SSC JE 2026 Exam Date, Notification & Vacancies

From the official Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Government of India documents · last checked 8 October 2026

SSC JE is a national exam held by the Staff Selection Commission. It fills Junior Engineer posts (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electrical & Mechanical) in central government departments such as CPWD, MES, BRO, the Central Water Commission and the Lighthouses directorate. From 2026 the exam is called the "Junior Engineer Examination". It now also recruits JE (Telecom) in the Department of Telecommunications and Scientific Assistant in the India Meteorological Department (IMD). All posts are Group B, Pay Level 6. There are two computer-based papers. Paper-I is only a qualifying screening test. The final merit list uses Paper-II marks only. Most posts need a diploma or degree in the matching engineering branch. SSC lists 1,699 tentative vacancies (8 October 2026). Paper-I is from 2 to 6 November 2026.

Important dates

2026

  • Notification published on ssc.gov.in2 September 2026done
  • Online application window2 September 2026 to 22 September 2026 (11 pm)done
  • Addendum: revised qualification for Scientific Assistant (IMD)10 September 2026done
  • Last date for online fee payment23 September 2026 (11 pm)done
  • Application form correction window28 September 2026 to 30 September 2026 (11 pm)done
  • Paper-I dates announced (SSC schedule notice)1 October 2026done
  • Tentative vacancies published8 October 2026done
  • Exam city and date details for Paper-IAbout 10 days before the exam (not announced yet)tentative
  • Paper-I admit card (Admission Certificate)About 3–4 days before each candidate's exam datetentative
  • Paper-I exam (computer-based)2 to 6 November 2026upcoming
  • Paper-I tentative answer key + objection windowNot announced yet (after the last Paper-I exam day)tentative
  • Paper-II exam (computer-based)December 2026tentative

Vacancies

1,699

Tentative vacancies as on 8 October 2026 (SSC list). By category: UR 718, OBC 462, SC 245, ST 140, EWS 134. Within these, 32 are for OH, 14 for HH, 1 for VH and 13 for other PwBD candidates. By post: JE (Civil) 867, Scientific Assistant (IMD) 462, JE (Electrical & Mechanical) 183, JE (Electrical) 108, JE (Telecom) 69, JE (Mechanical) 10. CPWD has the most JE posts (343 Civil, 103 Electrical). The 293 BRO posts are for men only. The notice of 2 September 2026 said 1,748 vacancies. NTRO is named in the notice but has no vacancies in the 8 October list. There is no ex-servicemen reservation because these are Group B posts. SSC does not collect state-wise or zone-wise vacancies.

Official notification ↗Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Government of India website ↗

Frequently asked questions

When is the SSC JE 2026 Paper-I exam?

SSC's notice of 1 October 2026 gives 2 to 6 November 2026 as the proposed dates for Paper-I. Exam city details come about 10 days before the exam, and the admit card 3–4 days before. Paper-II is tentatively planned for December 2026.

When will the SSC JE 2026 answer key come?

SSC has not announced a date; tentative keys come after Paper-I ends on 6 November 2026. Last year's Paper-I key came on 19 December 2025, 6 days after that cycle's last exam day. See the answer key page for how to check it and the ₹50 objection fee.

How many vacancies are there in SSC JE 2026?

SSC lists 1,699 tentative vacancies as on 8 October 2026: JE (Civil) 867, Scientific Assistant (IMD) 462, JE (Electrical & Mechanical) 183, JE (Electrical) 108, JE (Telecom) 69 and JE (Mechanical) 10. The notice of 2 September 2026 said 1,748. Final numbers may still change.

What is new in SSC JE 2026?

The exam is now called the Junior Engineer Examination. Two new posts are added: JE (Telecom) in the Department of Telecommunications and Scientific Assistant in IMD. They have their own subject parts (Part-D to Part-G) in both papers, and their own merit lists.

What is the age limit for SSC JE 2026?

Age is counted as on 1 August 2026. The limit is up to 32 years for JE posts in CPWD and the Lighthouses directorate, and up to 30 years for all other posts. SC/ST get 5 more years, OBC 3 years and PwBD 10 years.

Is there negative marking?

Yes. In Paper-I, 0.25 mark is cut for each wrong answer (a correct answer gets 1 mark). In Paper-II, 1 mark is cut for each wrong answer (a correct answer gets 3 marks).

Do Paper-I marks count in the final selection?

No. Paper-I is only used to shortlist candidates for Paper-II. Final selection and post allocation use your normalized Paper-II marks and the post preferences you give SSC.

What were the Paper-I cut-offs in JE 2025?

The official cut-offs (out of 200) were: Civil – UR 127.23, OBC 124.46, EWS 117.91, SC 109.24, ST 106.85; Electrical/Mechanical – UR 127.30, OBC 127.30, EWS 115.37, SC 112.05, ST 102.87. JE (Telecom) and Scientific Assistant (IMD) are new, so they have no past cut-offs. Cut-offs change every year.

Practise for SSC JE free

Practise the common sections (reasoning, GK, maths, English) with free SSC CGL chapter tests and mocks — full solutions, no sign-up.

Free SSC CGL practice →Score calculator

Official sources