India Ship Technology Centre (ISTC) has opened online applications for 2 Personal Secretary (Trainee) posts at Kochi, under Ref. No. ISTC/HR/01/2026-27/RECRUITMENT PH. 1. The window runs from 23 October to 4 November 2026. I have not opened the official PDF, so the figures below are as reported by job portals and need checking against it. The online test date, the exam pattern beyond its stage names, and the reservation split for the 2 posts are not published in anything I found.
What has been announced
ISTC, which works under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has invited online applications for two Personal Secretary (Trainee) posts. Karmasandhan, FreeJobAlert, Sarkari Result and Govt Exam Update agree on the core facts: two vacancies, a posting at Kochi, Kerala, a one-year training period with a stipend, and possible absorption on contract afterwards. Karmasandhan links the notification PDF and the application page, and both sit on the Cochin Shipyard Limited website, while the organisation’s own site is istcindia.org.
This is separate from ISTC’s earlier advertisement. In August 2026, ISTC advertised 9 executive-level contract posts, such as Lead Engineer and Manager, with applications between 1 and 18 September, according to Sarkari Jobs and FreeJobAlert. That notice, Ref. No. ISTC/HR/01/2026-27/RECRUITMENT PH. 1(B), closed more than a month ago. If a page tells you the fee is ₹400 or the pay runs up to ₹2,00,000, it is describing that drive and not this one.
Snapshot
| Item | Detail (as reported) |
|---|---|
| Organisation | India Ship Technology Centre (ISTC) |
| Post | Personal Secretary (Trainee) |
| Vacancies | 2 |
| Location | Kochi, Kerala |
| Terms | 1 year of training, then possible contract engagement |
| Stipend | ₹20,000 per month, consolidated, during training |
| Qualification | 3-year bachelor’s degree with at least 75% marks |
| Maximum age | 25 years as on 4 November 2026 |
| Fee | ₹600 for General, OBC and EWS; nil for SC, ST and PwBD |
| Mode | Online |
| Last date | 4 November 2026 |
Dates
Applications opened on 23 October 2026 and close on 4 November 2026. Sarkari Result gives the same date for the last day of online fee payment. The online examination date is to be notified, and the admit card is expected before the examination.
That is thirteen days, including a weekend or two, for a process that needs registration, uploads and an online payment. Treat the deadline as earlier than it looks. Portals slow down on the last day of almost every recruitment, and a payment that fails at 6 pm on 4 November cannot be retried at 6 am on 5 November. The reports say candidature is considered only after the fee is received, so an unpaid form is the same as no form.
Who can apply: the 75 per cent bar
The essential qualification is a pass in a three-year bachelor’s degree in Arts (other than fine or performing arts), Commerce, Science, Computer Applications or Business Administration, from a recognised university, with at least 75 per cent marks. Proficiency in tools such as SAP, MS Project and MS Office is listed as desirable.
Two clauses deserve a careful read. The first is the percentage. Seventy-five per cent is a high threshold for an Arts or Commerce graduate, and the pool of people who clear it is smaller than the pool of graduates. The reports do not say how the percentage is computed, whether it is aggregate marks over all three years, or how a CGPA is converted. One portal includes an equivalency certificate in the document list. If your university awards grades, ask it for a certificate stating your percentage equivalent now, because that takes days and is not in your control.
The second clause is a warning against over-qualification. The reported wording says applicants without the prescribed qualification who hold higher qualifications such as B.Tech or M.Sc will not be considered. In plain terms, an engineering or science postgraduate degree does not substitute for the listed bachelor’s degrees. How this applies to someone who holds the listed bachelor’s degree and then also did a master’s is not spelled out in what I read. If you are in that position, the notification is where to look, and I would not apply on a guess.
Age limit
The reported maximum age is 25 years as on 4 November 2026, which Karmasandhan translates as being born on or after 5 November 2001. Age relaxation is reported for persons with benchmark disabilities, as per Government of India guidelines.
What the reports do not mention is any relaxation for SC, ST or OBC candidates. That is unusual enough to check, because many central recruitments add years for those categories. It may be that this notice gives none, or the portals may have left it out. Do not assume either way. Read the age clause of the notification, and if you are within a few years of the limit, settle the question before paying the fee.
