India Post PA SA LDCE Exam 2026 Complete Syllabus PDF – GDS, MTS, Postman & Mail Guard

Complete PA/SA LDCE 2026 Syllabus for GDS, Postman, Mail Guard & MTS Candidates

The Department of Posts has issued the revised syllabus and examination pattern for Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) for promotion to Postal Assistant (PA) and Sorting Assistant (SA) posts. The syllabus differs slightly depending on whether the candidate is appearing from:

• GDS → MTS
• GDS/MTS → Postman & Mail Guard
• Postman/Mail Guard/MTS/GDS → PA/SA

The syllabus below is extracted and consolidated from the official Department of Posts notifications and annexures.

Download Complete PA/SA LDCE 2026 Syllabus for GDS, Postman, Mail Guard & MTS Candidates in PDF

 

1. PA/SA EXAM FOR POSTMAN / MAIL GUARD / MTS / GDS

This is the main LDCE examination for promotion to Postal Assistant and Sorting Assistant posts.

Examination Pattern

Paper	Type	Marks	Duration
Paper-I	Objective	100	120 Minutes
Paper-II	Language Test	50	45 Minutes
Paper-III	DEST (Computer Skill Test)	25	15 Minutes

Qualifying Marks

Category	Minimum Marks
SC/ST	33%
OBC	37%
Others	40%

Paper-II and Paper-III are qualifying only. Merit is prepared based on Paper-I marks.

 

PAPER-I SYLLABUS (120 Minutes)

PART-A (Departmental Knowledge)

1. Post Office Guide – Part I

Topics include:

• Organization of Department of Posts
• Types of Post Offices
• Business Hours
• Mail products & services
• Banking services
• Insurance services
• Remittance services
• India Post products
• Stamps and philately

 

2. Post Office Guide – Part II

(Except British & Irish Postal Order)

Important areas:

• Postal rules
• Booking procedures
• Registered articles
• Parcel handling
• Postal transactions
• Postal accounting basics

 

3. IT & Modernization

• Basic IT terminology
• CSI related concepts
• Department modernization projects
• Digital postal services

 

4. Products & Services

(Reference: India Post Website)

Coverage includes:

• Mail services
• Speed Post
• Registered Post
• Parcel services
• Banking products
• IPPB basics
• Insurance products
• Retail services
• Business services

 

5. Postal Manual Volume VI

Part I

• Office procedures
• Administrative rules
• Records & registers

Part III (Chapter I & II)

• Mail office functioning
• Sorting procedures
• Transit handling

 

6. SB Orders

• Updated SB Orders issued till 31st December of preceding year
• Savings Bank rules
• Deposit schemes
• Withdrawal procedures
• Interest rules

 

7. Postal Manual Volume VII

Important chapters include:

• Mail transmission
• Mail office duties
• Bag handling
• Sorting arrangements
• Mail disposal

 

PART-B

General Awareness / Knowledge

Topics include:

• Indian Geography
• Civics
• General Knowledge
• Indian Culture
• Freedom Struggle
• Ethics & Moral Studies

 

Basic Arithmetic

Topics include:

• BODMAS

$a+(b\times c)-d$

a+(b×c)−d

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Percentage

$\frac{Part}{Whole}\times100$

WholePart​×100

• Profit & Loss

$Profit=SP-CP$

Profit=SP−CP

• Simple Interest

$SI=\frac{P\times R\times T}{100}$

SI=100P×R×T​

• Average

$Average=\frac{Sum\ of\ Observations}{Number\ of\ Observations}$

Average=Number of ObservationsSum of Observations​

• Time & Work
• Time & Distance

$Distance=Speed\times Time$

Distance=Speed×Time

• Unitary Method
• Reasoning & Analytical Ability (Non-Verbal/Pictorial)

 

PAPER-II (Language Paper)

Translation Section

English → Local Language

• 15 questions × 1 mark

Local Language → English

• 15 questions × 1 mark

 

Letter Writing

• Local language letter writing
• 1 question out of 3 options
• 10 marks

 

Paragraph / Short Essay

• Essay in local language
• 80–100 words
• 1 out of 3 options
• 10 marks

 

PAPER-III (DEST)

Data Entry Skill Test

• Duration: 15 Minutes
• Computer based
• 1200 key depressions
• +5% tolerance

Candidates must qualify DEST separately.

