Updates as of September 21, 2026
The LDCE and CE for promotion to PS Group B covering vacancy years 2024 to 2026 stands postponed. Letter F. No. DE-12/4/2026-DE-DoP dated 23 June 2026 deferred both the notification and the exam for administrative reasons, stating a revised schedule will be communicated separately in due course.
PostalstudyNo revised schedule had surfaced as of 21 September 2026. The original 2026 calendar, file DE-12/05/2025-DE-DOP dated 30.12.2025, had planned notification on 25.06.2026, applications closing 20.07.2026 and the exam on 09.08.2026. Those dates have lapsed, so do not plan against them.
StaffNewsThe Directorate revised and recast PS Group B results for vacancy years 2017-18 through 2023 by letter F. No. A-34013/01/2026-DE dated 06.08.2026, implementing the CAT Ernakulam order of 28.11.2025 in OA No. 194/2023 that extended PwBD promotion reservation from 2016-17 onwards.
PO Tools BlogFollowing the same order, the Department published a circle-wise tentative list in July 2026 to fill 25 shortfall PS Group B vacancies for 2017-18 to 2020, from the LDCE held on 29.11.2020. Objections were due by 8 July 2026 through circle authorities.
PostalstudyEligibility for LSG and HSG officials remains unsettled pending formal orders on the draft Revised Recruitment Rules circulated in August 2025. Wait for the actual notification rather than planning against the draft, and note that LSG officials in the RMS wing cannot sit this exam.
SA PostsDates and windows
| What | When | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Notification for vacancy years 2024 to 2026 | Postponed; not issued as of 21 September 2026 | Awaited |
| Revised schedule | To be communicated in due course; none issued as of 21 September 2026 | Awaited |
| Notification date in the 2026 calendar | 25 June 2026 | Past |
| Application closing in the 2026 calendar | 20 July 2026 | Past |
| Exam date in the 2026 calendar | 9 August 2026 | Past |
| Objections to the 2017-18 shortfall list | Closed 8 July 2026, 5:30 PM | Closed |
The calendar dates were superseded when letter F. No. DE-12/4/2026-DE-DoP dated 23 June 2026 deferred both the notification and the exam, so they are history rather than a plan.
What this means for your preparation
There is no notification and no revised date to work back from, so the two things worth doing now are settling whether you are eligible at all and working on the part of the syllabus that has not moved. Both are cheaper to do before a schedule appears than after.
There is no date to count down to
Letter F. No. DE-12/4/2026-DE-DoP dated 23 June 2026 deferred the notification and the exam for vacancy years 2024 to 2026 on administrative grounds and said a revised schedule would follow in due course. The Calendar of Examinations issued on 30 December 2025 had planned a notification on 25 June 2026, applications closing on 20 July and the exam on 9 August. All three have lapsed. Prepare for readiness at short notice, not for a fixed date.
Get your eligibility settled before the notification lands
The 2024 notification of 21 November 2023 ran two quotas: 19 per cent for IP and ASP officials with five years of regular service in the IP cadre, and 6 per cent for clerical-line officials with five years in Lower Selection Grade or above. The Recruitment Rules notified on 11 November 2024 instead provide for promotion from the Inspector of Posts cadre with eight years at Level 7 plus two weeks of induction training. Which governs the deferred cycle is unsettled, so get your service record verified now.
The pattern was not rewritten the way Inspector Posts was
The Inspector Posts papers were restructured in August 2025; nothing comparable has surfaced for this exam. The syllabus was circulated by letter No. 9-04/2018-SPG-II and reviewed under letter No. 9-40/2021-SPG-II dated 18 August 2022, and the exam held on 4 June 2023 ran to two papers, described in the 2024 notification as OMR based and descriptive wherever applicable. Past papers from that cycle therefore remain a fair instrument to practise against.
The recast results are a live vacancy question
The CAT Ernakulam order of 28 November 2025 in OA No. 194/2023 extended PwBD promotion reservation from 2016-17 onwards. The Department recast PS Group B results for 2017-18 to 2023 by letter F. No. A-34013/01/2026-DE dated 6 August 2026, and published a circle-wise list for 25 shortfall vacancies for 2017-18 drawn from the LDCE held on 29 November 2020. If you sat any of those cycles, reading your circle’s list is worth an hour.
Common questions
Has the PS Group B LDCE for 2024 to 2026 been held?
No. Letter F. No. DE-12/4/2026-DE-DoP dated 23 June 2026 postponed both the notification and the examination for vacancy years 2024, 2025 and 2026, citing administrative reasons, and said a revised schedule would be communicated separately in due course. No revised schedule had been issued as of 21 September 2026.
What were the original 2026 dates?
The Calendar of Examinations for 2026, letter No. DE-12/05/2025-DE-DOP dated 30 December 2025, planned the notification on 25 June 2026, applications closing on 20 July 2026 and the exam on 9 August 2026. All three dates lapsed with the postponement, so they should not be used for planning.
Who is eligible for the PS Group B LDCE?
This is unsettled. The 2024 notification of 21 November 2023 ran a 19 per cent quota for IP and ASP officials with five years in the IP cadre and a 6 per cent quota for clerical-line officials with five years in Lower Selection Grade or above. The Recruitment Rules notified on 11 November 2024 provide instead for promotion from the Inspector of Posts cadre with eight years at Level 7.
How many papers does the exam have?
The PS Group B exam held on 4 June 2023 ran to two papers, and the 2024 notification described the mode as OMR based and descriptive wherever applicable. Paper-wise marks and durations are not stated in the departmental documents available here, so take them from the notification for your own cycle rather than from a coaching summary.
Why were earlier PS Group B results revised in 2026?
To implement the CAT Ernakulam order of 28 November 2025 in OA No. 194/2023, which extended PwBD promotion reservation from 2016-17 onwards. The Department revised and recast results for vacancy years 2017-18 to 2023 by letter F. No. A-34013/01/2026-DE dated 6 August 2026 and published a circle-wise list for 25 shortfall vacancies.
