Exam guide · Staff Selection Commission
SSC JE 2026: Vacancies, Eligibility, Exam Pattern and Key Dates
By Shubham Sir 5 min read
- Tentative vacancies
- 1,748
- Pay, ₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400
- Level 6
- Paper-I qualifies, Paper-II ranks
- 2 papers
The Staff Selection Commission has released the Junior Engineer Examination 2026 notice (F. No. HQ-C-3019/1/2026-C-3). It covers Group B posts at Level 6 (₹35,400–1,12,400) across several central government organisations. The exam also recruits Scientific Assistants for the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Applications ran from 2 to 22 September 2026 and the correction window closed on 30 September. If you applied, the next step is preparing for Paper-I. If you didn't, this guide shows what the 2026 cycle looked like, which helps you plan for the next one.
SSC JE 2026 at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Conducting body | Staff Selection Commission |
| Posts | Junior Engineer (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, E&M, Telecom) and Scientific Assistant (IMD) |
| Tentative vacancies | 1,748 per the official notice |
| Application fee | ₹100 (women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen are exempt) |
| Paper-I | October/November 2026 (tentative) |
| Paper-II | December 2026 (tentative) |
| Official site | ssc.gov.in |
Vacancies: branch-wise and department-wise
The department-wise numbers below come from the tentative vacancy sheet, which totals 1,699 posts. That is lower than the 1,748 in the notice, so expect changes when the final list is published.
Branch-wise split
| Branch | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Civil | 867 |
| Electrical / Mechanical / E&M | 301 |
| Telecom | 69 |
| Scientific Assistant (IMD) | 462 |
Civil is the largest branch by a wide margin, and CPWD alone accounts for 343 of those posts. Within the 301 Electrical and Mechanical posts, 108 are Electrical only, 10 are Mechanical only and 183 are combined E&M posts.
Category-wise split
SC 245, ST 140, OBC 462, EWS 134 and UR 718. PwBD vacancies (32 OH, 14 HH, 1 VH and 13 others) are a horizontal reservation counted within these totals.
Top departments by vacancies
| Department | Post | Total |
|---|---|---|
| India Meteorological Department | Scientific Assistant | 462 |
| CPWD | JE (Civil) | 343 |
| Border Roads Organization (males only) | JE (Civil) | 271 |
| Military Engineer Services | JE (E&M) | 161 |
| Military Engineer Services | JE (Civil) | 154 |
| CPWD | JE (Electrical) | 103 |
| Department of Telecommunication | JE (Telecom) | 69 |
| Brahmaputra Board | JE (Civil) | 56 |
| Central Water Commission | JE (Civil) | 29 |
| Border Roads Organization | JE (E&M) | 22 |
The remaining posts are small: DGLL has 7 Civil and 2 Electrical, DGQA-NAVAL has 6 Mechanical and 2 Electrical, and Fisheries has 3 Civil. CWC has 3 Mechanical, and Farakka and CWPRS have a handful between them.
Eligibility criteria
Age limit
The crucial date for age is 1 August 2026. The minimum age is 18.
- Up to 30 years: most posts. Candidates must be born between 2 August 1996 and 1 August 2008.
- Up to 32 years: CPWD and the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL). Candidates must be born between 2 August 1994 and 1 August 2008.
Age relaxation
| Category | Relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC / ST | 5 years |
| OBC | 3 years |
| PwBD (Unreserved/EWS) | 10 years |
| PwBD (OBC) | 13 years |
| PwBD (SC/ST) | 15 years |
| Ex-servicemen | 3 years after deducting military service |
There is no age relaxation for EWS candidates.
Educational qualification and experience
Qualification rules differ by department, so check your exact post before applying.
Degree or Diploma, with experience for diploma holders
| Department | Qualification | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| BRO (JE Civil, JE E&M) | Degree, or 3-year Diploma | Diploma: 2 years |
| MES (JE Civil, JE E&M) | Degree, or 3-year Diploma | Diploma: 2 years |
| DGQA-NAVAL (JE Mech/Elec) | Degree, or 3-year Diploma | Diploma: 2 years |
| DGLL (JE Civil/Elec) | Degree, or Diploma, or equivalent | Diploma: 3 years |
Degree holders need no experience in any of these. The experience must be gained after completing the qualification, and internships or training during the course don't count.
