MPSC Group C 2026: posts rise to 16,717, apply from November 13

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has raised the number of vacancies in its Group-C Services Combined Preliminary Examination 2026 from 5,707 to 16,717, adding 11,010 posts after fresh requisitions from state government departments. Applications will reopen from Friday, 13 November 2026, to Friday, 27 November 2026, and the preliminary examination has been moved from 3 January 2027 to Sunday, 24 January 2027, according to reports on the commission's revised notice. The change follows the interim report of a high-level state committee on recruitment exam reforms, made public on Thursday, 5 November 2026, which recommended more than 16,000 Group-C posts and a one-time, one-year relaxation of the upper age limit.

Group-C posts are the backbone of Maharashtra's state administration: clerks, typists, tax assistants, technical assistants, inspectors and similar roles in departments across the state. For lakhs of young graduates preparing for state government jobs, the size of a single combined exam decides how realistic their chances are. Nearly tripling the number of seats in one notice changes that picture for this exam cycle.

The reopened window matters as much as the number. The high-level committee said in its interim report that the application process for the Group-C exam should be reopened once, so that candidates who become eligible because of the extra posts and the age relaxation get a chance to apply. That is aimed at aspirants who were just over the upper age limit or who had skipped the exam because the earlier vacancy count looked too small to be worth the effort.

The committee also recommended keeping the existing exam pattern and syllabus for the Group-C preliminary exam, which means aspirants who have already been studying do not need to change their preparation. It called for stricter security for question papers and exam centres, a point that matters to candidates after paper-leak controversies in several states' recruitment exams in recent years.

The shift of the preliminary exam to late January gives candidates three more weeks of preparation, but it also means those who apply in the new window will have roughly eight weeks between the close of applications and the exam.

Peepals calculation: The revised notice adds 11,010 posts to the earlier 5,707, so the exam now offers about 2.9 times as many vacancies as before (16,717 ÷ 5,707 ≈ 2.93), an increase of about 193%. The added posts alone outnumber the original vacancies by almost two to one (11,010 ÷ 5,707 ≈ 1.93). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Aspirants have a two-week window from 13 November to apply or, where the notice allows, to update details and cadre preferences. Coaching centres and self-study groups across Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad and smaller towns can expect a rush of new applicants.

Long-term: If the state follows the committee's broader proposal, the one-year age relaxation would apply to state recruitment advertisements up to 31 December 2027, which could widen the pool for other exams too. Filling more than 16,000 Group-C posts in one cycle would also ease staff shortages in state departments.

Who is affected: Graduates in Maharashtra preparing for state government jobs, especially those who were near or just above the upper age limit, candidates who applied in the earlier window, and state departments waiting for staff.

What to watch next: The application window opens on 13 November 2026 and closes on 27 November 2026, and the preliminary exam is set for 24 January 2027. Candidates should check the official MPSC notice for the final post count, eligibility and fee rules.

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