Indian Army SSC Tech 68 Recruitment 2026: 381 Officer Posts for Engineers, No Written Exam
Lokesh RathoreOn this page
If you hold a BE or BTech, here is an Army officer entry that skips the written exam entirely. The Indian Army’s SSC (Tech) 68th course for men and SSCW (Tech) 68th course for women offers 381 vacancies that lead to a commission as a Lieutenant, and shortlisting is done straight from your engineering marks, followed by the SSB interview. There is no written exam, no entrance test and no fee. The men’s window runs 9 July to 7 August 2026 and the women’s 8 July to 6 August 2026.
Who this is for: this is an officer entry for engineering graduates only. It is not a general 12th-pass Army or Agniveer role. If you do not hold a BE or BTech in a notified stream, you are not eligible for this one.
SSC Tech 68 Vacancies and Engineering Streams
| Course | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| SSC (Tech)-68, Men | 350 |
| SSCW (Tech)-68, Women (engineering) | 29 |
| Widow (technical) seat | 1 |
| Widow (non-technical) seat | 1 |
| Total | 381 |
The 350 men’s seats are split by branch: Mechanical 101, Civil 75, Electronics 64, Computer Science 60, Electrical 33, and 17 across miscellaneous engineering streams. The 29 women’s engineering seats break down as Mechanical 9, Civil 7, Electronics 6, Computer Science 4 and Electrical 3. Two of the 381 seats are reserved for widows of defence personnel who died in service, one technical and one non-technical, and the remaining 379 are open to unmarried engineering graduates.
Eligible disciplines are grouped under Civil, Computer Science and IT (including AI, machine learning, cyber security and data science), Electrical, Electronics (including communication, instrumentation and telecom), Mechanical (including automobile, production and aeronautical) and a set of miscellaneous streams such as metallurgy, chemical and bio-medical engineering. The stream printed on your degree must match the one you select on the form exactly, or your candidature is cancelled.
No Written Exam: How Selection Actually Works
This is the defining feature of the technical entry and the reason it is worth applying even if you are not an exam-cracker. There is no written test and no Common Entrance Exam. The process is:
- Shortlisting by cut-off: the Army sets a cut-off percentage on your engineering marks, stream by stream, based on how many applicants there are against the vacancies. Meet the cut-off and you are called for the interview. The shortlist and cut-off are expected around the first week of September 2026.
- SSB Interview: a five-day Services Selection Board interview, run in two stages. Stage 1 is a screening on day one, and those who clear it stay for the psychological tests, group tasks and personal interview over the following days. SSB centres include Prayagraj, Bhopal, Bengaluru and Jalandhar.
- Medical examination: candidates recommended by the SSB undergo the Army medical, after which the final merit list and joining letters follow.
Because your engineering percentage decides the shortlist, strong academic marks are the single biggest lever you control here.
Age, Marital Status and Final-Year Students
- Age: 20 to 27 years as on 1 April 2027, which corresponds to candidates born between 2 April 2000 and 1 April 2007. For the two widow seats, the upper age is relaxed to 35.
- Marital status: unmarried men for the men’s course and unmarried women for the women’s course. The widow seats are, by their nature, for widows of defence personnel.
- Final-year students: eligible to apply, but you must pass your engineering degree by 1 April 2027 and submit your degree certificate within 12 weeks of joining training. If your final exams are scheduled after 1 April 2027, you are not eligible.
- Minimum marks: there is no fixed percentage in the notification. The effective bar is the stream-wise cut-off decided each cycle, so aim as high as you can rather than to a set number.
Training at OTA Gaya, Then a Lieutenant’s Commission
Selected candidates train for 49 weeks at the Officers Training Academy, Gaya, in Bihar, from April 2027 to March 2028, and are commissioned as Lieutenants on completion. Note the location: this course trains at Gaya, not Chennai, so ignore older sources that still say OTA Chennai. Engineering graduates also receive one year of ante-date seniority from the date of commission, a small head start in the promotion ladder.
Be clear-eyed about the commission type. This is a Short Service Commission, not a Permanent Commission by default. The initial engagement is 10 years, extendable to 14, with release options at 5, 10 and 14 years. You may apply for a Permanent Commission after 10 years, subject to selection and vacancies, but it is not automatic. Go in understanding that this is, at minimum, a 10-year officer career rather than a guaranteed lifelong one.
Pay: ₹56,100 From Day One of Training
The money is a genuine strength of this entry. During the full 49 weeks of training you receive a fixed stipend of ₹56,100 a month, which is unusual, since many training academies pay less during the course. On commissioning as a Lieutenant, you are placed in Pay Level 10, a scale of ₹56,100 to ₹1,77,500, plus a fixed Military Service Pay of ₹15,500 a month and the usual allowances. The Army’s own summary puts the approximate cost to company on commissioning at around ₹17 to 18 lakh a year, alongside free medical cover and a yearly home-town journey. There is no application fee anywhere in the process.
How to Apply on the Join Indian Army Portal
- Register or log in at joinindianarmy.nic.in using your own details.
- Open the SSC (Tech)-68 (Men) or SSCW (Tech)-68 (Women) entry and fill the form, selecting the engineering stream that exactly matches your degree.
- Enter your semester-wise marks accurately, since the cut-off is applied on these.
- Submit before the deadline: 7 August 2026 for men and 6 August 2026 for women, with forms closing at 3:00 PM. No fee is charged.
This adds to our defence coverage alongside the Indian Navy SSC officer entry and the wider defence jobs we track.
Is the Technical Entry Worth It?
For an engineering graduate with strong marks, this is one of the most direct officer routes the Army offers: no written exam to clear, a full stipend from the first day of training, and a Lieutenant’s commission in under a year of training. The honest caveats are that it is a Short Service Commission rather than a permanent one, and that your engineering percentage does most of the deciding, so borderline academic records face a real cut-off. If your marks are competitive, apply before your window closes in early August.
Army SSC Tech 68 2026: Your Questions
Is there a written exam for Army SSC Tech 68?
No. There is no written test or entrance exam. Shortlisting is done on your engineering percentage against a stream-wise cut-off, followed by the SSB interview and a medical.
What is the last date to apply?
7 August 2026 for the men’s SSC (Tech)-68 course and 6 August 2026 for the women’s SSCW (Tech)-68 course, with forms closing at 3:00 PM. There is no application fee.
Who is eligible?
Unmarried engineering graduates (BE or BTech) in a notified stream, aged 20 to 27 as on 1 April 2027. Final-year students may apply if they pass by 1 April 2027.
How many vacancies are there?
381 in total: 350 for men, 29 for women in engineering streams, and 2 seats reserved for widows of defence personnel (one technical, one non-technical).
What is the salary and training stipend?
A fixed stipend of ₹56,100 a month during the 49-week training, then Pay Level 10 (₹56,100 to ₹1,77,500) plus Military Service Pay of ₹15,500 on commissioning as a Lieutenant.
Is this a permanent commission?
No. It is a Short Service Commission for 10 years, extendable to 14. A Permanent Commission can be applied for after 10 years, subject to selection and vacancies, but it is not automatic.
