The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released the official notification for the Assistant Section Officer (ASO)/Assistant Grade Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) 2025, inviting applications from eligible departmental candidates for recruitment to key positions in the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The notification has been made available on the commission’s official website (ssc.gov.in), and the online application process is currently underway.
According to the notification, the recruitment drive aims to fill a total of 341 vacancies across the participating services. Eligible candidates can submit their online application forms through the SSC portal until July 16, 2026, at 11 PM.
Departments are required to forward the hard copies of completed applications to SSC by July 23, 2026, before 6 PM. For candidates serving abroad or posted in remote locations such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, the last date for receipt of printed applications has been extended to July 30, 2026, until 6 PM.
To apply, candidates must first complete the One-Time Registration (OTR) process on the new SSC portal if they have not already registered. After logging in with their credentials, applicants need to access the ASO/Assistant Grade LDCE 2025 application form, provide the required personal and service-related information, upload the prescribed documents, photograph and signature, and carefully review all details before final submission. Following online submission, candidates must download and print the application form and submit it through their respective Head of Department or Head of Office along with the necessary supporting documents. Applications that are not routed through the prescribed departmental channel will not be considered.
The notification clarifies that the examination is open exclusively to eligible departmental candidates belonging to the participating services. For vacancies in the Central Secretariat Service, applicants must be serving as Upper Division Grade Officers in the Central Secretariat Clerical Service and should have completed a minimum of six years of approved service as on July 1, 2025. Candidates applying under the Ministry of External Affairs category must be serving in the Upper Division Clerk grade, possess the required mandatory training qualifications and have completed at least six years of approved service by the same cut-off date.
SSC has informed candidates that the recruitment examination will be conducted in computer-based mode during August 2026. The examination centres for the test will be located exclusively within the Delhi-NCR region. Candidates are advised to make travel and accommodation arrangements accordingly once the examination schedule is announced.
The selection process for SSC ASO/Assistant Grade LDCE 2025 will consist of two major stages. The first stage will include a computer-based examination comprising Paper I and Paper II. In the second stage, candidates’ Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) will be evaluated. The final merit list will be prepared by combining marks obtained in the written examination with scores awarded through the APAR assessment process.
Read the official notice here.