This is the Limited Departmental Competitive Examination that promotes serving officials — Gramin Dak Sevaks, Postmen, Mail Guards and Multi-Tasking Staff — into the Postal Assistant and Sorting Assistant cadre. It is a much larger audience than Inspector Posts: IP LDCE 2026 notified 27 tentative vacancies, while PA/SA vacancies run into the hundreds across circles, and the most recent all-India LDCE/LGO paper was held on 28 June 2026.
The thing most candidates get wrong about it is not the syllabus. It is which paper decides anything.
- 13 topic tests for India Post PA/SA/MTS departmental exam, one topic at a time
- Every answer explained in full
- A full report on every attempt — what went wrong and what to revise
- Unlimited retakes — one payment, yours for good
Two stages, one merit list
| Paper | What | Marks | Duration | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I | Objective (MCQ) — Part A departmental + Part B general | 100 | 120 minutes | THIS is the merit paper |
| DEST — Data Entry Skill Test | 1,000 key depressions (±5%) on a computer | 25 | 15 minutes | Qualifying only |
| Local language test (the old Paper-II) | Removed | — | — | Removed by DoP letter No. 17-08/2018-SPN-I dated 29.05.2024 |
Merit is prepared on Paper-I alone. The DEST has to be cleared, and failing it ends the attempt however well Paper-I went, but a higher DEST score does not improve your rank. The 2019 pattern also had a 50-mark, 45-minute local-language Paper-II. The Directorate removed it by its letter of 29.05.2024, and the 2026 circle notifications (for example Karnataka, 11.05.2026) repeat that note. So the 2026 exam was Paper-I plus the DEST. If you are budgeting study time, Paper-I gets almost all of it and the DEST gets exactly enough practice to clear.
Qualifying marks
The pattern annexure (letter of 10.05.2019 as amended) prints these Paper-I minimums:
| Category | Qualifying marks |
|---|---|
| SC / ST | 33% |
| OBC | 37% |
| Others | 40% |
Circle results apply them differently for OBC and EWS candidates. Odisha's 2025 result (17.09.2025) and Tamil Nadu's 2026 result (27.08.2026) both state that the LDCE is a promotional examination with no reservation in promotion for OBC and EWS, so the UR minimum of 40% applies to them. Plan on 40% if you are an OBC or EWS candidate. The DEST has its own qualifying mark under the letter of 19.12.2022: 75% for General, OBC and EWS candidates and 60% for SC, ST and PwBD candidates.
Paper-I Part A — departmental knowledge
This is the half you can actually revise from documents you already handle at the counter. It is also the half most general-competition study material does not cover at all. The official Part A is 50 questions of one mark each, and it names exactly these blocks:
| Block | Questions |
|---|---|
| Post Office Guide Part I (except Telegraphic Money Order) | 10 |
| Post Office Guide Part II (except British and Irish Postal Order) | 10 |
| Basic terminologies related to IT; Modernisation project of the Department of Posts | 10 |
| Products and services: mails, banking and remittances, insurance, stamps and business (reference: India Post website) | 10 |
| Postal Manual Volume VI Part I; Postal Manual Volume VI Part III (chapters I and II); updated SB Orders issued by the Directorate till 31 December of the year preceding the exam | 5 |
| Postal Manual Volume VII; Foreign Post Manual | 5 |
Source: Annexure C of DoP letter No. 17-08/2018-SPB-I dated 10.05.2019 as amended, Paper-I Part A, reproduced in the Karnataka Circle's 2026 LDCE notification (R&E/1-12/2026, 11.05.2026). Two exclusions are easy to miss: the Telegraphic Money Order is out of Part I of the Guide, and the British and Irish Postal Order is out of Part II. The SB Order cutoff also matters, because an order issued in the exam year itself is outside the syllabus.
Useful current topics, not named in the official syllabus
- India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)
- The Jansuraksha schemes: PMJJBY, PMSBY and Atal Pension Yojana
- Core System Integrator (CSI), Darpan and RICT at the branch office
- DIGIPIN, India Post's digital address code
None of these is named in Annexure C. They are listed here only because questions on them can reasonably be set under the broad "Products and services (India Post website)" and "Modernisation project" blocks. Revise the named blocks first.
Paper-I Part B — general awareness, arithmetic and reasoning
| Block | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General awareness: Indian geography, civics, general knowledge, Indian culture and freedom struggle, ethics and moral study (2 questions each) | 10 | 10 |
| Basic arithmetic: BODMAS, percentage, profit and loss, simple interest, average, time and work, time and distance, unitary method | 20 | 20 |
| Reasoning and analytical ability (non-verbal / pictorial) | 20 | 20 |
Part B is 50 questions of one mark each (Annexure C of the letter of 10.05.2019 as amended, reproduced in the Karnataka 2026 notification). Reasoning and arithmetic together are 40 of the 100 marks in Paper-I, so a candidate who prepares only the departmental half gives away a large share of the paper. Both are skills rather than facts, and they reward timed practice.
