Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Junior Secretariat Assistant
CSIR Junior Secretariat Assistant is a recruitment exam conducted by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research for assistant-cadre recruitment, relevant to candidates preparing for recruitment at public sector undertakings and central institutions.
CSIR Junior Secretariat Assistant: what the exam is
The CSIR Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) recruitment fills Group C clerical posts in the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, its headquarters and its national laboratories. JSA posts come in three streams: General, Finance and Accounts (F&A), and Stores and Purchase (S&P). Each lab, or a nodal lab for a group of labs, runs its own advertisement, written exam and typing test.
As of 11 October 2026, no new combined JSA recruitment for the Delhi-based labs and CSIR Headquarters has been notified. The last large combined cycle was Advertisement No. CRRI/02/PC/JSA-JST/2025, run by CSIR-CRRI for 177 JSA posts, and this page uses it as the reference. Smaller lab-level advertisements have continued in 2026, so the page also explains how to track them.
CSIR JSA at a glance
Particular | Details |
|---|---|
Organisation | Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and its laboratories |
Post | Junior Secretariat Assistant (General, F&A, S&P), Group C |
Reference cycle | Advt. No. CRRI/02/PC/JSA-JST/2025 (CSIR-CRRI, IGIB, NIScPR, NPL and CSIR HQ, New Delhi) |
JSA vacancies in reference cycle | 177 (provisional, as notified) |
Qualification | 10+2 or equivalent, plus computer typing proficiency |
Age limit | Up to 28 years, with category relaxations |
Stages | Paper I (qualifying), Paper II (merit), typing test (qualifying), document verification |
Pay | Pay Level 2, Rs. 19,900 to Rs. 63,200 |
Official websites | csir.res.in and the recruitment page of the advertising lab |
CSIR JSA notification status in 2026
CSIR does not hold one national JSA exam every year. Instead, a lab advertises posts when vacancies arise, sometimes alone and sometimes as a nodal lab for several labs in one city. In 2025, CSIR-CRRI ran a combined recruitment for CSIR-CRRI, CSIR-IGIB, CSIR-NIScPR, CSIR-NPL and CSIR Headquarters, all in New Delhi.
In 2026, lab-level JSA advertisements have included CSIR-CLRI (Advertisement No. 02/2026, applications from 23 January to 2 March 2026) and CSIR-NEIST (Advertisement No. 05/2026-REC, applications from 29 August to 28 September 2026). These are small, lab-specific openings. A new combined Delhi cycle has not been announced, so treat any "2026 notification expected" date you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until it appears on an official CSIR lab website.
Important dates from the reference cycle
Event | Date (Advt. CRRI/02/PC/JSA-JST/2025) |
|---|---|
Online application window | 22 March 2025 to 21 April 2025 |
Written exam (CBT) | 13 to 20 May 2025, Delhi NCR |
CBT result and typing test shortlist | 18 June 2025 |
Final result | 9 July 2025 |
These dates belong to a completed cycle and are shown only as a reference for how long each stage takes. Dates for the next cycle are not known. Track the recruitment pages of CSIR labs and your registered email once you apply.
Vacancy details
The 2025 combined cycle notified 177 JSA posts across five Delhi units. The final result of 9 July 2025 recommended 172 JSA candidates.
Lab or unit | JSA posts notified (2025) |
|---|---|
CSIR Headquarters | 105 |
CSIR-NIScPR | 23 |
CSIR-IGIB | 19 |
CSIR-NPL | 17 |
CSIR-CRRI | 13 |
Total | 177 |
Vacancy figures in CSIR advertisements are provisional and can change. Lab-level advertisements are much smaller, often one to six JSA posts.
CSIR JSA eligibility
Educational qualification
Candidates need 10+2 (Class XII) or equivalent, plus proficiency in computer typing and computer use as per DoPT norms. Some advertisements accept a three-year diploma after Class 10 as equivalent, only with a recognised course and an equivalence order. Some labs add a subject condition for F&A posts, so read the post-wise qualification in each advertisement.
Age limit
The upper age limit is 28 years, counted on the closing date of the advertisement (21 April 2025 in the reference cycle). Lab advertisements state a minimum age of 18 years.
