SSC Scientific Assistant IMD 2026: Eligibility, Exam Pattern & Complete Syllabus (Part-D, E, F)

Alongside the Junior Engineer posts, the SSC Junior Engineer Examination, 2026 (F. No. HQ-C-3019/1/2026-C-3, dated 02.09.2026) also recruits Scientific Assistant in the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This is the only science-stream post in the notification, and it is the only one where the candidate chooses one of three subject papers — Computer Science & IT, Electronics & Telecommunication, or Physics.

Questions for this post are set at graduation level, not diploma level, and a separate merit list is drawn for Scientific Assistant.

SSC Scientific Assistant IMD 2026 — Overview

Examination	SSC Junior Engineer (JE) Examination, 2026
Conducting Body	Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
Post	Scientific Assistant (SA)
Organisation	India Meteorological Department (IMD)
Notification No.	F. No. HQ-C-3019/1/2026-C-3, dated 02.09.2026
Total Vacancies (all posts)	1748 (tentative)
Post Classification	Group ‘B’ (Non-Gazetted)
Pay Scale	Level-6 of 7th CPC Pay Matrix — Rs. 35,400 to Rs. 1,12,400
Age Limit	Up to 30 years
Exam Subjects	Part-D (Computer Science & IT) or Part-E (Electronics & Telecommunication) or Part-F (Physics)
Helpline	1800 309 3063 (toll-free)

SSC JE 2026 Important Dates

Event	Date
Online application opens	02.09.2026
Last date to submit online application	22.09.2026 (23:00 hrs)
Last date for online fee payment	23.09.2026 (23:00 hrs)
Application Correction Window	28.09.2026 to 30.09.2026 (23:00 hrs)
Paper-I (Computer Based Exam)	October / November 2026 (tentative)
Paper-II (Computer Based Exam)	December 2026 (tentative)

Eligibility — Educational Qualification

A candidate must possess either:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Science with Physics as one of the subjects from a recognised institution or university; OR
• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Applications, Electronics, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electronics Telecommunication Engineering, Instrumentation, Information Technology, Telecommunication Engineering, or Communication Engineering from a recognised institution or university.

Age limit: up to 30 years — date of birth not earlier than 02.08.1996 and not later than 01.08.2008 (crucial date 01.08.2026).

Choosing Your Subject: Part-D, Part-E or Part-F

This is the single most important decision for a Scientific Assistant applicant. As per Para 13.7 of the notification:

Candidates applying for Scientific Assistant in IMD are required to opt for any one of the three subjects, i.e., Part-D or Part-E or Part-F, as per the stream/branch filled up at the time of filling the Online Application Form. Accordingly, in both Paper-I and Paper-II, the applicant is required to attempt the subject for which they have opted.

Part	Subject	Best suited for
Part-D	General Engineering (Computer Science and Information Technology)	B.E./B.Tech CSE/IT, BCA, B.Sc. Computer Science graduates
Part-E	General Engineering (Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering)	B.E./B.Tech ECE/E&TC/Instrumentation graduates
Part-F	Physics	B.Sc. (Physics) graduates

Warning: the subject once opted cannot be changed under any circumstances. Choose carefully at the time of filling the form.

Post Eligibility Cross-Over Rules

• Candidates opting for Scientific Assistant are also eligible for JE (Telecom), subject to fulfilling its essential qualification.
• Candidates opting for JE (Telecom) are also eligible for Scientific Assistant in IMD, subject to fulfilling EQ.
• A candidate eligible for and applying to more than one post must appear in the respective paper opted for in the online application form.

Age Relaxation

Category	Relaxation Beyond Upper Age Limit
SC / ST	5 years
OBC	3 years
PwBD (Unreserved / EWS)	10 years
PwBD (OBC)	13 years
PwBD (SC / ST)	15 years
Ex-Servicemen (ESM)	3 years after deduction of military service from actual age
Defence personnel disabled in operations (UR/EWS/OBC)	3 years
Defence personnel disabled in operations (SC/ST)	8 years

PwBD Suitability

Scientific Assistant in IMD is identified as suitable for OH — (OL or OA), Dw, AAV. Functional requirement: S, ST, W, RW, SE, C. The post is not identified as suitable for Visually Handicapped candidates.

