Checked 30 September 2026. Eligibility and application steps from DDA Circular No. 73/2026 dated 21.08.2026 and earlier circulars (official). LDCE-2026 applications closed at 5 PM on 20.09.2026; the next cycle's crucial date is not announced.
Only one group may sit the DDA ASO LDCE: Senior Secretariat Assistants (SSAs/UDCs) with three years' regular service in the grade on the crucial date. For LDCE-2026 that date was 01.01.2026, and the application, a paper form sent through your Branch Officer, had to reach Personnel Branch-III by 5 PM on 20.09.2026. That window has closed. This guide is for checking where you stand, for what happens between now and the exam, and for the next cycle.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Delhi Development Authority or its Personnel Branch. Every rule below is quoted or summarised from DDA's published circulars and orders, and DDA decides every individual case.
Circular No. 73/2026 dated 21.08.2026.
The eligibility rule
Circular No. 73/2026, para 2: "The Senior Secretariat Assistants (SSAs/UDCs) having completed 03 years' regular service as on 01.01.2026, are eligible to appear in the written exam for the post of Assistant Section officer." The 2013 Recruitment Regulation for Assistants says the same: the LDCE is for "UDCs with 3 years of regular service in the grade". There is no age limit and no educational condition in either document for the LDCE route.
| Cycle | Who | Crucial date | Last date | Circular |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | UDCs, 3 years' regular service | 01.07.2017 | 06.07.2017 | No. 08 dated 07.06.2017 |
| 2018-19 | UDCs, 3 years | 01.01.2019 | 25.01.2019 | No. 48/2018 dated 21.12.2018 |
| July 2019 | UDCs/SSAs, 3 years | 01.07.2019 | 07.10.2019 | No. 43 dated 06.09.2019 |
| 2020 | 3 years | 01.07.2020 | 30.06.2020, extended to 31.07.2020 | No. 73 dated 18.05.2020; No. 75/2020 |
| 2022-25 combined | SSAs/UDCs, 3 years | 01.07.2022, 01.01.2023, 01.01.2024, 01.01.2025 | 24.12.2024 | No. 45/2024 (text not found) and No. 49/2024 dated 29.11.2024 |
| 2026 | SSAs/UDCs, 3 years' regular service | 01.01.2026 | 5 PM, 20.09.2026 | No. 73/2026 dated 21.08.2026 |
Since the combined exam, every crucial date has been 1 January. The 2022-25 exam went further: one sitting, four crucial dates, and a separate merit list for each, with the vacancies filled first from those eligible in July 2022 and then carried forward to each later list. Circular 49/2024 also said there would be no separate exam in 2025 and that unsuccessful candidates could sit "LDCE-2026 onwards". No limit on the number of attempts is published anywhere we looked.
Was I eligible, cycle by cycle?
Enter the date from which your regular service as SSA (UDC) counts. The checker adds three years and compares that date with the crucial date of every cycle DDA has notified since 2017.
Rule: "SSAs/UDCs having completed 03 years' regular service as on" the crucial date (Circular No. 73/2026 for 01.01.2026; the same three years in the 2013 RR and every earlier circular). Crucial dates are official, from each cycle's circular. Our reading: three years are complete on the same calendar day three years later, so a start on 01.01.2023 is exactly three years on 01.01.2026; DDA does not print how it counts the boundary day, and whether ad hoc or officiating service counts is not stated in any circular we read. Your Branch Officer verifies the dates on the form.
How the application worked in 2026
| Step | What Circular 73/2026 requires |
|---|---|
| a | The completed application form (Annexure-I), forwarded by your Branch Officer, who verifies the details in the proforma |
| b | Three recent colour passport-size photographs: one pasted on the form and attested by your Controlling Officer, two unattested |
| c | SC/ST/PwBD applicants: an attested photocopy of the caste or PwBD certificate |
| d | Incomplete applications, and any received after the due date and time, are not entertained |
| Address | Dy. Director (P)-III, DDA, B-Block, 3rd Floor, Room No. 316, INA, Vikas Sadan, New Delhi |
The application is on paper and goes through proper channel, so your own deadline is earlier than DDA's: the form has to be verified and countersigned by your Branch Officer before it can travel to B-316. The circular asks every Branch Officer to bring it to the notice of the staff under them and to forward applications in time. No fee is mentioned in this circular or in any earlier one we read; "no fee is mentioned" is the accurate way to put it.
| Form item | What it asks |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | Name, designation, father's or husband's name, date of birth and of retirement |
| 5-7 | Date of initial appointment in DDA and post; date of joining as SSA (UDC); "eligible as on" date |
| 8-9 | Present pay and level, with the date from which it is drawn; present posting with date |
| 10-12 | Educational qualifications, address, contact number |
| 13-14 | Category (SC/ST/OBC) and PwBD status, with certificates |
| 15-16 | Left thumb impression; details of pending disciplinary or criminal cases or suspension |
| Countersignature | The Controlling Officer certifies the information is correct as per records |
Item 8 matters later: whether you already draw Level 7 under ACP/MACP decides whether promotion brings any pay gain (see the quota and pay guide). Item 16 matters too. The 2025 marks order said eligibility for promotion "will be subject to the VCR status, also that the candidate is not undergoing any penalty and fulfillment of other conditions", and three 2025 results were kept in a sealed cover.
