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JEE Main Joint Entrance Examination (Main) The national gateway to B.E./B.Tech seats in the NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded technical institutes, and the sole qualifier for JEE Advanced (IIT admission). Scores are also accepted by many state and private universities. Apps open: Late Oct – Nov 2026NTA JEE Advanced Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) The sole entrance for B.Tech admission to the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs); scores are also used by IISc, IISERs, RGIPT and a few other elite institutes. Apps open: Late Apr – early May 2027JAB BITSAT Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test Admission to first-degree programmes (B.E., B.Pharm, M.Sc.) at BITS Pilani's three Indian campuses — Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad — among India's most sought-after private engineering institutions. Apps open: Mid-Dec 2026 (2026 cycle opened 15 Dec 2025)BITS COMEDK UGET Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka Undergraduate Entrance Test Admission to B.E./B.Tech programmes in around 190 private engineering colleges in Karnataka, including RV College of Engineering, BMS College of Engineering and MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology. Open to candidates from every state. Apps open: Feb – mid-Apr 2027 VITEEE Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination Admission to B.Tech programmes across the four VIT campuses — Vellore, Chennai, VIT-AP (Amaravati) and VIT Bhopal — one of India's largest private engineering university systems. Apps open: Nov 2026VIT State Engineering CETs State Common Entrance Tests — MHT-CET, WBJEE, KCET, AP EAPCET & TG EAPCET Each large state runs its own Common Entrance Test (CET) for B.E./B.Tech admission to government and private colleges in that state — Maharashtra (MHT-CET), West Bengal (WBJEE), Karnataka (KCET), Andhra Pradesh (AP EAPCET) and Telangana (TG EAPCET). Together they fill several lakh engineering seats, mostly with a domicile quota plus some all-India seats. Apps open: Dec 2026 – Feb 2027WBJEEB

NEET-UG National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) The single national gateway to MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS, BSMS, BVSc & AH and B.Sc (Hons) Nursing seats in India, including AIIMS and JIPMER. All medical admissions — government and private — flow through the NEET-UG merit list. Result: By 20 Jul 2026NTA NEET-PG National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) The single entrance for MD, MS and PG Diploma seats in all medical colleges other than the Institutes of National Importance, and the basis for DNB/NBEMS-diploma admissions. Rank here decides both All-India Quota and state-quota postgraduate counselling. Apps open: 1–21 Jul 2026NBEMS INI-CET Institutes of National Importance Combined Entrance Test The combined entrance for postgraduate seats (MD, MS, MDS, 6-year DM/MCh) at the Institutes of National Importance — all AIIMS campuses, JIPMER Puducherry, PGIMER Chandigarh, NIMHANS Bengaluru and SCTIMST Trivandrum. These seats sit outside NEET-PG counselling entirely. Apps open: Sep–Oct 2026AIIMS FMGE Foreign Medical Graduate Examination The mandatory screening test for Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) with a medical degree from a foreign university, needed to obtain provisional or permanent registration with the National Medical Commission (NMC) and practise medicine in India. Result: From 16 Jul 2026NBEMS AIAPGET All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test The single national entrance for MD, MS and PG Diploma admissions in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani and Siddha across all AYUSH colleges and universities in India, covering both All-India and state quota seats. Apps open: Jul–Aug 2026 (notification awaited)NTA

CAT Common Admission Test The gateway to MBA/PGP admission at the 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 1,000 other B-schools, including FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon and SPJIMR Mumbai. Notification: 26 Jul 2026 (last Sunday of July, expected) XAT Xavier Aptitude Test Admission to XLRI Jamshedpur's flagship Business Management and Human Resource Management programmes, plus 160+ other B-schools including XIM Bhubaneswar, IMT Ghaziabad, TAPMI and GIM Goa. Apps open: ~10 Jul 2026 (expected) CMAT Common Management Admission Test National-level test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for MBA/PGDM admission in 1,000+ AICTE-approved institutes, including JBIMS Mumbai, SIMSREE Mumbai, K J Somaiya and GIM Goa. Apps open: Mid-Oct 2026 (expected; CMAT 2026 registration opened 17 Oct 2025)NTA NMAT NMAT by GMAC Admission to NMIMS (Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore, Navi Mumbai) MBA programmes and 50+ other B-schools in India and abroad. Notification: Jul 2026 (expected)GMAC SNAP Symbiosis National Aptitude Test The single entrance test for MBA programmes at the institutes of Symbiosis International University — including SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, SIIB and SIBM Bengaluru. Notification: Late Jul / early Aug 2026 (expected) MAT Management Aptitude Test AIMA's four-times-a-year national test accepted by 600+ B-schools — the widest and most flexible entry route to mid-tier MBA/PGDM programmes. Apps close: 7 Sep 2026AIMA

