Punjab State Power Corporation Limited has outlined the examination scheme for the Assistant Lineman recruitment under CRA 317/26 and CRA 318/26. Both recruitments are for the post of Assistant Lineman, but they are based on different trade qualifications. CRA 317/26 is for candidates having National Apprenticeship Certificate in Lineman Trade, while CRA 318/26 is for candidates with ITI in Electrician or Wireman Trade.
The PSPCL ALM exam will be conducted as a computer-based online test. The most important point for candidates is that the exam will have two parts. Part-I will be a mandatory Punjabi language qualifying test, while Part-II will decide the merit position, subject to the candidate meeting the minimum qualifying marks.
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PSPCL ALM Recruitment 2026: Vacancy Overview
PSPCL has issued two separate advertisements for Assistant Lineman recruitment.
| Advertisement | Qualification Base | Vacancies |
|---|---|---|
| CRA 317/26 | NAC in Lineman Trade | 3289 |
| CRA 318/26 | ITI Electrician/Wireman | 3000 |
| Total | Assistant Lineman | 6289 |
For CRA 317/26, PSPCL has notified 3289 vacancies, including backlog and new posts. For CRA 318/26, 3000 posts have been notified. The corporation has also provided women’s reservations within category-wise vacancy tables.
PSPCL ALM Exam Pattern 2026
The PSPCL ALM online test will consist of two parts: Part-I and Part-II.
| Part | Subject | Questions | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-I | Knowledge of Punjabi Language | 50 | Qualifying |
| Part-II | Technical Questions related to concerned discipline | 50 | Merit-based |
| Part-II | Punjabi Language Knowledge | 20 | Merit-based |
| Part-II | General Knowledge | 10 | Merit-based |
| Part-II | Reasoning | 10 | Merit-based |
| Part-II | Arithmetic | 10 | Merit-based |
| Total | Part-II | 100 | Merit-based |
Each question will carry 1 mark. There will be no negative marking. The total duration of the exam will be 3 hours, or 180 minutes.
Punjabi Language Qualifying Test
Part-I will contain 50 objective-type questions from Punjabi Language. This section is mandatory and qualifying in nature.
Candidates must score at least 50% marks in Part-I. This means candidates need 25 marks out of 50 in the Punjabi qualifying test. If a candidate fails to qualify Part-I, PSPCL will not consider the candidate for the final merit list, even if the candidate scores well in Part-II.
This makes Punjabi Language a high-priority section. Candidates should not treat it as a low-value section just because it is qualifying.
Part-II: Main Merit Paper
Part-II will contain 100 objective-type questions. This section will decide the merit list. The highest weightage is given to technical knowledge related to the trade, with 50 questions.
The subject-wise distribution shows that technical preparation is the central part of the exam. However, Punjabi, General Knowledge, Reasoning and Arithmetic together carry 50 questions, which means non-technical sections can strongly affect the final score.
Minimum Qualifying Marks in Part-II
PSPCL has fixed minimum qualifying marks for Part-II.
| Category | Minimum Qualifying Marks in Part-II |
|---|---|
| General Category | 25% |
| Reserved Categories | 20% |
The reserved category includes EWS, Scheduled Caste, Backwards Class, Ex-servicemen, Freedom Fighter, Sports Person and Persons with Disabilities candidates.
Only those candidates who qualify Part-I and also secure the minimum required marks in Part-II will be considered for the merit list.
PSPCL ALM Syllabus 2026
PSPCL has stated that the tentative syllabus for the online written exam will be uploaded on the official website in due course. Until the detailed syllabus is released separately, candidates should prepare strictly according to the exam structure mentioned in the official advertisements.
The expected preparation areas should be divided into five parts: Punjabi qualifying test, technical trade subject, Punjabi language in Part-II, general knowledge, reasoning and arithmetic.
Technical Syllabus Focus
The technical section will contain 50 questions related to the concerned discipline of the post applied for. For CRA 317/26, candidates should focus on Lineman Trade topics. For CRA 318/26, candidates should focus on Electrician or Wireman Trade topics.
For preparation, candidates should revise trade theory, basic electrical concepts, wiring systems, electrical safety, tools and equipment, transmission and distribution basics, conductors, insulators, earthing, transformers, meters, fuses, circuit breakers, line maintenance, electrical symbols and practical trade knowledge.
The technical section is expected to be the deciding section because it carries half of the Part-II paper.
Punjabi Language Syllabus Focus
Punjabi Language appears in both Part-I and Part-II. Part-I is qualifying, while Part-II carries 20 merit-based questions from Punjabi Language Knowledge.
Candidates should prepare Punjabi grammar, vocabulary, sentence correction, comprehension, word usage, basic writing rules, idioms, synonyms, antonyms and Matriculation-level Punjabi language knowledge.
Since Part-I requires 50% marks, candidates must build enough accuracy in Punjabi before shifting fully to technical topics.
General Knowledge Syllabus Focus
The General Knowledge section will have 10 questions. Candidates should prepare Punjab-related general awareness, Indian polity, history, geography, current affairs, basic economy, awards, important days, government schemes and general science.
For PSPCL ALM, Punjab-specific awareness may also be useful because the recruitment is conducted by a Punjab Government-owned power corporation.
Reasoning Syllabus Focus
The Reasoning section will contain 10 questions. Candidates should prepare basic verbal and non-verbal reasoning topics such as analogy, classification, series, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, order and ranking, syllogism, puzzles, statement-based questions and basic logical reasoning.
This section may look small, but it can help improve the final merit score because there is no negative marking.
Arithmetic Syllabus Focus
Arithmetic will contain 10 questions. Candidates should prepare number system, simplification, percentage, ratio and proportion, average, profit and loss, simple interest, compound interest, time and work, speed-distance-time, mensuration and basic data interpretation.
The level is expected to remain job-oriented and competitive exam-based rather than advanced mathematics-based.
Language of Exam
Part-II of the online exam will be bilingual in English and Punjabi, except Punjabi language questions, which will be asked only in Punjabi. Candidates will have the option to choose English or Punjabi for the Part-II examination.
This is important for candidates from technical trade backgrounds, as they can attempt the technical and general sections in their preferred language.
Marking Scheme
There will be 1 mark for each correct answer. PSPCL has clearly mentioned that there will be no negative marking. Therefore, candidates should attempt the full paper after proper time management.
However, no negative marking does not mean blind guessing should become the main strategy. Candidates should first solve high-confidence questions, then return to doubtful questions in the remaining time.
Merit List Rules
The merit list will be prepared only from Part-II marks, but only for those candidates who qualify Part-I. If the exam is conducted in a single shift, the result will be prepared based on actual marks. If the exam is conducted in multiple shifts, PSPCL may apply normalisation to neutralise variation in difficulty level across different question papers.
If two or more candidates secure the same marks in Part-II, the older candidate will be placed higher in merit.
For Sports Person category candidates, final merit will be prepared as per the process involving the Director Sports, Punjab.
Preparation Strategy for PSPCL ALM Exam
Candidates should first secure the Punjabi qualifying section because failure in Part-I will remove them from merit consideration. After that, the main focus should shift to the technical section, which carries 50 out of 100 questions in Part-II.
A practical preparation split can be 50% time for technical trade, 20% for Punjabi, 10% for GK, 10% for reasoning and 10% for arithmetic. Candidates from Lineman, Electrician and Wireman backgrounds should revise their trade books, apprenticeship/ITI notes and practical safety concepts.
Mock tests should be attempted in a 3-hour format because the exam has 150 total questions across both parts. Candidates should also practise Punjabi language questions separately to avoid losing eligibility due to the qualifying section.
