SSC JE 2026: Exam Date, Syllabus, Eligibility & Free Mocks

SSC JE is a national-level recruitment examination conducted by the Staff Selection Commission to fill Junior Engineer posts in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Quantity Surveying & Contracts disciplines across central government departments and organisations. Recruiting bodies include the Central Public Works Department, Military Engineer Services, Border Roads Organisation, Central Water Commission, Farakka Barrage Project and the Central Water and Power Research Station.

A Junior Engineer supervises construction, maintenance and quality control work in the field — preparing estimates, checking measurements, supervising contractors and certifying work. The post requires a diploma or degree in the relevant engineering discipline and is placed in Pay Level 6, one of the highest levels open to a diploma qualification.

SSC JE is popular with engineering diploma holders because it offers Pay Level 6 with a basic pay of ₹35,400 — the same level as a graduate-entry Station Master or Section Officer — on the strength of a three-year diploma.

Very few central government routes reward a polytechnic diploma at Level 6. An SSC Junior Engineer draws the same pay level as candidates who required a full degree elsewhere, which is why the examination attracts intense competition among diploma holders and degree holders alike.

The work is genuinely technical and field-based rather than clerical, with real supervisory responsibility from the outset, and offers departmental progression to Assistant Engineer and Executive Engineer over a career.

• Pay Level 6 available on a three-year diploma
• Field-based technical work with supervisory responsibility
• Departmental promotion to Assistant Engineer and beyond
• Postings across CPWD, MES, BRO, CWC and other central bodies

Expected schedule for the 2026 cycle, based on the Commission’s annual calendar.ssc.gov.in — Examination Calendar

The most recent SSC JE cycle carried approximately Notified per cycle vacancies.

SSC JE vacancies are published department-wise and discipline-wise, and the split between Civil, Mechanical and Electrical varies considerably each cycle depending on which organisations report requirements. Civil typically carries the largest share. Confirm the current breakdown on ssc.gov.in.

Vacancies are notified department-wise and discipline-wise in the official notification.ssc.gov.in — Official Notification

To apply for SSC JE 2026 a candidate must hold a diploma or degree in the relevant engineering discipline, with the exact requirement and age limit varying by department — most posts require a diploma with an upper age limit of 30 or 32 years.

Educational Qualification

A diploma or degree in Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering from a recognised institution, depending on the post and department applied for. Some posts specify a degree while others accept a diploma with or without prescribed experience.

• Requirements are department-specific — CPWD, MES, BRO, CWC and others each specify their own qualification and, in some cases, experience requirements.
• Quantity Surveying & Contracts posts in the Military Engineer Services carry their own distinct qualification requirements.
• Read the post-wise eligibility table in the notification carefully before applying — the variation between departments is significant.

Age Limit

The age limit for SSC JE is 18 to 32 years. The upper age limit is 30 years for some posts and 32 years for others, depending on the department. Check the post-wise table in the notification for the limit applicable to your chosen post.

Nationality

• A citizen of India, or
• A subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or
• A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
• A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries, Vietnam or Ethiopia with the intention of permanently settling in India.

SSC JE is conducted in two computer-based papers — Paper I carries 200 marks in 2 hours with 0.25 negative marking, and Paper II carries 300 marks in 2 hours on the candidate’s engineering discipline alone with 1 mark deducted per wrong answer.

1. 1Online application on the SSC portal, selecting discipline and post preferences.
2. 2Paper I — objective computer-based examination used to shortlist for Paper II.
3. 3Paper II — technical computer-based examination in the chosen discipline.
4. 4Document verification against the qualification, discipline and category claimed.
5. 5Final merit list based on the combined Paper I and Paper II scores.
6. 6Allocation of department and posting.

The SSC JE syllabus combines General Intelligence and Reasoning and General Awareness in Paper I with discipline-specific General Engineering, which appears in both papers and accounts for 400 of the 500 total marks.

SSC Junior Engineer is a Pay Level 6 post under the Seventh Pay Commission with a basic pay of ₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400, giving an approximate in-hand salary of ₹44,000 to ₹50,000 per month depending on city classification and department.

Allowances and Benefits

• Dearness Allowance (DA) — revised twice a year
• House Rent Allowance (HRA) — 27%, 18% or 9% of basic pay by city class
• Transport Allowance (TA) — city-dependent, with DA on TA
• Departmental allowances for field postings, where applicable
• National Pension System (NPS) with government contribution
• Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) medical coverage

The decisive SSC JE strategy is to build discipline-specific engineering depth, because General Engineering accounts for 400 of the 500 total marks across both papers — general studies contributes only 100.