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JEE Main Joint Entrance Examination (Main) Admission to BE/BTech, BArch and BPlanning at NITs, IIITs, other centrally funded technical institutes and many state and private colleges through JoSAA and state counselling. It is also the qualifying screen for JEE Advanced, as the top 2.5 lakh BE/BTech candidates become eligible. Apps open: 24 Oct - 22 Nov 2026 (up to 11:50 PM)NTA JEE Advanced Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) The sole route into undergraduate BTech, BS, dual-degree and BArch programmes at all 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). It is also used by IISc Bengaluru, IISERs and IIST for some programmes. Exam: Dec 2026 - Jan 2027JAB BITSAT Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test Admission to integrated first-degree programmes (BE, BPharm, MSc) at BITS Pilani's Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad campuses. Board toppers also get direct admission. Apps open: Mid-Dec 2026BITS COMEDK UGET Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka Undergraduate Entrance Test Admission to BE/BTech in about 150 private, unaided engineering colleges in Karnataka, including RVCE, BMSCE, MSRIT and PES. It is open to candidates from all states. Apps open: Jan - Feb 2027COMEDK VITEEE VIT Engineering Entrance Examination Admission to BTech programmes at VIT's Vellore, Chennai, AP (Amaravati) and Bhopal campuses. Rank determines the campus, branch and fee category. Apps open: Oct 2026 - 31 Mar 2027VIT State Engineering CETs State Common Entrance Tests (CETs) for Engineering: MHT-CET, WBJEE, KCET, AP EAPCET and TG EAPCET (formerly TS EAPCET) Admission to BE/BTech in government, aided and private engineering colleges within each state through state counselling. They are the main route to state seats such as COEP and VJTI (Maharashtra), Jadavpur University (West Bengal), RVCE and UVCE (Karnataka) and JNTU and Osmania (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). Apps open: Dec 2026 - Feb 2027MHT-CET

NEET-UG National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) The single national entrance test for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, BHMS and BSc Nursing (in participating institutes) across India, including AIIMS and JIPMER. Scores drive MCC All India Quota counselling and every state quota counselling. Apps open: Feb 2027 (expected)NTA NEET-PG National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) The single entrance test for MD, MS, PG Diploma and post-MBBS DNB/DrNB seats across India (except INI-CET institutes such as AIIMS, JIPMER and PGIMER). Ranks drive MCC All India Quota and state PG counselling. NEET-PG 2026 MCC couns: Nov-Dec 2026 (in progress)NBEMS INI-CET Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test Admission to MD, MS, MDS, six-year DM and six-year MCh courses at Institutes of National Importance: all AIIMS, JIPMER Puducherry, PGIMER Chandigarh, NIMHANS Bengaluru and SCTIMST Thiruvananthapuram. These seats are outside NEET-PG. Result: Nov 2026 (expected, about a week after the exam)AIIMS FMGE Foreign Medical Graduate Examination The screening test that Indian citizens and OCI cardholders with a foreign medical degree must pass to get provisional or permanent registration with NMC or a State Medical Council to practise in India. Graduates under the 2021 Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate regulations must also complete a supervised internship in India after passing. Result: By 30 Nov 2026NBEMS AIAPGET All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test Admission to MD/MS (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha) and MD (Homoeopathy) postgraduate courses across India, both All India Quota (via AACCC) and state quota seats. It is also used for AYUSH PG diploma seats. AIAPGET 2026 AACCC All: Nov-Dec 2026 (in progress)NTA

