UPSSSC PET 2026 and Group-C (Lekhpal) Recruitment

Under the Personnel Department's two-tier recruitment system (notification of 20 November 2020), only candidates who sat the Preliminary Eligibility Test (PET) can apply for a Group-C post's Mains. Shortlisting for each Mains is about 15 times the posts in each category, on the PET normalised score (to two decimal places), including everyone tied at the last cut-off score. Candidates with a zero or negative PET score are not shortlisted. [4]

PET-2026 (Advertisement 16-Exam/2026) was first fixed for 23, 24 and 25 October 2026. A notice of 25 September 2026 moved it to Sunday 25 October, Friday 30 October and Sunday 1 November 2026, in two shifts each day: 10 am – 12 noon and 3 pm – 5 pm. [1]

The exam is proposed in 60 districts. An advance intimation of the exam district was released on 12 October 2026 (it is not the admit card); admit cards will be announced separately on the website. [2]

Group-C Mains that UPSSSC is running on PET-2025 scores (2026 calendar, 3 Aug 2026) [3]

• Each Mains advertisement sets its own qualification and age limit through the post's service rules — for example the 2026 State Rural Development Institute (Senior Instructor) Mains asks for a post-graduate degree with 50% in the relevant subject and an age of 21–40 on 1 July of the year of advertisement.
• Only candidates who appeared in the PET of the stated year and received a score card can apply for that Mains, logging in with the PET registration number.
• Upper age limits are higher by the number of years set by government for SC, ST and other notified categories; Uttar Pradesh government employees get 5 years more (Personnel GO of 27 August 2013).
• Research Scholars of the Chief Minister Fellowship Programme get age relaxation and weightage under the 2026 Rules (notification of 30 January 2026).
• A man with more than one living wife, or a woman married to a man who already has a wife, is not eligible unless the Governor exempts them. [4]

• PET-2026: written test in two-hour shifts (10 am – 12 noon and 3 – 5 pm) on 25 Oct, 30 Oct and 1 Nov 2026. [1]

• Where an exam runs in more than one shift or day, scores are normalised under the commission's notice of 22 May 2019, and Mains shortlisting uses the PET normalised score. [4]

Example of a Mains paper: 21-Exam/2026, Senior Instructor (State Rural Development Institute) [4]

In this paper every question is objective and carries one mark, with a negative mark of one quarter for each wrong answer. Selection for these posts is on the written exam alone (interviews for such posts were ended under the 2017 rules). [4]

Application stage of a PET-based Mains (21-Exam/2026) [4]

Dependents of freedom fighters, ex-servicemen, women, persons with disabilities and outstanding sportspersons pay by their original category. The Mains exam fee is paid separately, only by shortlisted candidates, before downloading the Mains admit card. The PET-2026 application fee was not readable from an official file (see Eligibility). [4]

• Domicile: candidates who are not original residents of Uttar Pradesh get no reservation and are treated as unreserved.
• EWS: 10% for families whose income from all sources (salary, farming, business) in the financial year before applying is under ₹8 lakh, under the EWS Reservation Act, 2020. The certificate must be issued between 1 April 2026 and the last date of application, based on 2025-26 income and valid for 2026-27, on the 14 March 2019 proforma.
• Dependents of freedom fighters: the certificate must follow the GO of 21 April 2015 under the UP Public Services (Reservation for Physically Disabled, Dependents of Freedom Fighters and Ex-Servicemen) Act, 1993.
• Women: reservation under GO 18/1/99/Ka-2/99 (26 February 1999) and GO 39 Rit/Ka-2/2019 (26 June 2019), subject to the outcome of Special Appeal (D) 475/2019 against the High Court order of 16 January 2019; women must use a caste certificate issued on the father's side.
• Ex-servicemen: must have retired by the last date of application to claim the reservation.
• Disability: certificate on the format of the Personnel Department OM of 18 April 2022, stating the type and percentage of disability.
• A candidate claiming more than one reserved category gets only the most useful concession. Selected horizontal-reservation candidates are adjusted in their own vertical category. [4]

• PET registration number with the linked mobile number and email (login is by OTP).
• High School certificate — the only accepted proof of date of birth.
• Caste or EWS certificate issued by the last date of application, on the proforma in the advertisement's appendix.
• Freedom-fighter-dependent, disability, ex-serviceman or outstanding-sportsperson certificate, where claimed.
• No-objection certificate from the employer, for candidates already in central or state government service.
• Mark sheets, certificates and degrees for the qualification, shown when asked at document verification. [4]

Each Mains advertisement prints the pay of its posts. For example, the Senior Instructor posts in 21-Exam/2026 are in pay Level-6 (₹35,400 – ₹1,12,400). [4]

The pay of Lekhpal was not in any official file we could open for this page, so it is not shown.

UPSSSC recruits Group-C staff for state departments — revenue (Lekhpal), forests, cane development, audit and accounts, rural development, the Sports Directorate and others. Posts are allotted on merit, availability and the order of preference the candidate gives at document verification. [4]

1. UPSSSC — PET-2026 (Advt 16-Exam/2026) date notices 1303/36/Teen(Pari-1)/2026 of 9 Sep 2026 and 1423 of 25 Sep 2026 (Hindi) (opens in a new tab) PET-2026 dates and shift timings (the 9 Sep notice is at ViewPdf.aspx?PA/fJh/lxObOB7cITC5EX8On43KGKg8R7nLWBSVT5Kg=) · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
2. UPSSSC — PET-2026 advance exam-district intimation notice 238 (12 Oct 2026, Hindi) (opens in a new tab) 60 exam districts, district intimation is not an admit card · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
3. UPSSSC — Exam and interview calendar January–December 2026, notice 1061/20/Teen(Pari-1)/2025 (3 Aug 2026, Hindi) (opens in a new tab) Lekhpal Mains and other PET-2025 Mains dates, PET-2026 month · Last checked 14 Oct 2026
4. UPSSSC — Advertisement 21-Exam/2026, State Rural Development Institute (Senior Instructor) Mains (PET-2025)/21 (10 Sep 2026, Hindi) (opens in a new tab) two-tier rule, PET shortlisting, fee table, reservation, EWS, women, freedom-fighter and disability certificates, documents, example Mains scheme and pay · Last checked 14 Oct 2026

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