Union Public Service Commission
Permanent

UPSC Combined SO LDCE Examination 2026

Sourced from Official Government PDF
Sep. 17, 2026
Section Officer (Central Secretariat Service)Section Officer (General Cadre IFS Branch B)Section Officer (Railway Board Secretariat Service)Section Officer (Intelligence Bureau)Section Officer (Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service)Assistant Director / Section Officer / Manager Grade-I (ESIC)

Required Qualification

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Quick Recruitment Snapshot

Key recruitment parameters at a glance before you apply

Vacancies
Various / Not Disclosed
Pay Scale
Pay Level 8 (Rs. 47,600 - 1,51,100)
Age Limit
As per Cadre Service Rules
Job Location
All India37New Delhi91+4 More...

Crucial Recruitment Dates

Official schedule & key deadlines

Published

Sep 16, 2026

2

Starts

Sep 16, 2026

3

Deadline

Oct 6, 2026

4

Exam Date

Dec 12, 2026

Application Window16 Sep – 6 Oct 2026
Exam / Test Date12 Dec 2026

Eligibility Criteria & Educational Qualifications

Who is eligible to apply for this recruitment? Check essential educational qualifications, branch/stream criteria, and age limits.

Educational Qualification

Eligibility Criteria: Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) open strictly to regularly appointed in-service central government employees serving in the feeder grades (such as Assistant Section Officers / Stenographers Grade 'C' / analogous posts) of the participating services (CSS, IFS Branch 'B', RBSS, IB, AFHQ CS, and ESIC) who meet the approved regular service length and APAR benchmarks notified by DoPT in the Gazette of India dated 16.09.2026.

Age Limit & Relaxations

No open-market numeric age limit is prescribed in the examination notice. Eligibility is strictly governed by approved service rendered in the feeder cadre and APAR criteria as stipulated in the DoPT Gazette Rules dated 16.09.2026.

Check Your Age Eligibility

Selection Procedure & Screening Stages

Verified Official Source

How will candidates be selected? Multi-stage screening roadmap from application to final merit list.

Written Examination (Papers I, II & III)

OfflineMerit Scored

Evaluation of Record of Service (APARs)

Assessment BoardQualifying Only

Cadre Allocation & Promotion Order

Cadre Controlling AuthorityQualifying Only

The selection process consists of two primary competitive stages:

  1. Stage 1 (Written Examination - 500 Marks): Held over two days (12 & 13 December 2026) covering Paper-I (Objective - 150 marks), Paper-II (Objective - 150 marks), and Paper-III (Descriptive Noting, Drafting & Precis Writing - 200 marks). Negative marking (1/3rd penalty) applies to objective papers.
  2. Stage 2 (Evaluation of Record of Service - 100 Marks): An Assessment Board evaluates the Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) / ACRs of candidates who attain the minimum qualifying threshold in the written examination. Candidates must obtain a minimum of 40% marks in the Record of Service evaluation to be eligible for ranking.
  3. Final Merit & Recommendation: Formulated based on aggregate marks out of 600 (500 written + 100 service record), subject to statutory reservation guidelines and judicial directions.

Syllabus & Exam Pattern Overview

Verified Official Source

What is the examination structure? Mode of test, total marks, duration, and negative marking rules.

Exam Tier / Mode

Paper-I (Objective Type)

Total Duration

120 Minutes

Negative Marking

0.33 marks deducted per wrong answer (1/3rd penalty)

Subject / SectionQuestionsMax Marks
General Studies, Constitution of India, Machinery of Govt, Parliamentary Practice, and RTI Act 2005150150
Exam Tier / Mode

Paper-II (Objective Type)

Total Duration

120 Minutes

Negative Marking

0.33 marks deducted per wrong answer (1/3rd penalty)

Subject / SectionQuestionsMax Marks
Secretariat Procedure, CSMOP, General Financial Rules (GFR), and Service Rules (Category Specific)150150
Exam Tier / Mode

Paper-III (Descriptive Type)

Total Duration

180 Minutes

Negative Marking

None (Subjective evaluation)

Subject / SectionQuestionsMax Marks
Official Noting, Drafting of Official Communications, and Precis Writing5200

Previous Recruitment Cutoff Benchmarks

Verified Official Source

Historical qualifying marks and eligibility benchmarks for prior recruitment cycles.

Year / CycleStage / TierUR (Gen)OBCEWSSCST
2022
Final Selection (Written + Service Record)
36700317326
2021
Final Selection (Written + Service Record)
358003290

Aspirant Ground Reality & Career Trajectory

Verified Official Source

Practical service rules, posting locations, transfer policy, and promotion ladder curated from official gazettes.

Work Culture & Environment

Office/fieldwork balance, duties, organizational environment.

Serving as a Section Officer (Grade-B Gazetted) in the Central Secretariat (CSS), IFS(B), Railway Board, or Allied Services represents a pivotal supervisory role in the executive decision-making machinery of the Government of India. Working closely under Under Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries in central ministries located in New Delhi (North Block, South Block, Shastri Bhawan, etc.), Section Officers manage desk operations, initiate policy notes, process parliament questions, ensure compliance with GFR and CSMOP, and supervise Assistant Section Officers (ASOs) and secretarial staff. The environment is intensely file-driven, formal, and high-responsibility, with demanding workloads during Parliament sessions.

Posting & Transfer Policy

Initial posting criteria, zone preferences, transfer liability.

