2026 Government Exams Calendar: Key Dates to Remember

If you are chasing a government job in India, the exam calendar is the one document that shapes your entire year. Miss an application window and the next chance is twelve months away. Misjudge a gap between two stages and your revision plan falls apart.

This is a live calendar of the 2026 cycle, updated for August 2026. It covers civil services, staff selection, banking, railways and the defence services with the dates that have already been confirmed by the exam bodies, the ones still pending, and the exams that have already been conducted so you know exactly where you stand.

Why the Exam Calendar Matters More Than You Think

Knowing the dates is not just about turning up on the right day. It changes how you prepare.

• It sets a realistic study runway. A March exam and a November exam demand completely different plans. Once the date is fixed, you can work backwards and give each subject the weeks it actually needs.
• It protects you from missing application windows. Registration windows are often open for only three to four weeks, and they close months before the exam itself. This is the single most common way aspirants lose a full attempt.
• It tells you what to study now. Knowing which exam is closest lets you front-load the right subjects instead of spreading yourself thin across five syllabi at once.
• It lets you slot in mock tests and revision. Two clear months before an exam is a revision cycle. Two clear weeks is damage control. You can only tell the difference if you know the date.
• It helps you spot clashes. Several exams fall on or near the same weekend. Seeing the whole year at once lets you decide in advance which one you are prioritising.

2026 Government Exams: Quick Calendar

All dates are as announced by the respective exam bodies. Schedules do get revised, so always confirm on the official website before making travel or leave plans.

1. UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026

The Civil Services Examination remains the most competitive recruitment exam in the country, and the gateway to the IAS, IPS, IFS and other Group A and Group B central services.

• Notification released: 4 February 2026 (approximately 933 vacancies)
• Preliminary Exam: 24 May 2026 — conducted
• Main Exam: 21 to 30 August 2026
• Personality Test (Interview): expected early 2027

The Prelims for the Indian Forest Service is held on the same day using the same GS and CSAT papers, which makes 24 May one of the largest single exam days in the country.

Preparation note: The gap between Prelims and Mains is roughly three months, which is not enough time to start answer writing from scratch. Serious candidates begin structured answer practice well before the Prelims result is out.

2. SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) 2026

SSC CGL is the largest graduate-level recruitment exam for central government departments, including Income Tax, Customs, the CBI and the CAG.

• Notification released: 21 May 2026 (12,256 tentative vacancies)
• Application window: 21 May to 25 June 2026 (closed)
• Correction window: 1 to 3 July 2026
• Tier 1 Exam: August to September 2026
• Tier 2 Exam: December 2026

Two important changes this cycle. SSC CGL is now a two-tier exam the older three-tier structure with a separate descriptive paper no longer applies, and final merit is decided entirely on Tier 2. Second, sectional timing has been introduced, so you get a fixed window per section and cannot carry unused minutes forward. A new Paper III covering Finance and Economics has also been added in Tier 2 for AAO and AAAO aspirants.

Preparation note: Sectional timing punishes candidates who bank on making up lost time in Quant later in the paper. Practise section-wise under a hard clock.

3. SSC CHSL (Combined Higher Secondary Level) 2026

SSC CHSL is the route into clerical and data entry roles across central government offices for candidates who have completed Class 12 posts such as LDC, JSA, DEO and Postal Assistant.

• Notification: awaited as of August 2026
• Tier 1 Exam: expected in the August to September 2026 window, as per SSC's tentative calendar
• Tier 2 Exam: expected after the Tier 1 result, typically a few months later

As with CGL, Tier 1 is only qualifying your final rank comes from Tier 2, which pairs an objective paper with the skill and typing test.

Preparation note: Typing speed is the stage where most CHSL candidates fall short, and it is also the easiest to fix with daily practice. Start early rather than treating it as an afterthought.

4. SBI PO 2026

The State Bank of India Probationary Officer exam is the most sought-after banking recruitment in the country, and typically the toughest of the PO exams.