Diploma-based posts without experience
- CPWD: Diploma in Civil for JE (Civil), and Diploma in Electrical or Mechanical for JE (Electrical). Age limit 32.
- CWPRS: Diploma in Civil or Electrical Engineering.
- Farakka Barrage Project: Diploma in Civil or Electrical Engineering.
- Brahmaputra Board: 3-year Diploma in Civil Engineering.
Degree or Diploma without experience
- Central Water Commission: Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Civil (JE Civil) or Mechanical (JE Mechanical).
- Ministry of Fisheries (JE Civil): Degree or 3-year Diploma in Civil Engineering.
Degree-only posts
- Department of Telecommunication (JE Telecom): Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronics, Electrical Communications, Computer Science, Telecommunications, IT or Instrumentation.
- IMD (Scientific Assistant): B.Sc with Physics, or a Bachelor's in Computer Science/Applications, Electronics, ECE, ETE, Instrumentation, IT, Telecommunication or Communication Engineering.
Note for women candidates: BRO posts are open to male candidates only, and they come with physical efficiency and medical standards.
Can you apply for more than one post?
Yes, if you meet each post's qualification:
- JE (Mechanical) candidates can also apply for JE (E&M).
- JE (Electrical) candidates can also apply for JE (Telecom) and JE (E&M).
- JE (Telecom) candidates can also apply for Scientific Assistant (IMD) and JE (Electrical).
- Scientific Assistant candidates can also apply for JE (Telecom).
The subject you choose in the application cannot be changed later, so choose carefully.
Exam pattern
The exam has two computer-based papers, with questions in Hindi and English.
| Detail | Paper-I | Paper-II |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Qualifying | Decides merit |
| Subjects | Reasoning (50), General Awareness (50), technical subject (100) | Technical subject only (100) |
| Marks | 200 | 300 |
| Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer | 1 mark per wrong answer |
The technical paper is based on Civil and Structural, Electrical or Mechanical engineering, depending on your branch. IMD candidates choose Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunication, or Physics. The standard of engineering questions is roughly diploma level.
Minimum qualifying marks: UR 30%, OBC/EWS 25%, all other categories 20%.
Since Paper-II carries 300 marks and decides your rank, put most of your preparation into your technical subject. Mechanical and Electrical scores are normalised against each other, so don't worry about one paper being tougher.
Selection and post allocation
- Qualify Paper-I and get shortlisted for Paper-II.
- Final merit comes from normalised Paper-II marks.
- Post and department are allocated by merit and your preferences. Preferences are final, and a post you don't list cannot be allotted to you.
- Document verification is done by the user department.
Tied scores are broken using Paper-I Part (i) marks, then Part (ii), then date of birth (older candidate ranks higher), and finally alphabetical order.
Preparation tips
- Start with your technical subject. It is 100 of the 200 marks in Paper-I and all of Paper-II.
- Use previous year papers. The topics repeat, and they show you the question style.
- Don't ignore Reasoning and General Awareness. They are only in Paper-I, but you need to clear the cut-off there to reach Paper-II.
- Practise with the on-screen tools. The notice says a scientific calculator, the IS 456:2000 table and the steam table will be available on screen, and physical copies won't be allowed.
- Plan your department preferences early. Think about location, work profile and promotion prospects before the preference window opens.
Common questions
Can B.Tech graduates apply for SSC JE?
Yes, for posts that accept a degree (BRO, MES, DGQA-NAVAL, CWC, DGLL, Fisheries, DoT and IMD). For CPWD, CWPRS, Farakka and the Brahmaputra Board, the notice names a Diploma as the qualification.
Is work experience compulsory?
Only for diploma holders applying to BRO, MES and DGQA-NAVAL (2 years) and DGLL (3 years).
Is there negative marking?
Yes. It is 0.25 marks per wrong answer in Paper-I and 1 mark in Paper-II.
Are the vacancy numbers final?
No. They are tentative, and the final numbers are confirmed with each department before the result.
Final word
SSC JE 2026 has something for Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Telecom engineers, with CPWD, BRO and MES offering the most posts. Read the official notice (the PDF is on ssc.gov.in) for your exact post before you finalise your preparation or preferences.