Application Fee

• Fee: Rs. 100/-; exempted for all women candidates, SC, ST, PwBD and Ex-Servicemen.
• Payment only via BHIM UPI, Net Banking, or Visa / MasterCard / Maestro / RuPay debit card.
• Correction charges: Rs. 200 (first), Rs. 500 (second). Maximum two corrections.

Scientific Assistant IMD 2026 Exam Pattern

Paper-I (CBE) — Qualifying

Subject	Questions	Marks	Duration
General Intelligence & Reasoning	50	50	2 Hours (2 hours 40 minutes for eligible scribe candidates)
General Awareness	50	50
Part-D / Part-E / Part-F (as opted)	100	100
Total	200	200

Paper-II (CBE) — Merit Deciding

Subject	Questions	Marks	Duration
Part-D / Part-E / Part-F (as opted)	100	300	2 Hours (2 hours 40 minutes for eligible scribe candidates)

Key Exam Rules

• Standard of questions: graduation level.
• Objective type MCQs, set in Hindi and English only.
• Negative marking: 0.25 marks in Paper-I; 1 mark in Paper-II per wrong answer.
• Minimum qualifying marks: UR – 30%, OBC/EWS – 25%, all others – 20%.
• A separate merit list is drawn for Scientific Assistant in IMD.
• Normalisation note: marks in Part-D, Part-E and Part-F for the IMD post are normalised by treating them as different shifts, since candidates answer different papers for the same post.
• For final selection, the normalised marks obtained in Part-D, or Part-E, or Part-F of Paper-II, as applicable, shall be considered.
• An on-screen scientific calculator is available for the entire duration.

Paper-I Syllabus (Common Sections)

1. General Intelligence & Reasoning

Verbal and non-verbal questions on analogies, similarities, differences, space visualization, problem-solving, analysis, judgment, decision-making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, arithmetical number series, abstract ideas and symbols and their relationships, arithmetical computations and other analytical functions.

2. General Awareness

Awareness of the environment and its application to society; current events; everyday observations and experience in their scientific aspect; questions on India and its neighbouring countries relating to History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Polity and Scientific Research.

3. Paper-I Topic Lists by Part

Part-D (Computer Science and Information Technology): Engineering Mathematics, Digital Logic, Computer Organization and Architecture, Programming and Data Structures, Algorithms, Theory of Computation, Compiler Design, Operating System, Databases, Computer Networks.

Part-E (Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering):
(A) Electronics: Electronic Materials & Components, Diodes, Transistors, Amplifiers & Oscillators, Voltage Regulation, Introduction to Network Theorems, AC Circuits, Three-Phase Circuits, Resonance, Digital Electronics, Sequential & Combinational Logic and Data Conversion & Codes.
(B) Telecommunications: Antennas, Radio Wave Propagation, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Modulation, Single Sideband, Frequency Modulation, Pulse Modulation, Multiplexing, Introduction to Digital Communication and Radio Frequency Communications & Wireless Telecommunications.

Part-F (Physics): Mathematical Methods, Mechanics, General Properties of Matter, Oscillations, Waves, Optics, Electricity, Magnetism, Kinetic Theory, Thermodynamics, Modern Physics, Solid State Physics, Semiconductor Devices, Analog and Digital Electronics.

Paper-II Detailed Syllabus — Part-D (Computer Science and Information Technology)

Engineering Mathematics

Discrete Mathematics: Propositional and first-order logic. Sets, relations, functions, partial orders and lattices. Monoids, Groups. Graphs: connectivity, matching, colouring. Combinatorics: counting, recurrence relations, generating functions.

Linear Algebra: Matrices, determinants, systems of linear equations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, LU decomposition.

Calculus: Limits, continuity and differentiability, Maxima and minima, Mean value theorem, Integration.

Probability and Statistics: Random variables, Uniform, normal, exponential, Poisson and binomial distributions. Mean, median, mode and standard deviation. Conditional probability and Bayes’ theorem.

