Eklavya Model Residential Schools PGT

EMRS PGT is the recruitment of Post Graduate Teachers for Eklavya Model Residential Schools, the residential schools for tribal students run under the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous society of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. NESTS fills these posts through the EMRS Staff Selection Exam (ESSE), and the latest cycle, ESSE 2025, notified 1,460 PGT vacancies across 11 subjects.

The ESSE 2025 cycle is close to its final stage. Tier 1 was held in December 2025, Tier 2 in March 2026, and the PGT Tier 2 results were released subject by subject in September 2026. This guide brings together the dates, vacancies, eligibility, fee, exam pattern, syllabus, salary and selection rules for EMRS PGT, and explains what to do while the document verification schedule and the next notification are awaited.

Table of Contents

EMRS PGT at a Glance

Official website: https://nests.tribal.gov.in/

ESSE 2025 Notification and Current Status

NESTS released the ESSE 2025 information bulletin on 19 September 2025 for 7,267 teaching and non-teaching posts in EMRSs. Of these, 1,460 are PGT posts. The others are Principal, TGT, Female Staff Nurse, Hostel Warden, Accountant, Junior Secretariat Assistant and Lab Attendant. The application window closed on 28 October 2025 after a short extension from the original 23 October deadline.

The examination work for the cycle has been handled through CBSE as the examination agency, while NESTS remains the recruiting body and publishes every notice. Here is where the PGT recruitment stands as of 27 October 2026:

• Tier 1 and Tier 2 are complete: Tier 1 results and cut-offs came out on 31 January 2026, and the Tier 2 subject knowledge exam was held in March 2026.

• PGT Tier 2 results are out: NESTS declared them in batches between 7 and 18 September 2026. Candidates see their marks and shortlisting status for document verification in their login.

• Document verification is next: NESTS has said the schedule will be announced on its website. No date has been published yet.

• No ESSE 2026 notification yet: The NESTS website lists only the ESSE 2025 notification. If you missed this cycle, keep preparing, since the pattern and syllabus below are the best guide to the next one.

NESTS has twice warned about fake notices on ESSE 2025, including one about Tier 2 results. Trust only notices posted on the official website.

ESSE 2025 notification page: https://nests.tribal.gov.in/show_content.php?lang=1&level=1&ls_id=949&lid=550

EMRS PGT Important Dates

The PGT shift dates come from the published schedule as reported at the time; the official schedule notices are scanned PDFs on the NESTS website. Dates for the next stage can change, so track the NESTS news section and your registered email.

EMRS PGT Vacancy 2025

The bulletin lists 1,460 PGT posts. NESTS states these figures are tentative and may rise or fall, so treat them as indicative.

Persons with benchmark disabilities have horizontal reservation within these numbers: 15 posts each for visual, hearing and locomotor disability, and 14 for other categories.

EMRS PGT Eligibility Criteria

All eligibility conditions are judged as on 23 October 2025, the cut-off date fixed in the bulletin. Full details are on the EMRS PGT eligibility guide.

Educational Qualification

• Standard route: A Master's degree in the subject concerned with at least 50% marks, plus a B.Ed from an NCTE-recognised institution with at least 50% marks.

• Integrated routes: An integrated postgraduate course with a B.Ed component, a three-year integrated B.Ed-M.Ed, or a four-year integrated degree with a B.Ed component, each with at least 50% marks from an NCTE-recognised institution.

• Subject at graduation: For most science and humanities subjects, the subject must also have been studied at graduation level.

• Computer Science: M.Sc (Computer Science or IT), MCA, or M.E./M.Tech (Computer Science or IT) with at least 50% marks. B.Ed is not needed at entry but will be required for future promotion.

• No CTET requirement: CTET Paper II is listed for TGT posts, not for PGT.

Age Limit

The upper age limit is 40 years. EMRS employees can apply up to 55 years, and no candidate can exceed 55 years even after combining relaxations.

Other Conditions

• Nationality: Only Indian citizens can apply.

• Language: Proficiency in teaching in both English and Hindi is required.

• Posting: Selected teachers can be posted to any EMRS in India and must pass a local language proficiency test conducted by NESTS within the two-year probation.

