PSSSB Steno Typist Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

The written paper is Part A and, in Advertisement 14 of 2025, a Part B as well. Both are objective multiple choice and both only qualify you; neither adds marks to the merit list.

• Part A is Punjabi at Class 10 level, 50 questions of 1 mark in 50 minutes, no negative marking. You need 25 marks or you are not called for the shorthand test.
• Part B needs 50% as well. Its syllabus is posted on the board's website.

The real selection is the Punjabi shorthand test: dictation at 80 words a minute. There are 400 words in two passages of 200, which you type out at 15 words a minute. Mistakes up to 8% are forgiven.

The board has published the Punjabi syllabus for Advertisement 14 of 2025. It covers the lives and writings of the Sikh Gurus, synonyms and antonyms, idioms and proverbs, word forms, prefixes and suffixes, number and gender, punctuation, correcting words and sentences, correct Punjabi forms of English words, numbers, months and days, and questions on Punjab's language, history and culture. Syllabus PDF.

All three conditions in the advertisements:

1. A bachelor's degree from a recognised university.
2. A pass in the Punjabi stenography test the board holds.
3. A computer course of at least 120 hours from a government-recognised or ISO 9001 certified institute, or the DOEACC O level.

Matric with Punjabi is also required under Rule 17 of the Punjab Civil Services (General and Common Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994. Qualifications are counted on the last date to apply.

Age on 1 January of the advertisement year (2026 for 05 of 2026):

• General: 18 to 37 years.
• SC and BC of Punjab: up to 42.
• State and central government employees: up to 45, with an NOC from the department shown at counselling.
• Persons with disabilities of Punjab: up to 47.
• Widows, divorcees and some other married women: up to 40 (the 1984 Punjab instruction).
• Ex-servicemen of Punjab: military service is deducted from age and the remainder may exceed the limit by at most 3 years.

1. Written test, Part A (and Part B where held), qualifying only.
2. Punjabi stenography test for those who qualify.
3. The merit list is ordered by the number of mistakes in the shorthand test, from 0 up to 32. Ties go to the older candidate, then to the higher percentage in the required qualification, then to the matric marks.
4. Document check at counselling, then departments are allotted by merit and the preferences you filled online. Candidates who skip the preference form get the board's default order, which starts with the Chief Local Commissioner, Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi.

Pay is Rs 21,700 a month at the start. The 2025 advertisement calls it Level 3 (21,700 to 69,100) and the 2026 one calls it Level 2, so check the notice of the cycle you apply to. Pay is on the 7th pay commission pattern.

Apply only online through the Apply Online link on the board's vacancy page. Register with an email id, fill the form, upload a photo, signature, Class 10 certificate and qualification documents, pay the fee and submit. Keep a printout. Choose your category and category code with care, because it cannot be changed later.

The fee is not refunded.

People who applied under 05 of 2026 before the reopening do not apply again. The earlier Stenotypist advertisements were 07 of 2023 (67 posts) and 11 of 2024.

Admit cards are issued online through links the board posts on its website a few days before each test. Nothing is sent by post.

Results, merit lists and counselling notices are posted on the board's website only. The preference notice for Advertisement 14 of 2025 is on the same site.

No cut-off marks are published. The only fixed bars are 50% in the Punjabi paper and the shorthand test limits above.

Most candidates lose out in the Punjabi shorthand test, not the written paper. Practise Punjabi dictation at 80 words a minute, and learn to type Gurmukhi accurately, because the merit list counts every mistake.

• SSSB Group C vacancies and notices
• SSSB home page
• Advertisement 14 of 2025 (PDF)
• Advertisement 05 of 2026 (PDF)
• Corrigendum of 25 September 2026
• Department preference notice

How many Stenotypist posts are there?

109 under Advertisement 14 of 2025 and 98 under 05 of 2026.

Is there a written test for merit?

No. The written paper only qualifies. Merit comes from the shorthand test.

What is the age limit?

18 to 37 for general candidates, with the relaxations listed above.

Who conducts it?

The Subordinate Services Selection Board, Punjab, at Vann Bhawan, Sector 68, Mohali.