SSC JE
Recruits Junior Engineers (Group B, non-gazetted) in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical disciplines for central departments such as CPWD, MES (Military Engineer Services), Central Water Commission, Border Roads Organisation and Farakka Barrage Project.
Eligibility
A degree or diploma in Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering from a recognised institution is required; the exact qualification (degree vs diploma, and required experience) varies by department — CPWD posts, for instance, accept diploma holders. The upper age limit is up to 32 years for CPWD and 30 years for most other organisations, with standard relaxations. There is no attempt limit within the age window.
Age limit: Up to 30 or 32 years depending on post/department; standard category relaxations apply
Exam pattern
Two computer-based papers. Paper I (2 hours, 200 marks): General Intelligence and Reasoning (50), General Awareness (50) and discipline-specific engineering (100 questions), with 0.25 mark deducted per wrong answer. Paper II (2 hours, 300 marks) is entirely discipline-specific with 1 mark negative per wrong answer. Both papers count towards final merit, followed by document verification. Candidates choose Civil, Mechanical or Electrical streams; Mechanical and Electrical share one combined paper structure in some departments' option lists.
Syllabus at a glance
Civil: building materials, surveying, soil mechanics, hydraulics, RCC and steel design, estimating and costing, environmental engineering. Electrical: circuits, machines, measurement, power systems, utilisation of energy, basic electronics. Mechanical: thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, theory of machines, strength of materials, production engineering. Non-technical portions of Paper I cover reasoning and general awareness including current affairs.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SSC JE 2026 notification (delayed from the 31 Mar calendar date) | Aug–Sep 2026 | expected |
| Application window (about 30 days from notification) | Aug–Oct 2026 | expected |
| Paper I computer-based exam | Oct–Dec 2026 | expected |
| Paper II computer-based exam | 2027 | tba |
| Final result and document verification | 2027 | tba |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- SSC JE Civil Engineering Previous Years' Solved Papers — Made Easy Publications
- Civil Engineering: Conventional & Objective Type — R.S. Khurmi & J.K. Gupta
- Objective Electrical Technology — V.K. Mehta & Rohit Mehta
- Mechanical Engineering: Conventional & Objective Type — R.S. Khurmi & J.K. Gupta
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning — R.S. Aggarwal
- Lucent's General Knowledge — Dr Binay Karna et al.
How toppers play it
- Half of Paper I is non-technical — reasoning and GA are the cheapest 100 marks on offer, so do not prepare engineering subjects alone.
- Negative marking jumps from 0.25 in Paper I to 1 mark in Paper II; be far more selective with attempts in Paper II.
- Made Easy and previous-year SSC JE papers repeat concepts heavily — solve at least 8–10 years of PYQs per discipline.
- Revise IS-code basics (Civil) or standard machine/circuit formulas (ME/EE) as one-mark factual questions dominate over long numericals.
- Check the department-wise eligibility table in the notification carefully — degree/diploma requirements and age limits differ by post, and wrong preferences cost selections at DV stage.
- The 2026 notification is delayed beyond its March calendar slot — keep preparing and watch ssc.gov.in, since the application window opens the day the notification drops.