Almost everyone starts in the same place: there are hundreds of government exams, the eligibility rules are written in bureaucratic language, and nobody will tell you plainly which ones you can actually sit.
So here it is, organised by what you have already finished. Find your qualification, read the exams under it, and pick one. Picking one is the whole point — the single biggest reason candidates spend five years without a job is that they apply for everything and prepare for nothing.
After 10th class
Fewer exams than at the higher levels, but they exist, the competition is lighter than people assume, and these are permanent government jobs with the same pension and security as any other.
| Exam / Post | Age | Approx. pay | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC MTS (Multi Tasking Staff) | 18–25 | Rs 18,000–22,000 Level 1/2 | CBT, PET for Havaldar |
| RRB Group D | 18–33 | Rs 18,000 Level 1 | CBT, PET, medical |
| Indian Army Agniveer GD | 17.5–21 | Rs 30,000 package | CEE, physical, medical |
| State police constable | 18–25 (varies) | Rs 21,000–27,000 | Written, physical, medical |
| India Post GDS | 18–40 | Rs 10,000–14,500 TRCA | Merit of 10th marks — no exam |
If you have finished 10th, apply for India Post GDS first. There is no written exam at all — selection is purely on your 10th marks. It is the only government recruitment in the country where you can be selected without sitting a test, and it is badly under-applied for because candidates assume an exam must exist.
Physical fitness is the real currency at this level. Army, police and RRB Group D all have a physical test, and that is where most candidates are eliminated — not in the written paper. If you start running today you will be ahead of the people who start after they clear the written stage.
After 12th / Intermediate
This is where the range opens up considerably, and where the best value in the whole government job market sits.
| Exam | Post | Age | Approx. pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CHSL | LDC, JSA, DEO | 18–27 | Rs 19,900–25,500 |
| SSC GD Constable | CAPF constable | 18–23 | Rs 21,700 |
| SSC Stenographer | Steno Grade C/D | 18–27 | Rs 25,500–29,200 |
| RRB NTPC (12th level) | Clerk, Accounts Clerk | 18–30 | Rs 19,900 |
| NDA | Officer, Army/Navy/Air Force | 16.5–19.5 | Rs 56,100 from commission |
| Indian Coast Guard Navik | Navik GD/DB | 18–22 | Rs 21,700 |
| LIC AAO / Assistant | Assistant | 18–30 | Rs 30,000+ gross |
NDA is the highest-value exam on this list by a long way — a commissioned officer's career, started at 17, with pay no other 12th-level route comes close to. It is also the narrowest window: you age out at 19.5. If you are in 11th or 12th right now, this is the one worth a serious attempt, because you cannot come back to it later.
SSC CHSL is the practical default. Largest vacancy count at this level, a syllabus that overlaps almost entirely with SSC CGL and RRB NTPC, and the preparation transfers if you graduate and move up. Two to three thousand vacancies most years.
Learn typing. CHSL, Stenographer and DEO posts all have a typing or skill test. It is a few weeks of practice that permanently removes you from competition with people who have not bothered.
After graduation
Every exam below is open to any graduate in any discipline unless noted. This is the widest part of the market and the most crowded.
| Exam | Post | Age | Approx. pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL | Inspector, Auditor, ASO, Tax Assistant | 18–32 by post | Rs 25,500–47,600 |
| IBPS PO / SBI PO | Probationary Officer | 20–30 | Rs 48,480 basic + allowances |
| IBPS Clerk | Clerk | 20–28 | Rs 24,050 basic |
| RRB NTPC (graduate) | Station Master, Goods Guard, Sr Clerk | 18–33 | Rs 29,200–35,400 |
| UPSC Civil Services | IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS | 21–32 | Rs 56,100 onwards |
| State PSC (APPSC, TSPSC, etc.) | Group 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 | 18–42 by state | Rs 25,000–60,000+ |
| RBI Grade B | Officer | 21–30 | Rs 55,200 basic |
| CTET / State TET + DSC | Teacher | Varies | Rs 25,000–45,000 |
| CDS | Officer, Army/Navy/Air Force | 19–25 | Rs 56,100 |
SSC CGL and bank exams are the volume plays. Thousands of vacancies a year each, overlapping syllabi (quantitative aptitude, reasoning, English, general awareness), and a realistic chance of selection within two or three attempts with honest preparation.
State PSC exams are the most underrated option for anyone from a state with its own commission. The competition is a fraction of UPSC's, the regional sections — state history, state geography, state economy, state current affairs — are ones you have a natural advantage in, and the posts are substantial. An APPSC Group 1 or TSPSC Group 1 post is a genuinely senior career.
How to actually choose
Four questions, in this order.
1. How old are you? Age is the only input you cannot change. NDA closes at 19.5. SSC GD at 23. Most SSC and bank posts at 27–32. State PSCs run to 42 in some states. Write down every exam that is still open to you and strike off the rest — the list gets short fast, and that is useful.
2. Can you clear a physical test? If yes, defence, police and CAPF routes open up, and they are much less crowded than the clerical exams because most candidates self-select out. If not, that is fine — but then stop including them in your plan.
3. Which syllabus do you have the most overlap with already? Strong in maths and reasoning: SSC and banking. Strong reader with good general awareness: state PSC and UPSC. Technical graduate: PSU exams, SSC JE, RRB technical cadres, IBPS SO. Starting from your existing strength shortens the first attempt by months.
4. How long can you afford to prepare? Be honest. SSC CHSL or IBPS Clerk is realistic in six to eight months. SSC CGL or IBPS PO, a year. UPSC Civil Services, two to three years with no guarantee at the end. If you need income within a year, the answer is not UPSC, and choosing it anyway is how people end up with neither a job nor a fallback.
Pick one, then add a second that shares its syllabus
The pattern that works is one primary exam plus one or two that run on the same preparation. You get more attempts per year without splitting your study time.
- SSC track: CGL as primary, with CHSL, CPO and state-level clerical exams on the same syllabus
- Banking track: IBPS PO as primary, with IBPS Clerk, SBI PO, SBI Clerk and RRB Officer Scale 1
- Railway track: RRB NTPC as primary, with RRB Group D and RRB ALP
- State PSC track: your state's Group 1 as primary, with Groups 2, 3 and 4 and state police SI
- Defence track: CDS as primary, with AFCAT and state police SI, since the physical standards align
What does not work is SSC plus banking plus railway plus state PSC at once. The syllabi diverge enough that you end up with four half-preparations, and a half-preparation clears nothing.
Mistakes that cost people years
Waiting for the "right" exam. Notifications come out on their own schedule. Start preparing on the syllabus of your chosen track now; the notification will arrive while you are already ready for it.
Ignoring the lower-level exams because the pay is lower. An SSC MTS or GDS job is income, a government service record, and a base to write the graduate exams from while employed. Candidates who refuse everything below Inspector are frequently the ones with nothing at 30.
Not reading the actual notification. Age relaxation for your category, qualification cut-off dates, post-wise eligibility — all of it is in the PDF, and all of it varies per exam. Candidates are rejected at document verification for things stated plainly in a notification they never opened.
Treating current affairs as something to start later. It appears in every single exam on every list above, it cannot be crammed, and a daily habit from day one is worth more than three months of concentrated effort at the end.
No mock tests until the last month. Every one of these exams is as much a time-management test as a knowledge test, and negative marking turns a guessing habit into a negative score. Start timed mocks in the first month, not the last.