SSC MTS Age Limit and Eligibility: 18–25 vs 18–27, Relaxation, Fee

SSC MTS is one of the few central exams open to candidates who have passed only Class 10. The eligibility rules are short, but two of them catch people out: there are two age groups — 18–25 for most MTS posts and 18–27 for Havaldar and some MTS posts — and age is counted on 1 August of the exam year. This guide sets out the rules from the 2025 notice, what changed from 2024, the category relaxations and the fee, with a checker. The 2026 notice will fix the next cycle’s dates.

SSC MTS 2025 notice.

A candidate who fits both groups is considered for both, and SSC fills the 18–25 vacancies first (notice para 18.12; the 2024 final result says it did so). The 18–27 group is small for MTS itself — 732 of the 6,810 MTS posts in the 2025 tentative list. Havaldar is a separate head on top of those, and all Havaldar posts (1,138 in the 27.11.2025 list) are 18–27 too.

The qualification is Matriculation (Class 10) or equivalent from a recognised board, passed on or before the crucial date (1 August 2025 for the 2025 exam). The result must have been declared by then — SSC is explicit that “mere processing of the result” does not count. The date of birth is taken from the Class 10 certificate, and a mismatch can lead to rejection. Certificates are checked by the user department at document verification after the final result.

Both recent cycles counted age on 1 August of the exam year and required the Class 10 result by the same date. That is why a candidate born in early August can be a year too young for one cycle and just right for the next. If you are close to either edge of a window, check it against the notice itself the moment the 2026 notice is published.

Category claims are checked against certificates in the prescribed format. For EWS, the 2025 notice asked for an Income and Asset Certificate valid for the financial year 2025-26, based on income of 2024-25. Ex-servicemen relaxation is not available to sons, daughters or dependants of ex-servicemen. A candidate claiming relaxation as a Central Government employee needs at least three years of regular, continuous service on the closing date. All of these are verified by the user department after the final result — a claim that fails there costs the post, whatever the score.

A candidate must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal, a subject of Bhutan, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Everyone except an Indian citizen needs a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India. Such a candidate may sit the exam, but the offer of appointment is made only after the certificate has been issued — so a Nepali or Bhutanese applicant should start that application early rather than after the result.

Candidates choose up to three exam centres in order of priority, anywhere in India, and cannot change them later. The centres are grouped under SSC’s nine regions — Central, Eastern, Karnataka-Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, North Eastern, Northern, North Western, Southern and Western. The centre does not affect the posting: posts are allocated by the State/UT or CCA preferences, which are a separate choice in the form.

Both posts are Pay Level-1 (7th CPC), Group ‘C’ non-gazetted, non-ministerial. SSC documents give no rupee pay figure — any “in-hand salary” online is someone’s calculation. MTS staff are posted to central ministries and offices in the allotted State/UT but must be willing to serve anywhere in India; Havaldars serve their whole career in the allotted CCA. A candidate may be required to learn the local language of the allotted area for confirmation.