SSC JE ME Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Paper-I: 200 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours

Paper-I is qualifying. It only shortlists, category-wise, on normalised marks. Reasoning and General Awareness are compulsory; the third part is the subject you opted for.

Paper-II: 100 questions, 300 marks, 2 hours

Three marks a question. Paper-II alone decides selection, together with your preferences.

Negative marking

Both papers are objective multiple-choice, in Hindi and English only. Scribe-eligible candidates get 2 hours 40 minutes in each.

On your screen

• A scientific calculator, for the whole exam.
• A steam table under the "Useful Data" option, active throughout. Civil candidates get the IS 456:2000 table in the same way.

No physical calculator and no printed table is allowed in the lab.

Qualifying marks

The subject you opt for is fixed

The stream chosen in the form cannot be changed "under any circumstances", in the Commission's words. It sets your part in both papers.

Paper-I: General Intelligence and Reasoning (50 marks)

Verbal and non-verbal: analogies, similarities and differences, space visualization, problem-solving, analysis, judgment, decision-making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, arithmetical number series; abstract ideas and symbols and their relationships, arithmetical computation and other analytical functions.

Paper-I: General Awareness (50 marks)

The environment and its application to society; current events; everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspect; India and its neighbouring countries, particularly History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Polity and Scientific Research.

Paper-I: Part-C, General Engineering (Mechanical) (100 marks)

The same eleven subjects as Paper-II below, in less depth.

Paper-II: Part-C, General Engineering (Mechanical) (300 marks)

Engineering Mechanics: free body diagrams and equilibrium; resultant of forces; Lami's theorem; laws of friction; sliding and rolling friction; centroid of plane figures; centre of gravity of simple solids.

Strength of Materials: simple stress and strain; types of beams; shear force and bending moment; bending and deflection of beams; torsion of shafts; thin cylindrical shells.

Theory of Machines: cams and followers; belt, chain, rope and gear drives; gear trains; flywheels and governors; balancing and vibration; brakes; dynamometers; clutches; bearings.

Machine Design: types of loads and stresses; creep and fatigue; theories of failure; design of cotter joint, knuckle joint, lever and crank; antifriction bearings; design of sunk key, shaft, couplings, spur gear, power screw and springs; screw fasteners, bolted and welded joints.

Materials Science and Engineering: crystal structure and bonds; iron-carbon phase diagram; heat treatment of steel; cast irons and steels; aluminium, nickel-copper and bearing alloys; material properties and testing; non-destructive testing; corrosion.

Thermal Engineering: sources of energy; laws of thermodynamics; thermal power plant; heat pump, heat engine and refrigerator; steam generators; impulse and reaction steam turbines; cooling tower; IC engines, with Otto, Diesel and dual cycles on P-V and T-s diagrams; types of IC engine; air compressor; refrigeration and air conditioning; gas turbine and jet propulsion; properties of steam; steam nozzle; heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation; heat exchangers.

Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machinery: fluid properties; fluid flow; flow through pipes; continuity equation; impact of jets on plates and curved vanes; hydraulic turbines and power plant; centrifugal and reciprocating pumps.

Industrial Engineering: site selection and plant layout; work study and measurement; production planning and control; statistical quality control; inventory control.

Manufacturing Engineering: pattern making; moulding; casting; metal forming; gas, arc and resistance welding; lathes and lathe operations; broaching; drilling; milling; gear making; grinding and finishing; press working.

Metrology and Measurement: precision, accuracy, sensitivity, repeatability, range, calibration; linear and angular measurement; comparators; form and surface finish measurement; CMM; limits, fits and tolerances; interchangeability.

Advanced Manufacturing Processes: jigs and fixtures; CNC milling machines and machining centres; PLC; special purpose machines; non-traditional machining (EDM, ECM, AJM, LBM, EBM); CAD/CAM; industrial robot configurations and FMS.

Qualification varies by organisation

Each recruiting organisation sets its own, and the notice lists them post by post. For mechanical posts they range from:

• Degree or Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, either accepted, as for Central Water Commission's JE (M);
• to Degree, or Diploma plus two years' working experience, as for Border Roads Organization's JE (E and M), where a diploma alone is not enough.

A diploma holder who prefers a post needing a degree, or a diploma with experience, is rejected at that preference and not considered for the ones below it. Read the post table before you set preferences.

Age

Up to 30 years for most posts; a few allow up to 32. The limit is set per post, with the usual category relaxations.

Cut-off date

Qualifications are reckoned as on the closing date of the online form, 22 September 2026.

1. Paper-I (computer based): qualifying. Shortlisting is category-wise on normalised marks.
2. Paper-II (computer based): decides selection.
3. Document Verification.

Four merit lists

SSC draws separate lists for JE (Civil), JE (Electrical and Mechanical), Scientific Assistant in IMD and JE (Telecom), both for shortlisting to Paper-II and for the final select lists. Mechanical shares its list with Electrical, and the two branches are normalised onto a common scale before ranking.

Preferences

Allotment is on merit-cum-preference, and no change is made once a post is allotted. If you fail that post's medical, physical or educational requirement, your candidature is rejected outright. You are not moved down to your next preference.

