The ISRO Centralised Recruitment Board (ICRB) has fixed the Computer Based Test (CBT) for Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:03(EMC):2026 (175 Scientist/Engineer ‘SC’ posts) for 29 October 2026. Reports on whether the call letter is out conflict, and the official pattern document says call letters go only to your registered email. The result, interview dates and cut-off are not announced.
Where the call letter stands
A search today turns up pages saying “Admit Card Out”, “Expected Today”, “Within This Week”, “25 October” and “Notify Later”, sometimes on the same page. A headline reading “Admit Card Released” over a table that says “Notify Later” is a reason to distrust the page. I could not open the ICRB recruitment page myself, and I found no confirmation from ISRO that call letters have been issued for this exam.
The official exam pattern document, which I read through a portal-hosted copy, says something that most portals skip: call letters for the written test will be sent only to the registered email ID of candidates. A separate ISRO careers notice for another recruitment, URSC:01:2026, also says its call letters were dispatched to registered email IDs. So for this recruitment, check your registered inbox, including spam and promotions folders, as well as the ICRB page on isro.gov.in. Do not log in through a third-party “direct link”, and do not pay anyone for a call letter.
One portal puts the call letter on 25 October and says city intimation was due on 19 October. Both dates are unconfirmed and should be treated as estimates.
Which ISRO recruitment this is
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| This article | ISRO:ICRB:03(EMC):2026, Scientist/Engineer ‘SC’ in Electronics, Mechanical and Computer Science, 175 posts |
| Different notice | URSC:01:2026 (Industrial Engineering), written test held 27 September 2026, answer key already out |
| Different notice | LPSC/03/2026 dated 26 September 2026, a separate Scientist/Engineer ‘SC’ recruitment |
These share a post name, so portals mix them up. If your registration is under ISRO:ICRB:03(EMC):2026, the date that matters is 29 October.
Important dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications | 27 August to 16 September 2026 |
| Age and eligibility reckoned on | 16 September 2026 |
| Call letter | Not confirmed (portal estimates range from 19 to 25 October) |
| CBT | 29 October 2026 |
| Interview | Not announced |
A portal also lists a “new exam date” notice, which implies the date moved. I could not find what the earlier date was, so confirm 29 October on your own call letter. You have eight days.
Test venues
The pattern document lists 37 CBT venues: Agartala, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh/Mohali, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Ernakulum, Gorakhpur, Gurugram, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kavaratti, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. ICRB reserves the right to cancel or change a venue and to reallot candidates to another centre. A centre different from your first choice is therefore possible, so wait for the call letter before booking tickets that cannot be changed.
Vacancy
| Discipline | Post code | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics | BE001 | 99 |
| Electronics (PRL, autonomous body) | BE001A | 1 |
| Mechanical | BE002 | 52 |
| Mechanical (PRL) | BE002A | 1 |
| Computer Science | BE003 | 21 |
| Computer Science (PRL) | BE003A | 1 |
| Total | 175 |
Electronics alone is 57 per cent of the posts. Category-wise splits are in the advertisement, and I did not see them.
Eligibility, age, fee and pay
You need a BE or B.Tech in the matching branch with at least 65 per cent aggregate or a CGPA of 6.84 out of 10. The age limit is 18 to 28 years as on 16 September 2026, with relaxation as per the notification. The initial processing fee was Rs. 750 for all candidates. After the written test, UR, OBC and EWS candidates are refunded Rs. 500, and SC, ST, PwBD, ex-servicemen and women are refunded the full Rs. 750. Pay is Level 10, with a basic pay of Rs. 56,100 a month, plus allowances.
Exam pattern
| Part | Content | Time | Questions | Marks | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Area/discipline-specific | 90 min | 80 MCQs | 80 | 1/3 per wrong answer |
| B | Aptitude/ability tests | 30 min | Up to 15 MCQs | 20 | None |
| Total | 100 |
Part B covers numerical, logical, diagrammatic, abstract and deductive reasoning. Each correct answer in Part A earns one mark, and unattempted questions earn zero.
The timing gives you about 67 seconds a question in Part A, and a little over 2 minutes a question in Part B, since up to 15 questions share 20 marks and some are worth more than one.
The qualifying marks matter more than the total
Unreserved candidates need at least 50 per cent in each of Part A and Part B. For PwBD candidates, where posts are reserved, the bar is 40 per cent in each. That means 40 of 80 in Part A and 10 of 20 in Part B for unreserved candidates.
