Assistant Professor (Electrical / Electronics), Kerala PSC: syllabus and how to prepare
The Kerala PSC test for Assistant Professor in Government Engineering Colleges is an OMR exam for 100 marks on your own branch, followed by an interview. This page sets out the official syllabus of the last selection for both branches, Electrical and Electronics (Cat. No. 724/2021) and Electronics and Communication (Cat. No. 725/2021), module by module with marks, and then how to prepare for it.
The next notification may revise the syllabus. Until it comes, the last syllabus is the best guide, because the core subjects of a branch do not change.
Electrical and Electronics Engineering: 11 modules
| Module | Marks | Main topics |
|---|---|---|
| I. Electric and Magnetic Circuits | 12 | Node and mesh analysis, network theorems, transients, resonance, two-port networks, three-phase circuits, power factor, magnetic circuits, filters |
| II. Field Theory | 6 | Gauss's law, potential, dielectrics and capacitance, method of images, Biot-Savart and Ampere's laws, Maxwell's equations, Poynting theorem |
| III. Signals and Systems | 6 | Continuous and discrete signals, LTI systems, Fourier series and transform, sampling theorem, Laplace and Z transforms, RMS and average values |
| IV. Electrical Machines | 12 | Transformers and their tests, DC generators and motors, alternators, synchronous motors, three-phase and single-phase induction motors |
| V. Power System | 12 | Generation and economics, line parameters, insulators, load flow, fault analysis, stability, relays and circuit breakers, traction, heating, tariff, corona, cables |
| VI. Electrical System Design | 4 | MCB, MCCB and RCCB, earthing, lamps, illumination design |
| VII. Control System | 12 | Transfer functions, signal flow graphs, time response, Routh and root locus, Nyquist and Bode, compensators, state space, non-linear systems, discrete-time signals, DFT and FFT, digital filters |
| VIII. Measurements and Instrumentation | 6 | PMMC, moving iron and dynamometer instruments, bridges, instrument transformers, digital meters, oscilloscopes, transducers |
| IX. Analog and Digital Electronics | 12 | BJT and FET amplifiers, oscillators, op-amp circuits, combinational and sequential logic, logic families, A to D and D to A converters |
| X. Power Electronics | 12 | Thyristors, MOSFETs and IGBTs, controlled rectifiers, inverters and PWM, choppers, switching regulators, SMPS, basics of drives |
| XI. Microprocessor and Computer Systems | 6 | 8-bit and 16-bit microprocessors, memories, computer arithmetic, structure of computers, network protocols |
| Total | 100 |
Six modules carry 12 marks each: Circuits, Machines, Power System, Control System, Analog and Digital Electronics, and Power Electronics. Together they make up 72 of the 100 marks. The other five modules share the remaining 28.
Electronics and Communication Engineering: 11 modules
| Module | Marks | Main topics |
|---|---|---|
| I. Network Analysis | 8 | Mesh and node analysis, network theorems with dependent sources, transients of RL, RC and RLC networks, network functions, two-port parameters |
| II. Electronic Devices and VLSI Circuit Design | 10 | Carrier transport in silicon, MOS capacitor, MOSFET, scaling and short channel effects, FinFET, CMOS logic design, fabrication |
| III. Analog Circuits | 8 | Diode circuits, biasing, amplifiers and frequency response, op-amp circuits, oscillators, current mirrors, PLL, data converters |
| IV. Digital Circuits | 8 | Boolean minimisation, combinational and sequential circuits, CMOS characteristics, PLDs and FPGA, asynchronous circuits, hazards |
| V. Computer Architecture and Embedded Systems | 7 | Von Neumann and Harvard, CISC and RISC, 8051, embedded design process, ARM, real time operating systems |
| VI. Signals and Systems | 10 | LTI systems, Fourier series and transform, Z-transform, DFT and FFT, FIR and IIR filter design, multi-rate DSP, wavelets |
| VII. Electromagnetics | 8 | Maxwell's equations, plane waves, transmission lines, waveguides, optical fibres, antennas |
| VIII. Communication | 10 | PCM, digital modulation, information theory, random signals and noise, microwaves, optical, satellite and mobile communication |
| IX. Instrumentation | 8 | Measurement systems, transducers, bridges, biomedical instruments, industrial measurement of temperature, pressure, flow and level |
| X. Control Systems | 10 | Transfer functions, time response, Routh and root locus, Nyquist and Bode, state variable analysis, PI, PD and PID controllers |
| XI. Advanced Topics | 13 | Nanoelectronics 2, Computer Communication 2, Information Theory and Coding 2, Power Electronics 2, and 1 mark each for Digital Image Processing, Computer Vision, MEMS, Optimization Techniques and Internet of Things |
| Total | 100 |
Here the marks are spread more evenly. The first ten modules carry 87 marks, between 7 and 10 each. The nine advanced topics share the last 13.
What the syllabus tells you
- It is mostly your B.Tech core. In both branches, the bulk of the marks comes from the subjects you studied for your degree. Advanced, M.Tech-level topics are a small part.
- It is wide. Eleven modules means you cannot rely on two or three strong subjects.
- It is not a closed list. Both syllabuses end with a note that questions may also come from other topics of the qualifying degree, and that not every listed topic need appear.
- The cut-off was low. In the last selection, the main-list cut-off was 36.33 marks for Electrical and Electronics and 31 marks for Electronics and Communication. A cut-off at that level shows a hard paper, so accuracy in the subjects you know matters more than attempting everything.
How to prepare
- Print the official syllabus and mark every topic as strong, average or weak. That is your study plan.
- Start with the high-mark modules. For Electrical, finish the six 12-mark modules first. For Electronics, start with the 10-mark modules: Devices and VLSI, Signals and Systems, Communication, and Control Systems.
- Do not skip the small modules. Electrical System Design, Measurements and Instrumentation are short modules that can be finished quickly.
- Study from your standard B.Tech textbooks and solve objective questions after every topic. Reading without solving does not work for an OMR test.
- Keep the 1 and 2 mark advanced topics for the end. Learn the basics of each. Do not spend weeks on them.
- Write full-length mock tests against the clock, and study every mistake. See how to use weekly mock exams.
- Start before the notification. These notifications come only once every few years for a branch, and the time between notification and exam is short.
If you are not sure about the qualification, read how to become an Assistant Professor in a Government Engineering College. Current status, age limit and pay are on the Assistant Professor exam page.
Prepare with Engineering PSC
We run separate batches for Assistant Professor (Electrical) and Assistant Professor (Electronics), with live and recorded classes, printed books, 10 questions a day and a weekly mock. Message us on WhatsApp with your branch and your B.Tech and M.Tech details, and we will tell you where you stand.