OPSC ASO Recruitment 2026: 340 Assistant Section Officer Posts (Advt. 15 of 2026-27), Apply Online by 30 November

The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has published Advertisement No. 15 of 2026-27 (dated 05.11.2026) for 340 posts of Assistant Section Officer (Group-B) in the Odisha Secretariat Service Cadre under the Home Department, Government of Odisha. 114 of the 340 posts are for women.

Online applications are open from 9 November 2026 to 30 November 2026 (5:00 PM) on the OPSC website. The fee is ₹700, paid online; SC, ST and PwD candidates pay no fee. Graduates aged 21 to 42 years as on 1 January 2026 (upper age relaxed for reserved categories) with adequate knowledge in Computer Application, who can speak, read and write Odia and hold one of the Odia qualifications listed below, can apply. The written examination is tentatively on 17 January 2027 (Sunday).

OPSC ASO Recruitment 2026 at a glance

Organisation	Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), Kataka
Advertisement	No. 15 of 2026-27, dated 05.11.2026
Post	Assistant Section Officer (Group-B), Odisha Secretariat Service Cadre, Home Department
Vacancies	340 (114 for women)
Pay	₹35,400 in Level-9, Cell-1 of the pay matrix (ORSP Rules, 2017), with usual Dearness and other Allowances
Pension	Defined Contributory Pension Scheme, not pension under the Odisha Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 1992; NPS application mandatory at the time of joining
Apply online	9 November 2026 to 30 November 2026 (5:00 PM)
Fee	₹700 (no fee for SC, ST and PwD)
Age	21 to 42 years as on 1 January 2026
Selection	Written examination (400 marks) and Skill Test in Computer (50 marks, qualifying)
Written exam	17 January 2027 (Sunday), tentative
Website	https://www.opsc.gov.in

Category-wise vacancies

The advertisement's table of category-wise vacancies (including backlog vacancies):

Category	Vacancies	Of which women
UR	144	48
SEBC	38	13
SC	81	27
ST	77	26
Total	340	114

Within these 340 posts, 25 (09 for women) are reserved for Persons with Disabilities with 40% or more permanent disability, 19 for Ex-Servicemen and 03 (01 for women) for Sports Persons. These candidates are adjusted against the category to which they belong, so these posts are not in addition to the 340.

Horizontal reservation	Current	Backlog	Total
PwD Category-I: Blindness or Low Vision	03 (01-W)	–	03 (01-W)
PwD Category-II: Hearing Impairment	03 (01-W)	06 (03-W)	09 (04-W)
PwD Category-III: Locomotor disability (including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarf, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy)	03 (01-W)	–	03 (01-W)
PwD Category-IV (d) and (e): Autism, Intellectual Disability, Specific Learning Disability, Mental Illness and Multiple Disabilities	02	08 (03-W)	10 (03-W)
Total PwD	11 (03-W)	14 (06-W)	25 (09-W)
Ex-Servicemen	08	11	19
Sports Persons	03 (01-W)	–	03 (01-W)

W = women. The advertisement also says the number of vacancies is subject to change by the Government without notice. Unfilled vacancies for women of a category are filled by eligible male candidates of that category, and SC and ST reservation is not exchanged.

If suitable candidates with benchmark disabilities are not available for the PwD backlog vacancies of Category-II (06, 03 for women) and Category-IV (08, 03 for women), they are filled from suitable PwD candidates of other categories as per merit; if still unfilled, they are de-reserved and filled by persons without benchmark disabilities, and are not carried forward.

Certificates for reserved categories

• PwD: must upload a Permanent Disability Certificate; a certificate of temporary disability is not considered. Without a valid certificate, the candidate is considered under their social caste category.
• Sports Persons: must upload the Sports Identity Card / Certificate issued by the Director of Sports, Odisha; prizes, participation certificates and other sports credentials are not accepted. Without it, the candidate is considered under their social caste category.
• Ex-Servicemen: must upload a valid Ex-Servicemen certificate, or they are considered under their social caste category. Ex-Servicemen who already have regular employment under the State Government in civil posts do not get Ex-Servicemen reservation, but get the Ex-Servicemen age relaxation for a higher post. Children of Ex-Servicemen may not apply against Ex-Servicemen vacancies; the Commission may reject such applications.
• If an uploaded certificate (such as an SC/ST/SEBC certificate) is found cancelled at any stage, even later, the candidature is cancelled or the recommendation withdrawn where the candidate has availed reservation benefits.
• The category (caste status) entered in the online application cannot be changed under any circumstances.

Eligibility

• Education: a Bachelor's Degree in any discipline from a recognised University, or equivalent, and adequate knowledge in Computer Application.
• Odia: the candidate must be able to speak, read and write Odia, and must have (a) passed the Middle School examination with Odia as a language subject, or (b) passed the Matriculation or equivalent examination with Odia as the medium of examination in a non-language subject, or (c) passed in Odia as a language subject in the final examination of Class VII or above, or (d) passed the Odia test of M.E. School standard conducted by the School and Mass Education Department.
• Age: at least 21 and not above 42 years on 1 January 2026, that is, born not earlier than 2 January 1984 and not later than 1 January 2005.
• Nationality: citizen of India.
• Transgender candidates are also eligible to apply.
• Candidates must be of good mental condition and sound health and free from any physical defect likely to interfere with the duties; every selected candidate is examined by the Medical Board.
• A candidate with more than one spouse living is not eligible for appointment unless the State Government has exempted the case.
• A candidate debarred by OPSC, another State Public Service Commission or UPSC cannot apply for the period or chance(s) of the debarment.
• Candidates must hold the qualification and meet the other eligibility conditions by the closing date of the online application (30 November 2026); age is counted as on 1 January 2026.

