SSC JE Exam Pattern 2026, Paper 1 & Paper 2 Exam Format, Marking Scheme

SSC JE Exam Pattern 2026: The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will release the SSC JE 2026 notification in March 2026 on its official website ssc.gov.in, inviting applications for Junior Engineer posts in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical disciplines across various government departments. This two-tier examination process—Paper 1 (objective CBT) and Paper 2 (descriptive)—tests candidates' technical knowledge, general intelligence, and awareness, making it a key opportunity for diploma and degree holders in engineering. With applications expected to run through April 2026 and exams tentatively scheduled for May-June 2026, aspirants should prepare early to align with the updated marking scheme and format. The recruitment targets essential roles in organizations like CPWD, MES, and BRO, offering stable careers with competitive pay scales under the 7th CPC.​

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SSC JE Exam Pattern 2026

SSC JE 2026 follows a two-paper format: Paper 1 is a 200-mark online CBT spanning 2 hours with sections on General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, and technical subjects (50 questions each, 1/3 negative marking for wrongs). Paper 2, worth 300 marks, is a descriptive technical paper conducted online for 2 hours, focusing on discipline-specific topics without negative marking. Qualifying Paper 1 leads to Paper 2, with final merit based on combined scores after document verification. Candidates must secure minimum marks in each section of Paper 1 to advance.​

Also, Read: SSC JE Syllabus 2026

SSC JE Exam Pattern 2026 Overview

The SSC JE exam includes two stages, i.e., Paper 1 and Paper 2. Both papers will be objective type, following the prescribed exam pattern. Candidates must refer below to check the key insights into the SSC JE Exam Pattern 2026:

SSC JE Exam Pattern for Paper 1

The SSC JE Paper 1 includes 200 objective-type questions from General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, and the opted Engineering discipline. Each question will allocate 1 mark for the correct answer. The duration of the exam will be 120 minutes. A complete exam pattern for SSC JE Paper 1 is discussed below:

• The exam will be conducted in online mode and consist of multiple choice type questions.
• The questions will be asked from General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, and General Engineering (Civil & Structural / Electrical / Mechanical).
• The exam will include a total of 200 questions carrying 1 mark.
• There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.

SSC JE Exam Pattern for Paper 2

The SSC JE Paper 2 will be a subject-specific test to evaluate the knowledge of aspirants in the concerned technical subjects. The exam will consist of a total of 100 questions carrying 3 marks each. The duration to attempt Paper 2 will be 2 hours.

• A total of 100 questions will be there in Paper 2 from the specific subjects of Civil & Structural, Electrical and Mechanical streams.
• Each question will be awarded 3 marks for the correct answer.
• The duration of exam will be 2 hours.
• A negative of 1/3 marks for every incorrect answer.
• A negative marking of 1 mark will be applicable for every incorrect answer.

SSC JE Subject-Wise Weightage

Securing the highest marks in the SSC JE Exam requires a strategic approach, proper planning, and effective time management. The SSC JE Paper 1 & Paper 2 comprise a wide range of topics from different subjects. To optimize your preparation, candidates must have a better idea about the weightage of topics to know the topics that require more focus. The subject-wise weightage for Paper 1 and Paper 2 is mentioned in this section:

Part 1

General Intelligence & Reasoning

The General Intelligence and Reasoning section encompasses 50 questions from a range of topics. The topic-wise weightage of marks is tabulated below:

Check: How to Prepare Reasoning for SSC JE

General Awareness

The General Awareness section covers a weightage of 50 marks carrying a wide range of topics for which the weightage of marks are as follows:

Check: How to Prepare General Awareness for SSC JE

General Engineering

This section will have three parts i.e. Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering carrying 100 questions from the specific subjects. The weightage of all the subjects for all the branches are given below:

Part A Civil Engineering

The subject-wise weightage of the Civil Engineering section is tabulated below:

Part B Electrical Engineering

The subject-wise weightage of the Electrical Engineering section is tabulated below:

Part C Mechanical Engineering

The subject-wise weightage of Mechanical Engineering section is tabulated below:

Paper 2

Paper 2 focuses on the subject-specific test comprise Civil, Electrical and Mechanical disciplines. The subject-wise distribution of marks for SSC JE Paper 2 is as follows:

Part A Civil & Structural Engineering

It solely focuses on the concerned topics consisting of 100 questions from various core subjects. The bifurcation of weightage for all the subjects is given below:

Part B Electrical Engineering

This section consists of the specific core subjects and carries 100 questions from various topics. The weightage of questions for this section is tabulated below:

Part C Mechanical Engineering

This section includes 100 questions from the specific Mechanical Engineering subjects. The distribution of weightage for all the subjects is as follows:

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