Postal Assistant Exam 2026 is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to recruit candidates for Postal Assistant and Sorting Assistant (PA/SA) posts in the Department of Posts. The official notification will be released by SSC on its official website. The eligibility criteria include Indian nationality, age limit of 18 to 27 years, and Class 12th pass. The selection process consists of Computer-Based Test (CBT) followed by a Data Entry Skill Test (DEST).
Postal Assistant or Sorting Assistant is a central government job, and it stands for a clerical post in a post office. SSC conducts the exam for the Postal Assistant post. The recruitment process consists of three-level exams wherein the first exam is competitive, and the following two are qualifying exams. Candidates who wish to work at the post of postal assistant must qualify all three exams.
Given below in the table are the important highlights of Postal Assistant Examination 2026:
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of the Exam | Postal Assistant / Sorting Assistant Exam |
| Conducting Body | Staff Selection Commission |
| Exam Level | State |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| Exam Levels |
|
| Exam Duration |
|
| Language | Hindi, English, and other local languages |
| Official Website | ssc.gov.in |
Mentioned below are some of the important dates for Postal Assistant Examination 2026:
| Events | Details |
|---|---|
| Postal Assistant Notification 2026 Release Date | To be announced |
| Postal Assistant Application 2026 Start Date | To be announced |
| Postal Assistant Application 2026 End Date | To be announced |
| Postal Assistant Admit Card 2026 | To be announced |
| Postal Assistant 2026 CBT 1 Date | To be announced |
| Postal Assistant 2026 CBT 2 Date | To be announced |
| Postal Assistant Answer Key 2026 | To be announced |
| Postal Assistant Result 2026 | To be announced |
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will soon release Postal Assistant Recruitment 2026 Notification on its official website. It will include details about eligibility, application process, syllabus, exam pattern, vacancies, and other information.
Candidates aspiring to apply for the job of Postal Assistant need to fulfil the eligibility criteria mandated by the Staff Selection Commission. The eligibility criteria for the same are given below:
The minimum education qualification to apply for the job of a postal assistant is that candidates should have passed their Senior Secondary or 12th class exams. However, candidates with a higher level of education can also apply for the vacancy.
Candidates aspiring to become Postal Assistant must fulfil the age limit criteria. While the minimum age for the aspirants is 18 years. The maximum age varies according to the category they belong to:
| Category | Age Limit |
|---|---|
| General | 18-27 years |
| OBC | 18- 30 years |
| SC/ST | 18- 32 years |
Nationality is another crucial criterion that every candidate must fulfil. According to the notification, the following candidates are eligible to apply for Postal Assistant Exam 2026:
All candidates aspiring for Postal Assistant must fill out and submit the application online on the official website. Candidates can follow the steps given below to fill out the application form for Postal Assistant Examination:
Candidates should first register themselves on the official website to fill out the application using the given steps:
Step 1: Visit the official website: https://ssc.gov.in/
Step 2: Click on the “Register Now” link provided in the “Login” section.
Step 3: Fill in the necessary details like name, address, phone number, educational qualifications and other information.
Step 4: Recheck all the information and modify it in case of any mistakes
Step 5: Click on “Submit” and note down the system generated id/number and password for future reference.
After registration, candidates need to fill out Postal Assistant Application Form in the next step. They can fill out the form by following the given steps:
Step 1: Login using your “User Id/Registration Number” and “Password” on the official website: https://ssc.gov.in/
Step 2: Go to the latest notifications sections and click on the “Apply” link in “Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examinations 2021”
Step 3: Fill in all the necessary details - exam centre preference, medium of typing test etc.
Step 4: Now, upload the scanned images of your passport size photograph and signature
Step 5: Recheck all the information and make modifications
Step 6: After verification, click on “Submit”
Finally, to complete the application process, candidates need to pay the application fee. The application fee for different categories is mentioned in the table given below:
| Category | Application Fee for Postal Assistant Examination |
|---|---|
| General | Rs. 100 |
| Women/ SC/ST/PwD/Ex-serviceman | Nil |
Candidates can make the payment for the application fee through any mode of payment: credit card/ debit card/ UPI/ net banking, etc.
Postal Assistant Admit Card is an important document that carries details like exam date, venue, timings etc. It is vital to carry this card to the venue since no one will be allowed to give their exam without this.
The official notification to download the admit card has not been released by the Staff Selection Commission yet. However, the candidates can expect the notification to download the admit card tentatively in the first week of April 2026.
Candidates can follow the given steps to download Postal Assistant admit card 2026:
Step 1: Visit the official website: https://ssc.gov.in/
Step 2: Click on the link displaying – download admit card
Step 3: Enter all the necessary details like user id, password etc.
Step 4: Click on “Submit” and then “Download” the admit card
Step 5: Lastly, take a printout of the Admit Card for future use
Candidates can find the below-mentioned details on Postal Assistant Admit Card:
The vacancy details for Postal assistant will be out with the 2026 notification. The number of vacancies for Postal Assistant exam for previous year (2023) is given below in the table:
| Post | No. of Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Postal Assistant and Sorting Assistant in offices other than Foreign Post Organisation | 120291 |
| Postal Assistant and Sorting Assistant in the Foreign Post Organisations in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai | 457 |
| Postal Assistants (Savings Bank Control and Internal Check Organisation) | 3863 |
| Postal Assistant (Circle and Regional Offices) | 4464 |
Postal Assistant Examination consists of a three-tier exam. Aspiring Candidates should have the proper knowledge of the exam pattern to prepare efficiently. Postal Assistant Exam Pattern is given below in the table:
| Paper | Tier I | Tier II | Tier III |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode of Exam | Computer-Based | Pen and Paper | Computer-Based |
| Number of Sections | 4 | - | - |
| Name of Sections |
|
- | - |
| Questions in Each Section | 25 | - | - |
| Duration of the Examination | 60 minutes | 60 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Maximum Number of questions | 100 | 4-5 | 1 |
| Type of Questions | MCQ | Descriptive | Typing Test |
| Maximum number of marks | 200 marks | 100 marks | - |
| Marking Scheme |
|
- | - |
| Language | English and Hindi | Hindi and English | Hindi and English |
It is important for every candidate to know the correct syllabus of the exam, as it helps them move towards the goal. Thus, given below is the syllabus for Postal Assistant Examination 2026 Tier I to help candidates prepare efficiently.
