SSC JE Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Important Dates

Two computer based papers, and only the second counts for merit. The 2026 notice says Paper-I will be qualifying in nature: you're shortlisted on your normalised Paper-I score, and the merit list comes from Paper-II.

Paper 1: 200 marks, 2 hours, qualifying

One mark a question, 0.25 deducted for a wrong answer.

Paper 2: 300 marks, 2 hours, the merit paper

Three marks a question, one full mark deducted for a wrong answer.

The seven Parts

Part G (JE Telecom) is held in a separate batch. You take the same Part in both papers, fixed by your online application.

On-screen reference tables

The IS 456:2000 table and the Steam Table are on the console under Useful Data throughout the exam. Physical copies and calculators aren't allowed.

General Intelligence & Reasoning (Paper 1)

Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation, problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, arithmetical number series, non-verbal series, and abstract idea and symbol relationships.

General Awareness (Paper 1)

Current events, India and its neighbouring countries, history, culture, geography, economic scene, general polity and the Constitution, and scientific research. Questions test awareness of the environment and its application to society rather than specialist study.

Civil Engineering

Building materials, estimating costing and valuation, surveying, soil mechanics, hydraulics, irrigation engineering, transportation engineering, environmental engineering, theory of structures, concrete technology, RCC design, and steel design.

Electrical Engineering

Basic concepts, circuit law, magnetic circuit, AC fundamentals, measurement and measuring instruments, electrical machines, fractional kilowatt motors and single-phase induction motors, synchronous machines, generation transmission and distribution, estimation and costing, utilisation of electrical energy, and basic electronics.

Mechanical Engineering

Theory of machines and machine design, engineering mechanics and strength of materials, thermal engineering (properties of pure substances, laws of thermodynamics, air standard cycles, IC engines, air compressors, refrigeration and air conditioning), fluid mechanics and machinery, and production engineering.

Other disciplines

Computer Science & Information Technology, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Physics and Telecommunication Engineering are set for the posts that require them, at the same degree or diploma level.

Educational qualification

It depends on the department:

• Degree holders (B.E. / B.Tech) in the relevant discipline are generally eligible with no work experience.
• Diploma holders (three-year diploma in the discipline) qualify for most departments, but some, including the Military Engineer Services and the Border Roads Organisation, also want two years of relevant work experience.

Check the department-wise table in the notice. This is where diploma holders most often find they're ineligible for the post they wanted.

Age

Minimum 18. Maximum 30 for most organisations (BRO, MES, CWC, CWPRS and others) and 32 for CPWD, on the date the notice fixes. Relaxations: 5 years for SC and ST, 3 for OBC, up to 15 for PwBD depending on category.

1. Paper 1, 200 marks. Qualifying only. Its normalised score decides who goes on.
2. Paper 2, 300 marks, entirely technical. This makes the merit list.
3. Document verification.

Four separate merit lists: JE (Civil), JE (Electrical and Mechanical), Scientific Assistant in IMD, and JE (Telecom). You compete only inside yours.

Posts are allotted on merit and the preferences you gave in the application. Once allotted, a post isn't changed, so think about your preferences.

Every post here is Group B at Level 6, so unlike CGL (Level 4 to Level 8) your rank decides the department and posting, not the pay.

That's basic pay under the 7th Pay Commission. Dearness, house rent and transport allowances are added and vary with the city.

Fee

Online only: BHIM UPI, net banking, or a Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or RuPay debit card. No challan.

How to apply

Create your One Time Registration (OTR) on ssc.gov.in with photo and signature, then apply from it. The same OTR works for every SSC exam. The fee deadline is a day after the form deadline, and the paid correction window afterwards is for fixing details only.

• A working mobile and email. Scribe OTPs and admission certificate alerts go there.
• Photo and signature in the specified size.
• Matriculation certificate for date of birth, and a category certificate if you claim reservation. A false claim gets you debarred.

Pick your Part carefully

It fixes your technical subject in both papers and your merit list. It can't be changed, and your qualification has to support it.

The notice lists the qualification and age limit for each organisation. They include:

• Central Public Works Department (CPWD)
• Military Engineer Services (MES)
• Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
• Central Water Commission and Farakka Barrage Project
• Directorate of Quality Assurance and other Ministry of Defence establishments
• National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)
• Department of Telecommunications, for JE (Telecom)
• India Meteorological Department, for Scientific Assistant

Qualification rules differ: MES and BRO among others take a diploma only with two years' relevant experience. Check the post table before assuming your diploma qualifies.

