JKSSB AHTO Syllabus 2026: 87 Posts, Marks and Exam Pattern

The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board advertised 87 posts of Assistant Handicrafts Training Officer and Assistant Handlooms Training Officer (AHTO) in the Industries and Commerce Department under Advertisement Notification No. 13 of 2025 dated 26 December 2025. On 10 August 2026 the board notified the syllabus. This page sets out the posts, the marks and how to prepare.

The posts

• Assistant Handicrafts Training Officer, Kashmir division: 47 posts
• Assistant Handicrafts Training Officer, Jammu division: 13 posts
• Assistant Handloom Training Officer (AHTO), Kashmir division: 27 posts
• Total: 87 posts, Pay Level 6 (₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400)
• Qualification: graduate
• Selection: merit in the written (OMR) examination only

Syllabus and marks

The written test is 120 marks in 2 hours.

• General awareness with special reference to J&K (24 marks): current events, political and physical divisions of India, climate and crops, rivers and lakes, Indian economy, culture and heritage, the freedom movement, the Constitution, science and technology, environment and ecology, taxation (GST), J&K history, economy, geography, culture and tourist destinations, the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, centrally sponsored schemes and the Panchayati Raj Act
• General English and comprehension (24 marks): tenses, narration, modals, articles, reading comprehension, clauses, synonyms and antonyms, jumbled sentences, idioms and phrases, prepositions, active and passive voice, error spotting, sentence correction and spellings
• General intelligence and reasoning (24 marks): series, coding, statements and conclusions, logical and mental reasoning, analogy, classification, Venn diagrams, paper folding and cutting, indexing and address matching
• Quantitative aptitude (18 marks): whole numbers and fractions, profit and loss, discount, partnership, mixture and alligation, time and work, percentage, ratio, averages, interest, basic algebra, geometry, mensuration, data charts and trigonometry
• Basic knowledge of computers (30 marks): computer components, hardware and software, open-source technologies, input and output devices, MS Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint, internet and email, viruses and antivirus, and the role of IT in governance

How to prepare

Computers carry the most marks (30), so treat them as a scoring subject rather than an afterthought. Then split your time across general awareness, English and reasoning at 24 marks each, and quantitative aptitude at 18. Use the topic tests to find weak areas, then take full mocks in the 2-hour format.

The paper on our mocks

Our full mocks for JKSSB Assistant Training Officer (Handicrafts & Handlooms) have 120 questions in 120 minutes with 0.25 negative marking, which is about 60 seconds per question. The weights follow the board's published syllabus, and the time and question count are our own estimate where the board has not given them.

• General Awareness (J&K): 24 questions (20% of the paper)
• General English and Comprehension: 24 questions (20% of the paper)
• General Intelligence and Reasoning: 24 questions (20% of the paper)
• Quantitative Aptitude: 18 questions (15% of the paper)
• Basic Knowledge of Computers: 30 questions (25% of the paper)

What the practice bank holds for this exam

Every topic has an answer and an explanation for each question.

• General sections (General Awareness, General English, Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Basic Concepts of Computers): 3,330 questions shared with other JKSSB exams, split into topics with Easy, Medium and Hard sets

Worked questions

Try each question before you read the answer. They show the level of the practice sets.

Q1 (General Awareness). The town of Avantipora is named after: Options: A) Lalitaditya; B) Avantivarman; C) Jahangir; D) Zain-ul-Abidin Answer: B) Avantivarman. Avantivarman founded it in the 9th century.

Q2 (General English). There are ___ students in the hall. Options: A) much; B) little; C) many; D) a little Answer: C) many. 'Students' is countable, so 'many'.

Q3 (Reasoning). A woman says, "My mother's brother's wife is Sunita." What is Sunita to the woman? Options: A) Aunt; B) Sister; C) Cousin; D) Mother Answer: A) Aunt. A mother's brother's wife is one's aunt (by marriage).

Q4 (Numerical Ability). The ages of Zoya and Amit are in the ratio 3 : 4, and the difference between their ages is 9 years. What is Zoya's age (in years)? Options: A) 9; B) 18; C) 36; D) 27 Answer: D) 27. One part = 9/1 = 9; Zoya's age = 3 × 9 = 27 years.

Q5 (Basic Concepts of Computers). Which device connects a computer to a telephone line for internet access? Options: A) Scanner; B) Speaker; C) Plotter; D) Modem Answer: D) Modem. A modem modulates and demodulates signals.

Preparing section by section

General Awareness (J&K) (24 questions): Treat J&K history, geography, rivers, culture and the 2019 Reorganisation Act as a single block, and learn each fact together with a place or a date.

General English and Comprehension (24 questions): Learn the grammar rules that decide most questions (agreement, tense, articles, prepositions) and add ten words or idioms a day. Short daily sets work better than one long session.

General Intelligence and Reasoning (24 questions): Learn the pattern for each type (series, coding, blood relations, direction, ranking) and then practise under a timer. Most questions should take under a minute.

Quantitative Aptitude (18 questions): Do short timed sets of arithmetic every day. Check each answer by estimation, because a wrong sign or a missed zero is a common loss.

Basic Knowledge of Computers (30 questions): Revise hardware, software, the internet and security from one page of notes, and take a timed set of 20 questions each day.

Using the mocks and topic tests

Start with the diagnostic test to find your weakest subjects, then work through the topic sets for those subjects. Take a sectional mock each week for the section you find hardest. In the last two weeks, sit full papers of 120 questions in 120 minutes, and spend as long on review as on the paper. With 0.25 negative marking, guess only when you can remove at least one option.

Practise

Our AHTO mocks follow the official split exactly: 120 questions in 120 minutes, with one-fourth negative marking. Start with the diagnostic test, then try the sectional mocks and the topic tests.