 

2. POSTMAN / MAIL GUARD EXAM FOR MTS & GDS

This exam is for promotion from MTS/GDS to Postman or Mail Guard.

 

Examination Pattern

Paper	Marks	Duration
Paper-I	150	90 Minutes
Paper-II	50	60 Minutes
Paper-III (DEST)	25	15 Minutes

 

PAPER-I SYLLABUS

Post Office Guide Topics

Includes:

• Delivery procedures
• eMO payment
• Redirection
• Address change instructions
• Articles for deceased persons
• Rural delivery
• Village Postman duties
• Registered article delivery
• Delivery of insured articles
• Mail Guard duties
• Mail exchange procedures
• Transit bags
• Mail abstract
• Stamps & seals

 

Postal Manual Volume VI

Part III

Important for delivery staff:

• Postman duties
• Beat management
• Delivery slips
• Postman book
• Registered article delivery
• COD procedures

 

Postal Manual Volume VII

Includes:

• Mail operations
• Exchange of mails
• Transit handling
• Mail closing procedures
• Duties of Mail Guard

 

General Awareness

• Geography
• Civics
• General Knowledge
• Indian Culture
• Freedom Struggle
• Ethics

 

Arithmetic & Reasoning

Same arithmetic topics as PA/SA syllabus plus:

• Reasoning
• Analytical Ability
• Pictorial reasoning

 

PAPER-II

• Translation
• Letter writing
• Essay writing in local language

 

PAPER-III DEST

• 1000 key depressions
• 15 minutes

 

3. GDS TO MTS SYLLABUS

This is the basic departmental promotion examination.

 

Examination Pattern

Paper	Marks	Duration
Paper-I	100	60 Minutes
Paper-II	50	60 Minutes

 

PAPER-I

Departmental Topics

• Organization of Department
• Types of Post Offices
• Business Hours
• Postage rules
• Packing & sealing
• Addressing methods
• Letter box duties
• Postal articles
• Prohibited articles
• India Post products/services
• Postal Manual Volume V definitions

 

General Awareness

• Geography
• Civics
• General Knowledge
• Freedom struggle
• Ethics

 

Arithmetic

• BODMAS
• Percentage
• Profit & Loss
• Simple Interest
• Average
• Time & Work
• Time & Distance
• Unitary Method

 

PAPER-II

Language paper includes:

• Translation
• Local language letter writing
• Essay writing

 

MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS/MANUALS FOR PA/SA PREPARATION

Must Read

1. Post Office Guide Part I
2. Post Office Guide Part II
3. Postal Manual Volume VI
4. Postal Manual Volume VII
5. Latest SB Orders
6. India Post Products & Services
7. Basic IT terminology
8. Current postal circulars

 

MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR 2026 LDCE

High Priority

• India Post Products & Services
• IPPB basics
• Savings Bank Rules
• CSI / IT modernization
• Registered & Parcel rules
• Mail operations
• Delivery procedures
• SB Orders
• Reasoning
• Arithmetic shortcuts
• Local language translation

 

LOCAL LANGUAGE COMPONENT

The exam includes compulsory local language testing based on Postal Circle language rules. Translation, letter writing, and essay writing are important scoring sections.

 

EXAM DATE FOR LDCE 2026

As per the notification:

• Examination Date: 21 June 2026

 

FINAL PREPARATION STRATEGY

For GDS Candidates

Focus more on:

• Department basics
• Post Office Guide
• Arithmetic
• Local language

For Postman/Mail Guard Candidates

Focus more on:

• Delivery rules
• Mail operations
• Postal manuals
• Reasoning

For MTS Candidates

Focus on:

• Department procedures
• Postal terminology
• General awareness
• Arithmetic

 

India Post PA SA LDCE 2026 Complete Syllabus

Detailed syllabus for GDS, MTS, Postman, Mail Guard, Postal Assistant and Sorting Assistant examinations.

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