CLAT Common Law Admission Test Gateway to the five-year integrated BA LLB (Hons) programmes at 24 National Law Universities (NLUs), and to LLM programmes via its postgraduate paper. Many private law schools also admit on CLAT scores. Notification: Mid-July 2026NLUs AILET All India Law Entrance Test The sole entrance for the BA LLB (Hons) programme at National Law University (NLU) Delhi — the one top NLU that stays outside the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) system. Also used for its LLM and PhD intakes. Notification: Jul–Aug 2026NLU CUET-UG Common University Entrance Test (Undergraduate) Single-window entrance for undergraduate admission to over 280 universities — including Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University — plus many state, deemed and private universities. Notification: Jan–Feb 2027NTA NATA National Aptitude Test in Architecture The qualifying aptitude test for the five-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) at Council of Architecture-approved colleges across India (IITs and NITs instead use JEE Main Paper 2). Admission is based on NATA score plus Class 12 marks. Exam: 7–8 Aug 2026CoA NID DAT National Institute of Design — Design Aptitude Test Entrance for the four-year Bachelor of Design (B.Des) at the five National Institute of Design campuses — Ahmedabad, Vijayawada, Kurukshetra, Bhopal and Jorhat. A parallel DAT admits to NID's Master of Design programmes. Apps open: Sep–Oct 2026NID NIFT Entrance National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Examination (NIFTEE) Admission to Bachelor of Design (B.Des) in Fashion, Textile, Knitwear, Leather and Accessory Design plus Fashion Communication, and Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.FTech), across 20 NIFT campuses; also used for NIFT's postgraduate programmes. Apps open: Dec 2026 – Jan 2027NTA UCEED Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design Admission to the four-year Bachelor of Design (B.Des) at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee, IIT Indore and IIITDM Jabalpur; many other public and private design schools also admit on UCEED scores. Notification: 1 Oct 2026 NCHM JEE National Council for Hotel Management Joint Entrance Examination Admission to the three-year B.Sc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration — jointly awarded with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) — at central, state and private Institutes of Hotel Management (IHMs) across India. Apps open: Dec 2026 – Mar 2027NTA

GATE Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering Gateway to MTech/MS/PhD admission at the IITs, NITs, IIITs and IISc, and to recruitment in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) such as ONGC, IOCL and NTPC. Scores are also accepted by some universities abroad, including NUS and NTU in Singapore. Apps open: July–Aug 2026 IIT JAM Joint Admission Test for Masters Admission to MSc, MSc–PhD dual-degree and other postgraduate science programmes at the IITs and IISc Bangalore; the same score is used by NITs and other centrally funded institutes through CCMN counselling. JAM 2027 organising in: Sept 2026 CUET-PG Common University Entrance Test (Postgraduate) Single-window entrance for postgraduate admission to central universities — Delhi University, JNU, BHU, AMU and others — along with many state, deemed and private universities. Apps open: Dec 2026NTA GPAT Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test National entrance for MPharm admission across India. Qualifying also earns the AICTE monthly stipend during MPharm and is a prerequisite for NIPER JEE, the gateway to the National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research. Apps open: Dec 2026 – Jan 2027NBEMS CEED Common Entrance Exam for Design Admission to MDes programmes at IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee and IIITDM Jabalpur, and to design PhD programmes; several other design schools also accept CEED scores. Apps open: 1 Oct 2026

