Supreme Court Personal Assistant Syllabus 2026: Topic-wise Guide
The Supreme Court Personal Assistant syllabus covers two kinds of preparation: knowledge subjects for the objective written test and computer knowledge test, and skills for the English shorthand test at 100 words per minute and the computer typing test at 40 words per minute. The Recruitment Cell of the Supreme Court of India names the subjects and the number of questions in its notice, but it does not publish a topic-wise syllabus.
The topic lists on this page are built from the official notices and from the subject areas they name. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list. Because the 2026 Senior Personal Assistant notice introduced judiciary and Supreme Court Rules sections, this page covers both the last Personal Assistant format (2024) and the newer format, so you are ready whichever one the next notification uses.
Table of Contents
Syllabus
The table below shows the test structure from the last Personal Assistant notice (Advertisement No. F.6/2024-SC (RC), dated 3 December 2024).
Test | Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
Objective written test | General English | 50 | 50 |
Objective written test | General Aptitude (logical reasoning, no arithmetic) | 25 | 25 |
Objective written test | General Knowledge | 25 | 25 |
Computer knowledge test | Computer operation | As set in the paper | 10 |
Shorthand test | English dictation at 100 w.p.m., 45 minutes transcription | Not applicable | 100 |
Typing test | 40 w.p.m. on computer, 10 minutes | Not applicable | 10 |
Interview | Personality and suitability | Not applicable | 30 |
Key Changes to Know
New subject mix for Senior PA in 2026: The 12 October 2026 Senior PA notice uses 25 questions on General English, 25 on General Knowledge, 25 on provisions relating to the judiciary in the Constitution, 15 on the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, and 10 on computer operation, in 90 minutes.
Reasoning was dropped in that format: The General Aptitude section of the 2024 PA paper does not appear in the 2026 Senior PA paper.
Computer knowledge moved inside the main paper: In 2024 it was a separate 10-mark test; in the 2026 Senior PA notice it is 10 questions within the 100-question paper.
No new PA notice yet: As of 28 October 2026, the PA format for the next cycle is not confirmed. Older pages may present one format as final, so follow the official notification when it arrives.
High-weight Topics to Prioritise
The table compares section weight across the two formats so you can decide where your hours go first.
Section | 2024 PA paper | 2026 Senior PA paper | Priority topics |
|---|---|---|---|
General English | 50 | 25 | Error spotting, vocabulary, comprehension |
General Aptitude | 25 | 0 | Coding-decoding, syllogisms, series |
General Knowledge | 25 | 25 | Polity, current affairs, important judgments |
Judiciary in the Constitution | 0 | 25 | Articles 124 to 147, Article 32, Article 226 |
Supreme Court Rules, 2013 | 0 | 15 | Officers of the Court, SLPs, review and curative petitions |
Computer operation | 10 marks (separate test) | 10 | MS Word, Excel, shortcuts |
English and GK are safe bets in either format. Polity in GK also feeds directly into the judiciary section, so it is the most efficient topic to start with if you are unsure which format will apply.
General English Syllabus
General English is the largest section in the 2024 format (50 of 100 questions) and remains a full 25-question section in the newer format. It also improves your shorthand transcription, where spelling and punctuation errors cost marks.
Area | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Grammar | Tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, conjunctions, modals, voice, narration | Subject-verb agreement and prepositions |
Error detection | Spotting errors, sentence improvement, sentence correction | Common error patterns from previous papers |
Vocabulary | Synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms and phrases, spelling, confusable words | Spelling and one-word substitution |
Sentence skills | Fill in the blanks, cloze test, para jumbles, sentence completion | Fill in the blanks |
Comprehension | Reading passages on general, legal or administrative themes | One passage a day with timed questions |
Legal and official vocabulary deserves extra attention. Words like adjourned, petitioner, respondent, affidavit and stay order appear often in dictation passages from court settings.
General Aptitude (Logical Reasoning) Syllabus
The 2024 notice described this section as general aptitude based on logical reasoning, excluding questions on arithmetic. That means no quantitative aptitude, which is good news for candidates who prefer verbal and logical work.
Verbal reasoning: Analogies, classification (odd one out), series completion with letters and words.
Coding and order: Coding-decoding, alphabetical order, ranking and ordering.
Relations and directions: Blood relations and direction sense.
Logic: Syllogisms, statements and conclusions, statements and assumptions, cause and effect.
Arrangements: Seating arrangements and simple puzzles.
Non-verbal: Mirror and water images, paper folding and figure series.
If the next PA notice follows the 2026 Senior PA format, this section may not appear. Keep reasoning practice light until the notice confirms it, but do not drop it entirely.
General Knowledge Syllabus
General Knowledge is 25 questions in both formats. Indian polity overlaps heavily with the judiciary section, so studying it carefully helps twice.
Area | Topics to cover |
|---|---|
Current affairs | National and international events of the last 6 to 12 months, appointments, awards, important judgments, government schemes |
Indian polity | Constitution basics, Parliament, President, Prime Minister, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles |
History | Ancient, medieval and modern India, freedom struggle |
Geography | Indian and world physical geography, rivers, states and capitals |
Economy | Budget basics, RBI, banking terms, important economic indicators |
General science | Everyday physics, chemistry and biology, technology developments |
Static GK | Books and authors, important days, sports, abbreviations |
Judiciary in the Constitution and Supreme Court Rules, 2013
These two sections appear in the 2026 Senior PA notice and in the 2025 Court Master notice. They are not part of the last PA paper, but they are likely candidates for the next PA paper, and they are useful context for anyone working in the Supreme Court Registry.
