AP EAPCET Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

• Online only, a computer based test of 3 hours, in two sessions a day: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Objective multiple choice, one mark per question.
• No negative marking, and no deduction for an unanswered question. That is about 68 seconds a question, with no reason to leave any blank.
• Questions in English and Telugu only; where the Telugu is ambiguous, the English version is final. A candidate who studied in Urdu medium and wants translation help is allotted a centre at Kurnool only.
• Qualifying mark: 25 per cent of the maximum marks considered for ranking. No minimum for SC and ST candidates, whose admission is limited to their reserved seats under G.O.Ms. No. 179, LEN and TE, dated 16 June 1986; a rank taken on that relaxation is cancelled if the claim is found invalid at admission.

Normalization

The test runs in several sessions on the same syllabus and pattern, and a candidate sits only one, so APSCHE normalizes: the easier session's marks may fall marginally and the harder session's rise. It follows the practice of JEE (Main) and GATE, and does it subject by subject so that candidates benefit from subject-wise performance rather than the whole paper.

Normalized marks = GMS + [(Top Average Global − GMS) / (Top Average Session − SMS)] × (marks obtained by the candidate − SMS)

If one subject goes negative after normalization for a candidate with qualifying marks, that subject counts as zero but the three-subject total is still used. If all three go negative for a candidate without a qualifying cut-off, the total is treated as zero, a rank is still assigned, and the negative marks break ties. APSCHE's worked example shows a raw 0 in Session 1 normalizing to minus 7.498 and a raw 0 in Session 3 to plus 4.21: the same raw score is worth different marks in different sessions.

APSCHE publishes the syllabus as two documents, one per stream: the Engineering syllabus (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry) and the Agriculture and Pharmacy syllabus (Botany, Zoology, Physics, Chemistry). The same content is Annexure I of each Instruction Booklet, with model questions in Annexure II.

It follows the curriculum of the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, on which eligibility is framed. A candidate from another board should check the document against their own course.

Weight it as the paper does: Mathematics 80 of 160 in Engineering, Biology 80 (Botany 40, Zoology 40) in Agriculture and Pharmacy, and Physics and Chemistry 40 each in both. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry also carry the 25 per cent board component of the rank, so revising them serves both halves.

• Indian nationality, or a PIO or OCI card holder.
• The candidate should belong to Andhra Pradesh and satisfy the Local and Non-Local status requirements, currently under G.O.MS.No. 20 dated 12 May 2025.
• At least 45 per cent in the specified subjects taken together at the qualifying examination, and 40 per cent for a reserved category.

The qualifying examination

A candidate who has appeared for the final Intermediate or Diploma examination and awaits the result may apply, but the rank is valid only if they pass.

Age

The Convener may reject an application at any stage if it is incomplete, the candidate is ineligible, false information is given, or it was submitted late, and no correspondence is entertained.

The reservation orders

• Local and Non-Local Reservation, G.O.MS.No. 20 dated 12 May 2025
• Scheduled Castes (Sub Classification), G.O.MS.No. 7 dated 18 April 2025
• NCC, G.O.MS.No. 43 dated 16 July 2025
• Bharath Scouts and Guides, the list of sports and games and provision for disabled candidates

APSCHE requires a declaration form from candidates who have qualified in the Intermediate or an equivalent examination, which is how the board marks enter the 25 per cent. For PIO and OCI candidates, the weightage is decided by a committee of the competent authority.

Tie-break

1. Total marks in AP EAPCET
2. Mathematics marks in AP EAPCET
3. Physics marks in AP EAPCET
4. If it persists, the same rank, with the older candidate preferred at admission

At an equal combined score, the stronger entrance performance wins: board marks bring you to the tie and the test breaks it.

Then counselling, a different office

The Convener (Examination) publishes ranks and is not responsible for seat allotment. The Commissioner of Technical Education, Andhra Pradesh runs admissions, and the list of institutions with the intake in each discipline and category is released later in an Information Booklet for Counselling. Eligibility under the relevant Government Order is checked at admission, and qualifying alone confers no right to a seat.