You choose centres in the application from the notice's list. They're grouped under SSC's nine regional offices, and all your choices must be in one region.

That regional office handles your queries and document verification. Allotment follows your preference where there's room, and the exam city is announced before the admission certificate.

Junior Engineer Examination, 2026, from the notice published on 2 September 2026:

SSC's toll free helpline for the form is 180 030 930 63. Exact exam dates and any changes are posted on ssc.gov.in.

SSC calls it the Admission Certificate. It's issued by the regional office whose centres you chose, from that office's website. The exam city is published a few days earlier.

• The printed Admission Certificate.
• The original photo ID whose number you gave in the application. No other document, no photocopy.
• Two passport photos, if the certificate asks for them.

With a scribe, enter the scribe's OTR number on the portal once the certificate is live and key in the OTP sent to the scribe's phone. It can't be done at the centre.

Multi-shift papers are normalised under SSC's procedure of 2 June 2025, and the normalised score decides shortlisting and merit.

A tentative answer key goes up on the answer key page after each paper. Challenges cost ₹50 per question (CGL charges ₹100), non-refundable, online only. The final key can differ.

Ties on Paper-II marks are broken by marks in Part (i) of Paper-I, then Part (ii), then age (older first), then alphabetical order, within your own merit list.

Results are posted on ssc.gov.in. Selection still depends on document verification.

The minimum qualifying marks for both papers are fixed in the notice:

The cut-off, the score of the last candidate selected, is far higher and changes every year. SSC publishes it in the write-up with each final result on ssc.gov.in: see the JE 2024 final result write-up (February 2025). In 2024 both papers counted towards merit, so those figures aren't directly comparable with the 2026 scheme.

There are four cut-offs per category, one per merit list: JE (Civil), JE (Electrical and Mechanical), Scientific Assistant in IMD and JE (Telecom). A figure that doesn't name its list is no use.

Put your time into Paper 2

Paper 1 is a gate. Clear it comfortably and stop there: all the merit marks are in Paper 2.

Go deep in your Part

Your chosen Part is tested twice, 100 marks in Paper 1 and 300 in Paper 2: 400 marks on one discipline. Reasoning and General Awareness carry 100 between them, and only in the qualifying paper.

Practise with the on-screen tables

Reading IS 456:2000 and the Steam Table off the screen is slower than using your own book. Open them in SSC's mock test so the exam isn't your first time.

Change your guessing for Paper 2

A wrong answer costs a quarter of a right one in Paper 1, but a third in Paper 2. A guess between two options is about break-even there; a guess among four isn't.

Look at your own list's cut-off

Four merit lists means four cut-offs. Talk of "the SSC JE cut-off" usually means Civil.

No previous year papers are available from SSC as of now; it doesn't publish them.

After each paper, SSC posts the tentative answer key with your own response sheet on its answer key page for a short window. Download yours then and keep it for three years, as the notice advises. A mock test on the real interface, with the on-screen tables, is linked on ssc.gov.in before each exam.

Official website: ssc.gov.in

Apply: SSC website (One Time Registration and applications)

JE 2026 notice (PDF): Notice of Junior Engineer Examination, 2026

Answer keys and response sheets: SSC answer key page

JE 2024 final result write-up, with cut-offs (PDF): Final result write-up

Do Paper 1 marks count towards the final result?

No. Under the 2026 notice Paper-I is qualifying. It decides who sits Paper-II, and merit comes from Paper-II alone.

How much is deducted for a wrong answer?

0.25 in Paper 1, on 1-mark questions. One full mark in Paper 2, on 3-mark questions.

How many merit lists are there?

Four: JE (Civil), JE (Electrical and Mechanical), Scientific Assistant in IMD, and JE (Telecom).

Which subject do I sit?

One of seven Parts, chosen in the application, the same in both papers. Your qualification has to match it, and you can't change it later.

Can I apply with a diploma?

Yes for most departments, but MES, BRO and some others also want two years of relevant work experience. Degree holders generally need none.

Am I allowed a calculator or a code book?

No. IS 456:2000 and the Steam Table are provided on screen.

What is the age limit?

30 for most organisations and 32 for CPWD, as on 1 August 2026 for this cycle, with category relaxations and up to 15 years for PwBD.

Is there an interview?

No. Two written papers, then document verification.