MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026 (Second CRT): 1,700 Sub Engineer Posts for Diploma Holders in Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board has released the rule book for its Group-03 Combined Recruitment Test 2026 (Second), and it carries 1,700 vacancies for Sub Engineer, Draughtsman, Laboratory Technician and other equivalent posts. This is the biggest diploma-level hiring drive in the state this year, spread over 48 departments, directorates, development authorities and polytechnic colleges. Most of the hiring sits at Pay Matrix Level 8 (₹32,800 – ₹1,03,600), which makes it one of the best-paying diploma entries in government jobs in Madhya Pradesh.
The online form opens on 29 August 2026 and closes on 12 September 2026 — only fifteen days, so do not leave it for the last weekend. One single form covers every post you want, and the exam begins on 7 October 2026. Before you start, make sure your registration with a Madhya Pradesh employment exchange is live, because that one line decides eligibility for every post here. We at GovtJobsAlert.in have broken the whole rule book down for you below.
What are the Key Highlights of MPESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026?
MP ESB, Bhopal — the board most people still call MP Vyapam or MP PEB — runs this combined test for technical Group-03 posts on behalf of state departments.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Organisation | MP Employees Selection Board (ESB), Bhopal |
| Examination | Group-03 Combined Recruitment Test 2026 (Second) |
| Total Vacancies | 1,700 |
| Post designations | 20 |
| Post codes | 132 |
| Departments and offices | 48 |
| Qualification | Engineering diploma or degree, ITI or equivalent, by post |
| Pay range | Level 4 to Level 8, ₹19,500 to ₹1,03,600 |
| Application window | 29 August 2026 to 12 September 2026 |
| Exam date | From 7 October 2026, two shifts each day |
| Job location | Across Madhya Pradesh |
This is a diploma-level government job opening, and a degree in the same branch is accepted for most Sub Engineer codes too.
MPESB Sub Engineer Vacancy 2026: How Many Posts in Each Category?
The reservation split changes from post to post, so read your own row instead of the grand figure. The Surveyor code carries zero SC and zero ST seats, and Mechanical Assistant, Technical Assistant and Mineral Surveyor each show a zero in one of those two columns. Three blocks under the Water Resources Department are open only to a single disability category — no one else can apply against them, whatever their score.
| Post | Category-wise Vacancies | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Sub Engineer (16 departments) | UR 308 / EWS 74 / SC 137 / ST 110 / OBC 232 | 861 |
| Sub Engineer Civil (Water Resources, Tribal Affairs, Laghu Udyog) | UR 115 / EWS 42 / SC 66 / ST 83 / OBC 110 | 416 |
| Laboratory Technician (21 polytechnics) | UR 34 / EWS 6 / SC 9 / ST 17 / OBC 15 | 81 |
| Sub Engineer Electrical or Mechanical (PHE) | UR 20 / EWS 6 / SC 11 / ST 14 / OBC 19 | 70 |
| Draughtsman / Map Maker | UR 18 / EWS 4 / SC 5 / ST 7 / OBC 15 | 49 |
| Assistant Architectural Draughtsman | UR 12 / EWS 3 / SC 6 / ST 8 / OBC 9 | 38 |
| Sub Engineer Civil — MD divyangjan only (Water Resources) | Whole block shown in the open column | 31 |
| Sub Engineer Civil — VH divyangjan only (Water Resources) | Whole block shown in the open column | 28 |
| Sub Engineer Civil — EH divyangjan only (Water Resources) | Whole block shown in the open column | 25 |
| Sub Engineer Civil (PHE) | UR 7 / EWS 2 / SC 4 / ST 5 / OBC 6 | 24 |
| Sub Engineer Electrical or Mechanical (Water Resources) | UR 7 / EWS 2 / SC 4 / ST 4 / OBC 6 | 23 |
| Surveyor (Geology and Mining) | UR 6 / EWS 4 / SC 0 / ST 0 / OBC 4 | 14 |
| Mechanical Assistant (Agricultural Engineering) | UR 3 / EWS 3 / SC 0 / ST 5 / OBC 1 | 12 |
| Lab Technician (Naugaon polytechnic) | UR 5 / EWS 0 / SC 1 / ST 1 / OBC 3 | 10 |
| Technical Assistant | UR 2 / EWS 0 / SC 2 / ST 0 / OBC 5 | 9 |
| Mineral Surveyor (Geology and Mining) | UR 2 / EWS 0 / SC 1 / ST 0 / OBC 1 | 4 |
| Kanishth Nirdeshak | UR 2 only | 2 |
| Computer Operator (Gwalior polytechnic) | UR 1 only | 1 |
| Demonstrator (Naugaon polytechnic) | UR 1 only | 1 |
| Campus Supervisor (Burhanpur polytechnic) | UR 1 only | 1 |
| Grand figure printed in the rule book | UR 628 / EWS 146 / SC 246 / ST 254 / OBC 426 | 1,700 |
Five departments account for well over two-thirds of the hiring, and 58 Sub Engineer places are contract (samvida), not regular — 49 under MP Urban Development Company and 9 under the State Cooperative Marketing Federation.
