Exam Updates

Exam Dates

An exam date is a planning constraint before it is anything else. It fixes when each phase of your preparation has to end — foundation, depth, then mocks and revision — and working backwards from it produces a far more realistic plan than working forwards from today.

The other thing dates decide is which combination of exams is actually sittable. Two papers a week apart is manageable; two on the same weekend is not, and a mains examination falling in the middle of another exam’s preparation is a genuine conflict worth resolving in advance rather than in the moment.

Take a Free Mock TestAll Exam Updates

Exam updates · checked 19 September 2026

Application forms closing soon, from the official notices

Every deadline below was read on the conducting body’s own portal. Apply days before the close — the last day is when portals slow down and no commission grants an extension for it.

All open application formsLatest notificationsToday’s current affairs
21Sep 2026

Next deadline

Closing soonest

  1. 01
  2. 02

    SSC JE 2026 — 1,748 posts, applications close 22 September with no extension

    closes 22 SeptemberSSC JE 2026ssc.gov.in notices of 2 and 17 September 2026

  3. 03

    CAT 2026 registration extended to 22 September, 5 p.m. — no further extension

    closes 22 SeptemberCAT 2026iimcat.ac.in media release

  4. 04

Exam dates — checked 19 September 2026

Upcoming exam dates, as the conducting bodies have fixed or proposed them

A date is fixed when the body’s own notice says so and proposed when it comes from a calendar — NTA’s December–March calendar, the IBPS tentative calendar, the TNPSC annual planner. Both kinds are here with the distinction marked, and the admit card is the final confirmation.

Board of application closings, examinations and a due result from 21 September to 31 October 2026: IBPS RRB, SSC JE, CAT, TNPSC Group 1 prelims, GATE, UIIC AO, SSC CPO, CGL Tier 1, NEET PG result, IBPS PO mains, ESE 2027, SSC CHSL, NMAT, IBPS Clerk prelims, IIT JAM, INI-CET, RRB Paramedical, UPSSSC PET, APPSC, RRB JE CBT 1, CLAT
Deadlines and dates, 19 September – 31 October 2026, from the conducting bodies’ notices.
Checked 19 September 2026 on the conducting bodies’ portals; each row names its source.
DateExamWhat was publishedSource
18 SeptemberMPSC Rajyaseva 2026 mainsMPSC Rajyaseva 2026 mains from 3 October to 1 November. The State Services main examination papers are on 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 17, 18 and 31 October and 1 November 2026, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., following the prelims of 31 May 2026.mpsc.gov.in
18 SeptemberTNPSC Group 2 and 2A 2026TNPSC Group 2/2A prelims on 1 November; Group 4 on 20 December. Notification 07/2026 (43 Group II posts alongside the Group IIA posts) closed applications on 9 September 2026 with corrections to 15 September; the preliminary examination is on Sunday 1 November 2026, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The annual planner places Group 4 on 20 December 2026.tnpsc.gov.in
16 SeptemberRRB JE CEN 04/2026 CBT 1RRB JE 2026 CBT 1 on 27, 28 and 30 October (tentative). The RRBs’ notice of 16 September 2026 fixes the tentative schedule of the first-stage CBT for CEN 04/2026 — Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent and Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant — for 27, 28 and 30 October 2026. The exam city and date link opens about ten days before and e-call letters about four days before; Aadhaar-linked biometric authentication at the centre.RRB portal, notice of 16 September 2026
16 SeptemberUPSSSC Junior Assistant 2024 typing testUPSSSC Junior Assistant (12-Exam/2024) typing test from 30 October. The commission’s notice of 16 September 2026 fixes the typing test for the 46,282 candidates shortlisted on the written score of 1 February from 30 October 2026, ahead of the December its calendar had proposed; admit cards will be announced on the site.upsssc.gov.in notice of 16 September 2026
16 SeptemberUGC NET and CSIR NET December 2026NTA calendar: UGC NET December 14–19 December, CSIR NET 20–21 December. NTA’s examination calendar of 16 September 2026 proposes UGC NET December 2026 for 14–19 December (20–21 in reserve) and the Joint CSIR-UGC NET for 20–21 December; the bulletins and application windows are expected in October. The same calendar proposes JEE Main 2027 Session 1 for 22–24 and 28–30 January, CMAT 2027 for 7 February and CUET PG 2027 for 1–25 March.nta.ac.in, 16 September 2026
14 SeptemberCTET December 2026CTET 2026 (22nd edition) on 12 and 13 December. CBSE’s public notice of 14 September 2026 fixed the 22nd CTET, first notified as “CTET September 2026”, for 12 and 13 December 2026 in computer-based mode; the exam city is shown about 15 days before and the admit card two days before the examination.ctet.nic.in public notice, 14 September 2026
14 SeptemberNEET 2027NEET 2027 will be a computer-based test — NTA confirms. The NTA Director General confirmed on 14 September 2026 that NEET UG moves to computer-based testing from the 2027 cycle, after the Education Minister’s announcement of 15 May and NTA’s 4 September letter asking AICTE to map centres. The date is not yet announced; NEET UG is not in NTA’s December–March calendar, so the notice is expected in February 2027.NTA, 14 September 2026
12 SeptemberSSC CGL 2026 Tier 1SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 fixed for 30 September – 30 October. The Commission’s schedule notice of 12 September 2026 fixed the Tier 1 computer-based examination for 30 September to 30 October 2026; exam-city intimation and admit cards follow through the candidate login. Tier 2 remains tentatively December.ssc.gov.in important notice, 12 September 2026
10–11 SeptemberRRB Technician and Section Controller CBTsRRB Technician (CEN 02/2026) CBT 6–9 October; Section Controller (CEN 03/2026) CBT 12–13 October. Notices of 10 and 11 September 2026 fix the tentative CBT for Technician Grade I and Grade III under CEN 02/2026 for 6–9 October 2026 and for Section Controller under CEN 03/2026 for 12–13 October 2026, with city intimation ten days and e-call letters four days before.RRB portal, notices of 10 and 11 September 2026
9 SeptemberUPSSSC PET 2026UPSSSC PET 2026 on 23, 24 and 25 October. The Commission announced on 9 September 2026 that the Preliminary Eligibility Test will be held on 23–25 October 2026 in two shifts a day (10 a.m. – 12 noon and 3–5 p.m.); applications had closed on 7 September. The score is valid for three years.upsssc.gov.in
4 OctoberIBPS PO 2026 mainsIBPS PO 2026 mains on 4 October; prelims result due this month. CRP PO/MT-XVI held its preliminary examination on 22–23 August 2026; the notification places the prelims result in September and the main examination on 4 October 2026, with interviews in November–December and provisional allotment in January 2027.ibps.in
21 August – 22 NovemberUPSC CSE and IFoS mains 2026Civil Services mains from 21 August; IFoS main examination from 22 November. The Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 began on 21 August 2026 for the candidates admitted on 15 June; the Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination runs from 22 November 2026 for seven days, and its time table is now posted on upsc.gov.in.upsc.gov.in