• Notification released: June 2026 (1,500 vacancies)
• Application window: 18 June to 8 July 2026 (closed)
• Preliminary Exam: 1 and 2 August 2026 — conducted
• Main Exam: September 2026
• Phase III (Psychometric Test, Group Exercise, Interview): October to November 2026

Preparation note: The SBI PO Mains includes a descriptive English paper alongside the objective sections, and general awareness leans heavily on banking and economic news from the preceding six months. Reading a business daily regularly is not optional here.

Upcoming government exams 2026

5. IBPS PO 2026 (CRP PO/MT-XVI)

IBPS PO is the common recruitment process for Probationary Officer and Management Trainee posts across eleven participating public sector banks.

• Registration window: 1 to 26 July 2026 (closed)
• Preliminary Exam: 22 and 23 August 2026
• Main Exam: 4 October 2026
• Personality Test: November 2026
• Interview: November to December 2026
• Provisional Allotment: expected January 2027

A Personality Test has been added to the process this cycle. It is mandatory but non-qualifying, so it does not affect your final score you simply have to appear for it.

Preparation note: There is roughly a six-week gap between the Prelims and the Mains. That window is where the exam is actually won, so have a Mains plan ready before the Prelims result arrives.

6. RBI Grade B 2026

The Reserve Bank of India Grade B Officer exam is the most prestigious posting in the regulatory space, with a small number of vacancies and a correspondingly high bar.

• Notification released: 29 April 2026 (60 vacancies across General, DEPR and DSIM)
• Phase 1: 13 June 2026 (General) and 14 June 2026 (DEPR, DSIM) — conducted
• Phase 2: 25 July 2026 (General) and 26 July 2026 (DEPR, DSIM) — conducted
• Interview: August to September 2026

Preparation note: Phase 1 marks do not count towards the final merit list it is purely a screening round. The real exam is Phase 2, which tests Economic and Social Issues, Finance and Management, and English writing. RBI does not follow a fixed annual calendar, so the 2027 notification could land anywhere between January and September.

7. RRB NTPC 2026

The Railway Recruitment Board's Non-Technical Popular Categories exam recruits for Station Master, Goods Train Manager, Junior Clerk cum Typist, Commercial cum Ticket Clerk and similar posts. It draws one of the largest applicant pools of any exam in India over 63 lakh candidates applied at the undergraduate level alone.

Graduate level (CEN 06/2025 — 5,810 posts)

• CBT 1: 16 to 27 March 2026 — conducted
• CBT 1 result: 11 June 2026
• CBT 2: 10 July 2026 conducted

Undergraduate level (CEN 07/2025 — 3,058 posts)

• CBT 1: 7 to 9 May and 13 to 21 June 2026 conducted
• CBT 2: 17 September 2026

A fresh RRB NTPC notification for the next cycle is expected around the second half of 2026. Watch the regional RRB websites rather than waiting for a single national announcement.

Preparation note: City intimation slips go live about ten days before the exam and admit cards about four days before. Plan travel around the city slip, not the admit card.

8. Indian Army Recruitment 2026

The Army recruits through several parallel routes, and unlike SSC or IBPS there is no single national date.

• Agniveer entries (General Duty, Technical, Clerk/Store Keeper, Tradesman) follow a two-step process: an online Common Entrance Examination, followed by a recruitment rally for shortlisted candidates.
• Recruitment rallies are announced ARO-wise (Army Recruiting Office), so dates vary by region and are published separately for each zone.
• Technical Entry Scheme (TES) and other officer entries have their own notification cycles tied to course commencement dates.

Because rally dates are region-specific and are revised often, check joinindianarmy.nic.in and your local ARO notice for the schedule that applies to you.

Preparation note: Physical standards are the elimination point for most candidates, not the written test. Running, pull-ups and the 9-feet ditch need months of conditioning, so begin fitness training the day you decide to apply.

9. Indian Air Force, AFCAT 2026

The Air Force Common Admission Test is the route to a commission in the Flying Branch and the Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) branches. It is held twice a year.

• AFCAT 1/2026: written exam held 31 January 2026
• AFCAT 2/2026: notification released around May 2026, applications closed 21 June 2026, written exam held in August 2026

Candidates applying to the Technical Branch must also clear the EKT (Engineering Knowledge Test), a 45-minute paper taken immediately after the main AFCAT paper. Selection then moves to the five-day AFSB interview and a medical examination.