| Biggest Recruiter | Seats |
|---|---|
| Water Resources Department | 486 |
| Public Works Department, Bhopal | 293 |
| Rural Mechanical Services | 290 |
| Public Health Engineering | 94 |
| Town and Country Planning | 64 |
| Reservation | Share |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Tribe (vertical) | 20% |
| Scheduled Caste (vertical) | 16% |
| Other Backward Classes (vertical) | 27%, subject to the court’s decision |
| EWS (vertical) | 10% |
| Women (horizontal) | 35% of direct recruitment places, except Forest Department |
| Divyangjan (horizontal) | 6% |
| Ex-servicemen (horizontal) | 10% of Class III places |
What is the Eligibility for MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026?
Educational Qualification
| Post | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Sub Engineer | Three-year Diploma in Civil Engineering, or a Degree in Civil Engineering; for electrical post codes, a Diploma or Degree in Electrical or Electrical & Electronics Engineering |
| Sub Engineer Civil (Tribal Affairs code) | Higher Secondary passed plus a Diploma or Degree in Civil Engineering with at least 50% marks |
| Sub Engineer Electrical or Mechanical | Three-year Diploma in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering from a state-recognised institution |
| Laboratory Technician, Lab Technician, Technical Assistant | At least First Division Diploma in the branch named against your post code — Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Science, Electronics, Fashion Technology, Architecture, Modern Office Management, Hotel Management, Textile Design, Automobile, or Refrigeration & AC |
| Draughtsman (polytechnics) | At least First Division Diploma in Civil or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent diploma; AutoCAD and STAAD trained candidates get preference |
| Draughtsman (Forest Department code 132) | Higher Secondary, plus any one of: Intermediate drawing certificate from J.J. School of Arts, ITI Draughtsmanship certificate, photography training from Survey of India, or a Diploma in Architecture or Draughtsmanship |
| Assistant Architectural Draughtsman | Three-year Diploma or Degree in Architecture or Civil Engineering, or a four-year Bachelor’s in Planning, plus a certificate course of at least eight weeks in GIS and Remote Sensing or Geoinformatics |
| Surveyor | ITI certificate in Surveying, or a Diploma in Civil Engineering |
| Mineral Surveyor | Diploma in Mining or Civil Engineering |
| Mechanical Assistant (Sub Engineer) | Graduate in Agricultural Engineering |
| Kanishth Nirdeshak | First Division Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with 5 years of experience as a Workshop Instructor |
| Computer Operator | Diploma in Computer Science or IT with 3 years of experience in hotel management application software |
| Demonstrator | Second Division Diploma in Electronics, Telecommunication or Radio Engineering with 3 years of experience |
| Campus Supervisor | First Division Diploma in Civil Engineering; three years of building construction and maintenance experience is desirable, and Hindi-English correspondence skill is preferred |
You must already hold the prescribed qualification on the date you submit the form — not by the exam date, and not by the result. And for every post in this notification, live registration with a Madhya Pradesh State Employment Exchange is compulsory. Renew it this week if it has lapsed — candidates lose perfect claims on this point every year.
Age Limit
Age is counted as on 1 January 2026, not on the closing date. Work yours out exactly before you pay the fee.
| Category | Age Limit on 1 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Minimum age, all candidates | 18 years |
| Open competition, general rule | 40 years |
| MP-domicile SC, ST and OBC candidates | 45 years |
| Women — unreserved and reserved alike | 45 years |
| Employees of government, corporation, board or autonomous bodies | 45 years |
| Home Guards (Nagar Sainik) | 45 years |
| Divyangjan (PwBD) candidates | 45 years |
| EWS candidates | 40 years — no age relaxation at all |
| Inter-caste marriage award couples | 5 extra years |
| Vikram Award sportspersons | 5 extra years |
| Displaced goldsmiths with a Labour Department card | Up to 35 years |
| Rule 14 categories (war-disabled, dependants of soldiers, ex-servicemen, surplus staff, NCC ‘C’ holders and others) | 55 years, with 5% extra marks on the marks obtained |
🎂 Not sure if you meet the age criteria? Use our free Age Calculator for Government Exams to find your exact age on the cut-off date and instantly check your eligibility — including any age relaxation you qualify for. →
Two rows here are worth reading twice. First, every woman candidate gets the 45-year ceiling, unreserved or reserved alike — many women assume the higher limit is only for reserved categories and never apply. Second, EWS candidates get nothing, because the state’s 2022 circular does not extend age relaxation to EWS. Apart from the Rule 14 list and contract employees, age can never cross 45 even after every relaxation is added together, and each claim needs a valid certificate from an authority the Madhya Pradesh government recognises.