Exam guides for the updates above

MPSC Rajyaseva 2026 mains — exam guide TNPSC Group 2 and 2A 2026 — exam guide RRB JE CEN 04/2026 CBT 1 — exam guide UPSSSC Junior Assistant 2024 typing test — exam guide UGC NET and CSIR NET December 2026 — exam guide CTET December 2026 — exam guide NEET 2027 — exam guide SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 — exam guide RRB Technician and Section Controller CBTs — exam guide UPSSSC PET 2026 — exam guide

Planning

Working backwards from the date

  1. Reserve the final four to six weeks for mocks and revision. No new material in this period; consolidation of what is already partly known.
  2. Reserve the two months before that for depth and weak sections. The subjects that need real work, identified from mock analysis rather than instinct.
  3. Everything before that is foundation. The slow-building components — general awareness, English, calculation speed, physical training — start here and never stop.
  4. Then check whether the arithmetic works. If foundation needs six months and you have three, the plan needs changing rather than the effort increasing.

Between stages

The gap that catches candidates out

In multi-stage examinations, the interval between a preliminary result and the main examination is frequently just a few weeks. That is enough to sharpen speed and nowhere near enough to build depth — banking awareness, data interpretation, descriptive writing and technical revision all take months. Candidates who prepare only for the screening stage and wait for its result are the single most common casualty of exam scheduling.

Practical scheduling checks

  • Do your target exams clash? — Check both the written dates and the likely windows for later stages.
  • Does a mains fall inside another exam’s final month? — A conflict worth resolving by choosing rather than by attempting both badly.
  • Are physical stages likely soon after the written result? — They usually are, which is why training cannot pause during written preparation.
  • Have you verified the date from the official source? — Aggregated calendars are for planning; official announcements are for acting on.

Related pages

Exam calendar Latest notifications Admit cards All exam updates

Also in this group

Before the Exam

Notification TrackingView resourcesApplication FormsView resourcesVacanciesView resourcesAdmit CardsView resourcesAnswer KeysView resourcesCut OffsView resourcesResultsView resourcesSSC UpdatesView resourcesUPSC UpdatesView resourcesBanking UpdatesView resourcesRailway UpdatesView resourcesState Exam UpdatesView resources

Explore

Everything under Exam Updates

Apply & Track

Before the Exam

After the Exam

Popular Update Hubs

View Latest Updates

Questions

Exam Dates — FAQs

What are the government exam dates for October to December 2026?

Fixed by notice: SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 from 30 September to 30 October; IBPS PO mains 4 October; IBPS Clerk prelims 10–11 October; UPSSSC PET 23–25 October; MPSC Rajyaseva mains 3 October – 1 November; TNPSC Group 2/2A prelims 1 November; INI-CET 1 November; KPSC KAS prelims 15 November; IFoS mains from 22 November; CAT 29 November; UPPSC PCS prelims and CLAT on 6 December; CTET 12–13 December; AILET 13 December; SNAP 13, 19 and 26 December. Proposed in NTA’s calendar: UGC NET 14–19 December, CSIR NET 20–21 December, JEE Main Session 1 22–30 January 2027.

How should I plan my preparation around an exam date?

Backwards from the date rather than forwards from today. Reserve the final four to six weeks for mocks and revision with no new material, the two months before that for depth and weak-section work identified from mock analysis, and everything earlier for foundation building. Then check whether the arithmetic actually works — if your foundation needs six months and you have three, the honest response is to change the plan rather than to assume greater effort will close the gap.

What if two of my target exams clash?

Resolve it in advance by choosing rather than in the moment by attempting both badly. Check not only the written dates but the likely windows for later stages, since a mains examination falling inside another exam’s final month is a genuine conflict even when the written papers do not collide. Where the syllabi overlap heavily, the choice is usually clear; where they do not, attempting both typically means under-preparing for each.

Do exam dates change after they are announced?

Sometimes, and occasionally at short notice. Notifications are deferred, application windows move and examinations are rescheduled for a range of administrative reasons. That is why aggregated calendars are useful for seeing the shape of a year and spotting clashes, while any date you are going to act on — an application deadline especially — should be verified against the conducting body’s own announcement.

Start Your Competitive Exam Preparation Today

Choose your exam, learn smarter, practice consistently and track your preparation with Brolly Exam Prep.

Take Free Mock TestExplore Exams

Already practising? Create Free Account to track your preparation.

Explore ExamsTake Free Mock Test