Two practical consequences follow. A strong Part A cannot save you if Part B falls below 10 of 20, so a technical candidate who ignores the reasoning section is taking a real risk. And because Part B has no negative marking, every question there should be attempted.
In Part A, the 40-mark floor is on net marks after the one-third penalty. If you attempt all 80 questions, you need 50 correct to net 40, since 50 − 30 ÷ 3 = 40. That is an accuracy of 62.5 per cent. A blind guess among four options is worth zero in expectation, and a guess pays only if you are at least 25 per cent likely to be right. The arithmetic assumes four options, which the pattern document does not state.
Syllabus
The pattern document gives Part B’s reasoning topics but, in the pages I read, no topic list for Part A. The branch topics below are my unofficial suggestions, in the style of engineering entrance syllabi:
| Branch | Topics to prioritise (unofficial) |
|---|---|
| Electronics | Network theory, analog and digital circuits, signals and systems, communication systems, electromagnetics, control systems, microprocessors |
| Mechanical | Thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, strength of materials, machine design, manufacturing, vibrations, propulsion basics |
| Computer Science | Data structures and algorithms, operating systems, databases, computer networks, theory of computation, compilers, computer organisation |
Part A is discipline-specific, so the paper will lean on your degree subjects. Part B is the place where a day of practice can recover marks quickly.
Interview and final panel
Based on written test performance, candidates are shortlisted for interview in a ratio of 1:5, with a minimum of 10 candidates in aggregate. For reserved vacancies, distinct additional candidates are shortlisted, without counting reserved candidates already shortlisted as unreserved. On the 1:5 rule, 175 posts would mean around 875 to 890 candidates in all, which is my arithmetic from the stated ratio and the 10-candidate floor, and the category rules will add some.
The interview carries 100 marks:
| Attribute | Marks |
|---|---|
| Technical (academic) knowledge | 40 |
| General awareness in your area of specialisation | 20 |
| Presentation and communication skill | 20 |
| Comprehension | 10 |
| Academic achievements | 10 |
The 10 academic-achievement marks come from your record and are not from the interview itself. They are 3 for studying at an IIT, IISc, IIST, NIT or an NIRF top-20 institute, 4 for a CGPA above 9 (or above 85 per cent) or 2 for a CGPA of 7.5 to 9 (71 to 85 per cent), and 3 for a rank from 1 to 3 awarded by the institute. A candidate from another institute with a CGPA of 8 would get 2 of those 10.
The final panel weights the written test and the interview at 50 per cent each. Qualifying marks are 50 per cent in the written test, 50 per cent in the interview and 60 per cent in aggregate for unreserved candidates, and 40, 40 and 50 per cent for PwBD candidates. Ties are broken first by written-test marks, then by marks in the essential qualification.
Cut-off
There is no cut-off for this recruitment, because the test has not been held. I found no verified past cut-off to quote. The only numbers fixed in advance are the qualifying minimums above and the 1:5 shortlisting ratio, so the written-test cut-off for the interview will depend on how many candidates clear both parts.
The last eight days
These are my suggestions and are unofficial.
- Spend most of the remaining time on core subjects of your branch with timed question sets, and take two or three full papers of 80 questions in 90 minutes.
- Practise Part B daily for 20 to 30 minutes. It is 20 marks, it has a pass mark of its own and it has no penalty.
- Decide a guessing rule now: skip a question only if you cannot rule out any option.
- Check your email and spam folder every day. Make sure the email address you registered with is one you can still log in to.
- Prepare ID and a printout plan, since call letter instructions will list what to carry.
Mistakes to avoid
- Relying on a portal that says “Admit card out” without seeing the email or the ISRO page.
- Treating Part B as optional.
- Attempting every Part A question without checking your accuracy, since the one-third penalty bites.
- Booking non-refundable travel before the call letter fixes your centre.
- Mixing up this recruitment with URSC:01:2026 or LPSC/03/2026.
FAQs
Is the ISRO ICRB admit card out?
Reports conflict, and I could not confirm it. Per the pattern document, call letters go to your registered email, so check your inbox and spam and the ICRB page on isro.gov.in.
Is there negative marking?
Yes in Part A, one-third of a mark for each wrong answer. There is none in Part B.
Do I need 50 per cent in both parts?
Unreserved candidates do, as per the pattern document. It is 40 per cent in each for PwBD candidates where posts are reserved.
How are candidates called for the interview?
In a ratio of 1:5 against vacancies, with a minimum of 10 candidates, on written-test performance.
Is this the same as the Industrial Engineering exam held on 27 September?
No. That was URSC:01:2026, a separate recruitment. This article is about ISRO:ICRB:03(EMC):2026.
