ISRO Assistant & JPA Skill Test 2026: Computer and Steno Test Pattern, Pass Marks and Prep Plan
ISRO's Centralised Recruitment Board has published the zone-wise lists of candidates shortlisted for the Skill Test on 1 November 2026 (Advt No. ISRO:ICRB:01(A-JPA):2026). If your roll number is on the list, you have four days. This guide explains exactly what the Skill Test contains, how it is marked, what score you need to pass, and how to use the time left. Everything below comes from the official advertisement's Annexures IV and V and the ICRB recruitment page. Check your list first: ISRO Assistant JPA Result 2026 – zone-wise PDFs.
The Most Important Fact: The Skill Test Does Not Add Marks
The Skill Test is pass/fail. ISRO's advertisement says final selection is made on marks scored in the written test from among candidates who pass the Skill Test. So a perfect Skill Test score does not lift your rank, and a narrow pass costs you nothing. Your only goal on 1 November is to clear the pass mark calmly. Shortlisting was done at up to five candidates per vacancy (1:5, minimum 10), which means most people in the room are competing on CBT marks that are already fixed.
Who Takes Which Test
| Skill Test Components by Post |
|---|
| Post | Computer Literacy Test | Stenography Test |
|---|
| Assistant (Post 1, 5) | Yes | No |
| Upper Division Clerk (Post 3) | Yes | No |
| Junior Personal Assistant (Post 2, 6) | Yes | Yes |
| Stenographer (Post 4) | Yes | Yes |
Computer Literacy Test: 100 Marks, 75 Minutes
| Computer Literacy Test Breakdown |
|---|
| Application | Marks | Topics the syllabus lists |
|---|
| MS Word | 35 | Open/save, edit, cut-copy-paste, undo/redo, find and replace, page margins and layout, converting file formats, fonts and styles, paragraph alignment, indents, line spacing, bullets and numbering, borders and shading, column and line breaks, tables (insert, delete, merge, split, sort, formula), clip art and pictures, spell check, mail merge, templates, track changes, security, printing, shortcut keys |
| MS Excel | 35 | Cell addressing, entering and deleting data, fill series, find and replace, insert rows/columns/sheets, functions, formulas and totals, formatting cells/rows/columns, hide/unhide, row height and column width, sorting, filtering, validation, consolidation, subtotal, charts, printing, error checking |
| MS PowerPoint | 30 | New presentation, templates, backgrounds, slide layouts, adding text, styles, colours and gradient fills, arranging objects, header and footer, inserting pictures and tables |
| Computer Literacy Test Pass Marks |
|---|
| UR category | 60% (60 out of 100) |
| Reserved categories (against notified reserved vacancies) | 50% (50 out of 100) |
| What 60 out of 100 Means in Practice |
|---|
| Word and Excel together carry 70 marks. If you complete the Word and Excel tasks reasonably well, you are close to the pass mark before PowerPoint begins. Do not lose 20 minutes perfecting one table; finish every task to a working standard first, then polish. |
Stenography Test (JPA and Stenographer Only)
| Stenography Test Format |
|---|
| Dictation | 300 words at 60 words per minute (5 minutes) |
| Transcription | On computer, 30 minutes (extra time for PwBD as applicable) |
| Shorthand system | Pitman shorthand strokes only; longhand is not allowed and such scripts are not evaluated |
| Pass mark – UR | Maximum 10% mistakes |
| Pass mark – Reserved | Maximum 12% mistakes |
How Steno Mistakes Are Counted
- Full mistake: every omitted word or figure (a missed phrase counts one mistake per word), every substituted word or figure, and every added word not in the passage.
- Half mistake: wrong spelling (including transposed or missing letters), singular written for plural or the reverse, and a small letter at the start of a sentence.
- A single word can never cost more than one full mistake, however many errors it contains.
- A repeated misspelling of the same word counts as one half mistake.
- Misspelt proper nouns and unfamiliar names are ignored. Accepted alternative forms (for example Hon'ble, Hon., Honourable) are not errors.
