Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission Nursing Officer

The OSSSC Nursing Officer exam is the recruitment test conducted by the Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) for Nursing Officer posts in the District Cadre (Group-C) of the Odisha Health and Family Welfare Department. For GNM and B.Sc Nursing graduates, it is one of the largest state-level nursing recruitments in Odisha, with 5,989 posts reported for the 2026 cycle.

This page shows where the 2026 cycle stands today, who can apply, how the written test is built, what the syllabus covers and how to prepare for the next cycle. Year-specific facts sit in labelled tables, so you can tell them apart from guidance that stays useful every year. Details that come from reports of the notification, and not from a page we could open on the commission's site, are marked tentative.

Table of Contents

• Scope of this page

• OSSSC Nursing Officer 2026 at a glance

• Where the 2026 cycle stands

• Important dates and notices

• Vacancy details

• Eligibility in brief

• Application fee and how candidates applied

• Exam pattern

• Syllabus summary

• Selection process

• Salary and career growth

• How to prepare for the OSSSC Nursing Officer exam

• Cut-off reference

Scope of this page

OSSSC recruits for many kinds of posts, so it helps to be exact. This page covers the Nursing Officer (District Cadre, Group-C) recruitment advertised under Advertisement No. IIE-54/2026 in June 2026. Many students search for the same post as Staff Nurse in Odisha. Other OSSSC posts, such as teachers, forest guards or Sevak and Sevika, are separate recruitments and are not covered here.

The page is written for nursing graduates. The cycle details are tied to 2026, while the preparation advice applies to any later OSSSC Nursing Officer notification.

OSSSC Nursing Officer 2026

Where the 2026 cycle stands

As of 23 October 2026, the written test has been held and the provisional answer key has been released. The objection window is reported to have closed on 6 October 2026. The commission is expected to review objections, issue a final key and announce the result. We could not find a published result date or an official cut-off, so none is stated on this page.

If you appeared, keep your response sheet and calculate your score from the provisional key. If you are preparing for the next cycle, use the 2026 pattern as your working model, because OSSSC tends to repeat a pattern unless a new advertisement changes it.

Important dates and notices

The notice numbers and dates above are tentative because they are taken from reports of the commission's notices. Track the notice section on the official website and your registered email for the confirmed versions.

Vacancy details

The 2026 advertisement is reported to offer 5,989 District Cadre posts. The category-wise split reported for the advertisement is below. It is indicative, and the district-wise split should be read in the official advertisement.

Because this is a district cadre, vacancies are filled district by district. Your merit rank and your category decide which district posts you are considered for, so read the district table before you decide how competitive the exam is for you.

Eligibility in brief

Eligibility is explained in full on the dedicated page, so only the main points are given here.

• Qualification: a GNM Diploma or B.Sc Nursing from an institution recognised by the Indian Nursing Council, or from a recognised Odisha institution.

• Registration: valid registration with the Odisha Nursing Council or another state nursing council.

• Odia: candidates must be able to read, write and speak Odia, usually shown through a school-level Odia qualification.

• Age: the minimum is reported as 21 years. The maximum is reported as 42 years in most sources and 38 years in a few, so confirm it in the advertisement.

Read the full conditions, relaxations and documents on the OSSSC Nursing Officer eligibility page.

Application fee and how candidates applied

The fee reported for the 2026 cycle is Rs. 500 for candidates other than SC, ST and PwD, who pay nothing. One source adds that the fee is refunded to candidates who appear in the exam. This is tentative; check the notice for the exact rule.

Applications were online only, through the candidate portal at the official website. The usual steps were:

1. Register with a valid mobile number and email on the OSSSC portal and note the user ID and password.

2. Open the Nursing Officer advertisement and read the instructions fully.

3. Fill in personal, category and education details, then enter your nursing council registration details.

4. Upload the photograph, signature and certificates in the sizes asked.

5. Pay the fee if applicable, submit the form and save a printout.

Keep the same user ID and password. The admission letter, response sheet and answer key were all accessed through the candidate login. Official website: https://www.osssc.gov.in/

Exam pattern

The written test is a single paper of 100 multiple-choice questions for 100 marks, to be solved in 2 hours. Each wrong answer carries a negative mark of 0.25. The test is computer-based.

What this means for you:

• Nursing subjects decide the result: 85 of the 100 marks come from nursing theory and practical skills, so the 15 marks of arithmetic and English should be treated as quick marks, not as the main effort.

• Guessing has a cost: a wrong answer removes a quarter mark, so guess only when you can eliminate two options.

• Time is about 72 seconds a question: practise in the computer-based format so that screen reading speed does not cost you marks.

Syllabus summary

The commission lists 16 nursing subjects in its advertisement annexure (as reported), along with practical skills, arithmetic and English. We could not open an official topic-wise list, so the topics inside each subject are drawn from the standard GNM and B.Sc Nursing curriculum and should be used as a working checklist.

Subject-wise topics are on the OSSSC Nursing Officer syllabus page.

Selection process

Selection is reported to be through the written examination followed by document verification, with the final merit list prepared district-wise on the basis of the written score.

1. Written test: the CBRE described above, with scores normalised across shifts (tentative, as reported).

2. Result and merit list: qualifying marks are reported as 35 percent for general candidates and 30 percent for reserved categories. This is tentative.

3. Document verification: originals of qualification, registration, Odia proficiency and category certificates are checked.

4. District allocation: selected candidates are placed in district cadres as per merit and vacancy.

Salary and career growth

The post is reported to carry Pay Level-8 under the Odisha Revised Scales of Pay, with a scale of Rs. 29,200 to Rs. 92,300 plus dearness allowance and other state allowances. In-hand pay depends on the posting and allowances, and figures such as Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000 circulating online are estimates, not official numbers.

A Group-C Nursing Officer can move up through departmental promotions as per the Odisha nursing service rules. A government posting also gives a base to complete further study, such as a post-basic or M.Sc Nursing.

How to prepare for the OSSSC Nursing Officer exam

The paper rewards steady revision of what you already studied in your nursing course. A phased plan works better than starting everything at once.

1. Weeks 1 to 6, core subjects: revise Medical-Surgical, Community Health, Child Health, Mental Health and Midwifery, since they carry the most questions in nursing papers.

2. From week 3, basic sciences: cover Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Nutrition and Psychology with short daily notes.

3. From week 6, practical skills: revise procedures, drug calculation, emergency steps and infection control in a question-and-answer style.

4. Throughout, arithmetic and English: 20 minutes a day on ratio, percentage, interest and basic grammar is enough at HSC level.

5. Last phase, full mocks: attempt timed tests, analyse them the same day and revise from an error log.

Practise in the real format

You can attempt OSSSC Nursing Officer mock tests on Testkart in the same 100-question, 2-hour structure and use the section-wise analysis to decide what to revise next.

Cut-off reference

No official cut-off has been published as of 23 October 2026. Third-party estimates exist, but they are unofficial and are not reproduced here. Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants, so treat any figure as a benchmark only and aim for a clear margin above it.