Indian Space Research Organisation Junior Personal Assistant

The ISRO Junior Personal Assistant (JPA) post is a Level 4 administrative and secretarial role in the Indian Space Research Organisation. Recruitment is run centrally by the ISRO Centralised Recruitment Board (ICRB), which advertises JPA posts together with Assistant, Upper Division Clerk and Stenographer posts. The current cycle is Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026, dated 27 July 2026, with 81 JPA vacancies across seven zones.

As of 11 October 2026, the computer-based test (CBT) has been held on 21 September 2026, the response sheet and objection window has closed, and the skill test is tentatively scheduled for 25 October 2026. This page covers the ISRO JPA notification, dates, vacancies, eligibility, fee, exam pattern, syllabus, selection, salary, preparation and the last official cut-off, with links to detailed pages for each topic.

ISRO JPA 2026 at a Glance

ISRO JPA Notification 2026

ICRB released the combined advertisement on 27 July 2026 for Assistant, Junior Personal Assistant, Upper Division Clerk and Stenographer posts. Online registration opened the same day. A corrigendum dated 11 August 2026 extended the last date to 20 August 2026, revised some zone-wise vacancy splits and reworded the JPA qualification so that the one year of steno experience applies only to the diploma route. A second corrigendum dated 17 August 2026 clarified that the age relaxation for serving employees applies to serving Central Government employees.

The 2026 cycle also changed the written test duration. The previous cycle (Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:02(A-JPA):2022) allowed 120 minutes for the paper, while the 2026 advertisement allows 150 minutes for the same 200 questions. Older pages may still show 120 minutes, so follow the official 2026 notification.

You can read the full advertisement and every update on the official ISRO ICRB recruitment page.

ISRO JPA Important Dates 2026

The skill test date is tentative and comes from the official recruitment page, so it can change. Track the ICRB recruitment page on isro.gov.in and your registered email, because call letters are sent by email and SMS only.

ISRO JPA Vacancy 2026

The advertisement lists 81 vacancies for Junior Personal Assistant (Post No. 2): 50 UR, 11 OBC, 8 SC, 5 ST and 7 EWS. It also lists one further JPA vacancy as Post No. 6. Vacancies are provisional, and ICRB can increase, reduce or leave them unfilled.

PwBD and ex-servicemen vacancies are counted within these totals as per the advertisement and its corrigendum. Candidates could apply for the JPA post in only one zone.

ISRO JPA Eligibility

Educational qualification

• Graduation route: A degree with at least 60% marks or 6.32 CGPA on a 10-point scale from a recognised university, completed within the course's stipulated duration.

• Diploma route: A Diploma in Commercial/Secretarial Practice with at least 60% marks or 6.32 CGPA, completed within the stipulated duration, with one year of experience as a steno-typist or stenographer.

• Common conditions: A minimum speed of 60 words per minute in English stenography and proficiency in using computers apply to both routes.

ISRO does not allow rounding (59.9% or 6.319 CGPA is not eligible) or converting CGPA to percentage or the other way round. A postgraduate degree does not make up for a graduation score below 60%.

Age limit

The upper age limit is 28 years as on 16 August 2026. For UR and EWS candidates, this means a date of birth on or after 17 August 1998.

For the full rules, see the ISRO JPA eligibility criteria page.

ISRO JPA Application Fee and How to Apply

Payment was accepted only online through the Bharatkosh e-payment gateway. The application window for this cycle has closed. For the next cycle, the process will likely follow the same steps:

1. Open the advertisement: Go to the Careers section of isro.gov.in and open the ICRB advertisement.

2. Register: Enter your details with a valid email ID and mobile number, and note the registration number shown on screen.

3. Upload documents: Upload a recent colour photograph, your signature and any category certificate (women, SC, ST, PwBD or ex-servicemen).

4. Pay the fee: Pay online and keep the transaction record. Details cannot be edited after final submission.

Common reasons for rejection include a graduation score below 60% or 6.32 CGPA without rounding, a degree completed beyond its stipulated duration, results not declared by the time of applying, and missing a no-objection certificate (NOC) from a government employer at the skill test.

ISRO JPA Exam Pattern

Written test (CBT)

Each correct answer earns 1 mark and each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. To be considered for the skill test, you need at least 50% in each of Parts A, B and C (UR and EWS) or 40% in each part (reserved categories against reserved vacancies).

Skill test

• Computer Literacy Test: 75 minutes covering MS Word (35 marks), MS Excel (35 marks) and MS PowerPoint (30 marks). Pass mark: 60% for UR and EWS, 50% for reserved categories.

• Stenography Test: A 300-word English passage dictated at 60 w.p.m. for 5 minutes, transcribed on a computer in 30 minutes. Maximum mistakes allowed: 10% for UR and EWS, 12% for reserved categories.

What this means for you:

• English decides most of your score: Part A carries half the paper and is the first tie-breaker, so it deserves the largest share of your study time.

• No part can be ignored: The part-wise minimum means a weak Part C can stop you even with a high total.

• Guess with care: Four wrong guesses wipe out one correct answer, so attempt only when you can eliminate options.

Read the full breakdown on the ISRO JPA exam pattern page.

ISRO JPA Syllabus Summary

The 2026 advertisement gives an indicative topic list for each part. The table below summarises it; the detailed list is on the syllabus page.

See the complete ISRO JPA syllabus with a study plan.

ISRO JPA Selection Process

1. Written test (CBT): Candidates who clear the part-wise minimum marks are ranked.

2. Skill test shortlisting: Up to five candidates per vacancy in each category are called, with a minimum of 10 candidates in total.

3. Skill test: The computer literacy and stenography tests are qualifying only. Their marks do not add to your merit.

4. Final merit: Selection is based on written test marks among candidates who qualify the skill test. Ties are broken first by English Language and Comprehension marks, then by age (the older candidate ranks higher).

5. Document verification: Original certificates, and an NOC for employed candidates, are checked at the skill test stage.

ISRO JPA Salary and Career Growth

The advertisement does not state an in-hand salary. Your take-home pay depends on the current DA rate, the HRA class of your posting city and deductions, so any in-hand figure you see elsewhere is an estimate, not an official number. JPAs work in ISRO centres and offices on secretarial and administrative duties, and promotion follows ISRO's service rules for the cadre.

How to Prepare for ISRO JPA

• Build English first: Spend the most time on grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension, since Part A carries 100 marks.

• Keep Reasoning and Quant steady: Practise 20 to 30 questions a day in each so that you clear the part-wise minimum comfortably.

• Read current affairs daily: Spend 20 to 30 minutes a day and keep short monthly notes for the GK half of Part C.

• Practise shorthand from day one: Daily dictation at 60 w.p.m. and computer transcription matter as much as the CBT, because a failed stenography test ends your selection.

• Learn MS Office hands-on: Practise formatting, tables, formulas and slides on a computer, not just from notes.

Mock tests and previous papers

Start with the official previous year JPA paper that ISRO has published on its recruitment page, then move to full-length timed papers.

ISRO JPA Cut-off Reference

ISRO published zone-wise written test cut-offs for the previous cycle (written test held on 10 December 2023). After evaluation, the paper was scored out of 198. The revised UR figures ranged from 105.75 (Bengaluru) to 136.5 (New Delhi).

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat these figures as a benchmark only and aim for a clear margin above them. Category-wise figures are on the ISRO JPA cut-off page,