Rajasthan's state recruitment runs through two main bodies: the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) in Ajmer, which conducts the RAS/RTS combined competitive examination and other officer-level recruitment, and the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board (RSSB) in Jaipur, which conducts the Common Eligibility Test (CET) and many subordinate and ministerial recruitments.
What makes Rajasthan's system different is the CET: for many subordinate posts, you first need a valid CET score before you can sit the main recruitment exam. This guide explains the 2026 RAS recruitment, how the CET works, the revised exam dates, and a plan for deciding which route to take.
Checked against rpsc.rajasthan.gov.in and rssb.rajasthan.gov.in on 9 October 2026. Many documents are in Hindi; the summaries are our translations.
RAS/RTS 2026: the flagship recruitment
RPSC's Advertisement No. 02/2026-27 (in Hindi), dated 27 May 2026, is for the Rajasthan State and Subordinate Services Combined Competitive Examination 2026:
| Item | Official position |
|---|---|
| Posts | 607: 192 State Services and 415 Subordinate Services |
| Examples | Rajasthan Administrative Service 57; Rajasthan Police Service 26; Rajasthan Accounts Service 36; Rajasthan Tehsildar Service (non-scheduled area) 136 |
| Applications | 4 June to 3 July 2026 |
| Preliminary examination | 6 December 2026 |
| Main examination | 1–2 May 2027 |
The exam dates come from RPSC's Proposed Examination Dates listing, released on 2 July 2026.
Eligibility highlights:
- Age: at least 21 and under 40 on 1 January 2027. Relaxations include 5 years for men of the SC, ST, OBC, MBC and EWS categories of Rajasthan, 10 years for women of those categories, and 5 years for general-category women, with other relaxations listed.
- Education: a degree from a university incorporated by an Act of the central or a state legislature, or an equivalent qualification.
- Domicile: the advertisement states that reservation benefits are available only to original residents of Rajasthan; candidates from other states are treated as general category.
Scheme (RPSC preliminary scheme and syllabus dated 9 January 2026):
- Preliminary: one objective paper, "General Knowledge and General Science", 150 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours. The syllabus says "1/3 mark will be deducted for each wrong answer". It is a screening test; its marks do not count in the final merit.
- Main: four descriptive papers of 200 marks and 3 hours each: General Studies I, II and III, and General Hindi and General English. About 15 times the vacancies are admitted to the Main.
- Interview: selection is by the competitive examination and interview.
Worked example: RAS prelims scoring
Illustrative only. With 150 questions for 200 marks, each question carries 4/3 marks (about 1.33). Assuming the deduction is one-third of a question's marks (about 0.44), check the wording on your question booklet:
- Suppose you answer 120: 90 right and 30 wrong.
- Correct: 90 × 4/3 = 120
- Penalty: 30 × 4/9 = 13.33
- Score: 120 − 13.33 = 106.67 out of 200
Keep preparing
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RSSB's CET is held at two levels, Senior Secondary and Graduation. For the 2026 Graduation-level CET (Advertisement No. 09/2026), RSSB lists 12 services and posts, including Patwari, Junior Accountant, Tehsil Revenue Accountant, Gram Vikas Adhikari, Platoon Commander and Deputy Jailer.
Key rules from that advertisement:
- Pattern: one paper, 150 questions, 300 marks, 3 hours, with one-third of the marks deducted for each wrong answer. An unattempted question must be marked by darkening option "E"; leaving all five options blank is also penalised, up to 10% of questions.
- Minimum score: 40%, with up to 5% relaxation for SC and ST candidates. Below that, you cannot sit the main recruitment exams it feeds.
- Validity: the score is valid for three years from the result date, under the Personnel Department's notification of 16 January 2025. The best valid score counts, and there is no limit on attempts.
- Earlier scores: RSSB notes that the CET (Graduation) 2024 score, which was valid for one year, expired on 11 February 2026.
- No guarantee: RSSB says CET is only an eligibility test; a score does not guarantee a job.
Worked example: the CET threshold
Illustrative only. 40% of 300 = 120 marks; with a 5% relaxation for SC/ST candidates, the line is 35% = 105 marks. Each question carries 2 marks; assuming the deduction is one-third of that (2/3 of a mark), a candidate with 70 right and 15 wrong scores 140 − 10 = 130, clearing the general threshold.
Revised RSSB exam dates
An RSSB press note signed on 28 September 2026 revised its schedule because the October 2026 municipal and Panchayati Raj elections would affect exam arrangements:
| Exam | CET or not | Proposed dates |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching Associate (contractual) recruitment 2026 | Non-CET | 17 November and several dates from 7 to 21 December 2026 |
| CET (Senior Secondary) 2026 | CET | 1–3 December 2026 |
| CET (Graduation) 2026 | CET | 16–18 January 2027 |
| Lab Assistant recruitment 2025 | Non-CET | 25 January 2027 |
| Junior Engineer combined recruitment 2026 | Non-CET | 3–5 February 2027 |
The CET (Graduation) 2026 advertisement had originally given 1–3 December 2026, so check the latest notice before planning.
Which route fits you?
| Your situation | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Graduate aged 21–39 aiming for officer-level posts | RAS/RTS through RPSC |
| Graduate aiming for posts such as Patwari, Gram Vikas Adhikari or Junior Accountant | CET (Graduation), then the post's main exam through RSSB |
| Senior secondary pass | CET (Senior Secondary), then the relevant main exam |
| Engineering diploma or degree | RSSB Junior Engineer recruitment, and RPSC engineering recruitments |
Many candidates sit both the RAS and the CET, because the syllabi overlap in Rajasthan history, geography, polity and current affairs.
A tracking checklist
Body (RPSC or RSSB), advertisement number and post:
Age on the advertisement's reference date, and relaxation:
Rajasthan domicile and category certificates (if claiming reservation):
CET level, score and expiry date (if needed for the post):
Exam date from the latest press note:
Date I last checked the official website:
For general preparation, see our state PSC preparation guide, and keep dated notes with the current affairs hub.
Frequently asked questions
When is the RAS 2026 prelims?
RPSC's proposed dates list it for 6 December 2026, with the Main on 1–2 May 2027.
How long is a Rajasthan CET score valid?
Three years from the date of the result, according to the 2026 CET advertisement.
Can candidates from other states apply for RAS?
Yes, but the advertisement says reservation benefits go only to original residents of Rajasthan; others are treated as general category.