Category | Upper age relaxation |
|---|---|
SC/ST | 5 years |
OBC (NCL) | 3 years |
PwBD | 10 years (UR), 13 years (OBC), 15 years (SC/ST) |
Ex-Servicemen | 3 years after deducting military service |
Widows, divorced or judicially separated women (not remarried) | Up to 35 years (40 years for SC/ST) |
CSIR departmental candidates | No age limit |
Application fee and how to apply
Category | Fee (2025 reference cycle) |
|---|---|
UR, OBC (NCL), EWS | Rs. 500, non-refundable |
Women, SC, ST, PwBD, Ex-Servicemen | Exempt |
Find the advertisement: Open the recruitment page of the advertising CSIR lab and download the detailed advertisement.
Register online: Use the lab's online portal and choose the post code. In combined cycles, the lab or cadre choice can be final.
Fill details and upload documents: Photo, signature, Class 12 certificate, category and PwBD certificates, and an equivalence order if relevant.
Pay the fee: Pay online through the mode given in the advertisement, unless you are exempt.
Submit and save: Keep a copy of the application and fee receipt.
Common reasons for rejection are a missing category certificate, an unsupported equivalence claim, a missing NOC for serving employees, and duplicate applications for the same post code.
CSIR JSA exam pattern
Written exam
Paper | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
Paper I: Mental Ability Test | 100 | 200 | 90 minutes |
Paper II: General Awareness | 50 | 150 | 60 minutes (combined) |
Paper II: English Language | 50 | 150 | (within the 60 minutes) |
Total | 200 | 500 | 2 hours 30 minutes |
Paper I carries 2 marks per correct answer with no negative marking and is qualifying. Paper II carries 3 marks per correct answer and deducts 1 mark per wrong answer. Paper II is checked only for candidates who clear the Paper I threshold, and the merit list is based on Paper II alone.
Typing test
The typing test is qualifying: 35 words per minute in English or 30 words per minute in Hindi, in 10 minutes, on a computer.
What this means for you:
Paper I is a gate: You only need to clear the threshold, but a weak Paper I ends your attempt before Paper II is even checked.
Paper II decides rank: Every Paper II mark counts toward merit, so General Awareness and English deserve most of your study time.
Typing cannot be crammed: Start typing practice early, because a missed typing test cancels a good written score.
Older pages may describe a different pattern or an interview stage, so follow the official advertisement. Read the full CSIR JSA exam pattern page for timing and marking strategy.
CSIR JSA syllabus summary
Subject | Paper | Important topics |
|---|---|---|
Mental Ability | Paper I | Analogies, classification, number and figure series, space visualisation, arithmetical reasoning, problem solving, judgement and decision making |
General Awareness | Paper II | Current events, everyday science, India and neighbouring countries, history, culture, geography, economy, polity and Constitution, scientific research |
English Language | Paper II | Vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms, correct usage |
CSIR advertisements list broad syllabus areas rather than a detailed topic list.
Selection process
Screening: Applications are screened against the eligibility conditions.
Written exam: Paper I must be cleared at the threshold set by the Selection Committee; Paper II marks decide merit.
Typing test: Qualifying only. The order of the typing test and written exam is decided by the Selection Committee and announced on the lab website.
Document verification and final list: Ties are broken by fewer negative marks, then older date of birth, then earlier attainment of the minimum qualification, then alphabetical order of first name.
Salary and career growth
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Pay level | Level 2 of the 7th CPC pay matrix (Rs. 19,900 to Rs. 63,200) |
Allowances | DA, HRA and TA as per central government rules |
Approximate total emoluments (indicative) | About Rs. 38,900 to Rs. 39,500 a month in recent lab advertisements |
Probation | Two years |
The emoluments figure is indicative, not official for every post. It varies by city and the DA rate at the time of joining. JSA is an entry post in the CSIR administrative cadre, and promotion to higher assistant grades follows CSIR recruitment rules and service.
How to prepare for CSIR JSA
Paper I first, briefly: Build speed in reasoning and arithmetic until you clear past thresholds comfortably, then maintain it with weekly practice.
Paper II for rank: Read current affairs daily, revise static General Awareness on a fixed schedule, and practise English grammar and vocabulary every day.
Typing every day: Practise 15 to 20 minutes daily without backspace until 35 words per minute is routine.
Full mocks in the last phase: Take timed mocks of both papers together, and analyse every wrong answer in Paper II because it costs a mark.
CSIR JSA cut-off reference
In the 2025 combined cycle, the minimum threshold for Paper I was 40% (80 out of 200) for UR, and the normalised Paper II score needed to reach the typing test was about 229 for UR. Cut-offs change with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants, and each lab sets its own.
Official sources: CSIR official website and the CSIR-CRRI recruitment page for the 2025 combined cycle.