| Conducting body | Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Assistant, Upper Division Clerk (UDC), Junior Personal Assistant (JPA), Stenographer |
| Qualification | Assistant/UDC: graduation with at least 60% marks or CGPA 6.32 on 10, completed within the prescribed course duration, and proficiency in using computers. JPA/Stenographer: the same graduation standard or a Diploma in Commercial/Secretarial Practice with 60%, plus one year's experience as Steno-typist or Stenographer, English shorthand at 60 words per minute and computer proficiency. |
| Age limit | Up to 28 years on 16 August 2026 (Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026) (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Written test: one objective paper of 150 minutes → Qualifying marks: 50% for UR and 40% for reserved categories against reserved vacancies → Skill test for candidates shortlisted in a ratio of up to 1:5 of vacancies (minimum 10): a Computer Literacy Test for Assistant/UDC, and a Computer Literacy Test plus a Stenography Test for JPA/Stenographer → Skill test pass marks: 60% for UR and 50% for reserved categories; stenography allows up to 10% mistakes for UR and 12% for reserved categories → Final selection on written test marks among candidates who pass the skill test |
| Latest notification | ISRO Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026 (Assistants, JPA, UDC and Stenographers), 27 July 2026 |
Last checked . Sources
About ISRO Assistant
The ISRO Centralised Recruitment Board (ICRB) fills office posts in Level 4 of the pay matrix at ISRO centres, the Department of Space branch secretariat and autonomous bodies of the department. Vacancies are notified zone by zone. Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026 was dated 27 July 2026, and the written test was scheduled for 21 September 2026. You may apply for different posts in the same or different zones, but not for the same post in two zones.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: Up to 28 years, counted on 16 August 2026 (Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026).
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- OBC and SC/ST relaxation applies only where posts are reserved for them (limits of 31 and 33 years).
- Serving central government employees, ex-servicemen, persons with disabilities, meritorious sportspersons, and widows, divorced women or judicially separated women who have not remarried get relaxation under Government of India orders (corrigendum of 17 August 2026).
Qualification
Assistant/UDC: graduation with at least 60% marks or CGPA 6.32 on 10, completed within the prescribed course duration, and proficiency in using computers. JPA/Stenographer: the same graduation standard or a Diploma in Commercial/Secretarial Practice with 60%, plus one year's experience as Steno-typist or Stenographer, English shorthand at 60 words per minute and computer proficiency.
Other conditions
- CGPA may not be converted into a percentage to meet the 60% rule; ISRO applies its own rules on CGPA and percentage.
- For DCP or DCCP diploma holders, a BOAT apprenticeship certificate counts as the one-year stenography experience.
- Every applicant first pays a processing fee of Rs 500 per post applied for (Rs 1,000 for both posts) through Bharatkosh. It is refunded after you appear in the written test: in full for women, SC/ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen, and less the Rs 100 application fee for everyone else.
Selection process
- Written test: one objective paper of 150 minutes
- Qualifying marks: 50% for UR and 40% for reserved categories against reserved vacancies
- Skill test for candidates shortlisted in a ratio of up to 1:5 of vacancies (minimum 10): a Computer Literacy Test for Assistant/UDC, and a Computer Literacy Test plus a Stenography Test for JPA/Stenographer
- Skill test pass marks: 60% for UR and 50% for reserved categories; stenography allows up to 10% mistakes for UR and 12% for reserved categories
- Final selection on written test marks among candidates who pass the skill test
Exam pattern
Written test: Assistant/UDC
Mode: Objective · Duration: 150 minutes · Negative marking: +1 for a correct answer, -0.25 for a wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| General English | 50 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning ability | 50 | 50 |
| General Knowledge | 50 | 50 |
Written test: JPA/Stenographer
Mode: Objective · Duration: 150 minutes · Negative marking: +1 for a correct answer, -0.25 for a wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| English Language & Comprehension | 100 | 100 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning ability | 50 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude & General Knowledge | 50 | 50 |
Computer Literacy Test (skill test)
Mode: On computer · Duration: 75 minutes
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| MS Word | 35 |
| MS Excel | 35 |
| MS PowerPoint | 30 |
Stenography Test (JPA/Stenographer)
Duration: 5 minutes dictation, 30 minutes transcription on computer
| SUBJECT |
|---|
| Shorthand dictation of 300 words at 60 words per minute, transcribed on computer |
ISRO Assistant syllabus
General English
- Understanding of the language
- Correct use of words
- Idioms and phrases
- Writing correctly and precisely
Quantitative Aptitude
- Number system, percentages, profit and loss, discount
- Ratio and proportion, mixture and alligation, averages
- Simple and compound interest
- Time and distance, time and work, pipes and cisterns, boats and streams
- Geometry, mensuration, trigonometry, algebra
- Statistics and data interpretation
General Intelligence & Reasoning
- Analogy, series, missing number
- Coding-decoding, Venn diagrams
- Seating and ranking arrangement
- Dice, cube and cuboid, calendar, clock, directions
- Counting figures, mirror and water images
General Knowledge
- Current affairs of national and international importance
- History, culture, geography
- Science, polity, economy
Computer Literacy Test
- MS Word: editing, formatting, tables, mail merge
- MS Excel: formulas, formatting, sorting, filtering, charts
- MS PowerPoint: presentations and templates
What they ask
Both written papers have 200 questions in 150 minutes, with 1 mark for a right answer and 0.25 taken off for a wrong one. The Assistant/UDC paper gives equal weight to English, quantitative aptitude, reasoning and general knowledge. The JPA/Stenographer paper gives half its marks to English language and comprehension. The quantitative syllabus goes well past arithmetic into geometry, trigonometry, algebra and data interpretation.
How to prepare
- Work on speed first: 200 questions in 150 minutes gives you 45 seconds a question, and each wrong answer costs a quarter mark.
- If you are applying for JPA or Stenographer, give English the most time. It is 100 of the 200 marks.
- Cover the advanced maths in the syllabus, such as trigonometry, coordinate geometry and sequences, not only arithmetic.
- Practise MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint on a real computer. The 75-minute Computer Literacy Test needs 60% for UR candidates, and ISRO has posted earlier question papers on the recruitment page.
- For reasoning and quantitative aptitude, a short topic-wise quiz each day on the free Improvam app keeps practice regular.
Practise ISRO Assistant syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
How to apply
- Apply online through the link on the ISRO careers page for the advertisement.
- Choose your posts and zones; one common application covers different posts, so pick the same written test centre for all.
- Pay the processing fee online through Bharatkosh by the last date.
- Download the admit card from the link on the ICRB recruitment page; call letters come only by email and SMS.
Previous papers and answer keys
ISRO Assistant FAQs
28 years on 16 August 2026, extended to 31 for OBC and 33 for SC/ST where posts are reserved for them.
Sources
- ISRO Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026 ↗ (official, checked )
- ISRO corrigendum dated 17 August 2026 to Advertisement No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026 ↗ (official, checked )
- ISRO ICRB recruitment page for Assistants, JPA, UDC and Stenographers ↗ (official, checked )
- ISRO careers page ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
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