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Dates and windows
| What | When | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Circle notifications, vacancy year 2026 | Issued 11 May 2026 | Past |
| Applications and admit cards | Applications closed 29 May 2026; admit cards from 16 June 2026 | Closed |
| PA and SA LDCE and CE examination | Held 28 June 2026, postponed from 21 June | Past |
| GDS to MTS, and MTS to Postman or Mail Guard | Held 12 July 2026 | Past |
| Answer keys | Provisional 15 July 2026; final Paper-I keys 22 July 2026 | Past |
| Results | Circle by circle — Tamil Nadu declared 28 August 2026 | Past |
| Data Entry Skill Test, Postman and Mail Guard cycle | Tamil Nadu shortlist published 17 September 2026; no test date stated | Awaited |
The 2026 calendar of examinations, F. No. DE-12/05/2025-DE-DOP dated 30.12.2025, had slotted the PA and SA LDCE for 24 May 2026; the circles in fact notified on 11 May and sat the paper on 28 June.
Source: Odisha Circle notification RE/30-23/2026(PA/SA) dated 11.05.2026 · PO Tools Blog — postponement order F. No. DE-12/02/2026-DE dated 29.05.2026 · PO Tools Blog — provisional answer keys, 15 July 2026 · PO Tools Blog — final Paper-I answer keys, 22 July 2026 · PO Tools Blog — Tamil Nadu Circle result, 28 August 2026 · PO Tools Blog — DEST shortlist, 17 September 2026 · StaffNews — Calendar of Examinations 2026
What this means for your preparation
The vacancy-year 2026 cycle is over and results are coming out circle by circle. The thing to fix before the next one is which paper actually ranks you, and the fact that the published pattern has changed since 2019 without a consolidated replacement being issued.
Paper I is the paper that ranks you
The pattern letter that the 2026 circle notifications name as their authority, Department of Posts No. 17-08/2018-SPB-I dated 10.05.2019, provides that merit is drawn from Paper I alone and that the remaining papers are qualifying only. As reproduced by StaffNews and by the FNPO, that makes Paper I the whole of your competitive effort; the skill test is a threshold you clear, not a score you push.
The local language component is gone
The Department removed the local language component of Paper II by letter F.No.17-08/2018-SPN-I dated 29.05.2024, and Odisha Circle’s notification of 11 May 2026 records that it has been removed. If you are revising from a syllabus sheet or a coaching page that still shows a 50-mark local language paper, it predates that decision and you are studying for something no longer set.
Published pattern versions disagree — take yours from the notification
Reproductions of the 2019 pattern differ on details that matter, including the key-depression requirement for the data entry test and the qualifying percentages by category, and no consolidated pattern carrying a letter number has been published since the 2024 removal. Work from the annexure attached to your own circle’s notification and treat any marks breakdown you read elsewhere as unverified.
The skill test is a separate sitting, and the shortlist comes first
Odisha Circle’s notification says the Data Entry Skill Test will be conducted subsequently as per the instructions on the subject, and Tamil Nadu Circle published its shortlist for the Postman and Mail Guard cycle on 17 September 2026 without naming a test date. Typing speed is therefore not something to pick up once a date appears; the gap between shortlist and test can be short.
Eligibility is counted on a fixed date, not on the exam day
Odisha Circle’s notification RE/30-23/2026(PA/SA) counts service as on 01.01.2026. Category A needs three years regular service at Level 3, or five years across Levels 1 to 3, or five years at Level 2 or Level 1. Category B needs eight years including GDS service, reduced to five for officials whose GDS service began before 17.06.2022. Check your own circle’s cut-off.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Which paper decides selection?
Merit is drawn from Paper I alone; the other papers only have to be qualified. That is the provision of Department of Posts letter No. 17-08/2018-SPB-I dated 10.05.2019, which the 2026 circle notifications name as the pattern authority, in the reproductions published by StaffNews and by the FNPO. Confirm the detail against your own circle’s annexure.
Is the local language paper still part of the exam?
No. The Department removed the local language component of Paper II by letter F.No.17-08/2018-SPN-I dated 29.05.2024, and Odisha Circle’s notification of 11 May 2026 records that it has been removed. Any material still showing a 50-mark local language paper was written before that decision and is out of date.
When was the 2026 examination held?
On Sunday 28 June 2026, across all 23 circles. It had been notified for 21 June and was put back a week by Department of Posts order F. No. DE-12/02/2026-DE dated 29 May 2026, which left all other terms and remaining schedules unchanged. The 2026 calendar had originally slotted the paper for 24 May 2026.
How much service do I need to apply?
Odisha Circle counted service as on 01.01.2026. Under Category A, three years regular service at Level 3, or five years across Levels 1 to 3, or five years at Level 2 or Level 1. Under Category B, eight years of regular service including GDS service, or five years where GDS service began before 17.06.2022.
Where do I find my result?
Circle by circle, as files on the CEPT utilities portal, not on one national page. Tamil Nadu Circle declared its result for the 28 June 2026 examination on 28 August 2026. Provisional answer keys for the 12 July 2026 papers appeared on 15 July, and final Paper-I keys for three circles on 22 July 2026.
Has the Data Entry Skill Test been scheduled?
Not in anything published so far. Odisha Circle’s notification says the skill test will be conducted subsequently as per the instructions on the subject, and Tamil Nadu Circle’s shortlist of 17 September 2026 for the Postman and Mail Guard cycle names no test date. The intimation will come from your own circle office.
