Supreme Court Personal Assistant Eligibility 2026: Age, Degree, Skills

Supreme Court Personal Assistant eligibility rests on four conditions: Indian citizenship, a degree from a recognised university, English shorthand at 100 words per minute with computer typing at 40 words per minute, and an age between 18 and 30 years on the reference date set in the notice. The Recruitment Cell of the Supreme Court of India checks all of these at document verification, so a gap in any one can cancel your candidature even after you clear the tests.

This page explains each condition as per the last Personal Assistant advertisement (No. F.6/2024-SC (RC), dated 3 December 2024), where eligibility was reckoned as on 31 December 2024. As of 28 October 2026, no new Personal Assistant notice has been released, so the next cycle will set its own reference date. Where the 2026 Senior Personal Assistant notice gives a useful comparison, it is shown separately.

Eligibility at a Glance

Key Dates That Decide Eligibility

Two dates matter more than any other: the eligibility reference date and the last date of application. The table shows them for the last PA cycle and the current Senior PA cycle.

Dates for the next Personal Assistant cycle are not yet notified. Track the Recruitments page on sci.gov.in and your registered email for the new reference date.

Nationality

The 2024 advertisement invited online applications from Indian citizens. Candidates of other nationalities are not covered by the notice, so if you hold a different nationality, check the next notification carefully before applying.

Educational Qualification

You need a degree of a recognised university. The notice does not limit the stream, so a graduate in arts, commerce, science, engineering, law or any other discipline can apply.

• Recognised university: The degree must come from a university recognised in India. Degrees from institutions without proper recognition can be rejected at document verification.

• Result timing: All eligibility conditions must be met as on the reference date in the notice. If your final-year result is not declared by that date, you are not eligible under the 2024 wording.

• No minimum percentage: The notice does not prescribe a minimum percentage or CGPA in the degree.

• Law degree: Not required for the Personal Assistant post. It matters only for posts such as Law Clerk, and for the Court Master post, where the 2025 notice gave a weightage of 3 marks for law graduates.

Shorthand and Typing Requirements

The skill requirements are what make this a stenography post. You do not need a separate certificate for them in the 2024 notice; instead, your skill is tested directly in the shorthand and typing tests.

The shorthand test is in English only. If you learned shorthand in Hindi or another language, you will need to build English shorthand to 100 w.p.m. before you apply.

Age Limit

The age limit for the Personal Assistant post was 18 to 30 years as on 31 December 2024.

The date-of-birth window is calculated from the age limit and reference date; it is not quoted from the notice. The next notification will use its own reference date. For comparison, the 2026 Senior PA notice uses 18 to 30 years as on 1 October 2026.

Age Relaxation

The 2024 notice allowed the usual relaxation in age as per Government rules. It did not list year-wise figures, so the table below shows the categories named in the notice along with the standard Government of India relaxation commonly applied. Treat the year figures as indicative and confirm them in the next notification.

The last row surprises many applicants. Working in another Government department, PSU or bank does not raise your upper age limit for this post.

Personal Assistant vs Senior Personal Assistant Eligibility

The two posts share most conditions. The main difference is shorthand speed, which decides which post you can apply for.

If you can comfortably take dictation at 110 w.p.m., you can consider the current Senior PA cycle (applications open until 10 November 2026) as well as the next Personal Assistant cycle.

Other Conditions for Employed and PwD Candidates

• Employed candidates: Those working in Central or State Government departments, banks or PSUs must submit a No Objection Certificate from their employer at the interview or document verification stage.

• PwD candidates: Physically challenged candidates get the same concessions in written tests as those allowed by SSC or UPSC. Medical certificates and scribe undertakings in the prescribed annexures must be signed by an appropriate Government medical authority and carried on test day.

• Contact details: A personal email ID and mobile number must remain active throughout the process, because all communication is by email and SMS.

• Name and date of birth: Details in the form should match your Class 10 certificate.

• No travel allowance: No TA or DA is paid for attending any test or the interview.

Who Is Not Eligible

• Non-graduates: Candidates without a completed degree on the reference date.

• Over-age candidates: Anyone above 30 years on the reference date without a valid relaxation category.

• Candidates relying on Government service for age relief: Service in another department does not give age relaxation.

• Candidates who cannot meet the skill standards: Applying is allowed, but you will not qualify without 100 w.p.m. shorthand and 40 w.p.m. typing in the tests.

• Candidates with mismatched documents: Admission at every stage is provisional and can be cancelled if documents do not support the claims in the form.

Application Fee and Documents

The fee is non-refundable and paid online only. It may be revised in the next notification, as it was for Senior PA in 2026 (Rs. 1,500 for General and Rs. 750 for SC, ST, OBC (NCL), Ex-Servicemen and PwD).

Eligibility for Related Supreme Court Posts

If you do not meet the shorthand standard yet, other Supreme Court recruitments may suit you.

Self-check Before You Apply

1. Confirm your degree date: Your result must be declared by the reference date in the notice.

2. Calculate your age: Use the exact reference date and add any relaxation you can document.

3. Test your speed honestly: Take a 7-minute dictation at 100 w.p.m. and transcribe it within 45 minutes. Count your mistakes against the 5% limit.

4. Check your typing: Type for 10 minutes and confirm at least 40 w.p.m. with under 3% mistakes.

5. Prepare the written test: Once eligible, plan English, GK and computer preparation alongside skill practice.

Once you know you are eligible, you can start timed practice with Supreme Court Personal Assistant online tests on Testkart and use the analysis to find weak sections early.

Coaching institutes and teachers can also set up eligibility-stage diagnostic tests on Testkart to check where new students stand before a batch begins.

Official recruitment notices: https://www.sci.gov.in/recruitments/