ISRO Scientist ME Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

There's a pass mark in each part separately: 50% for UR candidates and 40% for PwBD candidates against reserved posts. Only the written test route has this CBT; the GATE route goes straight from your GATE score to interview.

ICRB doesn't publish a topic list. Part A is drawn from the BE/B.Tech Mechanical curriculum. Part B asks numerical, logical, diagrammatic, abstract and deductive reasoning questions.

To see what ICRB actually asks, use its own 2023 Mechanical paper and 2025 Mechanical paper.

You need a BE/B.Tech or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering with at least 65% aggregate (average of all semesters) or CGPA 6.84 out of 10. The GATE route also asked for a valid GATE ME score from 2025 or 2026.

ICRB accepts a long list of allied branches for this post, including Aeronautical, Aerospace, Production, Industrial and Production, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing (several variants), Mechatronics, Mechanical and Automation, Material Science and Technology, Metallurgy and Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. The full list is question 35 of the FAQ.

Points to check before you pay

• A CGPA stays a CGPA. ISRO does not apply your university's conversion formula in either direction.
• You must have finished in the normal duration of the course.
• Higher degrees don't count towards the 65%; it is judged on the BE/B.Tech.
• No marks relaxation for any category.
• Correspondence degrees are out. Part-time degrees are fine.
• AMIE: 65% or 6.84 in Section B, and only if registered on or before 31 May 2013.

Age

Written test route: not over 28 on 16 September 2026, relaxable for serving Central Government civilian employees, ex-servicemen and PwBD candidates. GATE route: not over 28 on 17 August 2026, which meant born on or after 18 August 1998 (UR/EWS), 18 August 1995 (OBC) or 18 August 1993 (SC/ST) where posts were reserved.

Written test route. CBT scores decide who is interviewed, at five candidates per vacancy and never fewer than ten. Reserved vacancies get their own additional list. The final merit list counts the CBT and the interview at 50% each.

GATE route. The shortlist is seven per vacancy, taken on GATE score (not GATE marks or rank). The final list counts GATE score and interview at 50% each.

Both routes use the same 100-mark interview:

Institute marks go to IITs, IISc, IIST, NITs and NIRF top 20 institutes. Grade marks: 4 for CGPA above 9 or above 85%, 2 for CGPA 7.5 to 9 or 71 to 85%.

Qualifying bars are 50% (test or GATE score), 50% (interview) and 60% overall for UR; 40%, 40% and 50% for reserved candidates where posts are reserved. If two candidates tie on the written route, the higher test mark wins, then the degree marks, then age.

Basic pay starts at ₹56,100 a month at Level 10, with DA, HRA and transport allowance on top. If you take ISRO housing, you don't draw HRA.

Pension is under the National Pension System or Unified Pension Scheme. Medical facilities, canteen, LTC, group insurance and house building advance follow Central Government rules. Promotion is through ISRO's Merit Promotion Scheme, which does not depend on a post falling vacant.

Applications are online only, from the advertisement on the ISRO Careers page. Details cannot be edited after submission; if you made a mistake, submit a fresh application before the closing date and the last one counts.

Fee for the written test route. ₹750 is collected from everyone. Sit the CBT and you get ₹500 back, or all ₹750 if you are a woman, SC, ST, PwBD or ex-serviceman candidate. Miss the test and you get nothing back.

Fee for the GATE route. ₹250, non-refundable, with women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen exempt.

Government and PSU employees need a No Objection Certificate at the interview. Private sector staff don't.

CBT centres for 2026 are in 37 cities, from Agartala and Port Blair to Kavaratti and Jammu, including all the large metros, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow, Patna, Jaipur, Kanpur and Thiruvananthapuram. The test city cannot be changed after you apply. Interviews are in Bengaluru.

• Written test route (03/2026): applications 27 August to 16 September 2026; fee by 16 September; CBT moved from 19 October to 29 October 2026.
• GATE route (02/2026): applications 28 July to 17 August 2026; fee by 19 August; shortlist of 177 published 18 September; interviews 9 to 15 October 2026.

The written-test advertisement came out in late May in 2025 and late August in 2026, so mid 2027 is a fair guess for the next one.

The CBT call letter is sent by email only. Watch the advertisement page for notices; the 2026 test date has already moved once.

No travel allowance is paid for the CBT. Interview candidates get second-class train fare from the city in their application.

ICRB posts answer keys within three working days of the test and takes objections for five days. Shortlists and the final selection panel follow on the same advertisement page.

The 2025 cycle shows how long this takes for Mechanical: test on 26 October 2025, results on 29 January 2026, revised shortlist on 22 May 2026, and interviews in four phases, the schedules issued between July and the end of August 2026. See the 2025 advertisement page.

2025 written test. Mechanical was marked out of 99 (80 + 19). Minimum per part: 40.00 in Part A and 9.5 in Part B (32.00 and 7.6 for PwBD). The last mark called for interview was 55.70 for candidates other than PwBD and 50.39 for PwBD. Cut-off notice.

2026 GATE route. GATE score cut-off 719 (UR) and 241 (PwBD). Cut-off notice.

• Do the two ICRB Mechanical papers on the advertisement page first, timed at 90 minutes for Part A.
• Leave questions you can't narrow down. At minus a third per error, a pure guess on four options gains you nothing on average.
• Don't neglect Part B. It's only 20 marks, but miss 50% there and your Part A score doesn't matter.
• The interview gives 40 marks to technical knowledge. Revise the core subjects from your degree, not just exam tricks.
• A strong GATE ME score opens the GATE route too.

• ISRO Careers
• Written test route, Advt. 03(EMC):2026: advertisement, FAQ
• GATE route, Advt. 02(EMC-CEPO):2026: advertisement, Mechanical interview list
• 2025 cycle page: results, keys and interview schedules

Email queries: rmt-icrb@isro.gov.in

How many Mechanical posts did ICRB advertise in 2026?

52 plus 1 at PRL by written test, and 26 by GATE score.

Can an Aerospace or Production engineer apply?

Yes. Both are on ICRB's list of accepted branches for the Mechanical post.

What is the minimum percentage?

65% aggregate or CGPA 6.84 out of 10 in the BE/B.Tech.

What was the 2025 interview cut-off?

55.70 out of 99 for candidates other than PwBD.

What GATE score did the 2026 GATE route need?

719 for UR candidates.

Is the post permanent?

The advertisement calls it temporary but likely to continue. ICRB's FAQ explains this means permanent once you finish probation.

Where will I be posted?

At any ISRO centre. The GATE route listed HSFC, LPSC and URSC in Bengaluru, IPRC Mahendragiri, SAC Ahmedabad, SDSC SHAR, VSSC Thiruvananthapuram and LPSC Valiamala.