Digital Logic

Boolean algebra. Combinational and sequential circuits. Minimization. Number representations and computer arithmetic (fixed and floating point).

Computer Organization and Architecture

Machine instructions and addressing modes. ALU, data-path and control unit. Instruction pipelining, pipeline hazards. Memory hierarchy: cache, main memory and secondary storage; I/O interface (interrupt and DMA mode).

Programming and Data Structures

Programming in C. Recursion. Arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, binary search trees, binary heaps, graphs.

Algorithms

Searching, sorting, hashing. Asymptotic worst-case time and space complexity. Algorithm design techniques: greedy, dynamic programming and divide-and-conquer. Graph traversals, minimum spanning trees, shortest paths.

Theory of Computation

Regular expressions and finite automata. Context-free grammars and push-down automata. Regular and context-free languages, pumping lemma. Turing machines and undecidability.

Compiler Design

Lexical analysis, parsing, syntax-directed translation. Runtime environments. Intermediate code generation. Local optimization, Data flow analysis: constant propagation, liveness analysis, common subexpression elimination.

Operating System

System calls, processes, threads, inter-process communication, concurrency and synchronization. Deadlock. CPU and I/O scheduling. Memory management and virtual memory. File systems.

Databases

ER-model. Relational model: relational algebra, tuple calculus, SQL. Integrity constraints, normal forms. File organization, indexing (e.g., B and B+ trees). Transactions and concurrency control.

Computer Networks

Concept of layering: OSI and TCP/IP Protocol Stacks. Basics of packet, circuit and virtual circuit-switching. Data link layer: framing, error detection, Medium access Control, Ethernet bridging. Routing protocols: shortest path, flooding, distance vector and link state routing. Fragmentation and IP addressing, IPv4, CIDR notation, Basics of IP supports protocols (ARP, DHCP, ICMP), Network Address Translation (NAT). Transport layer: flow control, congestion control, UDP, TCP, sockets. Application layer protocols: DNS, SMTP, HTTP, FTP, Email.

Paper-II Detailed Syllabus — Part-E (Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering)

(A) Electronics

Electronic Materials & Components: Conductors, Semi-conductors, Insulators, Magnetic, Passive components, characteristics of Resistors, Capacitors and inductors.

Diodes: PN Junction diode, forward and reverse bias characteristics and equivalent circuits of diode and applications, Zener diode and applications, clipping, clamping and rectifier circuits using diodes.

Transistors: Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT), Field Effect Transistor (FET) and MOSFET; Biasing and stability, Emitter follower and its applications – Negative Feedback-Transistor as a switch.

Amplifiers & Oscillators: Multistage Amplifiers, Feedback, Oscillators, Multi vibrators, Power amplifiers.

Voltage Regulation: Voltage regulation.

Introduction to Network Theorems: Kirchoff’s laws, superposition, Thevenin’s, Norton’s and Maximum power theorems.

AC Circuits: Voltage and Current relationship in the resistance, inductance and capacitance. Concept of reactance, susceptance, conductance, admittance, impedance and admittance in series and parallel RL, RC and RLC circuits.

Three-Phase Circuits: Three phase supply – star and delta connection diagrams – Relation between line and phase & voltages and currents.

Resonance: Series and parallel resonance circuits – condition of resonance, resonant frequency, Q factor and bandwidth.

Digital Electronics: Logic gates, De Morgan’s theorem, Boolean algebra and digital logic circuits, systems & codes.

Sequential & Combinational Logic: Flip-flops, shift registers, frequency counters and combinational logic design.

Data Conversion & Codes: Basic concepts of Digital to Analog and Analog to Digital Converters and Timing circuits.

(B) Telecommunication

Antennas: Basic antenna principle directive gain, directivity, radiation pattern, broad-side and end-fire array, Yagi antenna and Parabolic antenna.

Radio Wave Propagation: Ground wave propagation, space waves and ionosphere propagation.

Electromagnetic Spectrum: Frequency spectrum.

Modulation: Modulation, types of modulation, Amplitude Modulation (AM), Modulation index, Power relation in AM, Generation and Demodulation of AM.

