UP APO Exam Pattern 2025: Marks Distribution & Selection Process(Prelims, Mains & Interview)

Overview: If you are aiming to become an Assistant Prosecution Officer (APO) in Uttar Pradesh, one of the smartest first steps is to understand the UP APO Exam Pattern 2025.

Knowing the structure of the exam helps you plan your study strategy, allocate time for different subjects, and understand how the selection process works.

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) conducts the APO recruitment in three stages – Prelims, Mains, and Interview. While Prelims acts as a screening test, the final merit is prepared only based on your Mains and Interview scores.

Have you done with UP APO Registration then this blog will help you understand the exam pattern stage by stage, with complete details on marks distribution, duration, negative marking, and selection ratio.

Key Highlights of UP APO Exam Pattern 2025

Most important points about the exam pattern:

1. Prelims is qualifying exam it won’t affect your final rank.
2. There is Negative marking in Prelims, accuracy is very important
3. Law subjects takes more shares in the questions 100 marks in Prelims, 300 marks in Mains.
4. Language papers also plays major role with Hindi asked for 100 marks and English with 50 marks can make a big difference.
5. Final merit list will be decided based on the mains and intereview marks.
6. Selection ratio is strict,  only a small fraction reaches the interview stage.

Lets get into detailed exam pattern for each section.

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UP APO Selection Process 2025

The recruitment process is designed to test both your legal knowledge and your general awareness, along with personality and communication skills.

Here’s a quick overview:

1. Preliminary Exam – Objective type test, qualifying in nature.
2. Mains Exam – Descriptive, written test, carries maximum weightage.
3. Interview – Personal interaction round to assess suitability for the role.

Qualifying Marks:

 40% for General/OBC candidates.

 35% for SC/ST candidates.

The final merit list is prepared from Mains (500 marks) + Interview (50 marks) only

UP APO Prelims Exam Pattern 2025

The UP APO Prelims Exam is the first stage of the recruitment process. Its purpose is to shortlist candidates for the Mains exam.

 Structure & Duration

 Type of Paper: Objective (MCQs).

 Total Marks: 150.

 Duration: 2 hours.

 Negative Marking: 0.33 marks deducted for every wrong answer.

Marks Distribution in Prelims

Section	No. of Questions	Marks
General Knowledge	50	50
Law	100	100
Total	150	150

Law carries double weightage compared to GK in Prelims. If you’re strong in legal subjects, you have a better chance of clearing this stage.

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UP APO Mains Exam Pattern 2025

The Mains Exam is the most important stage because it carries the maximum marks and directly impacts your final merit. Unlike Prelims, it is descriptive in nature.

 Structure of Mains Exam

 Total Papers: 6.

 Total Marks: 500.

 Mode: Written, descriptive.

 Papers & Marks Distribution

Paper	Subject	Marks	Duration
Paper 1	General Hindi	100	1.5 hrs
Paper 2	General English	50	1.5 hrs
Paper 3	General Knowledge	50	3 hrs
Paper 4	Criminal Law & Procedure	100	3 hrs
Paper 5	Evidence Law	100	3 hrs
Paper 6	Other Laws	100	3 hrs
Total	–	500	–

Out of 500 marks, 300 marks are dedicated to law papers. This makes legal knowledge the deciding factor in the Mains exam.

UP APO Interview Pattern 2025

The interview is the final stage of the selection process. It is not just about your academic knowledge, but also about how well you present yourself as a future officer of the state.

Total Marks: 50.

Focus Areas:

• Depth of legal knowledge.
• General awareness of current events.
• Personality and communication skills.
• Physical and mental fitness.

The final merit list is prepared based on Mains (500 marks) + Interview (50 marks). The Prelims exam is not counted in the final merit, it’s only for screening.

Selection Ratio of UP APO Exam

One of the unique features of the UP APO Exam Pattern 2025 is the way candidates are shortlisted at each stage, it is mainly based on number of UP APO vacancy announced:

From Prelims to Mains: About 13 times the number of vacancies are selected.

From Mains to Interview: About 2 times the number of vacancies are called.

For example, if there are 182 vacancies in 2025, nearly 2,366 candidates may be shortlisted for Mains, and around 364 candidates may reach the interview stage.

How to Prepare for the exam Based on the UP APO Exam Pattern

Knowing the exam structure isn’t enough, you need to be well aware of UP APO Exam syllabus also to plan your preparation. Here are some tips:

For Prelims:

• Prioritise Law since it carries 100 out of 150 marks.
• Revise core GK topics (history, polity, current affairs of UP).
• Practice MCQs to handle negative marking effectively.

For Mains:

• Focus on descriptive writing—practice answer writing for law papers.
• Improve Hindi and English writing skills.
• Time management is crucial in 3hour law papers.

For Interview:

• Stay updated on legal developments and current affairs.
• Work on communication and presentation skills.
• Be confident and maintain a professional attitude.

Conclusion

The UP APO Exam Pattern 2025 is structured to test your knowledge, writing ability, and overall personality. The journey begins with a Prelims screening test of 150 marks, followed by a Mains exam of 500 marks across six papers, and ends with a 50 mark interview.

Remember: the final merit depends only on the Mains + Interview scores, so your primary focus should be on mastering the descriptive law papers while balancing language and GK.

If you’re serious about becoming an APO, start early, prepare smartly, and let the exam pattern guide your study plan. With the right approach, you can confidently secure your place in the UPPSC APO 2025 merit list.