Combine the age cap with the 75 per cent bar and you get a narrow window: a recent graduate with a strong record. The candidate profile this points to is someone in their early twenties who finished a three-year degree with high marks, not an experienced secretary changing jobs. Experience is not listed as a requirement in the reports.
The post: trainee, not a regular appointment
The wording matters here, because the headline says Personal Secretary and the terms say trainee. Selected candidates undergo one year of training at ISTC, Kochi, on a consolidated stipend of ₹20,000 per month. After that, depending on requirements, vacancies and individual performance, they may be considered for contractual posts for up to five years. One table on the Karmasandhan page adds that the contract may be extendable, while its note gives five years as the maximum. Settle that point from the PDF.
Look at the verbs: may be considered. Nothing in the reports promises a contract after the training year, and nothing suggests the post becomes permanent. The salary during the contract stage is described only as per contractual terms. So the stipend is the one number you can plan around, and the figure after it is open.
The reported job profile is general: secretarial assistance, managing schedules, handling correspondence and performing administrative tasks as assigned. The reports do not describe a specific reporting line or whom the secretaries will assist.
Two posts, and what that means for the odds
Nobody has published an applicant count, so no one can quote a ratio. What can be said is that two vacancies, a fee-paying pool and a degree bar of 75 per cent will still draw a large number of applications, because the qualification is common and the posting is with a central government body. The notice also reserves the right to increase or decrease the vacancies, to leave any of them unfilled, or to cancel the process, according to Karmasandhan. That is a standard clause, but it tells you the two posts are not guaranteed.
The practical reading is that a good result needs a high score in a short, competitive process, and that there is no point in hedging by applying carelessly. Apply only if you meet every condition, and put your effort into the stages that rank you.
The Kochi posting
The posting is at ISTC, Kochi, Kerala. For a candidate who lives elsewhere, this is a relocation on a stipend of ₹20,000. The reports say nothing about accommodation, and they say no TA or DA is paid for attending the selection process. Think through rent, travel home and daily costs before you pay a non-refundable fee, because the stipend is the only reported income for the first year and the one after is not defined. For a candidate based in Kerala, the calculation is different, and the training year becomes a lower-risk way into a central government organisation.
Selection process
The reported stages are, in order, an objective online test, a descriptive online test, a skill test, certificate verification and a medical examination. The total across the tests is 100 marks. The descriptive answers are evaluated only for candidates shortlisted on the objective test, so the objective test works as the first gate.
Ties are broken first by marks in the Discipline part of the objective test, then by age, with the older candidate placed higher if the tie still stands. That small rule says two things. There is a Discipline section in the objective test, which is a part separate from general sections, and that section matters if you land on a cut-off line. And a candidate who is a few months older benefits, which is the one place where the age ceiling works in your favour.
One further point about the structure. The reports describe no interview, and they put all the tests together at 100 marks. How those 100 marks divide between the objective test, the descriptive test and the skill test is not stated, and neither is whether the skill test is scored or only qualifying. This matters for how you spend your time. If the descriptive paper carries a large share, a candidate who prepares only for multiple-choice questions loses marks where others gain them. Until the split is published, give the writing paper real practice and not leftover hours.
What is not published: the sectional structure of the objective test, its duration, negative marking, the descriptive paper’s format, and what the skill test checks. For a secretarial post, the skill test probably involves typing or office-document work, but that is my inference and the reports do not say. Prepare for it as an unknown, and watch for the detailed pattern in the notification or a later notice.
Application fee
The fee is ₹600 for General, OBC and EWS candidates, non-refundable, with bank charges extra. SC, ST and PwBD candidates are exempt. Payment is online only, by debit card, credit card or internet banking, and no other mode is accepted.
Non-refundable means that a mistake you catch after paying stays paid. Check the post, category and eligibility before the payment screen, not after. The EWS and OBC certificates are not on the reported document list, which mentions only SC, ST and PwBD certificates in the Government of India format. If you are claiming EWS or OBC status, the notification should say what proof is needed and whether any benefit applies, because one portal says fee exemption is limited to the other three groups.