CAT Common Admission Test Gateway to MBA/PGP programmes at the 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and is also accepted by hundreds of other B-schools such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR, MDI Gurgaon, IITs' management schools and many PSU recruitments. Admit card: 4 Nov 2026 (downloadable until 29 Nov) XAT Xavier Aptitude Test Admission to PGDM/MBA programmes at XLRI Jamshedpur and Delhi-NCR and to 160+ other B-schools, including XIMB, IMT Ghaziabad, GIM Goa, SPJIMR (accepted) and the Xavier Associate Management Institutes. Apps open: 15 Jul – 6 Dec 2026 CMAT Common Management Admission Test National-level test for admission to MBA/PGDM programmes at AICTE-approved institutions, including JBIMS Mumbai, K J Somaiya, Welingkar, Goa Institute of Management and many state-quota seats. Apps open: Nov 2026NTA NMAT NMAT by GMAC Admission to MBA programmes at NMIMS Mumbai and other campuses, plus a number of Indian and international B-schools such as ISB (select programmes), Xavier University, SRM, VIT, Alliance and schools in Morocco, Nigeria, the Philippines and South Africa. Apps open: 3 Nov – 17 Dec 2026GMAC SNAP Symbiosis National Aptitude Test Admission to MBA programmes at institutes of Symbiosis International (Deemed University), including SIBM Pune, SCMHRD, SIIB, SIBM Bengaluru and SIMS. Apps close: 25 Nov 2026 MAT Management Aptitude Test Accepted by around 600 B-schools across India for MBA/PGDM admission, mostly private and tier-2/3 institutes; a useful backup to CAT and state CETs. Apps close: 14 Dec 2026AIMA

CLAT Common Law Admission Test (UG) Admission to five-year integrated LLB programmes (BA LLB, BBA LLB etc.) at the participating National Law Universities (NLUs); scores are also used by several private law schools and some PSUs (for CLAT PG). Admit card: Third/fourth week of Nov 2026 AILET All India Law Entrance Test Sole route into the five-year BA LLB (Hons) at National Law University (NLU) Delhi, which does not take CLAT scores; the same test also admits to its LLM and PhD programmes. Apps open: 7 Aug - 10 Nov 2026 CUET-UG Common University Entrance Test (Undergraduate) Admission to undergraduate programmes at all central universities (including Delhi University, BHU, JNU, Jamia) and many state, deemed and private universities that accept CUET scores. Apps open: Early Jan 2027NTA NATA National Aptitude Test in Architecture Mandatory aptitude test for admission to the five-year B.Arch programme at Council of Architecture (CoA)-approved colleges (except where JEE Main Paper 2 is used, such as NITs and SPAs). Apps open: Feb - Mar 2027CoA NID DAT National Institute of Design - Design Aptitude Test (B.Des) Admission to the four-year Bachelor of Design (B.Des) at NID Ahmedabad and the NIDs at Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Assam (the same DAT also covers M.Des). Apps open: 10 Sep - 30 Nov 2026NID NIFT Entrance NIFT Entrance Examination (NIFTEE) - B.Des and B.FTech Admission to the four-year B.Des (fashion, textile, accessory, communication, knitwear, leather, fashion interiors) and B.FTech (apparel production) programmes across the National Institute of Fashion Technology campuses. Apps open: 16 Oct - 16 Nov 2026NIFT UCEED Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design Admission to the four-year B.Des at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore, IIT Roorkee and IIITDM Jabalpur; scores are also accepted by several other institutes. Apps close: 6 Nov 2026, 5 pmIIT NCHM JEE National Council for Hotel Management Joint Entrance Examination Admission to the three-year B.Sc Hospitality and Hotel Administration at central, state and private Institutes of Hotel Management (IHMs) affiliated to the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT). Apps open: Late Dec 2026 - Jan 2027NTA

GATE Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering GATE scores are used for M.Tech/ME and direct PhD admissions at IITs, NITs, IIITs and IISc, for MHRD/AICTE postgraduate stipends, and for recruitment to Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) such as ONGC, NTPC, IOCL, BHEL and POWERGRID. Apps open: Until 3 Nov 2026 IIT JAM Joint Admission Test for Masters Admission to about 3,000 M.Sc, joint M.Sc-PhD, M.Sc-M.Tech, M.Sc-PhD dual-degree and other postgraduate seats at IITs and IISc. Scores are also used by NITs, IISERs, IIEST and other centrally funded institutes through the Centralised Counselling for M.Sc./M.Sc.(Tech) (CCMN). Admit card: Early Jan 2027 CUET-PG Common University Entrance Test - Postgraduate Admission to MA, M.Sc, M.Com, MCA, MBA, LLM and other postgraduate programmes at central universities (DU, JNU, BHU, AMU, Jamia, HCU and others) and many state, deemed and private universities that accept CUET-PG scores. Apps open: Dec 2026NTA GPAT Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test Admission to M.Pharm programmes with the AICTE postgraduate scholarship (GPAT is mandatory for the scholarship). Scores are also used by some PSUs and state drug-control departments in recruitment screening. Apps open: Late Dec 2026NBEMS CEED Common Entrance Examination for Design Admission to Master of Design (M.Des) programmes at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Jodhpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, IISc Bengaluru, IIITDM Jabalpur and IIITDM Kancheepuram, and to design PhD programmes at several institutes. Some other institutes also accept CEED scores. Apps open: 1 Oct - 5 Nov 2026 (extended)