AP EAPCET is an admission test, so no pay attaches to a rank. The rank decides the course and the institution, through counselling run by the Commissioner of Technical Education, Andhra Pradesh, against the institution list in the Information Booklet for Counselling. The test's own fees are under Application details.

Online only, on cets.apsche.ap.gov.in/EAPCET. Paying the registration fee is the first step, and the application follows. Payment is by credit card, debit card, net banking or AP Online.

The last slab costs more than twelve times the registration fee for seventeen extra days.

Taking both streams

A candidate of the E category who also wants the AP category test must select "Both (E and AP Category)" when submitting the application, so the same test centre is allotted for both. Otherwise different centres may be allotted and the Convener is not responsible. The streams are examined on different days, so that can mean two journeys.

Corrections and tracking

A three-day correction window opens after the application closes; the Corrections document explains what can be changed. The site offers Know Your Payment Status, Know Your Application Status and Print Application Form, and later My Objections. Keep the filled-in application, the hall ticket and the rank card to produce at verification.

The colleges themselves, with the intake in each discipline and category as per the reservations, are listed in the Information Booklet for Counselling, released after the results on cets.apsche.ap.gov.in/EAPCET. They are not part of the entrance test notification.

AP EAPCET is held at online centres across Andhra Pradesh, two sessions a day. Centre, date and session are on the hall ticket, and the candidate cannot choose a date or session. A candidate wanting Urdu translation help is allotted a centre at Kurnool only.

• Arrive two hours early for frisking and registration. The registration desk closes five minutes before the paper.
• No entry once the test begins, at 9:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., even if late by one minute, and no leaving before 12:00 noon or 5:00 p.m.
• Bring the hall ticket, one original photo ID (Intermediate hall ticket, passport, PAN card, voter ID, Aadhaar or driving licence) and a ball point pen. Rough sheets are provided.
• No calculators, log tables, electronic watches with calculator, printed or written material, mobile phone or any other device. Possession is unfair means: the examination is cancelled, the candidate debarred from future examinations and the equipment seized.
• Sit in the seat marked with your hall ticket number. Changing room or seat on your own cancels the candidature. No baggage, no smoking, no eating.

Malpractice is dealt with under G.O.Ms. No. 114, Edn (IE), dated 13 May 1997, the Malpractices Act, and litigation lies only in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Amaravathi, with the Convener as the party to sue and be sued. The full rules are in the Important Instructions.

The cycle runs from a February notification to a May paper and June results. The intermediate late-fee dates are under Application details.

The hall ticket is downloaded from cets.apsche.ap.gov.in/EAPCET, and also through Mana Mitra, the WhatsApp Governance service of Andhra Pradesh. In 2026 it was available from 28 April, two weeks before the Engineering paper on 12 May.

It is your first and only notice of your date, session and centre, and a candidate who misses the given slot for any reason is treated as absent. Check the name, date of birth, gender, category, centre, date and time. It is not transferable, any tampering disqualifies, and no candidate is admitted without it. Carry it with one original photo ID and keep it afterwards for verification.

1. The master question papers with the preliminary key are released, with each candidate's response sheet.
2. Objections are taken for about two days at ₹300 per question, refunded only for a valid objection; the committee's decision is final.
3. Results are declared and the rank card is downloadable.

In 2026: key on 23 May, objections closed 25 May, results tentatively 1 June, all on cets.apsche.ap.gov.in/EAPCET.

The rank is valid for that academic year only, for the courses named in the application. A rank obtained with the SC or ST relaxation is cancelled if the claim is found invalid at admission.

That qualifying mark is the only fixed threshold APSCHE sets. Beyond it, what decides a seat is the closing rank in each college and branch at counselling, run by the Commissioner of Technical Education after the results in June. A raw score cannot be turned into a rank in advance, because it passes through the final key, subject-wise normalization and the 75:25 combination with Intermediate marks.