Situations: can I sit?
| Your situation | Answer | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Regular SSA, three years completed on or before the crucial date | Eligible | Circular 73/2026; 2013 RR |
| SSA, three years completed after the crucial date | Not for that cycle | The service must be complete "as on" the crucial date |
| JSA (LDC) | No. The route to SSA comes first | UDC RR: 75% promotion of LDCs with 8 years, 25% departmental exam of LDCs with 5 years |
| Welfare or Personnel Inspector | Unclear | Circular 73/2026 names only SSAs/UDCs, but EO 677 counted 2 Welfare Inspectors among the 41 successful in 2025. Ask PB-III |
| Failed the 2022-25 combined exam | Eligible if the service condition is met | Circular 49/2024 para D: "LDCE-2026 and onwards" |
| Disciplinary case pending | You may apply; declare it | Form item 16; the promotion itself is subject to VCR status and no current penalty (EO 644) |
| Ad hoc or officiating service as SSA | Not stated | The circulars say "regular service" and do not define it further |
After you apply: training, then a short notice
Circular 73/2026 says pre-promotional training and computer training "will be notified separately", and the exam date "will be intimated later on a short notice". Past cycles followed a pattern: training for Papers I and II, separate computer training for Paper III, then a schedule circular, and admit cards from PB-III a few days before the exam.
| Cycle | Training | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| July 2019 | Papers I and II: Circular 53 dated 01.11.2019 | Paper III 06.12.2019; written 14.12.2019, moved to 06.01.2020 |
| 2020 | Papers I and II: Circular 80 dated 17.09.2020 | Paper III 20.11.2020; written 17.02.2021 |
| 2022 | Online training (Circular 02 dated 20.01.2022); computer training 31.01.2022 to 11.02.2022 | No separate exam found; folded into the combined exam (our reading) |
| 2022-25 combined | Papers I and II 09-12.06.2025 (circular dated 05.06.2025) | Tentative 18-19.09.2025; held 11-12.10.2025 after a CAT stay was vacated |
| 2026 | Not yet notified (30.09.2026) | Not yet notified |
In 2025 the training came about four months before the exam, and the admit cards two days before it. With a "short notice" promised, start on the syllabus now rather than waiting for the training circular; the syllabus guide has a checklist, and the history guide shows how the 2025 dates moved.
Who is eligible for the DDA ASO LDCE?
Senior Secretariat Assistants (SSAs/UDCs) with three years of regular service in the grade on the crucial date. For LDCE-2026 the crucial date was 01.01.2026.
What was the last date for LDCE-2026?
5 PM on 20.09.2026, for the application forwarded through proper channel to Dy. Director (P)-III at Vikas Sadan.
Is there an application fee?
No fee is mentioned in Circular No. 73/2026 or in any earlier ASO LDCE circular we read.
Is there an age limit?
None is printed for the LDCE route.
How many attempts are allowed?
No attempt limit is published. Circular 49/2024 said unsuccessful 2022-25 candidates may sit LDCE-2026 onwards.
Can I apply online?
No. The form is on paper, forwarded by your Branch Officer with attested photographs and, for SC/ST/PwBD, an attested certificate copy.
Can a JSA sit the ASO LDCE?
No. JSAs first move to SSA, by promotion after 8 years or by the SSA departmental exam after 5 years under the UDC RR.
Does a pending disciplinary case stop me?
The form asks you to declare it. DDA's 2025 marks order made promotion subject to VCR status and no current penalty, and three 2025 results were kept in sealed cover.
When is the LDCE-2026 exam?
Not notified as of 30.09.2026. DDA says it will give the date on a short notice.
Sources
- official — DDA Personnel Branch-III — Circular No. 73/2026 dated 21.08.2026 (No. PERS/PIII/0004/2024/F8/-AD(PB)-III/3655), LDCE-2026 for 137 posts of Assistant Section Officer, with the application form (Annexure-I) and syllabus (Annexure-II)
- official — Gazette of India Extraordinary No. 482, 20.09.2013 — GSR 644(E), Recruitment Regulation of Assistants, DDA, 2013 (Revised)
- official — DDA — Recruitment Regulation for the post of UDC (now Senior Secretariat Assistant)
- official — DDA — Circular No. 49/2024 dated 29.11.2024 (No. PERS/PIII/0004/2024/F8/-AD(PB-III)/1458), combined LDCE-2022/23/24/25 for ASO
- official — DDA — Circular No. 08 dated 07.06.2017, Limited Departmental Examination from UDC to ASO, with syllabus
- official — DDA — Circular No. 48/2018 dated 21.12.2018, LDCE for the post of ASO
- official — DDA — Circular No. 43 dated 06.09.2019, LDCE for the post of ASO (crucial date 01.07.2019)
- official — DDA — Circular No. 73 dated 18.05.2020, LDCE-2020 for the post of ASO
- official — DDA — Circular No. 75/2020 dated 14.07.2020, last date extended to 31.07.2020
- official — DDA — EO No. 644 dated 14.10.2025, marks of LDCE-2022/23/24/25 (name-wise list; we publish counts only)
- official — DDA — EO No. 677 dated 11.11.2025, result of LDCE-2022/23/24/25 for ASO
- official — DDA — Circular No. 53 dated 01.11.2019, training for Papers I and II
- official — DDA — Circular No. 80 dated 17.09.2020, training for Papers I and II
- official — DDA — Circular No. 02 dated 20.01.2022, ASO-2022 online training
- official — DDA — circular dated 28.01.2022, computer training 31.01.2022 to 11.02.2022 for the ASO LDCE
- official — DDA — training circular printed "No. 34/2024", dated 05.06.2025, Papers I and II training 09-12.06.2025
- official — DDA — Circular No. 93/2025 dated 09.10.2025: CAT stay of 19.09.2025 vacated by the High Court on 06.10.2025; final schedule 11-12.10.2025
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