UPSC CSE Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) Recruits officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and around 20 other Group A and Group B central services. It is India's most prestigious government recruitment examination. Exam: 21 Aug 2026 (nine papers over five days)UPSC UPSC CAPF (AC) Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) Assistant Commandant Examination Recruits Assistant Commandants (entry-level Group A officers) for the Central Armed Police Forces — the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Exam: 19 Jul 2026 (Sunday)UPSC UPSC EPFO Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Recruitment — Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer (EO/AO) and Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC) Recruits Enforcement Officers/Accounts Officers (Group B) and Assistant Provident Fund Commissioners (Group A) in the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation under the Ministry of Labour and Employment — well-paid central government posts dealing with provident fund compliance and social security. Notification: Aug–Sep 2026 (EO/AO recruitment for 2026 stands withdrawn)UPSC State PSC Exams State Public Service Commission (PSC) Examinations — UPPSC, BPSC, MPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC and other state commissions (combined overview) Each state's Public Service Commission runs its own civil-services-style examination to recruit Deputy Collectors/Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Deputy Superintendents of Police, block development officers, tehsildars and a range of other state gazetted posts — the state-level counterpart of the UPSC Civil Services Examination. MPSC Group C Combined : 12 Jul 2026UPPSC

SSC CGL Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level Examination Recruits graduates to Group B and Group C posts in central ministries and departments — Assistant Section Officer, Inspector (Income Tax, Central Excise, CGST), Sub-Inspector in CBI/NIA, Auditor, Accountant, Junior Statistical Officer and more. It is the flagship route to a central-government desk job after graduation. Exam: Aug–Sep 2026 (exact dates awaited)SSC SSC CHSL Staff Selection Commission Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Examination Recruits Class 12 pass candidates as Lower Division Clerk/Junior Secretariat Assistant (LDC/JSA) and Data Entry Operator (DEO) in central ministries, departments and offices — the main clerical-grade entry into the central government straight after school. Notification: Jul 2026 (delayed from the calendar's April slot)SSC SSC MTS Staff Selection Commission Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC & CBN) Examination Recruits Class 10 pass candidates to Group C Multi-Tasking Staff posts (general helper/support roles) across central ministries and offices, and to Havaldar posts in the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) and Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN). Apps open: 30 Jun – 31 Jul 2026SSC SSC JE Staff Selection Commission Junior Engineer (Civil, Mechanical & Electrical) Examination Recruits Junior Engineers (Group B, non-gazetted) in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical disciplines for central organisations such as CPWD, Central Water Commission, Military Engineer Services (MES), Border Roads Organisation and the Farakka Barrage Project. Notification: Jul 2026 (delayed from the calendar's 30 April slot)SSC SSC GD Constable Staff Selection Commission Constable (General Duty) in CAPFs, SSF and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles Examination Recruits Constables (General Duty) into the Central Armed Police Forces — BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB — plus the Secretariat Security Force, Narcotics Control Bureau and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles. It is the largest uniformed-services recruitment in the country by applications. Notification: 30 Sep 2026 (per official SSC calendar 2026-27; calendar dates have slipped this year)SSC SSC Stenographer Staff Selection Commission Stenographer Grade 'C' & 'D' Examination Recruits Stenographer Grade C (Group B, non-gazetted) and Grade D (Group C) to take dictation and prepare transcripts for officers across central ministries and departments — a shorthand-skill-based route into the central secretariat after Class 12. Exam: Jul–Aug 2026 (exact dates awaited)SSC