Board preparation is EAPCET preparation

A quarter of your rank is your Intermediate marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, the same subjects the test examines. The work does double duty.

Attempt every question

No negative marking, and a blank is a certain zero. With 160 questions in 180 minutes, keep the last minutes for filling in whatever is left.

Weight the big subject

Mathematics is 80 of 160 in Engineering, and also the second tie-breaker. Biology is 80 in Agriculture and Pharmacy, split evenly between Botany and Zoology.

Practise on the real papers

JNTU Kakinada publishes every session's master question paper with its key after the test. The 2026 set covers ten Engineering sessions and four Agriculture and Pharmacy sessions; time yourself on them at 180 minutes, on screen. Use the mock test for the interface and the model questions in Annexure II of the Instruction Booklet.

Do not set a raw-mark target

Your raw score goes through the final key, subject-wise normalization and the 75:25 combination before it becomes a rank. Aim well above the 25 per cent qualifying mark and work on the combined score.

Use the objection window

The preliminary key and your response sheet come out together, and objections close about two days later at ₹300 a question, refunded only if valid. Check your sheet against the key the same day.

Get the logistics right

• Apply before the late fee starts; the slabs reach ₹10,000.
• Taking both streams? Select "Both (E and AP Category)" for one centre.
• Arrive two hours early. One minute late is too late.
• Carry only the hall ticket, one original ID and a pen. Anything electronic cancels the examination.
• Read the reservation Government Order that applies to you before counselling.

JNTU Kakinada publishes the real papers. For 2026 the Master Question Papers and Preliminary Keys page carries the master question paper with its preliminary key for every session: Engineering on 12, 13, 14, 15 and 18 May, forenoon and afternoon, and Agriculture and Pharmacy on 19 and 20 May. They go up a few days after the last session, with the preliminary key.

• Model questions: Annexure II of the Engineering and the Agriculture and Pharmacy Instruction Booklets.
• Mock tests in the real interface, one per stream, and the CBT FAQs, on cets.apsche.ap.gov.in/EAPCET.

Who conducts AP EAPCET?

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada, on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE).

What is the pattern?

A 3-hour online test of 160 one-mark questions. Engineering: Mathematics 80, Physics 40, Chemistry 40. Agriculture and Pharmacy: Botany 40, Zoology 40, Physics 40, Chemistry 40. No negative marking.

Do my Intermediate marks count?

Yes. The rank is 75 per cent normalized AP EAPCET marks and 25 per cent Intermediate marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. TG EAPCET in Telangana ranks on the test alone.

What is the qualifying mark?

25 per cent of the maximum marks considered for ranking. SC and ST candidates have no minimum, but admission is limited to their reserved seats.

How is a tie broken?

By total AP EAPCET marks, then Mathematics, then Physics; if it persists, the same rank, with the older candidate preferred at admission.

Who can appear?

Indian nationals, PIO and OCI card holders who belong to Andhra Pradesh and meet the local and non-local status requirements, with at least 45 per cent in the specified Intermediate subjects (40 for reserved categories). A candidate awaiting results may apply, but the rank is valid only on passing.

What does it cost?

₹800 open, ₹750 BC, ₹700 SC and ST. Late fees run ₹1,000, ₹2,000, ₹4,000 and ₹10,000.

Can I choose my date or session?

No. You learn both from the hall ticket, and missing the slot means you are absent. If you are taking both streams, select "Both (E and AP Category)" to get one centre.

Are previous papers available?

Yes. The master question papers with preliminary keys for every 2026 session are on the AP EAPCET site, along with mock tests and model questions in the Instruction Booklets.

Can I challenge the answer key?

Yes, within about two days of the preliminary key, at ₹300 per question, refunded only for a valid objection.

Does a rank guarantee a seat, and who runs counselling?

No. Qualifying confers no right to admission. Counselling is run by the Commissioner of Technical Education, Andhra Pradesh, and the rank is valid for that academic year only.