Confirm exact exam and admit card dates on afcat.cdac.in.

Preparation note: AFCAT carries negative marking of one full mark per wrong answer, which is steeper than most competitive exams. Guessing is expensive here.

10. Indian Navy 2026

The Navy runs two distinct tracks, and they are often confused with each other.

• Agniveer (SSR, MR and SSR Medical) sailor entries: the Stage 1 computer-based test was held on 13, 14 and 15 May 2026, followed by written test, physical fitness test and medical stages.
• INET (Indian Navy Entrance Test) is the officer-level entrance test, held roughly twice a year, with notifications typically released about two months before the exam.

Both are announced on joinindiannavy.gov.in, and the notification is the only reliable source for vacancy counts, which vary considerably between cycles.

Preparation note: Navy entries have strict medical and physical standards, including swimming ability. Confirm you meet them before investing months in the written preparation.

11. State Public Service Commission (SPSC) Exams 2026

Every state runs its own civil services examination UPPSC in Uttar Pradesh, MPSC in Maharashtra, BPSC in Bihar, RPSC in Rajasthan, and so on. There is no common calendar.

Broadly, most state commissions follow a similar rhythm: preliminary exams in the first half of the year, mains a few months after the prelims result, and interviews towards the end of the cycle. But the actual dates shift substantially from state to state, and postponements are common.

Two things worth knowing:

• State exams reward local knowledge. State-specific history, geography, polity and current affairs usually carry significant weight, and this is where candidates preparing only from national material lose marks.
• State and central calendars often clash. Because states schedule independently, a state prelims can land on the same day as a central exam. Check for overlaps as soon as the notification appears.

Check your state commission's official website directly third-party aggregators are frequently out of date on state exams.

Can You Apply for More Than One Government Exam in 2026?

Yes, and most serious aspirants do. There is no rule preventing you from applying to UPSC, SSC and banking exams in the same year.

What you do need to manage:

• Date clashes. Two exams on the same day means forfeiting one. Map every exam you have applied for onto a single calendar before you pay the fees.
• Eligibility differences. Age limits, attempt limits and qualification requirements vary by exam. A degree that qualifies you for SSC CGL may not qualify you for a technical defence entry.
• Syllabus overlap and where it ends. Reasoning, quantitative aptitude and general awareness overlap heavily across SSC and banking exams, which makes running them in parallel efficient. UPSC is a different animal, and trying to prepare for it alongside four other exams usually damages all five.

The realistic approach is to pick one primary target and two or three secondary exams whose syllabi genuinely overlap with it.

How to Stay Updated on Exam Dates

Tentative dates get revised. Notifications get postponed. Building a habit of checking beats reacting to news you hear second-hand.

• Go to the source. upsc.gov.in, ssc.gov.in, ibps.in, rbi.org.in, the regional RRB sites, and the respective defence portals. Every other source is downstream of these.
• Subscribe to official alerts. Most exam bodies offer email or SMS notification services, which is the lowest-effort way to catch a notification the day it drops.
• Set your own calendar reminders. When a notification appears, immediately put the application deadline and the exam date into your phone calendar with a reminder a week out.
• Use exam apps and trackers. Several apps aggregate notifications and send push alerts across multiple exam bodies, which is useful as a backup layer — but verify anything they tell you against the official site.
• Join exam-specific communities. Forums, Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups often surface notifications within minutes. Treat them as an early-warning system, never as a source of truth.

Conclusion

The 2026 cycle is already well underway. UPSC Prelims, SBI PO Prelims, RBI Grade B and a large part of the RRB NTPC process are behind us, while SSC CGL Tier 1, IBPS PO, the UPSC Mains and SSC CHSL are still ahead.

Wherever you are in that list, the principle is the same: work backwards from the confirmed date, protect your application deadlines, and check the official portal rather than trusting a schedule you read months ago. Preparation wins exams, but organisation is what gets you to the exam hall in the first place.

Keep this page bookmarked we update it as each exam body releases or revises its schedule.