UPSC CSE Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examination Recruitment to the IAS, IPS, IFS (Foreign Service), IRS and other Group A and Group B central services. The same Preliminary sitting also screens candidates for the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). Apps open: 13 Jan 2027UPSC UPSC CAPF AC UPSC Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination Direct entry as Assistant Commandant (Group A gazetted officer) in the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. Apps open: 17 Feb 2027UPSC UPSC EPFO UPSC Recruitment Test for EPFO (Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer and Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner) Recruitment to officer posts in the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation: Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC, Group A) and Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer (EO/AO, Group B). The 2026 cycle is for APFC only. Exam: 20 Dec 2026 (Sunday)UPSC State PSC Exams State Public Service Commission Combined Civil Services Examinations (UPPSC PCS, BPSC CCE, MPSC Rajyaseva, RPSC RAS, MPPSC SSE and others) Recruitment to state administrative, police, finance and allied services, such as SDM/Deputy Collector, DSP, Block Development Officer and Commercial Tax Officer, through each state's combined civil services exam. Exam: 6 Dec 2026 (Sunday)

SSC CGL Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level Examination Recruits graduates to Group B and Group C posts in central ministries and departments, such as Assistant Section Officer, Inspector (Income Tax, GST, Customs), Assistant Audit/Accounts Officer, Sub-Inspector (CBI/NIA) and Junior Statistical Officer. CGL 2026 Tier 1 provis: Nov 2026SSC SSC CHSL Staff Selection Commission Combined Higher Secondary Level Examination Recruits Class 12 pass candidates as Lower Division Clerk (LDC), Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) and Data Entry Operator (DEO) in central ministries, departments and offices. Admit card: Late Nov 2026SSC SSC MTS Staff Selection Commission Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC & CBN) Examination Recruits Class 10 pass candidates to Group C non-technical Multi-Tasking Staff posts in central government offices, and Havaldar posts in the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN). Notification: Nov-Dec 2026SSC SSC JE Staff Selection Commission Junior Engineer (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical) Examination Recruits Junior Engineers (Group B, non-gazetted) for organisations such as the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Military Engineer Services (MES), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Central Water Commission (CWC), Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Farakka Barrage. From 2026 it also covers Scientific Assistant posts in the India Meteorological Department (IMD). JE 2026 Paper I (Civil: 2-6 Nov 2026SSC SSC Stenographer Staff Selection Commission Stenographer Grade 'C' and 'D' Examination Recruits Stenographers in central ministries, departments and attached offices: Grade C (Group B) and Grade D (Group C). Result: Nov-Dec 2026SSC SSC GD Constable Staff Selection Commission Constable (General Duty) in CAPFs, SSF, Assam Rifles and Sepoy in NCB Recruits Constables (General Duty) for the Central Armed Police Forces (BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB), the Secretariat Security Force (SSF) and Assam Rifles (as Rifleman), and Sepoys for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Notification: Nov 2026SSC