Single Sideband: Power requirement in comparison with AM, Advantages of SSB over AM. Concept of Balanced Modulator, Generation of SSB, Pilot Carrier System. Independent Side System, Vestigial Sideband Transmission.

Frequency Modulation: Definition of FM, Bandwidth, Noise triangle, Pre-emphasis and De-emphasis.

Pulse Modulation: Definition of PM. Difference between AM and FM. Radio receivers. Sampling Theorem, PAM, PTM, PWM, PPM, pulse code modulation, Quantization noise, companding, PCM system, differential PCM, Delta modulation.

Multiplexing: FDM/TDM.

Introduction of digital Communication: PSK, ASK, FSK, introduction to fiber optics system, Propagation of light in optical fiber and ray model.

Radio Frequency (RF) Communications and Wireless Telecommunications: Propagation of signals at HF, VHF, UHF and microwave frequency and satellite communications.

Paper-II Detailed Syllabus — Part-F (Physics)

Mathematical Methods

Calculus, Integral Calculus, Differential Equations, Fourier Series, Taylor expansion, Vector Algebra, Vector Calculus, Integral Theorems, Linear Algebra and Complex Numbers, Statistics and Error Analysis.

Mechanics

Newton’s laws of motion and applications, coordinate systems and kinematics, inertial and non-inertial frames, Centrifugal and Coriolis forces, Motion under a central force, Kepler’s Law, Gravitational Law, conservative and non-conservative forces, System of particles, conservation laws, Elastic and inelastic collisions, Moment of inertia, Rigid body dynamics.

General Properties of Matter

Elasticity, surface tension, viscosity, fluid dynamics, kinematics of moving fluids, equation of continuity, Euler’s equation, Bernoulli’s theorem.

Oscillations

Simple harmonic oscillator, superposition of two or more simple harmonic oscillators, Lissajous figures, damped and forced oscillations, resonance, quality factor and bandwidth.

Waves

Wave equation, travelling and standing waves in one dimension, energy density and energy transmission of waves, group velocity and phase velocity, sound waves, Doppler effect.

Optics

Geometrical optics – Fermat’s principle, Reflection and refraction, mirrors and lenses and image formation, Interference of light and diffraction, Rayleigh Criterion and resolving power, diffraction gratings, polarization: linear, circular and elliptic polarization, double refraction and optical rotation.

Electricity

Coulomb’s law, electric field, electric potential, Gauss’s law, conductors and dielectrics, polarization and bound charges, capacitors and capacitances, electrostatic energy, boundary conditions, Laplace equation and boundary value problems, electric current and current density, Ohm’s law, DC circuits, AC circuits (RC, LC, LCR), resonance in AC circuits.

Magnetism

Magnetic field, Bio-Savart law, Ampere’s circuital law, magnetic vector potential, Lorentz force, Motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic induction, Faraday’s law, self and mutual induction, Maxwell’s equations, displacement current, EM waves, Poynting vector and energy flow, Reflection and transmission of EM waves.

Kinetic Theory

Kinetic theory postulates, ideal gas equation, pressure and temperature, degree of freedom, equipartition theorem, specific heat of mono-, di-, and tri-atomic gases, Maxwell’s velocity distribution, most probable velocity, mean and RMS velocity, mean free path, van der Waals gas and equation of state.

Thermodynamics

Laws of thermodynamics, thermodynamic processes (isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, isochoric), entropy, reversible, irreversible and quasi-static processes, Carnot cycle, heat engines and efficiency, Maxwell’s thermodynamic relations and applications, thermodynamic potentials and their applications, phase transitions, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, microstate and microstate, ideas of ensembles, Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions.

Modern Physics

Inertial frames and Galilean invariance, Special theory of relativity, black body radiation, photo electric effect, Compton effect, De Broglie waves, uncertainty principle, X-rays, Schrodinger equation and its solution for one, two and three dimensional boxes, particle in a box, harmonic oscillator, potential steps and barrier, tunneling, Bohr atom, atomic spectra, Pauli exclusion principle, structure of atomic nucleus, mass and binding energy, radioactivity and its applications, laws of radioactive decay.

