Syllabus Breakdown

Paper-I: Basic Postal Knowledge & General Awareness

(This is applicable for the posts of Postman / Mail Guard)
Part A – Postal Knowledge

• Organization of the Department of Posts: types of post offices, their functions. 

• Business hours of post offices; payment of postage, stamps & stationery. 

• General rules about packing, sealing & posting; manner of affixing postage stamps. 

• Methods of address; post boxes; post bags; duties of letter-box peon. 

• Official postal articles; prohibited articles; products & services of India Post (mails, banking & remittances, insurance, stamps & business). 

Part B – General Awareness & Basic Arithmetic

• General Awareness / Knowledge:

  • Indian Geography 

  • Civics, Indian culture, freedom struggle 

  • Ethics & Moral Studies 

• Basic Arithmetic:

  • BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction) 

  • Percentage; Profit & Loss; Simple Interest; Compound Interest 

  • Average; Time & Work; Time & Distance; Unitary Method 

• Sometimes Reasoning / Analytical Ability is also included under General Awareness. 

Paper-II: Knowledge of Postal Operations

(For Postman / Mail Guard only) 
Key topics include:

• Delivery of mails: procedures, refusal of articles, changing address, redirection. 

• Payment of e-Money Orders, handling articles addressed to deceased persons, liability for detained mail. 

• Postal Manual Volume VI-Part III: Head Postman, supply of forms, sale of stamps, Postman’s book, addressing articles. 

• Postal Manual Volume VII: Stamps and seals, portfolio contents, station-office procedures, mail abstracts, duties of Mail Guard/Agent. 

Paper-III: Knowledge of Local Language

(This is usually qualifying in nature) 
Depending on the postal circle:

• Translation of words from English to local language; and from local to English. 

• Letter-writing in the local language (e.g., 40-50 words) and a short essay/paragraph (40-50 words) in the local language. 

Paper-IV: Data Entry Skill Test (DEST)

(For Postman / Mail Guard only; often qualifying in nature) 

• Test of data-entry speed and accuracy on computer. For example: ‘data entry of 600 key-depressions in 15 minutes’ is cited. 

• Marks may be allotted (eg. 25 marks) but this may not count in final merit—check the notification. 

  Preparation Tips Based on Syllabus

  • Focus first on Postal Knowledge: study the relevant volumes (Post Office Guide Part I, Postal Manual Vol V, VI, VII) because many questions derive from these. 

  • Make sure your general awareness is up-to-date: topics like geography, culture, freedom struggle, current affairs.

  • Practice basic arithmetic and speed: time & work, distances, percentages, etc.

  • Improve your local language skills: translation practice, writing short letters/essays in local language.

  • Practice data entry on computer: set a timer, aim for the required key-depressions within time.

  • Solve previous years’ papers (if available) or mock tests designed for the syllabus to get familiar with the question style and time pressure.