IBPS PO Institute of Banking Personnel Selection – Common Recruitment Process for Probationary Officers/Management Trainees (CRP PO/MT) Recruits Probationary Officers (PO) and Management Trainees into the participating public sector banks such as Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank and Union Bank of India, as Junior Management Grade Scale I officers. Result: Nov 2026 (per notification, tentative)IBPS IBPS Clerk Institute of Banking Personnel Selection – Common Recruitment Process for Customer Service Associates (CRP CSA) Recruits clerical cadre Customer Service Associates into the participating public sector banks, with state-wise allotment. Result: Nov 2026 (per notification, tentative)IBPS SBI PO State Bank of India Probationary Officer Recruitment Recruits Probationary Officers into the State Bank of India, India's largest bank, as Junior Management Grade Scale I officers. SBI PO 2026 Group Exer: From 18 Nov 2026 (tentative, per SBI notice) SBI Clerk State Bank of India Junior Associates (Customer Support & Sales) Recruitment Recruits Junior Associates (clerical cadre) into the State Bank of India, with state-wise vacancies and postings. Result: Nov 2026 (expected) IBPS RRB (PO + Clerk) Institute of Banking Personnel Selection – Common Recruitment Process for Regional Rural Banks: Officer Scale I and Office Assistant (Multipurpose) Recruits Officers Scale I (PO), Scale II/III specialist and generalist officers, and Office Assistants (clerks) into Regional Rural Banks (RRB) across India. Exam: 21-22 Nov 2026 (IBPS tentative calendar)IBPS RBI Grade B Reserve Bank of India Officers in Grade B (General, DEPR and DSIM) Recruits Grade B officers (Assistant Manager level) into the Reserve Bank of India for General, Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR) and Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM) streams. Notification: Apr – May 2027 (expected) RBI Assistant Reserve Bank of India Assistant Recruitment Recruits Assistants (clerical cadre) into Reserve Bank of India offices across India, with office-wise vacancies. Exam: Mar – Apr 2027 (expected) NABARD Grade A National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Assistant Manager (Grade A) Recruitment Recruits Assistant Managers in Grade A into NABARD for Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS), Rajbhasha, Legal and Protocol & Security streams. Notification: Nov – Dec 2026 (expected; not released as of Oct 2026)NABARD LIC AAO Life Insurance Corporation of India Assistant Administrative Officer (Generalist and Specialist) Recruitment Recruits Assistant Administrative Officers, an officer-cadre entry post, into the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), in Generalist and Specialist (CA, Legal, Actuarial, IT etc.) streams. Notification: Late 2026 – early 2027 (not released as of early Nov 2026)LIC

RRB NTPC Railway Recruitment Boards – Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate and Undergraduate Level) Recruits for Indian Railways non-technical posts at Pay Levels 2 to 6: Station Master, Goods Train Manager, Chief Commercial-cum-Ticket Supervisor, Junior Account Assistant-cum-Typist and Senior Clerk (graduate), plus Commercial-cum-Ticket Clerk, Accounts Clerk, Junior Clerk and Trains Clerk (undergraduate). Apps open: 8 Oct – 6 Nov 2026 (fee payment till 8 Nov)RRBs RRB Group D Railway Recruitment Boards – Level 1 Posts (Group D) of 7th CPC Pay Matrix Recruits for Pay Level 1 posts across Indian Railways, such as Track Maintainer Grade IV, Assistant (Pointsman, Track Machine, Bridge, Workshop, S&T, C&W, TL & AC), Hospital Assistant and Porter. It is the largest single-notification railway recruitment. Result: Nov – Dec 2026RRBs RRB ALP Railway Recruitment Boards – Assistant Loco Pilot Recruits Assistant Loco Pilots (Pay Level 2) who assist in operating trains and progress to Loco Pilot posts. It is the main entry route into the running staff cadre of Indian Railways. Exam: 3–5 Nov 2026RRBs RRB JE Railway Recruitment Boards – Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent and Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant Recruits Junior Engineers (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Signal and Telecom, IT etc.), Depot Material Superintendents and Chemical & Metallurgical Assistants at Pay Level 6 in Indian Railways. Exam: Nov 2026RRBs

