Preliminary Written Test (PWT)
What the PWT is
The Preliminary Written Test (PWT) is the first screening stage for Telangana Police Sub-Inspector recruitment, conducted by TSLPRB. It is an objective OMR test of 200 questions carrying 200 marks, with a three-hour duration. The paper draws on Arithmetic, Test of Reasoning, and General Studies. TSLPRB uses the PWT only to shortlist candidates for the Physical Measurement Test (PMT) and Physical Efficiency Test (PET); PWT marks are not carried into the final merit list.
Core rules
- 200 MCQs, 200 marks, 3 hours, single OMR sheet.
- Aggregate qualifying marks are category-wise (commonly 40% for OC, 35% for BC, 30% for SC/ST); there is normally no sectional cut-off.
- Recent SI PWT notifications have not used negative marking, so a blank is a guaranteed zero while a reasoned guess can add a mark.
- Shortlisting for PMT/PET is based on PWT score and the board's ratio, not merely on passing.
Worked example
A candidate answers 150 of 200 questions and gets 96 right. Score = 96/200 = 48%. The OC qualifying mark is 40% = 80 marks. The candidate clears the PWT aggregate. If the same candidate had answered only 70 correctly, the score would be 35%, below the OC threshold, and the candidature would end at PWT regardless of physical fitness.
Traps
- Treating PWT marks as final merit; they are only a gate.
- Leaving easy General Studies questions blank when there is no negative marking.
- Assuming a sectional cut-off and over-investing in one subject.
- OMR misalignment when skipping questions.