SSC JE 2026: exam date, pattern, syllabus and how to apply
The SSC Junior Engineer Examination is how the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruits Junior Engineers (Civil, Electrical and Mechanical) for central government offices such as the CPWD, MES, Border Roads Organisation and Central Water Commission. The 2026 notice also covers Junior Engineer (Telecom) and Scientific Assistant posts in the India Meteorological Department. What most candidates want to know now: SSC's notice of 1 October 2026 proposes SSC JE 2026 Paper I from 2 to 6 November 2026 (checked 20 October 2026). That leaves about two weeks. This guide covers the dates, the application, the pattern, the syllabus and a plan for the days that are left.
SSC JE at a glance
| Conducting body | Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Government of India |
| What it is for | Junior Engineer posts (Group B, pay Level 6) in central government offices |
| Stages | Paper I (qualifying), then Paper II (merit) |
| Mode | Computer-based test at an exam centre |
| Paper I | 200 questions in 2 hours: reasoning, general awareness and your engineering branch |
| Paper II | 100 engineering questions in 2 hours, 300 marks |
| Marking | Paper I: +1, −0.25. Paper II: +3, −1 |
| Languages | Hindi and English |
| How often | Once a year, on SSC's calendar |
| Official website | ssc.gov.in |
SSC JE 2026 exam date
These are the dates from SSC's own notices, read on 20 October 2026:
| Event | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Online applications | 2 to 22 September 2026 | JE 2026 notice |
| Correction window | 28 to 30 September 2026 | JE 2026 notice |
| Paper I (CBE) | 2 to 6 November 2026 (proposed) | SSC notice of 1 October 2026 |
| Paper II (CBE) | December 2026 (tentative) | JE 2026 notice |
The application window has closed, and SSC said there would be no extension. The notice of 1 October 2026 calls the Paper I dates "proposed", so watch ssc.gov.in for changes. Your exam city and then your admission certificate appear in your login on the SSC website a few days before the paper. We keep the dates on our SSC JE exam-dates page.
How to apply for SSC JE
Applications for 2026 are closed. For the next cycle, or to understand what you did, the 2026 notice describes this process:
- Complete your One-Time Registration (OTR) on ssc.gov.in. An OTR made on the old ssc.nic.in site does not work; one made on ssc.gov.in stays valid for every later SSC exam.
- Choose Aadhaar-based authentication if you can. The notice says forms of candidates who do so are not rejected for photo or signature problems.
- Fill in the online form on the website or the mySSC app. The form takes a live photograph through your camera, so sit in good light against a plain background.
- Choose your stream (Civil, Electrical or Mechanical), your exam centres and your post preferences carefully.
- Pay the fee online: the 2026 notice sets it at ₹100, with women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates exempt (read in the notice on 20 October 2026).
Keep ready: your Class 10 certificate (for the date of birth), your engineering degree or diploma, any experience certificate your post needs, and your category certificate if you claim one.
Eligibility in short: posts need a degree or a diploma in the right branch; some accept a three-year diploma only with two years of experience. The age limit is up to 30 or up to 32 years depending on the post, reckoned on 1 August 2026, with the usual relaxations. The post-wise table is in the JE 2026 notice.
SSC JE exam pattern
Paper I (one clock for the whole paper; you can move between parts):
| Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 50 | 50 |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 |
| General Engineering: Civil and Structural, Electrical, or Mechanical | 100 | 100 |
| Total, 2 hours | 200 | 200 |
Each wrong answer loses 0.25. Under the 2026 notice Paper I is qualifying: you need at least 30% (UR), 25% (OBC, EWS) or 20% (other categories), and the normalised Paper I marks decide who is shortlisted for Paper II. Final merit comes from Paper II only: 100 questions on your branch in 2 hours, 3 marks each, 1 mark taken off for a wrong answer. An IS 456:2000 table, steam tables and a scientific calculator are given on screen.
SSC JE syllabus
The engineering questions are set at about diploma level.
- Civil and Structural: engineering mechanics, solid mechanics and structural analysis; building materials, construction management, estimating and costing; concrete and steel structures; surveying; soil mechanics; fluid mechanics, hydraulics, hydrology and irrigation; environmental and transportation engineering.
- Electrical: circuit laws and magnetic circuits, AC fundamentals, measurement, electrical machines, generation, transmission and distribution, estimation and costing, utilisation, and basic and power electronics.
- Mechanical: engineering mechanics and strength of materials, theory of machines and machine design, materials science, thermal engineering, fluid mechanics and hydraulic machinery, industrial engineering, and manufacturing and metrology.
- Reasoning: analogies, classification, series, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, syllogisms, arithmetical reasoning.
- General Awareness: history, culture, geography, polity, economy, everyday science and current events.
The full topic list is on our SSC JE syllabus page.
A plan for the two weeks before Paper I
With Paper I qualifying, the aim is to clear the cut-off safely, not to chase the last few marks.
- Days 1 to 3: take one full SSC JE mock test for your branch under real timing. Sort every mistake into "did not know", "knew but slipped" and "ran out of time".
- Days 4 to 9: spend most of each day on your engineering part (half the paper). Revise formula sheets topic by topic and do 25-question sets. Give 45 minutes a day to reasoning and 30 to general awareness.
- Days 10 to 12: a second full mock and a careful review, as in how to analyse a mock test. Fix the two weakest topics only.
- Last two days: light revision, check your admission certificate and centre, and sleep properly.
On the day, one clock covers all 200 questions. A sensible split is about 25 minutes on reasoning, 15 on general awareness and the rest on engineering, with a few minutes to check. At −0.25 a wrong answer, a guess between two options is worth taking; see when to guess under negative marking. Begin Paper II revision as soon as Paper I is over, since it is due in December.
Useful links
- SSC website: login, admit card and notices
- Junior Engineer Examination 2026 notice (PDF, ssc.gov.in)
- SSC notice of 1 October 2026 with the Paper I dates (PDF)
- Free SSC JE mock tests
- SSC JE syllabus
- SSC JE exam dates
- How to use mock tests
- Negative marking: when to guess
Frequently asked questions
When is the SSC JE 2026 exam?
SSC's notice of 1 October 2026 proposes Paper I from 2 to 6 November 2026. The JE 2026 notice gives December 2026 as the tentative month for Paper II. Check ssc.gov.in for any change.
Is there negative marking in SSC JE?
Yes. In Paper I a wrong answer loses 0.25 of the 1 mark a question carries. In Paper II a wrong answer loses 1 of the 3 marks. Unanswered questions score nothing.
Does Paper I count in the final merit of SSC JE 2026?
No. Under the 2026 notice Paper I is qualifying and final merit is drawn from Paper II alone. You still need the minimum marks and a high enough normalised score to be shortlisted.
What is the SSC JE pass mark?
The minimum qualifying marks are 30% for UR, 25% for OBC and EWS, and 20% for other categories. The cut-off for shortlisting to Paper II is set by SSC after the exam, category-wise, on normalised marks.
Can a diploma holder apply for SSC JE?
Yes, for many posts. Some posts accept a diploma only with two years of relevant experience, so check the post-wise table in the notice.
Is the SSC JE exam in Hindi?
Yes. Both papers are set in Hindi and English.