WBPSC Clerkship recruitment 2026: apply by 26 October, 3:30 PM, and why the age limit is counted from 2024

Short answer: the WBPSC Clerkship recruitment 2026 form closes at 3:30 PM on Monday, 26 October, and so does fee payment. The exam is officially called the Clerkship Examination, 2024 (Advertisement No. 12/2024). It fills Lower Division Assistant and Lower Division Clerk posts and similar posts across West Bengal government offices. You need a Madhyamik pass, the ability to type on a computer, and a date of birth between 2 January 1979 and 1 January 2006. WBPSC hasn't said how many posts there are. Part-I is pencilled in for December 2026.

Check your age, fee and deadline

The checker runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It applies the rules in WBPSC's 6 October advertisement. It doesn't work out the ex-servicemen relaxation, and the advertisement and your own certificates always come first.

The age rule that catches people out

The advertisement says: "Not below 18 years but not more than 45 years as on 01.01.2024 (i.e. born not earlier than 2nd January 1979 and not later than 1st January, 2006)." The exam kept its 2024 name, so it also kept a 2024 age cut-off. That cuts both ways:

• Younger candidates lose out. If you were born on 2 January 2006 or later, you're too young for this exam, even if you're 18, 19 or 20 now.
• Older candidates gain. Someone born in early 1979 is 47 today and can still apply. With the West Bengal relaxations, the earliest dates of birth go back to 2 January 1974 for SC/ST and 2 January 1976 for OBC (non-creamy layer).

Two other details matter. WBPSC accepts only the date of birth on your Madhyamik or equivalent certificate, so a different date on your Aadhaar won't help. And SC/ST/OBC candidates from other states get no relaxation, because they're treated as General.

How to apply before 3:30 PM on 26 October

1. Read the advertisement and the Scheme & Syllabus (both linked in the sources). The advertisement asks you to read both.
2. Log in or register on psc.wb.gov.in and open Advt. No. 12/2024 under Current Application.
3. Fill in your Madhyamik details and pick your typing option: 20 words a minute in English or 10 in Bengali. You choose this on the form. The test itself comes after Part-II.
4. Enter one photo ID and its number: your Madhyamik certificate with photo, a passport, PAN, a voter ID, a driving licence, or another government ID. Carry the same ID to the exam.
5. Pay ₹110 plus service charges online. SC/ST candidates of West Bengal and PwBD candidates with 40% or more disability pay nothing. OBC candidates pay the full fee, and so do SC/ST candidates from other states. Fees aren't refunded.
6. Submit only once. WBPSC says more than one application by the same person is "strictly forbidden" and can lead to cancellation. Print the submitted form and check it.

Your certificate has to be issued by 26 October

If you're claiming SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer), EWS, PwBD, meritorious sportsperson or ex-servicemen status, your certificate must come from the West Bengal authority named in the advertisement and be issued on or before the closing date. A certificate issued after 26 October won't count. Your category also can't be added after you submit. If your certificate is still pending at the SDO's office, getting it issued is your real deadline this week.

The advertisement is unclear on one point. Its certificate note says category certificates must be uploaded as a PDF of no more than 100 KB, "failing which application will not be accepted". But the edit-window instructions say documents are to be uploaded "during the period of EDIT WINDOW only". Our advice: have the 100 KB PDF ready now. Upload it if the form asks for it, and log in again during 28 October to 1 November to check it's there. You can use the edit window only once, so make all your changes in one go.

What the exam actually tests

From WBPSC's Scheme & Syllabus:

The final merit list adds up Part-I and Part-II (200 marks), and only candidates who pass the typing test are on it. The minimum aggregate is 40% for UR, EWS and meritorious sportspersons, 38% for OBC, 35% for SC, and 30% for ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen. WBPSC can relax these if reserved posts stay unfilled.

Our read: this is a language exam with some maths in it. English (30 + 50) and the Group B language (50) make up 130 of the 200 marks. Arithmetic is 30, and the syllabus stops at Madhyamik-level topics: percentages, interest, profit and loss, time and distance, and areas of rectangles and squares. Ties are broken by your English plus language marks, then English alone. So précis and translation practice will earn you more marks than speed maths.

Language rules

• You must be able to read, write and speak Bengali. This doesn't apply if your mother tongue is Nepali.
• If your mother tongue is neither Bengali nor Nepali, WBPSC will test your Bengali at the computer and typing stage, and "average/poor" performance can cancel your candidature.
• If you write Group B in Hindi, Urdu, Nepali or Santali instead of Bengali, you'll have to pass a departmental Bengali exam during probation before you're confirmed.

Centres and postings

Part-I is held at 26 centres, from Kolkata and Baruipur to Siliguri, Kalimpong and Darjeeling. WBPSC can move you to a nearby centre if your choice is full. Only ST candidates of Darjeeling district and candidates from the Darjeeling Sadar, Mirik and Kurseong sub-divisions can sit at Darjeeling, and Kalimpong district candidates sit at Kalimpong. Later, you must rank your posting preferences: (a) Secretariat departments, (b) Directorates, (c) regional and district offices in one district or Kolkata. Posts are allotted by merit and preference. Medical fitness and police verification come before any appointment letter.

1. 6 Oct 2026

   WBPSC dates the detailed advertisement for Clerkship Examination, 2024 (Advt. No. 12/2024). Online applications open.

2. 20 Oct 2026

   Searches spike, six days before the deadline (Google Trends).

3. 26 Oct 2026, 3:30 PM

   Last time to submit the online form and pay the fee. Category certificates must be issued by this date.

4. 28 Oct – 1 Nov 2026

   Edit window, usable once. Upload the required documents here.

5. Dec 2026 (tentative)

   Part-I objective exam at centres in Kolkata and the districts.

6. Later

   Part-II written exam for those who qualify, then the computer and typing test, the merit list and posting options.

What we don't know yet

WBPSC hasn't published the number of vacancies, an exact Part-I date or an admit card date. Questions go to the address in the advertisement, pscwbit01@gmail.com. We'll update this page when WBPSC publishes a vacancy notice, a corrigendum or the Part-I schedule.

For other exams with admit cards and keys out this week, see our answer key and admit card roundup.