Provisions Relating to the Judiciary in the Constitution
Area | Topics to cover |
|---|---|
Supreme Court (Part V, Chapter IV) | Articles 124 to 147: establishment and constitution, appointment and removal of judges, oath, salaries, seat, jurisdiction, review, advisory jurisdiction, contempt powers |
Jurisdiction | Original (Article 131), appellate (Articles 132 to 134A, 136), advisory (Article 143), writ jurisdiction (Article 32), transfer of cases (Article 139A) |
High Courts (Part VI, Chapter V) | Articles 214 to 231: appointment, transfer, writ powers under Article 226, superintendence under Article 227 |
Subordinate courts | Articles 233 to 237: district judges and control over subordinate courts |
Related ideas | Judicial review, collegium system basics, Public Interest Litigation, types of writs |
Supreme Court Rules, 2013
The Rules govern how the Supreme Court Registry and benches function. Focus on the Orders a Registry employee meets often:
General provisions: Interpretation, offices and sittings of the Court, vacation, officers of the Court and their powers.
Advocates: Advocates-on-Record and their role.
Court procedure: Business in chambers, powers of a single judge, documents, affidavits, judgments, decrees and orders, copying.
Petitions and appeals: Special Leave Petitions (civil and criminal), appeals on certificate, petitions for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.
Special proceedings: Transfer petitions, references under Article 143, election petitions, review petitions and curative petitions.
Read the bare text of the Rules on the Supreme Court website rather than relying only on summaries, because questions can test exact wording.
Computer Knowledge Syllabus
The computer knowledge test was worth 10 marks in 2024, with a qualifying mark of 5. Stenographers in the Registry work on computers all day, so the questions focus on practical operation.
Area | Topics to cover |
|---|---|
Computer fundamentals | Hardware and software, input and output devices, memory and storage units |
Operating system | Windows basics, file and folder management, control panel, common shortcuts |
MS Word | Formatting, page setup, tables, mail merge, find and replace, track changes |
MS Excel | Cell referencing, basic formulas and functions, sorting, filtering, charts |
MS PowerPoint | Slides, layouts, transitions |
Internet and email | Browsers, email features, attachments, cyber safety basics |
Shorthand and Typing Skill Tests
These tests have no written syllabus, but they have clear standards that tell you exactly what to train for.
Test | Standard (2024 PA notice) | What to practise |
|---|---|---|
Shorthand (English) | Dictation at 100 w.p.m., 45 minutes to transcribe, up to 5% mistakes allowed, 100 marks | Daily dictation at 90 to 110 w.p.m., legal passages, transcription on computer |
Typing on computer | 40 w.p.m. for 10 minutes, up to 3% mistakes allowed, 10 marks | Accuracy-first drills, then speed, on a standard keyboard |
Marks in the shorthand test drop in steps as mistakes rise: full marks for no mistakes, then 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% and 50% of marks for mistakes up to 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% of the words dictated. Beyond 5%, you do not qualify.
What Counts as a Mistake
The 2024 PA notice gives the mistake limits but not a full list of error types. The 2026 Senior PA notice is more detailed: in shorthand, a full-stop error counts as half a mistake, and in typing, a wrong word or figure is a full mistake while capitalisation or punctuation errors count as half. Practise as if these rules apply, since they are the most recent official guidance.
Overlap Between Stages
Several topics serve more than one stage. Studying them once, properly, saves weeks.
Area | Written test | Skill tests and interview | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
English grammar and spelling | Error spotting, vocabulary | Accurate transcription | Study daily from week 1; check every transcript for spelling |
Legal vocabulary | Comprehension, judiciary section | Court-style dictation passages | Keep a word bank with spellings and shorthand outlines |
Polity and judiciary | GK and judiciary sections | Interview awareness of the Court | Cover Articles 124 to 147 alongside GK polity |
Computer operation | Computer knowledge questions | Typing test and transcription on computer | Learn MS Word shortcuts while doing typing practice |
Interview: Is There a Syllabus?
No. The interview has no prescribed syllabus. It carries 30 marks, and in 2025 it was held by video conferencing. Expect questions about your background, your stenography experience, why you want to work in the Supreme Court, basic knowledge of the Court and office etiquette.
How to Cover the Syllabus
Weeks 1 to 4: Daily shorthand dictation and typing drills, plus English grammar and vocabulary. Start a list of legal words.
Weeks 3 to 8: Add GK and polity for 40 minutes a day, along with Articles 124 to 147. Keep monthly current affairs notes.
Weeks 5 to 10: Cover computer knowledge and the main Orders of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013. Take topic tests every weekend.
Final phase: Full-length timed tests, same-day analysis, error-log revision, and dictation at 110 w.p.m. so 100 w.p.m. feels easy.
Teachers and coaching institutes preparing stenography batches can also build topic-wise tests on Testkart for English, judiciary topics and computer knowledge, and share them with their students.
Official notices and the Supreme Court Rules: https://www.sci.gov.in/recruitments/
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