Some organisations add their own tests. The BRO tests candidates after the final result, and failing can end consideration for other posts too.

SSC does not keep a waiting list.

Group B, Level 6 of the 7th CPC pay matrix: Rs 35,400 to Rs 1,12,400. The same level applies to Junior Engineer in every participating organisation and to Scientific Assistant in the IMD.

On top of basic pay come Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance and Transport Allowance at the rates for your posting city, plus any allowance particular to the organisation.

Fee

Pay online only (BHIM UPI, net banking, or a Visa, MasterCard, Maestro or RuPay debit card) by 23 September 2026, 23:00.

A form whose fee doesn't reach SSC is summarily rejected. Its status shows as 'Incomplete' at the top of the form, and there's a Payment Status link in your login. Check it before the deadline.

Correction window

28 to 30 September 2026, with correction charges. The subject or stream cannot be changed, even then.

Answer key challenge

Tentative keys for both papers come out after each exam. Challenges cost Rs 50 per question, non-refundable, and are taken online only.

SSC JE fills posts across the Government of India, each organisation with its own qualification, vacancy count and sometimes its own extra tests. The 2026 notice names, among others, the Border Roads Organization, the Brahmaputra Board under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Central Water Commission and the Central Public Works Department, with the India Meteorological Department recruiting Scientific Assistants through the same exam.

The full list, with the qualification and age limit for every post, is in the post table of the 2026 notice.

SSC runs the exam through its regional offices, and your centre is allotted within the region you chose in the form. Both papers are computer based.

If a paper runs in several shifts, marks are normalised across them.

Junior Engineer Examination, 2026: notice published 2 September 2026.

1,748 tentative vacancies for Junior Engineer (Civil, Mechanical and Electrical) and Scientific Assistant in the IMD.

SSC's toll-free helpline for application problems: 180 030 930 63.

Admit cards for both papers come through the SSC regional websites and your own login. SSC announces their release on the notice board.

Bring the admit card and an original photo ID. No physical calculator, printed steam table or code table is allowed in the lab; the calculator and data table are on screen.

Results, tentative answer keys and final select lists are published on the ssc.gov.in notice board.

Final selection and allotment of post, organisation and office rest on Paper-II marks and your preferences. Paper-I contributes nothing.

SSC does not keep a waiting list.

Qualifying marks

Fixed in the notice: UR 30%, OBC and EWS 25%, all other categories 20%, in each paper. Clearing it makes your paper count. It does not shortlist you.

Shortlisting and selection cut-offs

These are set category-wise on normalised marks, on the combined Electrical and Mechanical list, so they move with vacancies and with how the electrical field scored. SSC publishes them with each result on the ssc.gov.in notice board; for the 2026 cycle, expect the Paper-I cut-off after the October / November paper.

1. Answer Paper-II more cautiously than Paper-I. A wrong answer costs a quarter of the question in Paper-I and a third in Paper-II, the paper that decides selection. Attempting everything pays better in the qualifying paper.
2. Practise with an on-screen steam table and scientific calculator. No physical substitute is allowed, and reading a steam table in a pop-up window against the clock takes practice.
3. Thermal Engineering is the spine of Part-C. It's by far the longest entry: thermodynamics, power plant, steam turbines, IC engines, refrigeration, gas turbines, heat transfer, heat exchangers.
4. One revision serves both papers. Paper-I's engineering half names the same eleven subjects as Paper-II.
5. Don't neglect the 100 non-technical marks. Reasoning and General Awareness are half of Paper-I, and SSC says General Awareness needs no special study.
6. Use past keys. SSC posts tentative answer keys with question papers after every JE exam on its notice board; they're the closest thing to an official practice set.
7. Set preferences against the post table, not by reputation. Some posts take a diploma, some need a degree, some a diploma plus two years' experience.

Staff Selection Commission: ssc.gov.in

Junior Engineer Examination 2026, full notice (PDF): Notice_of_adv_je_2026.pdf

Notice board (answer keys, results, corrigenda): ssc.gov.in notice board

Is there a separate merit list for Mechanical?

No. Mechanical and Electrical share one list, with marks in the two branches normalised against each other.

How is Paper-II scored?

100 questions for 300 marks, three each, with one full mark off for a wrong answer.

Does Paper-I count towards selection?

No. It only shortlists. Selection is on Paper-II and your preferences.

What are the qualifying marks?

UR 30%, OBC and EWS 25%, all others 20%, in each paper.

Is a calculator allowed?

Only the scientific calculator on screen, along with a steam table under "Useful Data". Nothing physical.

What is the fee?

Rs 100. Women, SC, ST, PwBD and Ex-servicemen are exempt.

Can I change my subject after applying?

No, not even in the correction window.

Is a diploma enough?

Depends on the post. Some take a diploma, some need a degree or a diploma plus two years' experience.

What happens if I'm allotted a post I don't qualify for?

You're rejected, and not considered for your lower preferences.

What is the age limit?

Up to 30 for most posts, up to 32 for a few, with the usual relaxations.

Can I challenge the answer key?

Yes, online, at Rs 50 per question.

When are the exams?

Paper-I in October or November 2026 and Paper-II in December 2026, both tentative.