NDA National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination Entry as officer cadets into the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the 10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. Cadets graduate with a degree and are commissioned as officers. Notification: 2 Dec 2026UPSC CDS Combined Defence Services Examination Recruitment of graduates as officer cadets into the Indian Military Academy (Dehradun), Indian Naval Academy (Ezhimala), Air Force Academy (Hyderabad) and the Officers' Training Academy (Chennai) for Short Service Commission. Notification: 2 Dec 2026UPSC AFCAT Air Force Common Admission Test Selection of commissioned officers into the Flying, Ground Duty (Technical) and Ground Duty (Non-Technical) branches of the Indian Air Force, through Short Service and Permanent Commission. Notification: Nov 2026 (2026 cycle was notified 9 Nov 2025) Agniveer Agnipath Scheme Recruitment (Army Agniveer CEE, Navy Agniveer SSR/MR, Air Force Agniveervayu) Four-year enlistment as Agniveers in the Army, Navy or Air Force under the Agnipath scheme, with up to 25 per cent of each batch retained as regular soldiers, sailors or airmen after four years. Result: Nov 2026 Coast Guard Navik Indian Coast Guard Enrolled Persons Test (CGEPT) - Navik (General Duty / Domestic Branch), Yantrik and Hygienist-I Enrolment as sailors (Navik General Duty or Domestic Branch), technical sailors (Yantrik) and Hygienist-I in the Indian Coast Guard. Admit card: Nov 2026SSC

CTET Central Teacher Eligibility Test A national eligibility certificate (valid for life) needed to apply for teacher posts in Classes 1-8 in central government schools such as Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and many private and state schools. It qualifies you to apply; it is not a recruitment exam by itself. Exam: About 15 days before the exam (late Nov 2026)CBSE UGC-NET University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test Determines eligibility for Assistant Professor posts in Indian universities and colleges, award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and admission to PhD programmes, across 87 humanities, social science, commerce and other subjects. Apps close: 2-4 Nov 2026NTA CSIR-NET Joint CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test Qualifies science postgraduates for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Assistant Professor eligibility and PhD admission in five science streams. JRF carries a stipend of ₹37,000 per month for the first two years. Apps close: 7 Oct - 5 Nov 2026NTA KVS/NVS Recruitment Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti Teacher Recruitment (PRT, TGT, PGT and other posts) Direct recruitment of Primary Teachers (PRT), Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT), Post Graduate Teachers (PGT), Principals and non-teaching staff for Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, both central government school systems. Result: Ongoing through late 2026CBSE Punjab Master Cadre Punjab Master Cadre Teacher Recruitment (Education Recruitment Directorate, Department of School Education, Punjab) Direct recruitment of subject teachers (Master/Mistress) for Classes 6-10 in Punjab government schools, in subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Punjabi and Hindi. Next Master Cadre adve: TBA (expected late 2026 - early 2027)ERD State TETs State Teacher Eligibility Tests (UPTET, REET, HTET, PSTET, MAHA TET and others) State-level teacher eligibility certificates required for teacher recruitment in that state's government schools (Classes 1-8). Following the Supreme Court's 2025 ruling making TET mandatory for in-service teachers, several states have also held special TET rounds. Exam: Nov 2026 (reported, unconfirmed)NCTE

GRE Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test Admission test for master's and PhD programmes in the USA, Canada, Europe, Singapore and elsewhere; many business and law schools also accept it in place of the GMAT. Exam: Year-round, almost daily through Nov 2026 to 2027ETS GMAT Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT Focus Edition) Admission test for MBA, Master in Management (MiM), Master of Finance and other business master's programmes worldwide, and for executive and one-year MBAs at Indian B-schools such as ISB, IIM PGPX and XLRI GMP. Exam: Year-round, through Nov 2026 to 2027GMAC IELTS International English Language Testing System (IELTS) English proficiency test for study (Academic) and for migration or work (General Training) in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and elsewhere; IELTS for UKVI is required for certain UK visa routes. Exam: Almost daily through Nov-Dec 2026 and 2027 TOEFL iBT Test of English as a Foreign Language – Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) Academic English proficiency test accepted by over 12,000 universities in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and Europe for undergraduate and postgraduate admission. Exam: Year-round, multiple days a week through Nov 2026 to 2027ETS SAT Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) – Digital SAT Undergraduate admission test for universities in the USA and Canada, and accepted by many in the UK, Australia, Singapore and India (for example Ashoka, FLAME, Krea, Plaksha and some private engineering colleges). Apps close: 7 Nov 2026College Board Duolingo English Test Duolingo English Test (DET) Online, on-demand English proficiency test accepted by over 5,000 programmes, including many US, Canadian, UK, Irish and Australian universities, for admission purposes. Exam: Any time, 24x7, year-round (Nov 2026 onwards)Duolingo, Inc.