The exam date, vacancies, eligibility, fee, pay, pattern, qualifying marks, venues, interview weightage and the email-only call letter rule are from the ISRO ICRB notification and pattern document as I read them through portal-hosted copies (I could not open the ICRB page), the call letter release status is unconfirmed, the syllabus topics, interview-call arithmetic and preparation advice are my own and unofficial, no cut-off is quoted because none exists, and updates will appear at https://www.isro.gov.in.
CGST Lucknow Sports Quota Recruitment 2026 make sure 2500 word
CGST Lucknow Sports Quota Recruitment 2026: 17 Tax Assistant and Havaldar Posts, Sports Eligibility, Dates and How to Apply
Last Updated: 22 October 2026
The Office of the Principal Chief Commissioner of CGST & Central Excise, Lucknow Zone, has invited applications from meritorious sportspersons for 17 posts: 3 Tax Assistant and 14 Havaldar. Applications are offline and must reach the Lucknow office by 23 November 2026, 5:00 PM. The educational qualification, age limit, application form and fee are not in the newspaper notice and sit in the detailed notice, which I could not open. Trial dates are not announced.
What has been released
The notice appeared on 21 October 2026, as several portals report, and is addressed to sportspersons in the 65 disciplines listed in Para A IV of DoPT Office Memorandum dated 4 March 2024. The newspaper notice states the post names, the vacancy count, the sports eligibility, the pay levels and the last date. It points readers to www.cbic.gov.in and ccolkozone.gov.in for the educational qualification, the proforma and other eligibility conditions.
That gap matters, because portals have filled it in differently. One says the age limit is 18 to 27 years (18 to 25 for Havaldar). Another says the age limit and qualification are “not specified in the provided notification”. One portal gives a start date of 24 October, and another says no start date is stated. A third says there is no application fee. I treat all of these as unconfirmed until I see the detailed notice. If you are applying, read that notice on the two official websites before you spend money on postage.
Important dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notice published | 21 October 2026 (reported) |
| Application start | Not stated in the notice; one portal says 24 October |
| Last date for receipt of applications | 23 November 2026, 5:00 PM |
| Extended date for remote areas | Ten more days, which portals work out as 3 December 2026, 5:00 PM |
| Trials and verification | Not announced |
The notice gives ten extra days to applicants domiciled in the North Eastern States, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The exact extended date is not printed, so 3 December is a portal’s calculation. You have 32 days to the main deadline.
The deadline is for receipt. An application posted on 22 November that arrives on 25 November is late. Send it with a tracked service at least a week before, or deliver it by hand and take an acknowledgement.
Vacancy
| Post | Vacancies | Pay level (7th CPC) | Pay scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Assistant | 3 | Level 4 | Rs. 25,500 to 81,100 |
| Havaldar | 14 | Level 1 | Rs. 18,000 to 56,900 |
| Total | 17 |
The notice gives no category-wise or discipline-wise split, and says nothing about the place of posting. With only three Tax Assistant posts, the field is narrow, and a medal-winning candidate may find seats scarce. Havaldar has the larger number, at 14.
Who counts as a meritorious sportsperson
The newspaper notice sets out the sports record you need. You must have represented one of the following in a discipline on the 65-sport list:
- a State or the country in a national or international competition
- your university in inter-university tournaments conducted by the Inter-University Sports Boards
- your state school team in national sports for schools conducted by the All India School Games Federation
Medal winners also count in the Junior National Championships, the Khelo India Youth Games (age category above 18, as reported), the Khelo India Winter Games, the Khelo India Para Games, the Khelo India University Games and the School Games Federation of India events.
For chess, the notice names the Grand Master or International Master title, or a Chess Olympiad appearance. The IM or GM title should be in the Open category, and the National Open Chess Championship is treated as the national championship. A medal in the National Team Chess Championship also counts, as reported.
Two checks before you apply. First, find your discipline in the DoPT list, since a sport outside the 65 does not qualify however good the record is. Second, make sure your certificate comes from the authority the notice names, such as the recognised federation or organising body. The portal summaries do not say how recent the achievement must be, so the detailed notice should settle that.
Education qualification and age limit
The newspaper notice does not list these. One portal’s quick summary says “any graduate”, but its own body text says the qualification is not specified. That is likely to describe Tax Assistant and not Havaldar. As I recall, earlier CBIC sports-quota notices asked graduation and a data-entry speed for Tax Assistant and matriculation for Havaldar. That is from memory and not confirmed for 2026, so check the detailed notice.