IBPS PO Institute of Banking Personnel Selection — Probationary Officer / Management Trainee (CRP PO/MT-XVI) Recruits Probationary Officers (PO) / Management Trainees for 11 public-sector banks (Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank and others — State Bank of India recruits separately). The entry point to an officer-grade career in public-sector banking. Apps open: 1–21 Jul 2026IBPS IBPS Clerk IBPS Common Recruitment Process for Customer Service Associates (CRP CSA-XVI, formerly Clerk) Recruits Customer Service Associates (the redesignated clerical cadre) for public-sector banks across India — the largest-volume entry route into bank branch roles. Notification: Aug 2026IBPS SBI PO State Bank of India — Probationary Officer (CRPD/PO/2026-27/09) Direct recruitment of Probationary Officers (PO) into the State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest bank — widely regarded as the most prestigious entry-level officer post in Indian commercial banking. Apps open: 18 Jun – 8 Jul 2026 SBI Clerk State Bank of India — Junior Associate (Customer Support & Sales) Recruits Junior Associates (clerical cadre) for State Bank of India branches across the country — one of India's largest single recruitments, and a common stepping stone to officer grades via internal promotion. Notification: Aug 2026 (around 5 Aug, tentative — the 2025 notification came on 5 Aug) IBPS RRB (PO + Clerk) IBPS Common Recruitment Process for Regional Rural Banks (CRP RRBs-XV) — Officer Scale-I & Office Assistant A combined recruitment for the 28 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) — reduced from 43 under the 'One State, One RRB' amalgamation effective 1 May 2025: Officer Scale-I (the RRB equivalent of a Probationary Officer) and Office Assistant (Multipurpose) (the clerical role), plus senior Scale-II/III officer posts. Postings are within the chosen state's rural and semi-urban branches. Notification: Jul–Aug 2026IBPS RBI Grade B Reserve Bank of India — Officers in Grade B (Direct Recruitment): General, DEPR & DSIM Direct recruitment of Grade B officers into the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the central bank — the most sought-after regulatory job in the banking space, with streams for General, the Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR) and the Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM). Phase II (Mains), 2026: 25–26 Jul 2026 (25 Jul General; 26 Jul DEPR/DSIM)RBI RBI Assistant Reserve Bank of India — Assistant Recruits Assistants (clerical cadre) for the Reserve Bank of India's regional offices — central-bank pay and job security at a clerical entry level, making it far more competitive per seat than commercial-bank clerk exams. Result: Jul 2026RBI NABARD Grade A National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development — Assistant Manager (Grade A), RDBS and specialist streams Recruits Assistant Managers into the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the apex development bank for agriculture and rural India — a regulatory-grade officer role focused on rural credit and development finance. Notification: Jul–Aug 2026NABARD LIC AAO Life Insurance Corporation of India — Assistant Administrative Officer (Generalist & Specialist) Recruits Assistant Administrative Officers (AAO) — the direct officer-entry cadre of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the country's largest insurer — across Generalist and Specialist streams (Chartered Accountant, Legal, Actuarial, IT and others). Notification: Aug 2026 (tentative — the 2025 notification came on 16 Aug)LIC

RRB NTPC Railway Recruitment Board — Non-Technical Popular Categories Examination Recruits for Indian Railways' non-technical popular posts — station master, goods train manager (guard), senior and junior clerk-cum-typist, accounts clerk, traffic assistant and commercial-cum-ticket clerk — at pay Levels 2 to 6 of the 7th Central Pay Commission. Exam: 10 July 2026RRBs RRB Group D (Level 1) Railway Recruitment Board — Level 1 (Group D) Examination Recruits for Indian Railways' Level 1 posts — track maintainer grade IV, pointsman, and assistant/helper roles across the engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecom departments. It is the entry gate to a permanent central-government railway job. Exam: 24 July 2026 (10 days before each exam date)RRBs RRB ALP Railway Recruitment Board — Assistant Loco Pilot Examination Recruits Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs) — the co-drivers of Indian Railways' locomotives and the first rung of the loco-running cadre, with promotion to senior ALP and loco pilot. Pay Level 2 with substantial running allowances. Exam: Oct–Nov 2026 (official date yet to be announced)RRBs RRB JE Railway Recruitment Board — Junior Engineer Examination Recruits Junior Engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics, computer and allied branches), Depot Material Superintendents (DMS) and Chemical & Metallurgical Assistants (CMA) — Level 6 technical supervisory posts in Indian Railways. Exam: Jul–Aug 2026RRBs

