ASSISTANT PRISON OFFICER SYLLABUS 2025

The Assistant Prison Officer (APO) post is one of the most respected and disciplined roles under the State Prisons Department. Every year, the Kerala Public Service Commission (Kerala PSC) and other state commissions conduct exams to recruit capable candidates for this vital position.

Exam Pattern

• Total Marks: 100

• Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (as per latest exam programme) 

• Mode: Objective (OMR/Online)

• Medium: Malayalam / Tamil / Kannada (for most parts) and English for certain sections. 

• Key Sections (from previous sources):

1. General Knowledge (including State/India)

2. Current Affairs

3. Simple Arithmetic / Mental Ability / Reasoning

4. General English

5. Regional Language (Malayalam / Tamil / Kannada)

6. Special Topics related to job role (for posts like APO Cum Driver) 

Syllabus Summary for 2025—Quick Reference

• General Knowledge & Current Affairs

• Arithmetic / Mental Ability / Reasoning

• General English

• Regional Language (Malayalam / Tamil / Kannada)

• Special Topics (job-role specific)

• Exam Duration: ~1 hr 30 min

• Marks: 100

Detailed Syllabus Topics

1. General Knowledge & Current Affairs

• History of India & World

• Geography of India, World & Kerala

• Indian Constitution, Governance & Public Administration

• Economy (India & Kerala) & Social Issues

• Science & Technology developments

• Arts, Culture, Literature, Sports, Important Days & Awards

• State-specific knowledge (Kerala: history, culture, reform movements)

• Current affairs: national & international events (recent months)

2. Simple Arithmetic, Mental Ability & Reasoning

• Numbers, HCF, LCM

• Simplification, Averages

• Ratio & Proportion, Percentage

• Time & Work, Time & Distance

• Mensuration (Area, Volume)

• Logical reasoning: series (numbers/letters), analogies, classification

• Mental ability: puzzles, direction sense, ranking & ordering
  (These topics are typical for this level of exam, though official notification may not list all explicitly.)

3. General English

• Vocabulary: synonyms, antonyms, word substitutions

• Grammar: tenses, articles, prepositions, voice & speech

• Sentence correction, rearrangement

• Reading comprehension

• Idioms & phrases

4. Regional Language (Malayalam / Tamil / Kannada)

• Grammar and vocabulary in the chosen regional language

• Sentence correction and usage

• Translation (English ↔ regional language)

• Literature- and culture-related items

• Regional language general knowledge

5. Special Topics / Job-Related Topics

Especially where the post is “Assistant Prison Officer cum Driver” or similar, additional special topics may appear:

• Topics related to driving license, basic mechanical knowledge (for driver category) 

• Basic awareness of correctional services, role of prison officers, discipline & order (training manual indicates such topics) 

The 2025 prison officer exam will test both mental ability and physical endurance. Success depends on consistent preparation, time discipline, and knowledge of all topics within the curriculum.Study general knowledge and the Kerala Renaissance thoroughly, practice math daily, and prepare for PET.