Two facts shape how you should prepare for this exam. Phase 1 is qualifying only — its marks are discarded once you clear it. And Phase 1 has sectional timing — 15 minutes per section, and when the clock runs out you are moved on whether you are finished or not. Everything below follows from those two.
Phase 1 exam patternmost asked
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 25 | 25 | 15 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 25 | 25 | 15 min |
| Numerical Aptitude | 25 | 25 | 15 min |
| General Studies (incl. Current Affairs) | 25 | 25 | 15 min |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 60 min |
- Online, objective, in Hindi and English — except the English Language section, which is in English only.
- Negative marking: 0.25 for every wrong answer. Nothing is deducted for a question left blank.
- Qualifying in nature. The cut off is set by the calling ratio, which has been about 1:15 — roughly fifteen candidates called to Phase 2 for every vacancy.
- The syllabus for Phase 1 is the same for all four posts: General, Accounts, Technical and Depot.
Sectional timing is what catches people. In a paper without it you can bank time on your strong section and spend it on your weak one; here you cannot. Fifteen minutes on General Studies is generous, fifteen on Numerical Aptitude is not, and a Reasoning puzzle you refuse to abandon costs you the four questions after it.
Phase 2 exam patternmost asked
Which papers you write depends on your post.
| Post | Papers | Final merit built on |
|---|---|---|
| General, Depot | Paper 1 only | Paper 1 (120 marks) |
| Accounts, Technical | Paper 1 and Paper 2 | Paper 1 + Paper 2 (240 marks) |
Paper 1 — every post
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 25 | 25 | 20 min |
| Reasoning Ability | 25 | 25 | 20 min |
| Numerical Aptitude | 25 | 25 | 20 min |
| General Studies — incl. general science, current affairs and computer awareness | 45 | 45 | 30 min |
| Total | 120 | 120 | 90 min |
Note the weighting: General Studies is 45 of the 120 marks in Paper 1 — more than any other section, and nearly double its share in Phase 1. For General and Depot candidates this single section decides more of the final merit than anything else in the exam, and most candidates treat it as the afterthought. Negative marking here is 0.25 per wrong answer.
Paper 2 — Accounts and Technical only
| Post | Content | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts | Commerce, chiefly general accounting and finance | 60 | 120 | 60 min |
| Technical | Group A — Agriculture, Botany, Zoology Group B — Agriculture, Chemistry, Physics | 60 | 120 | 60 min |
Each question carries 2 marks, and negative marking is 0.50 — double Paper 1’s. Guessing is much more expensive here. Technical candidates choose Group A or Group B on the application form, and that choice is final.
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Open this page as a PDFSyllabus — Phase 1 and Paper 1
FCI does not publish a topic-level syllabus for these sections. The list below is built from the question papers of past cycles.
English Language
Reading comprehension, cloze test, para jumbles and sentence rearrangement, double fillers, error detection and sentence improvement, vocabulary — synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution, phrasal verbs.
Reasoning Ability
Puzzles and seating arrangement (the largest block), alphanumeric series, coding-decoding, syllogism, direction sense, inequality, ranking and order, blood relations, input-output, statement-based questions, data sufficiency.
Numerical Aptitude
Simplification and approximation, number series, quadratic equations and mathematical inequalities, the arithmetic set — ratio and proportion, percentage, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, average and age, time and work, pipes and cisterns, time and distance, mixtures and alligation — plus data interpretation and quantity comparison.
General Studies
Twenty of the twenty-five questions in Phase 1 come from History, Geography, Economy and General Science at roughly Class 8 level; five from current affairs. In Paper 1 the section grows to 45 marks and adds computer awareness.
- History — Harappan civilisation, Mahajanapadas, Gupta age, Buddhism and Jainism, temples of India, foreign travellers, Mughal rulers, Maratha kingdom, freedom fighters, Jallianwala Bagh, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Round Table Conferences, Quit India, famous books and authors.
- Geography — rivers of India, waterfalls and dams, Census 2011, Indian agriculture, physiography, the monsoon system, natural vegetation.
- Economy — measurement of growth, monetary policy, the Indian tax system, regulators, Budget and Economic Survey, international economic institutions.
- General Science — acids and bases, metals and non-metals, everyday chemical compounds, chemical change, atmospheric gases, Newton’s laws, momentum and energy, wave theory, cells and tissues, the digestive, circulatory and muscular systems, diseases, biotic and abiotic components.
- Current affairs — firsts in news, government initiatives and schemes, summits and conferences, MoUs, banking and finance, science and technology, defence, environment, sports, awards, appointments, persons and places in news, reports.
- Computer awareness (Paper 1 only) — introduction to computers, hardware, software, operating systems, memory organisation, number systems and data representation, data communication and networks, database management, Microsoft Office, computer and network security, emerging trends.
Given FCI’s remit, questions on agriculture, food procurement, MSP, the Public Distribution System and food-related schemes turn up more often than the general list suggests. Reading them as they happen works better than memorising them later — our daily current affairs covers exactly this ground, free.
Paper 2 syllabus
Accounts (Post Code E)
- Basic accounting — preparation of books of accounts.
- Taxation — income tax and Goods and Services Tax.
- Auditing — concepts and methods, internal and external audit of companies.
- Commercial laws (basic level) — Contract Act, Companies Act, Sale of Goods Act, Negotiable Instruments Act.
- Basics of computers — operating systems, browsers, email, memory, office applications, networks.
Technical (Post Code F)
- Agriculture — statistics of Indian agriculture (cereals and pulses), elementary entomology, plant protection, agricultural economics.
- Botany — cell biology, tissue, organ and organ systems, genetics, plant classification and diversity, ecology, life processes including photosynthesis and respiration, basics of biochemistry.
- Zoology — animal cell and tissue, organ systems, heredity and variation, animal classification, micro-organisms, insects and rodents.
- Chemistry — chemical bonding, organic chemistry (alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, aldehydes, acids), inorganic chemistry, chemistry in daily life.
- Physics — measurement, basic physics, light, electricity.
Agriculture appears in both Technical groups, so it is the one subject a Technical candidate cannot skip. If you are already preparing for IBPS AFO or the agriculture papers of NABARD Grade A, most of this is already done.
What changed in 2022
Until 2019, Phase 1 had three sections — English 30, Reasoning 35, Numerical 35 — with no General Studies, and Phase 2 Paper 1 was 120 mixed questions with no sectional split. The 2022 cycle added General Studies to Phase 1 and introduced the section-wise division of questions, marks and time in Paper 1.
This matters when you use old material: anything built for the pre-2022 pattern has no General Studies preparation in it and no sectional-timing practice, and both are now central.
How to use this
- Clear Phase 1 with a margin and stop there — the marks are discarded.
- Put your weight on General Studies, 45 of 120 marks in Paper 1.
- For Accounts and Technical, remember Paper 2 is half your final score and penalises guessing twice as hard.
- Practise Phase 1 mocks with sectional timing. Practising without it teaches the wrong habit.
See also: notification status and eligibility · cut off history · previous year papers