NDA National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination Entry after Class 12 to the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, and the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala — leading to a Jawaharlal Nehru University degree plus a permanent commission as an officer in the Army, Navy or Air Force. Admit card: Late Aug 2026 (expected)UPSC CDS Combined Defence Services Examination Graduate entry to officer training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA) for permanent commission, and the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, for short service commission. Admit card: Late Aug 2026 (expected)UPSC AFCAT Air Force Common Admission Test Direct entry for men and women into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as commissioned officers in the Flying branch and Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches, via short service or permanent commission. Admit card: Late Jul 2026 (expected) Agniveer (Army / Navy / Air Force) Agnipath Scheme Recruitment — Agniveer (Army), Agniveer (Navy SSR/MR) and Agniveervayu (Air Force) Four-year enrolment in the other ranks of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force under the Agnipath scheme; up to 25% of each batch is retained in the regular cadre after four years, and the rest exit with a Seva Nidhi package of about ₹11.7 lakh. Apps open: 6–26 Jul 2026 (open now)CASB Indian Coast Guard Navik Indian Coast Guard Navik (General Duty / Domestic Branch) — Coast Guard Enrolled Personnel Test (CGEPT) Sailor-rank (enrolled personnel) entry into the Indian Coast Guard as Navik (General Duty) or Navik (Domestic Branch), with basic pay of ₹21,700 (Pay Level 3) plus allowances; the same CGEPT notification also covers the diploma-based Yantrik (technical) post. Notification: Jul–Aug 2026 (expected; the previous combined notification came in Jun 2025)

CTET Central Teacher Eligibility Test Mandatory eligibility certificate for teaching Classes I–VIII in central government schools (Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, schools under Union Territory administrations) and widely accepted by state and private schools. Exam: 6 Sept 2026 (5 Sept as additional day if candidate numbers require)CBSE UGC-NET University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test Determines eligibility for Assistant Professor posts in Indian universities and colleges, award of the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF, ₹37,000/month), and since 2024 also serves as a qualifying score for PhD admissions. June 2026 provisional : 15–20 July 2026NTA CSIR-NET Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – UGC National Eligibility Test (CSIR-UGC NET) The science-stream counterpart of UGC-NET: qualifies candidates for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF, ₹37,000/month) and for Assistant Professor/lectureship eligibility in the sciences, and is accepted for PhD admission in CSIR laboratories, IITs and universities. Exam: 17–18 July 2026NTA KVS/NVS Recruitment Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan & Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti Combined Teacher Recruitment Direct recruitment (not an eligibility test) to permanent central government teaching posts — Primary Teacher (PRT), Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) and Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) — in Kendriya Vidyalayas and residential Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across India. Result: Jul 2026CBSE State TETs State Teacher Eligibility Tests (UPTET, REET, MAHA TET, Bihar STET, TNTET, HTET and others) State-level counterparts of CTET: qualifying them makes you eligible for government school teaching posts in that state for Classes I–VIII (and Classes IX–XII via State Eligibility Tests such as Bihar STET), ahead of separate state recruitment exams. Exam: Second half of Jul 2026UPESSC

GRE Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test Admission to Master of Science (MS), PhD and many Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes abroad, chiefly in the USA, Canada and Europe. Scores are valid for five years. Peak-season booking: Book Aug–Nov 2026 slots 4–6 weeks ahead (Fall 2027 application rush)ETS GMAT Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Admission to MBA and business Master's programmes at over 7,700 programmes worldwide, including Indian School of Business (ISB) and the one-year MBAs at the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Scores are valid for five years. Peak-season booking: Book Sep–Dec 2026 slots early for Round 1/Round 2 MBA deadlinesGMAC IELTS International English Language Testing System (IELTS) English-proficiency proof for study abroad (IELTS Academic) and for migration and work visas to the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (IELTS General Training and UKVI variants). Accepted by 12,500+ organisations in 140+ countries. IELTS on Computer: Multiple slots daily, year-round through 2026 TOEFL iBT Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) English-proficiency proof for university admission, accepted by 13,000+ institutions in 160+ countries — the traditional preference for US universities. Scores are valid for two years. Apps open: 90-minute adaptive test with 1–6 band scale (in effect since 21 Jan 2026), dual-reported with 0–120 through the transitionETS SAT Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) — now delivered as the Digital SAT Undergraduate (Bachelor's) admission to universities in the USA and elsewhere; in India it is also accepted by many private universities for direct admission and scholarships. Some US universities have reinstated mandatory testing, so a strong SAT again matters. Apps close: 7 Aug 2026College Board Duolingo English Test Duolingo English Test (DET) A low-cost, at-home English-proficiency test accepted by 5,500+ programmes worldwide, including most US universities and growing numbers in Canada and the UK — a budget alternative to IELTS/TOEFL where accepted. Scores are valid for two years. Exam: Anytime, 24/7 online — results certified within about 2 daysDuolingo, Inc.