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| Basic Content (50 marks) |
|
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| Verbal and Non-Verbal Questions (50 marks) |
|
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| Basic Quantitative Questions |
|
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| General Awareness (50 marks) |
|
All the candidates who qualify for the Tier I exam will be shortlisted for the Tier II exam of Postal Assistant Recruitment Process 2026. It will be a DEST.
It is important for all the aspirants to understand the selection process for Postal Assistant post before starting with the preparations. The selection process for Postal Assistant consists of a three-tier exam level:
As a part of the selection process, Postal Assistant aspirants will have to first appear for an online-based competitive exam. This exam is divided into four sections comprising 25 questions each. The aspirants will be given 60 minutes to attempt the paper, and there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks in this exam.
This is the final step of the selection process for Postal Assistant. Candidates shortlisted after the second exam will be eligible for the final typing/skill test. This test will be conducted on computers, and candidates will be given 30 minutes to type the passage. The typing test will be adjudged based on speed and accuracy.
Aspirants for Postal Assistant Examination 2026 can refer to the following books for their preparation:
| Name of the Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Guide to Postal Assistant/ Sorting Assistant Exam 2nd Edition | Disha Experts |
| Postal/ Sorting Assistant 15 Practice sets | Disha Experts |
| SSC Mathematics | Rakesh Yadav |
| Objective General English | SP Bakshi |
| Competitive General English | Kiran Prakashan |
| A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S Aggarwal |
| Analytical Reasoning | M.K. Pandey |
To prepare for the General Awareness Section of Postal Assistant Examination 2026, candidates can refer to the NCERT books for India's geography, history, culture, and policies. They should also read the newspapers regularly to stay updated about the current events happening around the world.
Once the Tier I exam is over, a tentative answer key will be released by SSC. Candidates can use this answer key to raise objections for the wrong answer to the questions in the limited given time by paying Rs. 100 per question. Steps to download result is given below:
SSC will release the result of Postal Assistant exam 2026 soon after the answer key is released. Qualifying candidates will be eligible for the Tier II exam of the Recruitment Process. To download result, candidates must follow the steps below:
Candidates need to achieve the minimum cut off marks to qualify for the exam. Since the cut-off for 2026 will be released after the exam, candidates can refer to the previous year's cut-off marks to get an idea of how well they are preparing:
| Category | Cut Off Marks 2021 | Cut Off Marks 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| General | 141.88 | 159.52 |
| EWS | 117.59 | 149.98 |
| OBC | 139.42 | 156.10 |
| SC | 114.16 | 136.10 |
| ST | 108.88 | 127.32 |
Candidates can check Postal Assistant cutoff marks comparison in the following info- graphic:
The cut off marks for any exam are based on many factors. Some of these factors which SSC takes into consideration are:
A Postal Assistant/ Sorting Assistant salary ranges from INR 25,500 – 81,100 per month. Along with the basic pay, many additional allowances like Dearness Allowance, Transport Allowance, House Rent Allowance etc.. are also given to PAs. These allowances are calculated based on the city a PA lives in and on other official rules.
Ques: Do Postal Assistant gets pension?
Ans: Yes, postal assistants are entitled to pensions, which they receive after retirement.
Ques: What is the promotion of Postal Assistant?
Ans: After completing five years as Postal Assistant, candidates get an opportunity to be promoted to Inspector of Post. Also, they can apply for departmental exams to get higher pay.
Ques: What to do if any mistake has been made in the application form for Postal Assistant Examination 2026?
Ans: Once all the applications have been closed, SSC will give a time period of 5 days to candidates wherein they can edit, modify or re-submitre-submitpplication.
They will be allowed to make corrections only two times,, and no more chances will be given to the candidates. Candidates will have to pay a fee of Rs 200 for making any corrections and a fee of Rs. 500 for re-submitre-submittingication.
Ques: Is typing test compulsory for Postal Assistant?
Ans: Yes, typing test is compulsory for Postal Assistant. All the candidates who have qualified Tier II exam, i.e. Descriptive exam, will have to mandatorily appear for the typing test.
Ques: Where can I practice testing for Postal Assistant Examination 2026?
Ans: There are many websites where you can practice your typing for Postal Assistant Examination. Some of these are mentioned below:
Ques: Can a graduate apply for Postal Assistant Examination 2026?
Ans: Yes, a graduate can apply for Postal Assistant Examination 2026. Anyone who has completed their 10+2 exams can appear for Postal Assistant Examination 2026.
Ques: Where can I apply for Postal Assistant Exam 2026?
Ans: Candidates can apply for Postal Assistant Exam of SSC CHSL Exam 2026 on the official website of SSC - https://ssc.gov.in/ before March 07, 2026.
Ques. What is the age limit for Postal Assistant Exam 2026?
Ans: The age limit for Postal Assistant Exam 2026 is:
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