MP ESB Group 3 Salary 2026: What is the Pay Scale for Sub Engineer?
| Pay Level | Monthly Pay Scale | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Level 8 | ₹32,800 – ₹1,03,600 | Sub Engineer, Sub Engineer Civil, Sub Engineer Electrical or Mechanical, Campus Supervisor, Draughtsman code 122 |
| Level 7 | ₹28,700 – ₹91,300 | Mineral Surveyor, Kanishth Nirdeshak, Demonstrator |
| Level 6 | ₹25,300 – ₹80,500 | Laboratory Technician, Lab Technician, Technical Assistant, Draughtsman, Assistant Architectural Draughtsman |
| Level 5 | ₹22,100 – ₹70,000 | Surveyor |
| Level 4 | ₹19,500 – ₹62,000 | Computer Operator |
| 6th CPC pay band | ₹9,300 – ₹34,800 with Grade Pay ₹3,200 | Mechanical Assistant, Directorate of Agricultural Engineering |
| Contract (samvida) | ₹43,000 consolidated per month | Sub Engineer, MP Urban Development Company, code 037 |
| Contract (samvida) | ₹29,520 consolidated per month | Sub Engineer Civil, State Cooperative Marketing Federation, code 083 |
Which end of this table you land on is decided almost entirely by the post codes you pick in your preference list, so if you qualify for both a Level 8 and a Level 6 code, put the Level 8 ones higher. The contract places pay a fixed consolidated amount with no pay matrix progression behind them.
What is the Selection Process for MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026?
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Online examination on computer | One question paper of 200 marks, three hours, conducted by MP ESB |
| Biometric check | Aadhaar-based multi-level biometric verification at the registration desk before and during the exam; your Aadhaar must be registered and unlocked |
| Percentile merit and waiting list | Prepared department-wise and post-preference-wise on percentile scores, with a waiting list of up to 15% of the available places |
| Recommendation | The Board recommends qualified candidates to the department that asked for the vacancy |
| Certificate checking by the department | Educational, technical, professional, character and other certificates are checked by the concerned department, not by the Board |
| Appointment order | Issued by the department, normally within three months of the selection list |
Your allotment depends on two things together: your percentile and the preference order of post codes you filled in the form. Fill that order thoughtfully — it cannot be argued with later. Ties are broken first on proportionate marks and then in favour of the older candidate by date of birth. The waiting list stays valid for one year from the result, or until the next exam’s result comes out, whichever happens first.
MP ESB Group 3 Exam Pattern 2026: What is in Part A and Part B?
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Question papers | One only |
| Maximum marks | 200 |
| Duration | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Part A — 100 marks | General Knowledge, General Hindi, General English, General Maths, Reasoning, General Science, Computer Knowledge |
| Part B — 100 marks | Subject paper for your post, from the 14 papers listed below |
| Question type | Objective, four options each, set in Hindi and English |
| Qualifying marks | 50% for unreserved; 40% for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and divyangjan candidates |
| Merit basis | Percentile score |
| Paper | Subject |
|---|---|
| A | Electrical Engineering |
| B | Mechanical Engineering |
| C | Civil Engineering |
| D | Computer Science & Engineering |
| E | Electronics & Telecommunication |
| F | Fashion Technology |
| G | Architecture |
| H | Modern Office Management |
| I | Hotel Management |
| J | Agricultural Engineering |
| K | Textile Design |
| L | Automobile Engineering |
| M | Refrigeration & Air Conditioning |
| N | ITI Draughtsman (Civil) trade |
Your post code decides which Part B paper you sit. Two groups get a choice: Assistant Architectural Draughtsman candidates may take Paper C or Paper G, and the electrical-or-mechanical Sub Engineer codes may take Paper A or Paper B — appear in both and the better percentile is used. Civil is by far the biggest stream here, so build your exam preparation and syllabus plan around Part A general studies plus your own branch.
Which Conditions Can Cancel Your MP ESB Group 3 Candidature?
