ISRO Scientist Engineer SC 2026 (EMC): CBT 19 Oct

Essential Qualification

BE/B.Tech or an accepted equivalent qualification in the relevant discipline with an aggregate minimum of 65% marks or CGPA 6.84/10. The degree must have been completed within the minimum/stipulated duration prescribed by the University.

Disciplines

• Electronics (BE001 / BE001A): Electronics & Communication Engineering is the core qualification. ISRO's FAQ also accepts specified allied branches including Applied Electronics, Electrical & Electronics, Electronics & Instrumentation, Electronics & Telecommunication, Industrial Electronics, Power Electronics, Telecommunication, Instrumentation Technology, Instrumentation & Control and Avionics.
• Mechanical (BE002 / BE002A): Mechanical Engineering is the core qualification. The official FAQ additionally lists approved allied branches such as Aeronautical, Aerospace, Industrial/Production, Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Metallurgy and related disciplines.
• Computer Science (BE003 / BE003A): Computer Science Engineering is the core qualification. The official FAQ additionally accepts specified branches including Computer Engineering, IT, Information Science, AI/ML, AI & Data Science, Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing and Computer Networking.

Important Eligibility Nuances

• If the certificate shows only CGPA, ISRO does not permit converting it into percentage for eligibility, and vice versa.
• No relaxation in the minimum educational marks is provided for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD categories.
• Correspondence BE/B.Tech is not eligible. Part-time BE/B.Tech may be eligible subject to all other conditions.
• ME/M.Tech does not replace the BE/B.Tech minimum eligibility and carries no extra recruitment weightage.
• Only Indian nationals need apply.

175 Tentative Vacancies

Total: 175. ISRO explicitly states that the vacancy numbers are tentative and may be increased or reduced through a corrigendum.

Application and Processing Fee

The non-refundable application fee was Rs. 250 for all posts, but every applicant initially paid Rs. 750 as the processing amount during the application stage.

• Women, SC, ST, PwBD and Ex-Servicemen: prescribed full processing-fee refund after appearing in the CBT.
• Other candidates: Rs. 500 refund after deducting the Rs. 250 application fee, provided they appear in the CBT.
• No refund is considered for candidates who do not appear in the CBT.

The application and fee window closed on 16 September 2026. This section is retained only to explain the official refund rule to existing applicants.

Stage 1: Written Test / CBT

The CBT is scheduled for 19 October 2026. Call letters will be sent only to the registered email ID. ISRO may change or re-allot exam centres if required.

Part B covers numerical, logical, diagrammatic, abstract and deductive reasoning.

CBT Qualifying Standard

• Unreserved: 50% separately in Part A and Part B.
• PwBD, wherever the post is reserved: 40% separately in Part A and Part B.

These are minimum qualifying standards, not guaranteed interview cut-offs. Interview shortlisting is based on CBT performance in a 1:5 ratio, with an aggregate minimum of 10 candidates.

Stage 2: Interview

The interview carries 100 marks: Technical/Academic Knowledge 40, technical General Awareness 20, Presentation/Communication 20, Comprehension 10 and Academic Achievements 10.

Final Panel

Final empanelment gives 50% weightage to CBT marks and 50% to Interview marks. For unreserved candidates, the official qualifying standard is 50% in CBT, 50% in Interview and 60% aggregate. For PwBD candidates where posts are reserved, it is 40%, 40% and 50% respectively.

Tie-breakers: (1) CBT marks, (2) marks in the essential qualification, then (3) date of birth, with the older candidate ranked higher.

Official CBT Preparation Framework

ISRO has not issued a separate topic-by-topic 2026 syllabus PDF with this advertisement. The official question-paper pattern divides preparation into a discipline-specific Part A and a reasoning-based Part B.

• Part A: Revise your core Electronics, Mechanical or Computer Science engineering curriculum and practise the official 2023 and 2025 ISRO papers linked on the recruitment page.
• Part B: Practise numerical, logical, diagrammatic, abstract and deductive reasoning. There is no negative marking in Part B.

Four-Week Candidate Roadmap to 19 October

• Week 1: Attempt one official previous-year paper without notes, identify weak technical domains and create an error log.
• Week 2: Rebuild weak core concepts and solve discipline-specific MCQs daily; add a short Part B reasoning block.
• Week 3: Move to timed 90-minute Part A simulations. Because Part A has -1/3 negative marking, track accuracy rather than raw attempts.
• Final week: Re-attempt official papers, revise formulas/concepts from the error log and practise the full 120-minute Part A + Part B sequence.

Do not publish an invented 2026 'safe score'. ISRO has not announced a 2026 cut-off, and the minimum qualifying percentages are not the same as the actual interview-shortlisting threshold.

Applications Are Closed - What Existing Applicants Should Do Now

1. Do not attempt to submit a fresh application; the online window closed on 16 September 2026.
2. Monitor the email ID used in the application, including Spam/Junk folders. The official advertisement says CBT call letters will be sent only to the registered email ID.
3. Monitor the official ISRO recruitment page for any call-letter/admit-card link or CBT-centre update.
4. Use the official 2023 and 2025 previous-year question papers available on the ISRO recruitment page.
5. Plan to appear in the CBT on 19 October 2026. The processing-fee refund is tied to actual CBT attendance.
6. After the CBT, check the official site for the answer key. ISRO states it will publish the key within three working days, followed by a five-day objection window.