Allahabad High Court Group C Exam Pattern 2026: Stage-Wise Marks, Skill Tests and Merit

The Allahabad High Court Group C exam pattern has two stages. Stage I is an offline written test of 100 objective questions for 100 marks in 90 minutes, common to Stenographer Grade-III, Junior Assistant, Paid Apprentice and Driver Grade-IV. Stage II depends on the post: a Hindi and English computer typing test, a stenography test, or a technical driving test. The High Court of Judicature at Allahabad conducts this recruitment for the District Courts of Uttar Pradesh, and the 2024-25 cycle was run through the National Testing Agency.

The pattern matters more here than in many exams, because for most Group C posts the skill test marks are added to the written marks in the final merit list. This page explains every stage as given in the 2024-25 detailed advertisements, shows how the final score is built, and turns the numbers into a time and practice plan. A new advertisement can change any of these rules, so check it when it is released.

Table of Contents

Exam Pattern at a Glance

There is no interview for any Group C post. Selection also depends on document verification and medical fitness.

Stage I Written Exam Pattern

In the 2024-25 cycle, the written test was held post-wise in two shifts each day: Driver Grade-IV and the Group C Clerical Cadre on 4 January 2025, and Stenographer Grade-III on 5 January 2025. Each shift ran for 90 minutes.

Subject-wise distribution

The official advertisements list the four subjects but do not fix how many questions come from each. Many websites show 25 questions per subject. That may be close to what students experienced, but it is not stated in the notification, so do not plan your preparation on the assumption that any one subject is small. A balanced approach is safer.

Older pages may still show patterns from earlier cycles with different stage names or marks. Follow the official advertisement of the cycle you are applying in.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

• Correct answer: 1 mark.

• Wrong answer: No deduction. There is no negative marking.

• Unanswered question: 0 marks.

No negative marking changes your strategy. A blank answer and a wrong answer score the same, so a guess can only help. Leave the last two or three minutes to fill every remaining bubble on the OMR sheet.

Stage II Computer Typing Test Pattern

Junior Assistant, Paid Apprentice and Stenographer candidates take the same computer typing test. Shortlisted candidates type one Hindi passage and one English passage on a computer.

How mistakes are counted

• Full mistakes: Omitted words, spelling errors and punctuation errors each count as one full mistake.

• Extra words: Ignored.

• Speed: Calculated on net correct words and the time taken to submit.

Here is what the deduction means in practice. In English, 12 mistakes cost about 1 mark (12 multiplied by 0.0833). In Hindi, 10 mistakes cost 1 mark. A candidate who types the full passage with 20 Hindi mistakes loses 2 marks out of 25. Accuracy is worth as much as speed.

Stenography Test Pattern

Stenographer Grade-III candidates take the stenography test (Stage II Part B) on the same day as the typing test (Part A).

Omitted words and spelling errors are full mistakes. Paragraphing and punctuation errors count as half mistakes. Results are declared separately for Hindi and English stenographers.

Technical Driving Test Pattern

The advertisement does not publish marks for the driving test. Candidates must clear it to the satisfaction of the selecting authority, which may fix minimum marks for any or all parts. Only those who clear it are ranked, using their Stage I marks.

Shortlisting and Final Merit Calculation

Worked example

Suppose a Junior Assistant candidate scores 82 in Stage I, 21 in Hindi typing and 22 in English typing. The final score is 82 plus 21 plus 22, which is 125 out of 150. In the 2024-25 cycle, the official final cut-off for Junior Assistant (UR) was 137.117, so this candidate would have needed about 12 more marks. Those marks could come from either stage, but typing marks are often quicker to raise than written marks.

• Tie-break: If two candidates have equal marks, the older candidate ranks higher.

• Allocation: In the clerical cadre, higher-ranked candidates are offered Junior Assistant posts first, and the rest go to Paid Apprentice posts.

• Normalisation: The Driver advertisement notes that results may be normalised if the test is held in more than one session.

What the Pattern Means for Your Preparation

• One mark per question, no penalty: Every question is worth the same, so do not spend three minutes on a hard Mathematics question while easier Hindi or GK questions wait.

• The written test is a gate: Only five times the vacancies move forward. In the last cycle, the Stage I cut-offs for most posts sat in the 60s to high 80s out of 100, so plan to score comfortably above that range.

• The typing test is a multiplier: Typing adds up to 50 marks for clerical posts, a third of the final total. A student who scores 45 in typing can overtake one who scored 8 more in the written test but only 35 in typing.

• Below 10 in either typing test means out: The qualifying rule applies to Hindi and English separately, so you cannot rely on one language to cover the other.

• Stenographers carry three scores: Written, typing and dictation each matter. Shorthand practice must run alongside written preparation, not after it.

Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

With 100 questions in 90 minutes, you get 54 seconds per question on average. A practical split looks like this:

• Practise on OMR sheets: Bubbling 100 answers takes time. Mark answers in batches of 10 to 15 rather than at the end.

• Typing test day: Read the passage once before you begin, keep a steady pace and avoid going back to fix small errors if it costs time. Check that your system shows the Inscript layout before you start the Hindi test.

• Steno test day: Write every word you can during dictation, and use the full 30 minutes for transcription. Proofread punctuation at the end, since it costs half a mark each.

A Six-Week Skill Test Practice Plan

In the last cycle, the Stage II tests were held about two months after Stage I. If you wait for the Stage I result before starting typing, you lose most of that time. Use this plan either before the written exam or immediately after it.

Track your mistakes in a simple log. If your Hindi mistakes stay above 20 per passage, slow down; each one costs 0.1 mark, and a lower error count usually adds more marks than a few extra words per minute.

Common Mistakes About the Pattern

• Assuming a 25-question split: The official advertisement does not fix subject-wise numbers. Prepare all four subjects properly.

• Treating the typing test as qualifying only: For clerical and Stenographer posts, typing marks count in the final merit. They are not just a pass or fail check.

• Leaving questions blank: With no negative marking, a blank bubble is a lost chance.

• Following old patterns: Some pages still describe older cycles. Check the official advertisement for the year you apply.

• Ignoring the Driver signage test: Driver candidates must clear both the signage and the driving parts. Revise road signs even if you are an experienced driver.

Official website: https://www.allahabadhighcourt.in/