Application Fee and How to Apply

The fee is non-refundable, and bank charges and GST are paid by the candidate. Payment was online only, by card, net banking or UPI. In ESSE 2025, the process ran on a portal linked from the NESTS website:

1. Register with basic details and get a registration number and password.

2. Fill in the application form, including post, subject, category and qualifications.

3. Upload the photograph and signature as specified in the bulletin.

4. Pay the fee and download the confirmation page.

A few points cause most problems. You can apply for only one PGT subject, although you may apply for other post types such as TGT with a separate fee. OBC (NCL) and EWS certificates had to be based on income for the financial year 2024-25. The photo on your admit card must match the one you uploaded.

EMRS PGT Exam Pattern

Both tiers are OMR-based and bilingual. The detailed breakdown is on the EMRS PGT exam pattern page.

Tier 1: Preliminary Exam

Tier 1 lasts 2 hours 30 minutes with no separate time limit for each part. Part VI is qualifying: you need at least 8 out of 20 across English and Hindi, or Parts I to V are not evaluated.

Tier 2: Subject Knowledge Exam

Tier 2 lasts 3 hours. Each correct objective answer earns 1 mark, and one-third of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer. Blank questions carry no penalty.

What This Means for You

• Tier 1 is a filter: Only about ten candidates per vacancy reach Tier 2, so Tier 1 is competitive even though it does not count in the final merit.

• Tier 2 decides selection: The PGT merit list uses Tier 2 marks only, and 60 of those 100 marks come from descriptive answers.

• Do not ignore language: Failing the 20-mark language section wipes out the rest of your Tier 1 paper.

Older pages may still show Tier 1 totals of 120 or 130 marks, or the ESSE 2023 structure. Follow the ESSE 2025 bulletin.

EMRS PGT Syllabus Summary

The subject syllabi closely follow the senior secondary curriculum, with additional depth in some subjects such as English literature and Hindi sahitya. See the topic-wise lists on the EMRS PGT syllabus page.

Selection Process

1. Tier 1 (preliminary): Candidates who clear the language section are ranked on Parts I to V, and shortlisted for Tier 2 in a ratio of 1:10 against vacancies, category-wise.

2. Tier 2 (subject knowledge): You must score at least 30% (General, OBC, EWS) or 25% (SC, ST, PwBD). The merit list is prepared on Tier 2 marks only.

3. Document verification: Candidates are called in a ratio of 1:3 against vacancies, with original certificates for age, qualification, category, EWS and disability where relevant.

4. Panel and appointment: The panel stays valid for two years from publication. There is no interview for PGT; interviews apply only to the Principal post.

EMRS PGT Salary and Career Growth

In-hand pay depends on the allowances admissible at your place of posting and on deductions, so it is not an official single figure. In terms of growth, desirable experience such as TGT teaching or residential school work strengthens a profile, and Computer Science PGTs need a B.Ed before promotion.

How to Prepare for EMRS PGT

For Tier 1

• Give teaching aptitude and domain knowledge priority: Together they carry 60 of the 100 marks. Read NEP 2020 itself, not only summaries, and practise case-study questions on classroom situations.

• Build ICT and reasoning speed: These 30 marks are scoring if you practise short timed sets regularly.

• Secure the language section early: Revise basic English and Hindi grammar so the qualifying 8 marks are never at risk.

For Tier 2

• Cover the full subject syllabus: Start with the senior secondary concepts, then move to the deeper postgraduate-level topics listed by NESTS.

• Practise writing: Fifteen descriptive questions in three hours need clear, structured answers. Write timed answers weekly and check them against the textbook.

• Be careful with guesses: With a one-third penalty, a wild guess on the objective section costs more than it usually earns.

Mock Tests and Practice

NESTS does not publish an official mock test for ESSE. Its website carries the bulletin, syllabus and final answer keys, which are the most reliable practice references: https://nests.tribal.gov.in/

For timed practice in the current pattern, you can attempt teaching exam online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to plan revision.

EMRS PGT Cut-off Reference

The table shows the ESSE 2025 Tier 1 cut-off (marks out of 100 for Parts I to V) for shortlisting to Tier 2. These figures are reproduced from the published cut-off list as reported; the official PDF is a scanned document, so confirm against it on the NESTS website.

Cut-offs change every cycle with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat these as a benchmark only and aim for a clear margin above them. EWS and PwBD figures are on the EMRS PGT cut-off page.