Upper age relaxation

• SEBC, SC, ST, Women and Ex-Servicemen: 5 years.
• Persons with Disabilities (40% or more permanent disability): 10 years. PwD candidates who are also SEBC, SC or ST get a cumulative 15 years.
• A candidate who belongs to more than one of these categories gets only one (the most beneficial) upper age relaxation. No other relaxation is allowed, and PwD candidates with less than 40% permanent disability get none.

Reservation and relaxation for SC and ST (by birth) and SEBC apply only to candidates of Odisha. The SEBC certificate must be issued on or after 10.11.2023; an OBC certificate is not accepted in its place.

Application fee

Candidates other than SC, ST and PwD must pay an examination fee of ₹700, only online while filling in the application. An application without the fee (except from SC, ST and PwD candidates) is treated as incomplete and rejected. The fee is refunded only to candidates who actually appear in the Written Examination, to the original mode of payment. The form also asks for bank account details (account number, IFSC code, account holder's name and bank branch), used if the refund to the original mode fails.

Selection process

1. Written Examination (objective, multiple choice), 400 marks in three papers. Each question carries 1 mark and 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer.
2. Document verification: candidates who qualify the written examination submit the printout of the online application with copies and originals of their certificates at document verification, for consideration of their eligibility for admission to the Skill Test.
3. Skill Test in Computer Application (practical), 50 marks, qualifying. Candidates are shortlisted for it category-wise on their aggregate written marks: about 2 times the category's advertised vacancies (minimum 5) if the category has 5 or fewer vacancies, and about 1.5 times (rounded up) if it has more. For PwD candidates, the Commission may shortlist more because of the PwD backlog vacancies. At least 40% of the skill test marks are needed to qualify.

The final ranking of those who qualify the Skill Test is on the aggregate marks of the Written Examination (400). In a tie, the candidate with higher marks in General Knowledge (Paper-I) ranks above; if still tied, the older candidate ranks above.

Minimum qualifying marks in each of Paper-I, Paper-II and Paper-III: UR/SEBC 35%, SC/ST 30%, PwD 28%. Ex-Servicemen and Sports Persons need the same as the caste category to which they belong. If enough shortlisted candidates do not turn up for the Skill Test, the Commission may call more candidates who have the minimum qualifying marks, as per merit.

After the written examination, the provisional answer key is uploaded on the OPSC website inviting objections online. Candidates who do not challenge it within the given date cannot raise the matter later in any forum.

Admission to the written examination, document verification and skill test is provisional, and the Commission's decision on eligibility is final. The advertisement is not binding on the appointing authority to make an appointment.

Important instructions from the advertisement

• Apply only online on the OPSC website; applications through any other mode are not accepted.
• Do not submit more than one application through multiple PPSAN accounts; such applications will be rejected.
• Verify the submitted copy of the application. To modify any information after submission, the candidate has to cancel the application and apply again within the last date.
• Certificates (degree, caste, Odia, sports, PwD, Ex-Servicemen) must be issued on or before the date of submission of the application; certificates issued after the last date are not accepted.
• Women of the SEBC, SC or ST categories must submit a caste certificate showing "daughter of"; a caste certificate by virtue of marriage ("wife of") is not accepted.
• Choose 02 examination zones in order of preference. Requests to change the zone or centre will not be entertained.
• Government servants may apply if they meet the age and qualification; they must inform their Head of Office in writing and produce a "No Objection Certificate" at document verification.

• Candidates who submit forged or manipulated documents are debarred from OPSC examinations for a period decided by the Commission; candidates adopting unfair means are permanently debarred. A candidate found seeking support for the candidature through illegal gratification or pressure, or indulging in any malpractice, is disqualified and liable to criminal prosecution, and may also be debarred, permanently or for a specified period, from any recruitment by the Commission.

Helpline (Odisha Government working days, 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM): OPSC Technical Support 0671-2304707; OPSC Facilitation Counter 0671-2304141 / 2305611, Extn. 205.

Source: OPSC Advertisement No. 15 of 2026-27, dated 05.11.2026, from the Odisha Public Service Commission website. Read the full advertisement PDF before applying.

Paper I: General Awareness

• Current national events and current international events
• History of British Rules in India and the Freedom Struggle
• Indian Constitution
• Salient features of World Physical Geography; Physical Geography of India and Odisha
• Important aspects of Governance, Transparency and Accountability, e-governance, Role of Civil Service in democracy, Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Growth, Development and Employment, Poverty Alleviation, Resource Mobilisation and Inflation
• Defence and Indian Armed Forces
• Scientific Inventions and use of Science in everyday life; issues of Environmental, Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate change
• Important National and International Institutions, Organizations and fora: their structure, mandate etc.

Paper II (A): Test of Reasoning and Mental Ability

• Verbal: Number Series, Alphabet Series, Test of Direction Sense, Coding-decoding, Number Ranking, Arithmetic Reasoning, Problem of Age Calculation
• Non-verbal: Non-verbal series, Mirror Images, Cubes and Dice, Grouping Identical Figures, Embedded figures etc.

Paper II (B): Mathematics

• Arithmetic, Algebra, Mensuration (2D and 3D), Statistics and Probability

Paper III (A): English

• Grammar: Verb, Preposition, Adverb, Subject Verb Agreement, Error Correction / Recognition, Tenses, Fill in the Blanks with Articles etc., Vocabulary, Synonyms, Antonyms
• Comprehension
• Sentence Rearrangement

Paper III (B): Odia

The advertisement prints this part in Odia: (i) grammar (verbs, error correction / recognition, tenses: past, present and future) and a language test (synonyms, antonyms, adverbs, subject-verb agreement); (ii) a passage (comprehension); (iii) sentence rearrangement.

Paper IV: Skill Test in Computer Application

• Windows, MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point), MS Access, Usage of Internet Services