AP EAPCET exam pattern, marking scheme and how to prepare
Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture and Pharmacy Common Entrance Test
AP EAPCET has 160 multiple-choice questions for 160 marks in 3 hours, computer-based, with 1 mark for a correct answer and no negative marking. Engineering has Mathematics 80, Physics 40 and Chemistry 40. Agriculture and pharmacy have 40 each in Botany, Zoology, Physics and Chemistry. General candidates need 25% to qualify.
At a glance
- Conducted by
- APSCHE (Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education)
- Mode
- Computer-based test
- Questions
- 160 MCQs for 160 marks
- Marking
- +1 correct, no negative marking
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Qualifying marks
- 40 of 160 (25%) for the general category
Section-wise pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering: Mathematics | 80 | 80 |
| Engineering: Physics | 40 | 40 |
| Engineering: Chemistry | 40 | 40 |
Agriculture and pharmacy: Botany 40, Zoology 40, Physics 40 and Chemistry 40 questions. The syllabus is the Intermediate (Class 11 and 12) course.
How your rank is decided
Recent summaries give 75% weight to the normalised EAPCET score and 25% to your Intermediate marks in the group subjects. This rule has changed in the past, so read the current APSCHE notification before relying on it.
What the pattern means for you
- Maths is half of the engineering paper (80 of 160): it is where rank differences are made.
- No negative marking, so attempt everything.
- Computer-based tests are held in several shifts and normalised, so do not read too much into one shift being easier.
- Intermediate marks may carry part of the weight, so keep your board performance strong.
Concepts to revise first
Each is a one-minute animated lesson, in English and Hindi, with the exam-style answer written out. They cover the Class 11 and 12 ideas this route tests; CogniGuru does not have AP EAPCET-specific question banks.
Physics
- Projectile Motion — why 30° and 60° land at the same spot
- Work, Energy, Power — why pushing a wall does zero work
- Why is the work done by centripetal force zero? — Class 11
- Torque vs Force — why pulling at an angle feels weaker
- Moment of Inertia — why a ring is harder to spin than a disc
- Simple Harmonic Motion vs Periodic Motion — why 'it repeats' isn't the test
- Electric Field vs Electric Potential — the vector and the scalar
- Why can electric field lines never cross? — Class 12
Chemistry
- Mole vs Molar Mass vs Avogadro's Number — Class 9
- Orbit vs Orbital — Class 11
- How to find sp, sp² or sp³ hybridisation — Class 11
- Electronegativity vs Electron Affinity — Class 11
- Le Chatelier's Principle Explained — Class 11
- Galvanic vs Electrolytic Cell — Class 12
- Molarity vs Molality vs Normality — does heating a solution change its concentration?
- Periodic Trends — why potassium is BIGGER than sodium despite more protons
Mathematics
- Function vs Relation — Class 11
- One-one vs Onto Functions — Class 12
- Domain vs Range — why one value can quietly break a function
- Definite vs Indefinite Integral — Class 12
- Differentiation vs Integration — two questions about the same curve
- Dot Product vs Cross Product — Class 12
- What is conditional probability? P(A|B) explained — Class 12
- Permutations vs Combinations — the one question that decides which formula to use
Biology
- Transcription vs Translation — Class 12
- Genotype vs Phenotype — can you tell someone's genotype just by looking at their phenotype?
- DNA vs RNA — the master copy never leaves the building
- Mitosis vs Meiosis — why your body runs two completely different kinds of division
- Photosynthesis vs Respiration — do plants really stop breathing in daylight?
- Codominance vs Incomplete Dominance — does a 'mixed' phenotype always mean the same thing?
- Why does the F2 generation show a 3 : 1 ratio? — Class 10
- Dominant vs Recessive Traits — does dominant mean more common, or recessive mean it vanishes?
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Common questions
- Is there negative marking in AP EAPCET?
- No. For the 2026 cycle there was no negative marking and each correct answer gave 1 mark.
- What is the qualifying mark in AP EAPCET?
- For the general category the minimum is 40 out of 160 (25%) as published for 2026; there is no minimum for SC and ST candidates.
- How is the Engineering paper divided?
- Mathematics 80 questions, Physics 40 and Chemistry 40, all at 1 mark each.
- Will CogniGuru give me AP EAPCET mock papers?
- Not yet. CogniGuru explains the Class 11 and 12 concepts that AP EAPCET tests, one minute at a time, with the exam-style answer written out. It does not have AP EAPCET question banks or mock tests, so use the official previous papers for practice.
Check the official source
This describes the 2026 cycle as published. The brochure for your year decides everything, so confirm on the official site before you plan around any number. Official site: cets.apsche.ap.gov.in.