- Nothing else is penalised: punctuation and formatting are outside the list.
| Mistake Formula and Worked Example |
|---|
| Formula | % errors = (Full mistakes + Half mistakes ÷ 2) × 100 ÷ words in passage, rounded to two decimals |
| Allowed mistakes on a 300-word passage (UR, 10%) | 30 full mistakes, or any mix where full + half/2 ≤ 30 |
| Allowed on 300 words (Reserved, 12%) | 36 full-mistake equivalents |
| Example | 18 omissions + 2 substitutions + 14 spelling slips = 20 + 7 = 27 → 9.00% → pass for UR |
| The Biggest Steno Trap |
|---|
| Omissions are full mistakes, spelling slips are only half. If you cannot read an outline, write your best guess rather than leaving a gap: a wrong word costs the same as a missing one, and a guess is often right. |
Document Verification: Plan Your 31 October and 1 November
ISRO has posted a special instruction: for all zones except Hassan and New Delhi, document verification will be held on 31 October 2026 and again on 1 November 2026 after the Skill Test. If you cannot reach on 31 October, you may still sit the Skill Test on 1 November by submitting an undertaking (ISRO said it would upload the format), and your verification will be done afterwards. Hassan and New Delhi candidates should follow their call letter.
- Printed Skill Test call letter
- Biodata form, Employment declaration format and TA Form (download from the ICRB page)
- Original certificates: graduation degree and mark sheets, date-of-birth proof, category certificate (OBC valid on 16 August 2026; EWS for FY 2026-27), PwBD certificate from a 3-member medical board
- No Objection Certificate in original if you are employed in government, a PSU or an autonomous body – without it ISRO will not let you sit the Skill Test and will not pay TA
- Valid photo ID
Travel Allowance
Candidates attending the Skill Test are reimbursed second-class train fare both ways by the shortest route from the city they gave in the online form. A change of address is not accepted for this purpose, and no TA is paid if any information in your application is found false.
A 4-Day Preparation Plan (28 October to 31 October)
| Day-wise Plan |
|---|
| Day | Computer Literacy (all posts) | Steno (JPA/Steno only) |
|---|
| 28 Oct | Word: build a 1-page letter with a table, bullets, header/footer, change margins; run a mail merge with 3 records | Two 300-word dictations at 60 wpm; transcribe and calculate % errors with the official formula |
| 29 Oct | Excel: enter a 20-row sheet, SUM/AVERAGE/IF, sort and filter, subtotal, make a column chart, set print area | Two dictations; list every outline you could not read and drill them |
| 30 Oct | PowerPoint: 5-slide deck with layout changes, background, picture, table, header/footer. Then a full 75-minute mock | Two dictations under exam timing (5 + 30 minutes) |
| 31 Oct | Document verification. Light revision of shortcuts only | One dictation; rest |
Useful Shortcuts to Revise
- Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Y redo, Ctrl+H find and replace
- Ctrl+B / I / U bold, italic, underline; Ctrl+E / L / R centre, left, right align
- Ctrl+Enter page break (Word); Alt+= AutoSum (Excel); Ctrl+Shift+L filter (Excel)
- F2 edit cell, F4 repeat last action or toggle absolute reference in Excel
- Ctrl+M new slide (PowerPoint); F5 start slideshow
| Some Useful Important Links |
|---|
| ISRO Assistant JPA Result 2026 (zone-wise lists, forms) | Click Here |
| ISRO Assistant JPA Recruitment 2026 (full notification details) | Click Here |
| ISRO ICRB Official Recruitment Page | Click Here |
| Official Advertisement (Annexures IV and V) | Click Here |
| Supreme Court SPA Shorthand Strategy | Click Here |
| Graduate Jobs | Click Here |
| Exam Calendar | Click Here |
| Important Questions |
|---|
- Question: Are ISRO Skill Test marks added to the final merit?
Answer: No. The Skill Test is qualifying. Final selection is on written-test marks among candidates who pass it.
- Question: What is the pass mark in the ISRO Computer Literacy Test?
Answer: 60% for UR and 50% for reserved categories against notified reserved vacancies.
- Question: How long is the Computer Literacy Test?
Answer: 75 minutes, covering MS Word (35 marks), MS Excel (35) and MS PowerPoint (30).
- Question: How many mistakes are allowed in the ISRO steno test?
Answer: Up to 10% for UR and 12% for reserved categories, calculated as (full + half/2) × 100 ÷ words in the passage.
- Question: Can I write shorthand in longhand?
Answer: No. Dictation must be in Pitman shorthand strokes; longhand scripts are not evaluated.
- Question: What if I miss document verification on 31 October?
Answer: For zones other than Hassan and New Delhi, you can still take the Skill Test on 1 November by submitting the undertaking; verification is done after the test.
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