These are the clauses candidates skim past, and each one of them ends an application.
| Condition | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Employment exchange | Live registration with a Madhya Pradesh State Employment Exchange is compulsory for every post in this exam |
| Candidates from outside MP | If you are not a permanent resident of Madhya Pradesh you may apply only against unreserved / open seats, with no reservation and no age relaxation |
| Other-state reserved candidates | SC, ST, OBC, EWS and divyangjan candidates of other states are counted as unreserved and get no reservation, no age relaxation and no other benefit of the category |
| OBC creamy layer | OBC candidates in the creamy layer get no reservation benefit, no age relaxation and no other category benefit |
| Date of birth | Once entered it can never be changed; such an application is rejected and the Board does not refund the fee |
| Incomplete forms | Forms that are incomplete, not in the prescribed format, or not accompanied by the fee are rejected, and the Board’s decision on this is final |
| Caste certificate | If you fail to produce the original certificate when the Board or appointing authority asks, your claim to candidature or selection is cancelled, and the responsibility is yours alone |
| Unfair means | Impersonation, getting someone to impersonate you, forged or altered records, hiding material information, unfair means, threatening an invigilator or misbehaving in the exam room cancels your candidature |
| Original photo ID | Without an original photo identity card you will not be allowed to sit the exam; an e-Aadhaar counts only if UIDAI has verified it |
| Reporting time | Candidates arriving after the reporting time are not let into the exam hall, and nobody may leave the hall before the exam ends |
| Certificates at form stage | The Board checks no certificate while you apply, so your eligibility in the exam is purely provisional until the department verifies everything |
| Marriage rule | A candidate with more than one living spouse is not eligible for appointment unless the state government grants a specific exemption |
| Change in vacancies | The number of places and the list of departments in this exam may be increased or reduced later |
| Joining | If you do not join by the last date written in your appointment order, your candidature stands cancelled automatically |
How to Apply Online for MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026?
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Read the complete rule book first, then open the MPOnline portal (link in Essential Links below) and go to Citizen Services, Application, ESB |
| 2 | Fill every field — the form will not submit if anything is blank, and your Aadhaar number or Aadhaar VID must be entered |
| 3 | Upload one scanned JPG image holding your photograph, signature and two lines of handwriting, in the prescribed format |
| 4 | Enter your preference order of post codes and departments, and choose four preferred exam cities |
| 5 | Re-read everything, submit, and save the application form number that appears |
| 6 | Click Proceed to Payment and pay by debit card, credit card or internet banking; an MPOnline kiosk can do this in cash instead |
| 7 | Correct any mistake between 29 August and 17 September 2026 on payment of the correction charge |
| 8 | Download the entry pass from the Board’s website using your form number when it is released |
Send one form only for all the posts you want. The 11 tentative exam cities are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Khandwa, Neemuch, Ratlam, Rewa, Sagar, Satna, Sidhi and Ujjain, and allotment among your four choices depends on seat availability. Baiga, Sahariya and Bhariya candidates applying for non-executive posts must additionally send a hard copy in Format-2, with certificates, straight to each concerned department by 12 September — a copy sent to the Board instead is treated as invalid. On exam day carry the entry pass, a black ball pen, an original photo ID and your Aadhaar.
What are the Important Dates for MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026?
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Rule book published | 27 August 2026 |
| Online application starts | 29 August 2026 |
| Last date to apply | 12 September 2026 |
| Form correction window | 29 August 2026 to 17 September 2026 |
| Exam begins | 7 October 2026 (Wednesday) |
| Age reckoned as on | 1 January 2026 |
Fifteen days is a short window and MPOnline slows down badly in the last forty-eight hours, so apply in the first week.
What is the Application Fee for MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026?
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unreserved candidates | ₹500 per question paper |
| Candidates not domiciled in Madhya Pradesh (any category) | ₹500 per question paper |
| MP-domicile SC, ST, OBC, EWS and divyangjan candidates | ₹250 per question paper |
| Direct recruitment backlog places | Fee is waived |
| MPOnline portal charge, kiosk | ₹60 |
| MPOnline portal charge, self-filled by registered user | ₹20 |
| Each correction in the correction window | ₹20 plus ₹40 portal charge |
Corrections are allowed only after the exam fee is paid. Pay online by debit card, credit card or internet banking, or in cash at an authorised MPOnline kiosk.
Essential Links — MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026
- Download Official Notification PDF (Rule Book)
- Apply Online for MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026
- Visit MP ESB Official Website
- Join WhatsApp Channel for Government Jobs
- Join Telegram Channel for Government Jobs
- Join Telegram for Madhya Pradesh Govt Jobs
If you hold an engineering diploma and your employment exchange registration is live, this is the one Madhya Pradesh notification of the year you should not skip — a single paper puts you in the running for dozens of departments at once. Check your category row, confirm your age on 1 January 2026, choose your preferences with care, and pay the fee well before 12 September 2026. For more Madhya Pradesh government job notifications and engineering and diploma vacancies, keep visiting GovtJobsAlert.in.