary Details:

• As per rules of government of India, the selected contenders will be paid with an attractive amount of salary.
• Selected candidates will also be paid all other benefits that are admissible.

Application Form

The authority will release the UPSC SO/Steno 2021 Application Form on 15 September 2021 until 30 September 2021 tentatively on the official website. Check the given mentioned details regarding the SO/Steno registration form:

• Candidates need to apply for the exam in the online mode only.
• Must keep in mind that after the last date of filling the form link will be disabled.
• The conducting will not provide any facility to make corrections in the application form.
• Applicants need to submit the online submitted application form to the Head of the Department/Head of Office to the Commission.
• Must take the print out of the filled application form before the last date.
• Only those candidates whose printed copy of the online application is forwarded by their Head of
• Department/Office will be considered for admission to this Examination.

How to fill UPSC SO/Steno Application Form 2021?

To fill  UPSC SO/Steno Application form 2021, candidates must follow the given listed steps.

1. Registration

• At first, candidates have to register themselves for UPSC SO/Steno 2021 exam on the official website.
• For registering, candidates need to fill in basic details with a valid email id and mobile number.

2. Login ID

• After candidates registered themselves on the official website, a Login ID and password will be generated and will be sent to the registered mobile number and E-mail ID.
• Now applicants will be able to go to the Application form page by logging in to the official website by using their Login ID and password.

3. Filling the application form

• Candidates have to choose the right position of stenographers for which they are applying for.
• Now, candidates have to fill in all the asked details in the application form which are mentioned below.
• Name
• Email
• Education qualification
• Parental information
• Employment information
• Service preference
• Test centre
• Category
• Address

4. Uploading of documents 

• After this, candidates have to upload all the documents asked in the application form which are necessary for the submission of the application form. Candidates must follow the given Procedure for Uploading the documents in UPSC SO/Steno Application form.
• While filling the online Application Form, candidates will be provided with a link to upload their documents i.e photograph, certificate, or any mark sheet. The list of documents to be uploaded has been mentioned above.

5. Fees payment

• After uploading the documents, the candidates have to pay the fees of the Application form. The basic information regarding the fee structure and payment mode is mentioned below.
• The fees of UPSC Steno/SO 2021 Application form is Rs 100/-
  The payment of fees can only be made through any online mode or also through Offline mode.

6. Submission and printout

• After making the payment of fees, the application form should be submitted successfully and candidates must take the print out the Application form for further use.
• One printed  hard copy of the application form has to be submitted to the Head of department or Head of office to the commission to:
• Undersecretary (E-VI), Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi – 110069.

UPSC SO/Steno 2021 Exam Pattern

• On the objective type paper, there will be four options provided for each question.
• For every incorrect answer given to the aspirants, there will be a deduction of 0.33 marks as a penalty for that question.
• Aspirants get the option to write a subjective paper either in Hindi or English.
• All three test booklets will contain questions provided in Hindi and English.
• There will also be a shorthand test in English / Hindi for applicants.
• This test will be a test of the speed of 100 words per minute for 10 minutes and then the participants will get 40 and 55 minutes respectively in English and Hindi writing.
• There will be a maximum deduction of 5% for illegible handwriting marks.

Paper I Exam Pattern

Exam Mode	Offline Mode
Timing	120 Minutes
Question Type	Multiple Choice Question
Maximum Marks	150 Marks

Paper II Exam pattern

Exam Mode	Written Exam
Duration	120 Minutes
Question Type	Objective Type
Maximum Marks	150 Marks

Paper III Exam Pattern

xam Mode	Written Exam
Timing	03 hours
Maximum Marks	200

UPSC SO/STENO Exam Syllabus | UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF

Paper-I

• The Indian Consitution
• Organization in the machinery of the Government of India
• Rules and procedure of conduct of business in Lok and Rajya Sabha
• RTI Act 2005
• Designation and allocation of subjects between Ministries, Departments, Attached & Subordinate Offices.

Paper-II

Category I, IV, VIII & IX

• Manual of office procedure
• Handbook of orders regarding the use of Hindi for the official purpose of the Union issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (For category I & IV) only.
• Fundamental and supplementary rules (AGP&T’s compilation, Chaudhury’s compilation, Swamy’s compilation.
• Notes on office procedure issued by Institute of Secretarial Training and Management
• Delegation of Financial Power Rules
• Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules
• Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules
• Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules
• Central Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules
• Compilation of General Financial Rules (Revised & Enlarged)
• Intelligence Bureau Standing Orders (For Category VIII only).

For Category II & V

• Manual of office procedure
• Handbook of orders regarding use of Hindi for the official purpose of the Union issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Fundamental and Supplementary Rules (AGP&T’s compilation, Chaudhury’s compilation, Swamy’s compilation)
• Central Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules
• Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules
• Compilation of General Financial Rules (Revised & Enlarged)
• Indian Foreign Service (PLCA) Rules
• Notes on office procedure issued by the ISTM
• Indian Foreign Service (Conduct and Discipline) rules
• Delegation of Financial Power Rules
• Financial Powers of Government of India’s representatives abroad.
• Assisted Medical Attendance Schemes

For Category III & VII

• Manual of office procedure issued by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)
• The Railway Services (Conduct) Rules, 1966
• Indian Railway Administration and Finance (Excluding Chapters V, VI, VIII & IX)
• Indian Railway Financial Code Vol. I (Excluding Chapter II & VI)
• The Railway Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rule, 1968
• The Railway Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rule, 1968
• Indian Railway Establishment Code Vol. I
• Handbook of orders regarding use of Hindi for the official purpose of the Union issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs

For Category VI

• Manual of office procedure
• Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules
• Fundamental and Supplementary Rules (AGP&T’s compilation, Chaudhury’s compilation, Swamy’s compilation)
• Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules
• Central Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules
• Handbook of orders regarding use of Hindi for the official purpose of the Union issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Notes on office procedure issued by the Institute of Secretarial Training and Management
• Financial regulation Part I

Part-III

• In this paper, aspirants have to make notes and drafts on some specific problems & precis for a given passage.