Section Officers in CSS are posted across various Central Ministries and Departments in New Delhi, governed by the Rotational Transfer Policy (RTP) administered by DoPT (typically transferring between ministries every 5 to 7 years to prevent administrative entrenchment). Officers in IFS(B) alternate between Ministry of External Affairs headquarters and Indian diplomatic missions abroad. Railway Board Secretariat Service (RBSS) officers serve exclusively in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi. ESIC and AFHQ personnel are posted at their respective headquarters and regional offices across India.

Career & Promotion Ladder

Promotion timeline, seniority ladder, pay grade scaling.

The Section Officer LDCE is the premier fast-track promotion mechanism for serving ASOs and Stenographers. While promotion via normal seniority quota can take 8 to 12+ years due to cadre stagnation, clearing the LDCE accelerates advancement to Level-8 immediately upon inclusion in the select list. After 4 years of approved service as Section Officer, non-functional grade (NFG) to Pay Level-10 is granted. Subsequent promotion to Under Secretary (Group-A, Pay Level-11) is achieved through DoPT empanelment based on benchmark APAR gradings.
Crucial Application Warnings & Eligibility Traps

Avoid common application rejection triggers, photo/signature guidelines, and certificate validity windows.

  • Mandatory CCA Forwarding: Submitting the online application form on upsconline.nic.in by 06-10-2026 is only the first step. Candidates must print the submitted application and submit it through their administrative department so that the Cadre Controlling Authority (CCA) verifies, endorses, and delivers the physical dossier to UPSC (Dholpur House) by 23-10-2026. Without CCA receipt by 23.10.2026, the application is summarily rejected.
  • In-Service Eligibility Only: Open-market candidates and private sector employees cannot apply. The examination is strictly restricted to regular serving employees in the notified feeder cadres who have completed the requisite approved regular service as specified in the DoPT Gazette of India dated 16-09-2026.
  • Strict Signature Consistency: Signatures uploaded on the portal (3 signatures vertically in black ink) must match identically with signatures appended on exam attendance sheets and official verification forms. Any stylistic variation is grounds for immediate disqualification.
  • Court Caveat & Provisional Status: Results for Category II (IFS Branch 'B') and Category III (RBSS) remain strictly provisional and subject to ongoing judicial proceedings (Civil Appeal No. 629 of 2022 and CAT PB O.A. No. 215/2022).
  • Service Record Threshold: Candidates who clear the written examination must secure at least 40% marks in the Evaluation of Record of Service (APARs/ACRs) by the Assessment Board to be eligible for final recommendation and inclusion in the select list.

Category-Wise Vacancy Breakdown & Pay Scale

Detailed post distribution across UR, OBC, EWS, SC, ST quotas and 7th CPC Pay Matrix / Monthly Stipend.

Category-Wise Vacancy Distribution

  • URVarious
  • OBCVarious
  • EWSVarious
  • SCVarious
  • STVarious
Total VacanciesVarious / Not Disclosed

Pay Scale & Monthly Remuneration

Pay Level 8 under the 7th CPC Pay Matrix (Entry Pay Rs. 47,600/- to Rs. 1,51,100/-) plus Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), Transport Allowance (TA), and standard central government benefits. Non-functional upgrade to Level 10 (Rs. 56,100 - 1,77,500) is admissible after 4 years of regular approved service.

Section Officer (Grade B Gazetted) is placed in Pay Level 8 of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) Pay Matrix with non-functional upgrade to Level 10 on completion of 4 years approved regular service.

Central Govt Salary Calculator

How to Apply Online Step-by-Step?

Follow this verified step-by-step application procedure on the official recruitment portal.

Application Procedure

  1. Visit the official UPSC Online portal at https://upsconline.nic.in.
  2. Complete One-Time Universal Registration to obtain your Universal Registration Number (URN) and fill out the Common Application Form (CAF).
  3. Upload a still photograph, capture a live photograph, and upload three signatures (signed in black ink vertically one below the other on plain white paper).
  4. Access the Examination Specific Module for 'Combined Section Officers’ (Grade-‘B’) LDCE, 2026', choose your service category and exam centre, pay the fee (if applicable), and submit before 06-10-2026 (6:00 PM).
  5. Print the submitted online application and submit it through your respective Ministry / Department. The administrative department must verify and endorse the application and forward it through the Cadre Controlling Authority (CCA) to reach the Under Secretary (E-VI), UPSC, Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi-110069 on or before 23-10-2026.

Application Fee & Category Concessions

Fee details are specified inside the Examination Specific Module on the UPSC Online Portal (upsconline.nic.in).

Official Notification & Portal Verification

Direct links to the authorized government portal, official notification PDF, and career portal.

Verified Official Domain
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Frequently Asked Questions & Crucial Aspirant Queries

5 Queries Resolved

Clear, verified answers to top eligibility, exam format, salary calculation, and application queries for this notification.

Eligibility is strictly restricted to regularly appointed central government employees serving in feeder cadres—such as Assistant Section Officers (ASOs) and Stenographers Grade 'C' in CSS, IFS(B), RBSS, IB, AFHQ CS, and ESIC—who meet the minimum approved service and APAR requirements specified in the DoPT Gazette dated 16-09-2026. Open-market candidates cannot apply.

Sarkari Job Khojo is an independent information service and job discovery platform. All recruitment insights, syllabi, previous year exam cutoffs, and selection stages are compiled from official government notifications, gazettes, and recruitment portals. We are not affiliated with, authorized by, or an official representative of any government agency or recruitment board. Always verify details in the official advertisement PDF before applying.

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