The Punjab Public Service Commission has announced its Combined Competitive Examination 2026, opening 48 posts in BS-17 including 45 posts in the Provincial Management Service. Applications are open online now and close on 30 November 2026.

The announcement, issued as Advertisement No. 12/2026, also offers one post of Excise and Taxation Officer and two posts of Assistant Director Local Fund Audit. The commission has said applications will be accepted online only through its website, ppsc.gop.pk, and no application sent by post or by hand will be accepted.

Who can apply

Applicants must hold a bachelor degree with at least second division from a university recognised by the Higher Education Commission. There is no restriction on subject, so graduates from arts, science, commerce and other fields are all eligible. Candidates must hold a Punjab domicile, and men, women and transgender candidates can all apply. Posting can be anywhere in Punjab.

The age limit for general candidates is 21 to 32 years, counted on 1 January 2027. That upper limit has risen from 30 to 32 years under a Punjab government notification dated 2 October 2026, which also raises the number of permitted attempts from three to four. The commission describes both changes as a special one-time dispensation for the examinations held in 2026 and 2027. Government servants can apply up to the age of 35 if they have at least four years of service, while special persons can apply up to 45.

Exam pattern and qualifying marks

The written examination carries 1,100 marks across 11 papers of 100 marks each. The papers cover general knowledge, mental ability and reasoning, English essay, English language, Urdu, Islamic studies or ethics for non-Muslim candidates, two papers on Pakistan studies, international affairs, economy and development, and one optional subject chosen from a list that includes history, political science, economics, law, computer science and other subjects.

Candidates must score at least 33 per cent in the mental ability and reasoning paper, at least 40 marks in every other paper, and 550 marks in total across the written examination to be called for the psychological assessment and interview, which carry 300 marks. At least 50 per cent in the interview is needed to reach the final merit list. Wrong answers in the general knowledge paper lose 0.25 marks each, and the mental ability paper also carries negative marking. The examination may be held in phases, and the commission has not yet announced the dates of the written papers.

How to apply

Candidates should read the important instructions on the PPSC website before applying, then find Advertisement No. 12/2026, serial number 191, and complete the online form. The fee is paid online only, through ATMs, mobile and internet banking, 1Link member bank branches, JazzCash, EasyPaisa and other microfinance banks, and the amount is shown in the instructions and during the online application. The optional subject and examination centre cannot be changed after the form is submitted, so candidates are advised to check both carefully.

Serving government employees must obtain a no-objection certificate or departmental permission certificate on or before the closing date. Candidates claiming an equivalent qualification must produce the equivalence certificate from the Higher Education Commission at the interview, and CGPA alone is not accepted: marks obtained and total marks certificates are required.

The commission has warned candidates that no information shared by anyone other than the PPSC website is authentic, and that no person or academy can secure selection in exchange for money. Anyone making such a promise is committing fraud, and candidates should apply only through ppsc.gop.pk.