What JKSSB recruitment is
The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) is the Union Territory’s equivalent of a state staff selection commission: it fills non-gazetted posts across dozens of J&K government departments through separately numbered advertisements rather than one annual combined exam. It sits at the same tier as Assam ADRE and UP Lekhpal: Class 10 to graduate qualified clerical, technical and paramedical recruitment, not a gazetted civil service exam like JKPSC CCE.
JKSSB runs several advertisements at once rather than one single annual cycle. Advertisement Notification No 08 of 2026, released 4 August 2026, opened 518 posts across the Health and Medical Education, Higher Education, Agriculture Production and Labour and Employment departments, with Junior Pharmacist (216 posts) the single largest post within it; online applications opened 10 September 2026 and closed 9 October 2026. Separately, Advertisement Notification No 06 of 2026, released 6 July 2026, opened 357 Divisional Cadre posts, Draftsman (Civil) and Works Supervisor, in the Public Works (R&B) Department. Both ran at the same time, which is typical of how JKSSB operates: expect several live advertisements in parallel rather than a single notification covering every vacancy in a given year.
Who can apply
Qualification is set per post and per advertisement rather than one fixed bar for the whole board: support-staff posts typically ask for a Class 10 or Class 12 pass, while technical and paramedical posts ask for a relevant diploma or degree, for example a 10+2 in Science plus a degree or diploma in Pharmacy for Junior Pharmacist. A valid Jammu and Kashmir domicile certificate is required for every post. The general age band under Advertisement No 08 of 2026 was 18 to 40 years for Open Merit, reckoned as on 1 January of the notified year, with SC/ST-1/ST-2/RBA/ALC-IB and EWS/OBC candidates allowed up to 43 years and PwBD candidates up to 42 years; ex-servicemen get relaxation under JKSSB’s own separate rules. Confirm the age band and reckoning date against whichever advertisement you are applying under, since both can shift between advertisements.
How the exam runs
Selection runs on one written stage: an OMR-based objective examination, with 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer. There is no interview. This follows a Jammu and Kashmir government policy decision, approved by the Lieutenant Governor, that abolished interviews for non-gazetted and Class IV posts up to a specified pay level so that selection rests purely on the written score, document verification and nothing else. Run your expected attempt pattern through the negative marking calculator before deciding how much to guess on a close call.
The paper itself is set per post or per post category within an advertisement rather than one fixed paper for every JKSSB exam: common sections across most advertisements are General English, Mathematics, General Knowledge (including Jammu and Kashmir specific GK) and Reasoning, with a technical or professional section added for technical and paramedical posts. Always check the specific advertisement’s own syllabus annexure rather than assuming a previous advertisement’s paper structure carries over, since JKSSB resets the exact split by post.
Preparing the application
JKSSB specifies exact photograph and signature requirements in each advertisement rather than a fixed year to year standard, so check the current advertisement’s dimensions and file size before uploading. The photo resizer on this site can resize your photograph to whatever specific target the advertisement states. Under Advertisement No 08 of 2026 the application fee was Rs 600 for Open Merit and Rs 500 for SC/ST-1/ST-2/EWS/PwBD candidates; confirm this against the advertisement you are applying under, since fee amounts have differed between past JKSSB advertisements.
On exam day
Arrive at least an hour before the reporting time on your admit card, with the printed admit card and a government photo identification matching the name and photo on the admit card. No electronic devices are permitted, and only material issued by the centre may be used during the exam.
For candidates comparing this with other recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir
JKSSB recruitment and JKPSC CCE are separate bodies with separate exams: JKPSC runs the gazetted, administrative-service route (KAS, Police, Accounts), while JKSSB runs the much larger volume of non-gazetted technical, paramedical, clerical and support-staff posts. A candidate should check which specific JKSSB advertisement is currently open, since the posts, vacancy count, eligibility and even the paper structure change with each one; the official JKSSB website, linked above, lists every live advertisement and is the only reliable source for a current notification’s exact terms.