The DEST (qualifying)
Under DoP letter No. 17-08/2018-SPN-I dated 19.12.2022, which applies to every exam notified on or after 1 January 2023, the PA/SA Data Entry Skill Test is 1,000 key depressions (±5%) in 15 minutes on a computer, marked out of 25. The qualifying mark is 75% for General, OBC and EWS candidates and 60% for SC, ST and PwBD candidates. At 1,000 key depressions that is about 67 a minute (our arithmetic). There is no credit for going faster, because merit is Paper-I alone.
The DEST figure has changed more than once. The pattern letter of 10.05.2019 asked for 1,200 key depressions, the letter of 09.09.2021 set 800 for the 2021 vacancy year, and the letter of 19.12.2022 set today's 1,000. Older pages, including an earlier version of this one, still print 1,200. For comparison, the Postman and Mail Guard DEST under the same 19.12.2022 letter is 600 key depressions in 15 minutes.
The adjacent exams, and how they differ
| Exam | Paper-I | Other papers | DEST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postman / Mail Guard / MTS (and GDS by the CE) → PA / SA | 100 marks / 120 min (merit) | Local-language paper removed 29.05.2024 | 1,000 key depressions / 15 min (19.12.2022) |
| MTS / GDS → Postman / Mail Guard | 100 marks / 60 min | Paper-II postal operations 50 marks / 30 min (merit, added to Paper-I); Paper-III local language 50 marks / 60 min (qualifying) | 600 key depressions / 15 min (19.12.2022) |
| GDS → MTS | 100 marks / 60 min (merit) | None for MTS-only candidates since 10.07.2024 | Not prescribed |
The Postman, Mail Guard and MTS rows follow the common-exam letter No. 17-08/2018-SPN-I dated 05.04.2022, as modified on 10.07.2024 (no Paper-III for MTS-only candidates) and 19.12.2022 (DEST).
Where this came from
The pattern, the Part A / Part B question counts and the qualifying marks above are from the Directorate's letter of 10.05.2019 (Annexure C) as amended by later letters, including 09.09.2021, 19.12.2022 and 29.05.2024. All of these are reproduced as Annexure-II of the Karnataka Circle's 2026 LDCE notification (R&E/1-12/2026, dated 11.05.2026). The OBC and EWS qualifying rule is from the Odisha (17.09.2025) and Tamil Nadu (27.08.2026) results. Your own circle's notification for the cycle you are sitting is still the document that governs your exam.
Frequently asked questions
Which paper decides merit in the PA/SA LDCE?
Paper-I alone. The DEST (25 marks) is qualifying only: it must be cleared, but a higher score in it does not improve your rank. The local-language paper was removed by DoP letter No. 17-08/2018-SPN-I dated 29.05.2024.
What is the DEST speed for PA/SA?
1,000 key depressions, plus or minus 5%, in 15 minutes, for exams notified on or after 1 January 2023 (DoP letter dated 19.12.2022). That is about 67 key depressions a minute. The 1,200 figure seen on older pages is the 2019 standard. The Postman and Mail Guard DEST is 600 key depressions in the same 15 minutes.
What are the qualifying marks for the LGO exam?
The pattern annexure prints 33% for SC and ST, 37% for OBC and 40% for others in Paper-I. Circle results (Odisha 2025, Tamil Nadu 2026) apply the UR 40% to OBC and EWS candidates, because there is no reservation in promotion for them. The DEST qualifying mark is 75% for General, OBC and EWS and 60% for SC, ST and PwBD.
Is there a local-language paper in the PA/SA LDCE?
No. The Directorate removed the local-language test (Paper-II) from the PA/SA exam by its letter of 29.05.2024, and the 2026 circle notifications repeat that note.
Who can sit the PA/SA departmental exam?
Serving Postmen, Mail Guards and Multi-Tasking Staff through the LDCE, and Gramin Dak Sevaks through the separate competitive examination for vacancies the LDCE leaves unfilled, subject to the service conditions in the circle notification for that cycle. The notification is the authority, not a website.
What is in Paper-I Part A?
50 one-mark questions: Post Office Guide Part I except the Telegraphic Money Order (10), Post Office Guide Part II except the British and Irish Postal Order (10), basic IT terminology and the Department's Modernisation project (10), products and services as described on the India Post website (10), Postal Manual Volume VI Part I and Part III chapters I and II with SB Orders up to 31 December of the preceding year (5), and Postal Manual Volume VII with the Foreign Post Manual (5).
The rest of the India Post series
- IP LDCE 2026 — new 3-paper pattern, full syllabus and exam dates
- IP LDCE Paper II — noting, drafting and the major-penalty charge sheet
- IP LDCE previous year question papers and answer keys
- GDS to MTS, Postman and Mail Guard — syllabus and pattern
- The Post Office Act, 2023 — summary and MCQs
- CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964 — notes and MCQs
- CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965 — penalties, procedure and MCQs
- The POSH Act, 2013 — notes and MCQs
- DIGIPIN explained — India Post’s digital address code
- India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) for departmental exams
Practice: IP LDCE quizzes · syllabus · previous papers · PA/SA/MTS
