Alerts and Updates for UP PGT Urdu

The UP PGT Urdu paper and post count

Urdu is one of 26 PGT subjects and among the smallest by post count. The thirty general studies questions are new to the format and are identical for every subject, which means a third of the marks separating Urdu candidates from one another has nothing to do with Urdu. Pay is level 8, Rs 47,600 to Rs 1,51,100.

Dates and windows

This calendar is common to every subject in Advertisement 06/2026 and is not specific to Urdu; all 26 subjects share one notification, one application window and the same two examination days. Only the Urdu paper itself, the post count and the qualification clause are subject-specific.

What this means for your preparation

The thing most Urdu candidates misread is the arithmetic of a minority-language subject. Thirteen posts against 2,607 is half a per cent of the recruitment, and within that the unreserved share is five posts across both streams. That does not make Urdu harder than Hindi, which carries 374 posts, but it does mean the margin for error is smaller and that a single interview appearance can decide a career. The second misreading is assuming the paper is all Urdu; under the revised pattern a quarter of the written marks is general studies.

Read the category table before you apply

The Urdu allocation is not a single pool. In boys' schools the 9 posts break down as 2 unreserved, 4 OBC and 3 EWS, with nothing listed against SC or ST. In girls' schools the 4 posts are 3 unreserved and 1 OBC. A candidate's realistic competition is the line of that table matching their category and stream, not the headline thirteen. An SC or ST candidate in Urdu has no reserved post advertised in this cycle and is competing in the unreserved line. Candidates eligible for a girls' school post should check whether their application permits that stream, because three of the four girls' school Urdu posts are unreserved, a very different ratio from the boys' school side.

General studies is a quarter of the written paper

Under the revised structure only 90 of 120 questions are on Urdu; 30 are general studies covering current affairs, teaching and research aptitude, ICT, environment, Indian history and geography, and the Indian constitution and economy. That is 90 of 360 written marks. For a literature specialist this is the cheapest block on the paper, because the syllabus is finite and shared with every other candidate in the hall, and the most expensive to neglect. With negative marking at one mark against three for a correct answer, a poorly prepared general studies attempt is actively destructive; a well-prepared one lifts a strong Urdu score above others who treated the block as optional.

The syllabus lives on the portal, not in the notification

Clause 9(b) of Advertisement 06/2026 says plainly that the written examination syllabus is available on the commission's website; the advertisement itself carries no syllabus annexure. A reliable, verifiable topic list for PGT Urdu could not be obtained from any secondary source for this page, and inventing one would be worse than leaving the gap visible. Several coaching sites host a PGT Urdu syllabus PDF, but the version that governs this examination is the one on upessc.up.gov.in. Download it before building a reading list, and check it against the master's-level depth the post implies, since this is a class 11 and 12 teaching post rather than a secondary-stage one.

The qualification clause is a post-graduate one

The advertisement requires a post-graduate degree in Urdu from a recognised Indian university or institution, plus a B.Ed from an NCTE-recognised course. A graduate degree with Urdu as a subject does not qualify for the PGT post, which is where candidates routinely confuse this recruitment with the Trained Graduate Teacher track: TGT Urdu, a separate recruitment, carried 12 posts for men and 1 for women in its last cycle and sits at pay level 7 on a graduate qualification. PGT Urdu sits at level 8, Rs 47,600 to Rs 1,51,100. Age is 21 to 62 years as at 1 July 2026, an unusually wide band.

Forty marks of interview on thirteen posts

PGT selection is 360 written plus 40 interview, so the board holds a tenth of the total. On a subject with 13 posts, the shortlist called for interview will be short and the interview will genuinely reorder it, which is not true of subjects where hundreds of posts flatten the effect. Shortlisted candidates are given ten days' notice by SMS and email and must carry two self-attested sets of certificates from class 10 through the post-graduate degree and the B.Ed. Prepare to discuss Urdu pedagogy at the senior secondary level and the specific texts prescribed at classes 11 and 12, rather than research-level literary theory.

Common questions

How many UP PGT Urdu vacancies are there in 2026?

Thirteen, out of 2,607 posts in Advertisement 06/2026. Nine are in boys' schools, reserved as 2 unreserved, 4 OBC and 3 EWS, and four are in girls' schools, as 3 unreserved and 1 OBC. No SC or ST posts are listed against Urdu in either stream. For comparison within the same advertisement, Hindi carries 374 posts, English 285, Sanskrit 264 and Chemistry 185, so Urdu is among the smallest subjects in the recruitment.

What qualification is needed for UP PGT Urdu?

A post-graduate degree in Urdu from a recognised Indian university or institution, together with a B.Ed from a course recognised by the National Council for Teacher Education. A bachelor's degree with Urdu as a subject is not sufficient for the lecturer post, though it is the sort of qualification that appears on the separate Trained Graduate Teacher track. The age band is 21 to 62 years reckoned as at 1 July 2026, and selection is open to Indian citizens meeting the reservation rules set out in the advertisement.

What is the UP PGT Urdu exam pattern?

One offline OMR paper of 120 objective questions in two hours: 90 on Urdu and 30 on general studies. Each correct answer earns three marks and each wrong or multiple answer loses one, for 360 written marks. An interview of 40 marks follows, making 400 in all. The subject block was reduced from the older subject-only format when general studies was introduced, so past papers built entirely of Urdu questions no longer reflect the full paper.

Where can I find the UP PGT Urdu syllabus?

On the commission's website. Clause 9(b) of Advertisement 06/2026 states that the written examination syllabus is available at upessc.up.gov.in, and the advertisement carries no syllabus annexure of its own. Coaching sites host copies of a subject-wise Urdu syllabus PDF, but these are secondary and may lag the current version. This page does not reproduce an Urdu topic list because no verifiable copy of the commission's file could be confirmed at the time of writing.

When is the UP PGT Urdu exam date?

15 and 16 December 2026, the same two days as every other subject in Advertisement 06/2026. The notification was released on 15 September 2026, registration opened on 18 September 2026, and applications and fees close on 17 October 2026 with a correction window shutting on 21 October 2026. The fee is Rs 1,500 for general, OBC and EWS candidates, Rs 750 for SC and ST, and Rs 500 for candidates with disabilities.

Is UP PGT Urdu easier to clear than Hindi or English?

The post count is far smaller, at 13 against 374 for Hindi and 285 for English, so a straightforward reading suggests it is harder. The countervailing factor is that the eligible pool is also much smaller, since it is limited to holders of a master's in Urdu with a B.Ed. No subject-wise cut-off for PGT Urdu could be sourced for this cycle or the previous one, so any claim about relative difficulty is speculation. In the parallel TGT recruitment, the Urdu cut-off for unreserved male candidates was 460 out of 500.