Govt Jobs / OPSC ASO recruitment 2026: 340 vacancies, apply from November 11; exam on January 17 next year
·1 hour ago·6 min read
Key Points
The Odisha Public Service Commission has announced 340 vacancies for Assistant Section Officer posts in the Odisha Secretariat Service cadre under the Home Department, with the online application process scheduled to begin on November 11 and candidates able to apply through www.opsc.gov.in until November 30, 2026; the written examination is tentatively scheduled for January 17, 2027.
Kataka, Nov 5: The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has announced 340 vacancies for Assistant Section Officer (ASO) posts in the Odisha Secretariat Service cadre under the Home Department, with the online application process scheduled to begin on November 11.
According to Advertisement No. 15 of 2026-27, eligible candidates can submit their applications through the commission's official website, www.opsc.gov.in, until November 30, 2026. The written examination is tentatively scheduled for January 17, 2027.
The recruitment will be conducted in the pay scale of Rs 35,400 in Level 9, Cell 1, under the Odisha Revised Scales of Pay Rules, 2017, along with other admissible allowances.
OPSC ASO recruitment 2026: Vacancy details
The commission has announced 340 vacancies, including 114 posts reserved for women. The category-wise distribution, including backlog vacancies, is as follows:
According to Advertisement No. 15 of 2026-27, eligible candidates can submit their applications through the commission's official website, www.opsc.gov.in, until November 30, 2026. The written examination is tentatively scheduled for January 17, 2027.
The recruitment will be conducted in the pay scale of Rs 35,400 in Level 9, Cell 1, under the Odisha Revised Scales of Pay Rules, 2017, along with other admissible allowances.
OPSC ASO recruitment 2026: Vacancy details
The commission has announced 340 vacancies, including 114 posts reserved for women. The category-wise distribution, including backlog vacancies, is as follows:
Unreserved (UR): 144 posts, including 48 for womenThe notification also provides reservations for persons with benchmark disabilities, ex-servicemen and sportspersons within the respective categories. Of the total vacancies, 25 posts are earmarked for persons with disabilities, 19 for ex-servicemen and three for sportspersons.
Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC): 38 posts, including 13 for women
Scheduled Castes (SC): 81 posts, including 27 for women
Scheduled Tribes (ST): 77 posts, including 26 for women
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Eligibility and educational qualification
Candidates must possess a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification. They must also have adequate knowledge of computer applications.
Applicants must be able to speak, read and write Odia. They should have passed the Middle School examination with Odia as a language subject, or the Matriculation examination with Odia as the medium of examination in a non-language subject, or an equivalent examination. Other specified qualifications include passing Odia as a language subject in the final examination of Class VII or above, or passing a test in Odia in the Middle English School Standard conducted by the School and Mass Education Department.
Age limit and relaxation
Candidates must be at least 21 years old and not more than 42 years as on January 1, 2026. Applicants must have been born between January 2, 1984, and January 1, 2005.
The upper age limit is relaxed by five years for candidates belonging to SEBC, SC and ST categories, women and ex-servicemen. Persons with disabilities having a permanent disability of 40 per cent or more are eligible for a 10-year relaxation.
Candidates with benchmark disabilities belonging to the SEBC, SC or ST categories can avail cumulative age relaxation of 15 years. However, only one applicable age relaxation will be considered where a candidate qualifies under more than one category, except for the specified cumulative relaxation for persons with disabilities.
Application fee
Candidates other than those belonging to the SC, ST and PwD categories must pay an examination fee of Rs 700 through the online application portal.
Candidates must possess a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification. They must also have adequate knowledge of computer applications.
Applicants must be able to speak, read and write Odia. They should have passed the Middle School examination with Odia as a language subject, or the Matriculation examination with Odia as the medium of examination in a non-language subject, or an equivalent examination. Other specified qualifications include passing Odia as a language subject in the final examination of Class VII or above, or passing a test in Odia in the Middle English School Standard conducted by the School and Mass Education Department.
Age limit and relaxation
Candidates must be at least 21 years old and not more than 42 years as on January 1, 2026. Applicants must have been born between January 2, 1984, and January 1, 2005.
The upper age limit is relaxed by five years for candidates belonging to SEBC, SC and ST categories, women and ex-servicemen. Persons with disabilities having a permanent disability of 40 per cent or more are eligible for a 10-year relaxation.
Candidates with benchmark disabilities belonging to the SEBC, SC or ST categories can avail cumulative age relaxation of 15 years. However, only one applicable age relaxation will be considered where a candidate qualifies under more than one category, except for the specified cumulative relaxation for persons with disabilities.
Application fee
Candidates other than those belonging to the SC, ST and PwD categories must pay an examination fee of Rs 700 through the online application portal.
The fee will be refunded only to candidates who actually appear in the preliminary written examination. Applications submitted without payment of the applicable fee will be treated as incomplete and rejected.
Selection process and exam pattern
The selection process comprises a written examination carrying 400 marks, followed by a qualifying computer skill test carrying 50 marks.
The written examination will consist of three papers:
Paper I: General Awareness: 100 marks, 100 questions, with a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes.
Paper II: Test of Reasoning and Mental Ability, and Mathematics: 100 marks, comprising 50 questions each, with a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes.