How to apply
Karmasandhan reports these steps.
- Go to the official ISTC website, istcindia.org, and open the Career page.
- Click the link for the online application for this advertisement.
- Complete the registration with a valid email address and mobile number.
- Fill in the application form, including personal details, address, educational qualifications and marks.
- Upload your photograph, signature and documents.
- Pay the fee online, if applicable to your category.
- Submit before 4 November 2026.
- Save and print the completed application with your unique registration number.
Submit one application only. The reports say a submitted application is final and that no hard copies need to be sent. The earlier ISTC notice mentioned a one-time registration on the SAP online portal before applying, so expect a registration step here as well, and do it early.
Documents to keep ready
The reported list is a recent passport-size colour photograph, a signature, proof of age such as a birth certificate or Class 10 certificate, the bachelor’s degree certificate and mark sheets showing at least 75 per cent, an equivalency certificate if applicable, and a category certificate in the Government of India format for SC, ST or PwBD candidates where relevant.
Scan these before you open the form. Photograph and signature uploads are the step that most often fails, because of size and format limits that you only see when you hit the upload box. Keep copies in the size range the portal asks for, and keep the mark sheets legible enough to read your percentage. Your date of birth on the application must match the Class 10 certificate exactly, since the age limit leaves little room.
A verification point about the website
The application link and the notification PDF are reported to sit on cochinshipyard.in, not on istcindia.org. That can look suspicious to a candidate who expects an ISTC job to be on an ISTC domain, and it is exactly the kind of thing that scam pages imitate. Cochin Shipyard’s training institute building is also reported as the address in some listings, which suggests a real link between the two bodies. Still, reach the application page by starting from istcindia.org and following its Career link, not by clicking a link in a WhatsApp forward. Never pay the ₹600 fee anywhere except the payment gateway inside that application.
Preparing in thirteen days
This is my suggestion, since no syllabus is published.
Days 1 to 3: confirm that you meet the 75 per cent bar and the age limit, get any equivalency certificate, scan your documents, and submit the form with time to spare. Do not leave payment for the last day.
Days 4 to 13: prepare for the stages in order of what is known. For the objective test, cover English, general awareness, reasoning and basic arithmetic, and add office management and general knowledge of the shipping and ports sector, since the Discipline part is unexplained. For the descriptive test, practise writing short letters, notes and summaries in English under a time limit, because only the shortlisted candidates’ answers are read, and clear, error-free writing is what separates them. For the skill test, build typing speed and accuracy on a standard keyboard and refresh your MS Office basics, since the notice names these applications as desirable.
What is not yet known
- The online test date, centre and detailed pattern.
- How the 75 per cent is calculated, and how grades are converted.
- Whether age relaxation applies to SC, ST and OBC candidates.
- The reservation split across the 2 posts.
- The contract terms and pay after the training year.
- What the skill test examines.
Official Links
| Link | Details |
|---|---|
| Apply Online | Online Application Form |
| Official Notification PDF | Detailed Recruitment Notification |
| Official Website | ISTC Official Portal |
FAQs
I have an MA after my BA. Can I apply? The reports say higher qualifications such as B.Tech or M.Sc do not replace the prescribed bachelor’s degree. If you hold the listed three-year degree with at least 75 per cent, it should be the qualifying one, but confirm how the notification treats a candidate with a later master’s degree.
My university gives CGPA, not percentage. What do I do? Ask the university for a certificate that states your percentage equivalent, and upload it where the form allows. Do this early, because the 75 per cent bar is strict and the portal may need a clear percentage.
Is the ₹20,000 a salary? No. It is a consolidated stipend for the one-year training period. After that, candidates may be considered for contractual engagement for up to five years, on terms that are not given in the reports.
Do I have to send a hard copy of my application? No. The reports say no hard copies need to be sent. Keep a printout of your submitted application with the registration number.
Is there TA or DA for attending the tests? The reports say no TA or DA is paid to candidates for attending the selection process, so plan travel costs for the online test centre yourself.