- Unit 1 — Teaching Aptitude
- The concept, objectives and levels of teaching; characteristics and adjustment of learners; factors affecting teaching including teacher, learner, support material, instructional facilities, learning environment and institution; methods of teaching in higher education institutions including teacher-centred, learner-centred and offline and online approaches; teaching support systems; and evaluation systems, including elements and types of evaluation and computer-based testing.
- Unit 2 — Research Aptitude
- The meaning, characteristics and types of research; steps of research; methods of research; research ethics; the application of information and communication technology in research; the structure of a research report; and thesis and article writing, including format and referencing styles.
- Unit 3 — Comprehension
- A passage of text with questions on it, testing reading comprehension at the level expected of a postgraduate.
- Unit 4 — Communication
- The meaning, types and characteristics of communication; effective communication including verbal and non-verbal, intercultural and group communication, and classroom communication; and barriers to effective communication and mass media and society.
- Units 5 and 6 — Mathematical Reasoning and Logical Reasoning
- Types of reasoning, number series, letter series, codes and relationships, and mathematical aptitude covering fractions, time and distance, ratio and proportion, percentage, profit and loss, interest and discounting, and averages; along with understanding the structure of arguments, evaluating and distinguishing deductive and inductive reasoning, verbal analogies, verbal classification, reasoning logical diagrams, Venn diagrams, and Indian logic including means of knowledge, pramanas, and the structure and kinds of anumana and hetvabhasa.
- Unit 7 — Data Interpretation
- Sources, acquisition and classification of data; quantitative and qualitative data; graphical representation including bar chart, histogram, pie chart, table chart and line chart, and the mapping of data; data interpretation; and data and governance.
- Unit 8 — Information and Communication Technology
- General abbreviations and terminology; basics of the internet, intranet, email, audio and video conferencing; digital initiatives in higher education; and ICT and governance.
- Unit 9 — People, Development and Environment
- Development and environment including the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals; human and environment interaction; environmental issues including local, regional and global air, water and soil pollution, and climate change; environmental protection acts and international agreements; natural and energy resources; and natural hazards and disasters.
- Unit 10 — Higher Education System
- The institutions of higher learning and education in ancient India; the evolution of higher learning and research in post-independence India; oriental, conventional and non-conventional learning programmes; professional, technical and skill-based education; value education and environmental education; and policies, governance and administration in higher education.
Two units of Paper 1 are worth flagging because they surprise candidates. Indian logic within the reasoning unit — pramanas, anumana, hetvabhasa — has no counterpart in general competitive-exam preparation and appears reliably. And the higher education system unit rewards specific factual study of policy and institutional history rather than general awareness.