Solid State Physics

Crystal structure, unit cell and lattice parameters, Bravais lattices, basis and crystal systems, Miller indices, crystal planes and directions, X-ray diffraction and Bragg’s law, band theory of solids, conductors, semiconductors and insulators, energy bands, Fermi energy and Fermi level, intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, carrier concentration and conductivity, variation of resistivity with temperature.

Semiconductor Devices

PN junction diode, diode characteristics, Zener diode and its applications, rectifiers, bipolar junction transistors (BJT), CB, CE and CC configurations, transistor characteristics.

Analog and Digital Electronics

Single-stage amplifiers, two-stage RC-coupled amplifiers, simple and sinusoidal oscillators, Barkhausen condition, Operational amplifiers (OPAMP) and applications, Inverting and non-inverting amplifiers, Integrator and Differentiator, Boolean algebra: binary number system, conversion from one number system to another number system; binary addition and subtraction. Logic Gates: AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR; Combination of gates, Truth tables, De Morgan’s theorem.

Selection Process

1. Paper-I (CBE) — qualifying; attempt the opted Part (D/E/F).
2. Paper-II (CBE) — a separate merit list is drawn for Scientific Assistant in IMD; Part-D/E/F scores are normalised against each other by treating them as different shifts.
3. Post Preference via the online Option Form before the First Round of Tentative Allocation (FRTA); preferences once submitted are final and irreversible.
4. Document Verification by the India Meteorological Department after the final result.

Tie-breaking order: marks in Part (i) of Paper-I → marks in Part (ii) of Paper-I → date of birth (older placed higher) → alphabetical order of names.

Preparation Strategy

• Pick the Part that matches your strongest degree subject, not the one that looks easiest. The choice is irreversible and you sit the same Part in both papers.
• Part-D mirrors a GATE CS syllabus. Operating Systems, DBMS, Computer Networks and Data Structures are the highest-yield blocks; Compiler Design and Theory of Computation are compact and worth finishing.
• Part-E is closer to a diploma-plus-level electronics syllabus than Part-G Telecom is. Analog electronics, digital logic and modulation techniques dominate.
• Part-F covers a full B.Sc. Physics course. Thermodynamics, Modern Physics, Electricity & Magnetism and Optics carry the bulk of the weight; Mathematical Methods should be treated as a tool chapter and revised early.
• Because Part-D/E/F scores are normalised against each other, an unusually hard paper in your Part is partly compensated — but accuracy still decides your position within your own cohort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for Scientific Assistant in IMD 2026?

A B.Sc. graduate with Physics as one of the subjects, or a Bachelor’s degree holder in Computer Science, Computer Applications, Electronics, ECE, E&TC, Instrumentation, IT, Telecommunication or Communication Engineering.

Can I change my Part (D/E/F) after applying?

No. The subject/stream opted at the time of filling the online application form cannot be changed under any circumstances.

Is a diploma acceptable for this post?

No. Scientific Assistant in IMD requires a Bachelor’s degree.

Can I apply for both Scientific Assistant and JE (Telecom)?

Yes, subject to fulfilling the essential qualification of each post. However, you must appear in the respective paper opted for in the online application form.

How is the final merit determined?

By the normalised marks obtained in Part-D, or Part-E, or Part-F of Paper-II, as applicable. Paper-I is qualifying only.

Related SSC JE 2026 Guides

• SSC JE 2026 Notification — Complete Details (Master Guide)
• SSC JE Civil 2026 — Eligibility, Pattern & Syllabus
• SSC JE Mechanical 2026 — Eligibility, Pattern & Syllabus
• SSC JE Electrical 2026 — Eligibility, Pattern & Syllabus
• SSC JE Telecom (DoT) 2026 — Eligibility, Pattern & Syllabus

Source: Notice of Junior Engineer Examination, 2026, Staff Selection Commission, uploaded on ssc.gov.in on 02.09.2026. Candidates must read the official notice before applying; in case of any dispute the English version of the official notice prevails.