The Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board has outlined the examination scheme for DSSSB Advertisement No. 03/2026, under which recruitment will be conducted for 1,979 vacancies across multiple departments of the Government of NCT of Delhi, autonomous bodies and local bodies.
The posts covered in the advertisement include Junior Scientific Assistant posts in different forensic disciplines, IT Assistant Grade-A, Data Processing Assistant, Data Entry Operator, TGT Computer Science, Domestic Science Teacher, TGT Special Education Teacher, Special Educator Primary, Fitter Grade-II, Lift Operator, Sub Station Apprentice and other technical posts.
For candidates preparing for the DSSSB exam, the most important update is the structure of the paper. The exam will be held under the One Tier format, but the pattern will differ slightly depending on whether the post is General, Technical, or Technical/Teaching.
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DSSSB Exam Pattern 2026: Paper Will Be of 200 Marks
As per the examination scheme, DSSSB will conduct a 2-hour paper for the notified posts. The paper will carry 200 questions for 200 marks. Each question will carry one mark. There is no descriptive paper mentioned in the scheme for these posts.
The exam pattern has been divided into three major categories. One Tier General is applicable for post codes 34/26, 39/26 and 40/26. One Tier Technical is applicable for several technical and forensic posts, including post codes 21/26 to 33/26, 35/26 to 38/26 and 45/26. One Tier Technical/Teaching is applicable for post codes 41/26, 42/26, 43/26 and 44/26.
The Board has also mentioned negative marking. A deduction of 0.25 marks will be made for each wrong MCQ answer of one mark. The questions will be bilingual in Hindi and English, except language papers, which will be in the concerned language only.
DSSSB One Tier General Exam Pattern
The One Tier General paper is meant for posts where the selection is based mainly on common aptitude and language sections. This pattern applies to IT Assistant Grade-A, Data Processing Assistant Grade-A and Data Entry Operator Grade-B posts under the notified post codes.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Type | One Tier General |
| Post Codes | 34/26, 39/26, 40/26 |
| Duration | 2 Hours |
| Total Questions | 200 |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Question Type | MCQ |
| Descriptive Paper | Not Applicable |
| Negative Marking | 0.25 mark for each wrong answer |
The syllabus for this paper includes General Awareness, General Intelligence and Reasoning Ability, Arithmetical and Numerical Ability, Hindi Language and Comprehension, and English Language and Comprehension. Each section will carry 40 marks, making the total paper 200 marks.
Final merit for these posts will be prepared on the basis of marks secured in the written examination. The mandatory minimum marks criteria will also apply.
DSSSB One Tier Technical Exam Pattern
The One Tier Technical paper is different from the General paper because it has two sections. Section-A is common for all candidates, while Section-B is based on the subject concerned as per the qualification prescribed for the post.
This pattern applies to several posts, including Junior Scientific Assistant in Biology, Ballistics, Chemistry, Lie Detection, Documents, HRD/QC, Photo, Cyber Forensic, Crime Scene/District Mobile Forensic Unit, Finger Print and Physics. It also applies to Technical Assistant Hindi, Assistant Archivist Grade-I, Fitter Grade-II, Lift Operator, Assistant Operator cum Mechanic A/C, Sub Station Apprentice and Electrical Overseer/Sub-Inspector.
| Section | Syllabus Area | Questions/Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Section-A | General Awareness, Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Hindi, English | 100 Questions / 100 Marks |
| Section-B | Subject concerned as per post qualification | 100 Questions / 100 Marks |
| Total | Common + Subject Paper | 200 Questions / 200 Marks |
In Section-A, five subjects will be asked: General Awareness, General Intelligence and Reasoning Ability, Arithmetical and Numerical Ability, Hindi Language and Comprehension, and English Language and Comprehension. Each part will carry 20 marks, making Section-A a 100-mark section.
Section-B will carry 100 questions for 100 marks from the subject concerned. For example, a candidate applying for Junior Scientific Assistant Biology will face questions related to the prescribed biology/life science qualification area, while a candidate applying for Cyber Forensic will face questions from computer science, IT, cyber security, electronics or related prescribed subjects.
DSSSB One Tier Technical/Teaching Exam Pattern
The Technical/Teaching pattern applies to post codes 41/26, 42/26, 43/26 and 44/26. These include TGT Computer Science, Domestic Science Teacher, TGT Special Education Teacher and Special Educator Primary.
The paper will again be of 200 marks and 2 hours. Section-A will be common and Section-B will be subject-specific. However, for teaching posts, Section-B will include questions from the subject concerned along with teaching methodology or B.Ed. related areas.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Type | One Tier Technical/Teaching |
| Applicable Post Codes | 41/26, 42/26, 43/26, 44/26 |
| Duration | 2 Hours |
| Total Questions | 200 |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Section-A | 100 Marks |
| Section-B | 100 Marks |
| Section-B Coverage | Subject concerned, teaching methodology/B.Ed. |
This makes Section-B very important for teacher post candidates. The Board has clearly linked the subject-specific part with teaching methodology, which means candidates should not prepare only the academic subject. They should also revise pedagogy, classroom teaching concepts, child-centred learning, assessment methods and B.Ed.-level teaching principles wherever relevant.