Preparation Tips for UPSC SO/Steno 2021

• The preparation strategy for the UPSC SO/Stenographer Recruitment 2021 exam is quite different from other competitive exams.
• This is because apart from the written exam, candidates must also prepare for the typing tests.
• First and foremost, make a study plan. Paper-1 which is based on General Studies and General Knowledge carries 150 marks.
• Paper-2 is based on procedures and practices of the Indian Government Secretariat.
• Make sure that your fundamentals, concepts and a basic understanding of these topics are deep and profound.
• To understand governmental processes and similar functions of the Secretariat, use flow charts and diagrams. This way, candidates can memories and recall answers readily without much effort.
• Make use of diverse learning resources. Also guides and preparation books, utilize other resources such as practice papers, readymade notes, reference books etc.
• Utilize previous year question papers to give an extra edge in the exam. This way aspirants can be better accustomed to the anticipated question pattern.
• Candidates can also solve mock tests and sample papers to learn how to use their time efficiently.
• Attempt to solve the mock tests within the specified duration for each paper.
• Make short notes and objective notes for last-minute revisions.
• Document these notes in clear handwriting and preferably with headings.
• This will make it easier to revise efficiently at a glance before the exam.

UPSC SO/Steno 2021 Test Centres

UPSC SO/Steno recruitment 2021 exam was organized in the following centres. Candidates may refer to the test centre for UPSC SO/Steno recruitment 2021 below and choose the appropriate test centre according to their choice.

• Chennai
• Delhi
• Kolkata
• Mumbai
• Nagpur

UPSC SO STENO Admit Card 2021 : UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF

The admit card of the UPSC SO STENO 2021 exam will be issued on the official website. The date of issue of the hall ticket will be updated in the official notification by the authorities. The exam conducting is not responsible to send the admit card to all the registered candidates of UPSC SO STENO .

Steps to Download the Admit Card of UPSC SO STENO

• Visit the official website of UPSC SO STENO
• Choose the link to the UPSC SO STENO group for which you have applied
• Enter the registered login ID and password
•  Now click on the link to download the UPSC SO STENO admit card
• Download the admit card and check all the necessary details as the date of birth, name, gender, roll number, exam date, time, sign, exam center, candidate’s category, etc.
• Now, take out the print to carry at the exam center of UPSC SO STENO . (A valid Id card is mandatory for all the candidates to carry at the exam center along with the admit card of UPSC SO STENO 2021)

UPSC SO STENO Result 2021 : UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF

The authorities will issue the result of the UPSC SO STENO exam on the official website separately for all the groups. To check and download the result of UPSC SO STENO candidates can follow the steps provided below:

• Visit the official website of UPSC SO STENO
• Select the result notification from the notification section
• Click on the UPSC SO STENO result notification
• Now, select and open the PDF of your group
• Enter the registration number in the search bar to check your score on the UPSC SO STENO exam
• Download and save a copy of the PDF for future reference.

UPSC SO STENO Cut Off

Cutoff marks are the minimum marks required by the candidates to get qualified for the next level of the exam. Cutoff marks will be fixed by the exam conducting authority itself. The cutoff marks will vary for each year and also for each category. The cutoff for the exam in 2021 will depend on various factors such as:

• The number of candidates applying for the post.
• The more the candidates, the higher the cut off.
• The number of vacancies for the post. The higher the vacancies, the lower the cut off.
• The difficulty of the examination. The more difficult the exam, the lower the cut off.
• Overall scoring pattern in the exam.
• The higher the difficulty of the examination, the lower will be the cut off.

Candidates Category	The Cut- Off	Number of Candidates Qualified the exam
General	141	2663
ST	100	1454
OBC	138	2485
SC	127	1419
VH	100	79
OH	100	369

UPSC SO/STENO 2014 Cut-off

Written Stage

Minimum Cut-off Marks out of 500	Minimum Cut-off Marks out of 500	Minimum Cut-off Marks out of 500
General	SC	ST
150	100	85
180	136	89
164	108	—
101	91	—
119	119	—
100	100	—

Final Stage

Minimum Cut-off Marks out of 500	Minimum Cut-off Marks out of 500	Minimum Cut-off Marks out of 500
General	SC	ST
227	185	175
274	229	234
261	229	—
—	—	—
215	181	—
218	—	—
165	—	—
260	207	156
—	—	—

UPSC SO STENO FAQs : UPSC SO STENO Study Material PDF

Q. What are the eligibility criteria needed for the posts of SO/Steno? The eligibility criteria for all the posts in all the categories are different. For more details about eligibility, check the UPSC SO/Steno eligibility section of this article or you may refer to the official website. Q. Who conducts the UPSC SO/Steno recruitment process? The UPSC i.e. Union Public Service Commission itself conducts the UPSC SO/Steno recruitment process. Q. What kind of questions are asked in the UPSC SO Steno test? Objective type of questions are asked in the offline written exam of UPSC SO Steno test.