For age, the 18 to 27 and 18 to 25 figures come from portals and cannot be verified here. Relaxation, the reckoning date and the sports-related rules will be in the detailed notice. One portal says the crucial date is “as specified in the official notification”.
Application fee
The notice summaries I read state no fee. One portal says there is none, but that is unverified. If a form or website asks you to pay a fee, check that it is from cbic.gov.in or ccolkozone.gov.in. The application is made on a paper proforma sent to a government office, and there is no online payment in the notice.
How to apply
- Go to www.cbic.gov.in or ccolkozone.gov.in and open the notice for the Sports Quota recruitment of Tax Assistant and Havaldar.
- Read the qualification, age and other eligibility conditions, and download the proforma.
- Fill in the proforma in the prescribed way, and attach the documents the notice requires.
- Superscribe the envelope: “Application for the post of Tax Assistant / Havaldar under Sports Quota Recruitment 2026”.
- Send it by post or deliver it by hand to the Additional Commissioner (CCA), Office of the Principal Chief Commissioner of CGST & Central Excise Lucknow Zone, 7-A, Ashok Marg, Lucknow-226001.
- Keep a copy of the form and the proof of posting or delivery.
The summaries do not say whether a single proforma can cover both posts. If you qualify for both, ask the office, or read the notice, before assuming one envelope will do. An application that mixes the two without clarity could be rejected.
Documents
The newspaper notice does not list the enclosures, which the proforma and the detailed notice will specify. Prepare these now and match them to the list when you read it:
- certificates for each sports achievement, from the organising body
- educational certificates and mark sheets
- proof of date of birth
- category certificate, if you claim a reservation
- passport-size photographs
- a note of your discipline as it appears on the DoPT list
Send self-attested copies unless the notice asks for something else, and keep the originals for verification at the trial stage. The sports certificates are the core of the application, so check that names, dates and event titles match across all of them.
Selection process
The process reported is scrutiny of applications, then field trials and verification of sports achievements. There is no written exam in the summaries I read, and one portal says no syllabus has been announced. A portal states that the trial and physical test date is “to be notified soon”.
That has practical consequences. Your sports record decides whether you are called, so a thin certificate file can end the process before any trial. Once called, a trial tests current ability, not only past medals. Candidates for Tax Assistant may also face a skill test, as in some earlier CBIC notices, but the 2026 summaries do not say so.
Syllabus and exam pattern
There is no syllabus, because the summaries describe no written test. Selection by trial means preparation is fitness, skill in your discipline and paperwork. If the detailed notice adds a test, such as data entry for Tax Assistant, plan for it then.
Salary and job profile
Tax Assistant is at Level 4 and Havaldar at Level 1 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, at the scales above. The notice gives no allowances. The posts are in a CBIC office in the Lucknow Zone. Duties are not described in the newspaper notice, and a Havaldar’s work is usually support and field duties and a Tax Assistant’s is clerical and data work, but that is general knowledge and not a statement from this notice.
Cut-off
There is no written cut-off, since there is no written test in the summaries. Selection depends on the quality of the sports record and the trial performance, so there is no previous-year cut-off to quote.
What to do in the next 32 days
These are my suggestions and are unofficial.
- This week: Download the detailed notice and the proforma. Check your discipline against the 65-sport list. Gather your certificates.
- Next week: Get attested copies, photographs and any missing educational documents. Request duplicates from your federation if a certificate is lost.
- By mid-November: Fill in the proforma and have a second person check every entry. Send by a tracked service at least a week before the deadline.
- Meanwhile: Keep up training. Trial dates are not announced and could come soon after the deadline.
Mistakes to avoid
- Relying on a portal’s age limit or fee instead of the notice.
- Posting on the last day and treating the postmark as the deadline.
- Sending one envelope for both posts without checking if that is allowed.
- Sending certificates that do not name the event, level or year clearly.
- Applying in a sport that is not on the DoPT list.
FAQs
Is there a written exam?
Not in the summaries I read. Selection is by scrutiny, field trials and verification of sports achievements.
What is the last date, and does postmark count?
23 November 2026, 5:00 PM, as the date of receipt in the Lucknow office. Remote areas get ten more days.
What are the educational qualification and age limit?
They are not in the newspaper notice. They are in the detailed notice on cbic.gov.in and ccolkozone.gov.in. Age figures of 18 to 27 and 18 to 25 are portal reports.
Is there an application fee?
No fee appears in the summaries, and one portal says none. Confirm in the detailed notice.
Can I apply for both posts?
Not stated. Check the notice or ask the office.