DSSSB Syllabus 2026: Common Subjects in Section-A
The common syllabus remains important for all categories of candidates. Even where the final selection heavily depends on the technical or teaching subject, Section-A contributes to the overall score and cannot be ignored.
General Awareness may include current events, history, polity, geography, economy, science, environment, Delhi-related awareness and basic public administration awareness. For recruitment exams, this section usually rewards candidates who revise static GK along with recent national and state-level developments.
Reasoning Ability may include analogies, classification, series, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, seating arrangement, non-verbal reasoning, statement-based questions and analytical reasoning. Numerical Ability may cover number system, simplification, percentage, profit and loss, ratio, average, time and work, speed and distance, simple interest, compound interest, data interpretation and basic arithmetic.
Hindi and English Language Syllabus
The Hindi and English sections are designed to test language understanding rather than advanced literature. Candidates should focus on grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and sentence usage.
For Hindi, important areas may include संधि, समास, पर्यायवाची, विलोम शब्द, मुहावरे, लोकोक्तियां, वाक्य शुद्धि, अशुद्धि सुधार and comprehension. For English, candidates should revise reading comprehension, synonyms, antonyms, error spotting, fill in the blanks, sentence improvement, active-passive voice, direct-indirect speech and basic grammar.
Language sections are scoring if prepared with regular practice. Since both Hindi and English are part of the common section, candidates should not treat them as secondary areas.
Subject-Specific Syllabus for Technical Posts
For Technical posts, Section-B will be based on the essential qualification prescribed for the post. This is the most decisive part of the paper because the minimum qualifying marks in the Technical scheme will apply to the domain-specific Section-B.
For Junior Scientific Assistant posts, the subject area will differ by discipline. Biology-related posts may draw from zoology, botany, microbiology, biotechnology, life science, genetics, molecular biology and forensic science. Ballistics-related posts may include physics, mathematics and forensic science. Chemistry posts may include chemistry, toxicology, biochemistry and forensic science.
Cyber Forensic candidates should focus on computer science, computer applications, information technology, cyber security, electronics and communication-related concepts. Crime Scene and Finger Print posts will require preparation from the science subjects mentioned in the eligibility conditions and forensic science fundamentals. Candidates should read the qualification requirement for their exact post code before finalising their Section-B preparation plan.
Subject-Specific Syllabus for Teaching Posts
For teaching posts, the subject-specific paper will include the relevant academic subject and teaching methodology. This makes the paper different from a purely technical paper.
TGT Computer Science candidates should prepare computer fundamentals, programming basics, networking, databases, operating systems, information technology and school-level computer science concepts. Domestic Science Teacher candidates should focus on home science, nutrition, family resource management, textiles, human development and related teaching concepts.
Special Education Teacher and Special Educator Primary candidates should revise special education principles, inclusive education, disabilities, teaching-learning strategies, assessment, intervention methods, child development and B.Ed. or teacher training methodology topics.
Minimum Qualifying Marks and Merit Rules
DSSSB has fixed minimum qualifying marks wherever applicable. General and EWS candidates need 40%, OBC Delhi candidates need 35%, and SC/ST/PH candidates need 30%. Ex-servicemen will get 5% relaxation in their respective categories, subject to a minimum of 30%.
For One Tier Technical and One Tier Technical/Teaching posts, the mandatory minimum qualifying marks will apply only to the domain subject-specific Section-B. There will be no separate minimum qualifying marks in Section-A. However, the cumulative minimum qualifying marks will apply to the combined score of both sections.
For merit preparation, the combined marks of Section-A and Section-B will be considered. In case of a tie in Technical or Technical/Teaching posts, the candidate with higher marks in the subject-specific section will be placed higher in merit. If the tie remains, age and then alphabetical order of the first name will be used.
How Candidates Should Prepare for DSSSB 2026
Candidates should first identify the exact post code and exam category. A candidate applying for a General post should give equal attention to all five common sections because each carries 40 marks. For Technical and Teaching posts, the subject-specific Section-B requires deeper preparation because it has direct importance in qualification and tie-breaking.
A practical preparation plan should divide time between common subjects and the domain paper. For Technical and Teaching posts, at least half of the preparation time should go to Section-B because it carries 100 marks and has separate qualifying relevance.
Mock tests will also matter because the paper has 200 questions in 2 hours. Candidates will need speed and accuracy. Negative marking makes random guessing risky, especially in technical sections where conceptual errors can reduce the net score.