Paper III: Language: 200 marks, comprising English and Odia, with 100 marks each and a duration of two hours.
All questions in the written examination, except the computer skill test, will be objective-type multiple-choice questions. A negative marking of 0.25 marks will apply for every incorrect answer.
Candidates must secure the minimum qualifying marks in each written paper to be considered for shortlisting for the computer skill test. The minimum qualifying marks are 35 per cent for UR and SEBC candidates, 30 per cent for SC and ST candidates, and 28 per cent for candidates with disabilities. Ex-servicemen and sportspersons must secure the qualifying marks prescribed for their respective categories.
The computer skill test will carry 50 marks and have a duration of one hour. It will assess practical knowledge of computer applications.
Also Read: Odisha govt announces monthly allowance for private aided college principals
Detailed syllabus
The OPSC notification outlines the following syllabus:
Paper I: General Awareness
The paper will cover current national and international events, the history of British rule in India and the freedom struggle, the Indian Constitution, world and Indian physical geography, and important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.
Other topics include the role of civil services in democracy, human rights, economic and social development, poverty alleviation, resource mobilisation, inflation, defence and Indian Armed Forces, scientific developments, environmental issues, biodiversity, climate change, international institutions and organisations.
Paper II: Reasoning, mental ability and mathematics
The reasoning section will include number and alphabet series, direction sense, coding-decoding, number ranking, arithmetic reasoning and age-related problems. Non-verbal reasoning will cover mirror images, cubes and dice, grouping identical figures and embedded figures.
The mathematics section will include arithmetic, algebra, mensuration in two and three dimensions, statistics and probability.
Paper III: English and Odia
The English section will test grammar, verbs, prepositions, adverbs, subject-verb agreement, error correction, sentence recognition, tenses, fill-in-the-blanks, vocabulary, synonyms, antonyms and comprehension. Sentence rearrangement will also be included.
The Odia section will assess language and grammar skills through the topics specified in the detailed syllabus in the advertisement.
Paper IV: Computer skill test
The practical test will assess knowledge of Windows, MS Office applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, MS Access and the use of internet services.
Important datesOnline application begins: November 11, 2026
Last date to apply online: November 30, 2026, 5 pm
Last date for examination fee payment: November 30, 2026, 5 pm
Tentative written examination date: January 17, 2027
The detailed examination schedule and examination centres will be notified by the commission in due course. Candidates have been advised to apply only through the OPSC website and check the official portal for updates and further instructions.
Selection process and exam pattern
The selection process comprises a written examination carrying 400 marks, followed by a qualifying computer skill test carrying 50 marks.
The written examination will consist of three papers:
Paper I: General Awareness: 100 marks, 100 questions, with a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes.
Paper II: Test of Reasoning and Mental Ability, and Mathematics: 100 marks, comprising 50 questions each, with a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes.
Paper III: Language: 200 marks, comprising English and Odia, with 100 marks each and a duration of two hours.
All questions in the written examination, except the computer skill test, will be objective-type multiple-choice questions. A negative marking of 0.25 marks will apply for every incorrect answer.
Candidates must secure the minimum qualifying marks in each written paper to be considered for shortlisting for the computer skill test. The minimum qualifying marks are 35 per cent for UR and SEBC candidates, 30 per cent for SC and ST candidates, and 28 per cent for candidates with disabilities. Ex-servicemen and sportspersons must secure the qualifying marks prescribed for their respective categories.
The computer skill test will carry 50 marks and have a duration of one hour. It will assess practical knowledge of computer applications.
Also Read: Odisha govt announces monthly allowance for private aided college principals
Detailed syllabus
The OPSC notification outlines the following syllabus:
Paper I: General Awareness
The paper will cover current national and international events, the history of British rule in India and the freedom struggle, the Indian Constitution, world and Indian physical geography, and important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.
Other topics include the role of civil services in democracy, human rights, economic and social development, poverty alleviation, resource mobilisation, inflation, defence and Indian Armed Forces, scientific developments, environmental issues, biodiversity, climate change, international institutions and organisations.
Paper II: Reasoning, mental ability and mathematics
The reasoning section will include number and alphabet series, direction sense, coding-decoding, number ranking, arithmetic reasoning and age-related problems. Non-verbal reasoning will cover mirror images, cubes and dice, grouping identical figures and embedded figures.
The mathematics section will include arithmetic, algebra, mensuration in two and three dimensions, statistics and probability.
Paper III: English and Odia
The English section will test grammar, verbs, prepositions, adverbs, subject-verb agreement, error correction, sentence recognition, tenses, fill-in-the-blanks, vocabulary, synonyms, antonyms and comprehension. Sentence rearrangement will also be included.
The Odia section will assess language and grammar skills through the topics specified in the detailed syllabus in the advertisement.
Paper IV: Computer skill test
The practical test will assess knowledge of Windows, MS Office applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, MS Access and the use of internet services.
Important datesOnline application begins: November 11, 2026
Last date to apply online: November 30, 2026, 5 pm
Last date for examination fee payment: November 30, 2026, 5 pm
Tentative written examination date: January 17, 2027
Download OPSC notification PDF
The detailed examination schedule and examination centres will be notified by the commission in due course. Candidates have been advised to apply only through the OPSC website and check the official portal for updates and further instructions.
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