The Indian Army has released the official notification for TES-57, the 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme for the July 2027 course. The entry is meant for unmarried male candidates who have passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and have appeared in JEE (Mains) 2026.
What the notification confirms
According to the notification, TES-57 carries a provisional intake of 90 vacancies, subject to organisational requirements and training capacity at CTWs. Candidates selected through this route will undergo training for four years and, on completion, will be granted Permanent Commission in the rank of Lieutenant.
The application window will open on 14 October 2026 at 1200 hrs and close on 12 November 2026 at 1200 hrs. The shortlisting cut-off is tentatively expected in the 4th week of November 2026, while SSB interviews are scheduled between February and March 2027.
Eligibility and age limits
The entry is open only to unmarried male candidates. The age limit is 16½ to 19½ years as on 01 July 2027, which means the candidate must be born between 01 January 2008 and 01 January 2011, both dates inclusive.
Educationally, candidates must have passed 10+2 or an equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from a recognised board with a minimum aggregate of 60% marks. The notification also makes JEE (Mains) 2026 appearance mandatory. The PCM percentage will be calculated only from Class XII marks, and the exact percentage up to two decimal places must be entered without rounding off.
For nationality, the candidate must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, or Vietnam, with the intention of permanently settling in India. Candidates in the second and third categories require a Certificate of Eligibility issued by the Government of India, except Gorkha subjects of Nepal.
Training structure and commissioning
Tes-57 training is divided into two phases. The first three years will be spent at one of the Cadets Training Wings: CTW, CME, Pune for Civil & Mechanical Engineering; CTW, MCTE, Mhow for Telecom & IT Engineering (Dual Degree); or CTW, MCEME, Secunderabad for Electronics & Mechanical Engineering. The parent arms named in the notification are the Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals and Corps of EME respectively.
The final year of training will take place at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. Successful cadets will receive an Engineering degree, and no ante-date seniority will be granted for the degree. The notification says a maximum of two relegations is permitted on academic grounds during the four years, as per the JNU Ordinance; further academic relegation will lead to withdrawal.
Medical and other eligibility conditions
Candidates must meet the medical standards prescribed for Officers’ entry into the Indian Army. The notification points candidates to www.joinindianarmy.nic.in for details and states that Medical Board proceedings are confidential. It also says the Directorate General of Recruiting has no role in medical boards.
Other conditions include not being debarred by UPSC from any examination, not having been arrested or convicted by a criminal court, and not being involved in any court case. If any such issue is found later, candidature may be cancelled or the candidate may be withdrawn from the Academy. Candidates withdrawn from NDA, OTA, IMA, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy or any service training academy on disciplinary grounds are not eligible.
Applicants must also undertake not to marry until completion of full training. Marriage after the date of application, even if otherwise successful, will lead to non-selection for training. Marriage during training will result in discharge and recovery of training expenditure.
Physical standards and service pay
The notification lists minimum physical standards for officer cadets on arrival for training. For male candidates, the standards include a 2.4 km run in 10 minutes 30 seconds, 40 push-ups, 6 pull-ups, 30 sit-ups, two sets of 30 squats, two sets of 10 lunges and knowledge of swimming fundamentals.
On commissioning, officers will receive Permanent Commission as Lieutenants. The pay matrix mentioned in the notification places Lieutenant in Level 10 at ₹56,100–1,77,500, Captain in Level 10B at ₹61,300–1,93,900, Major in Level 11 at ₹69,400–2,07,200 and Lieutenant Colonel in Level 12A at ₹1,21,200–2,12,400, with higher ranks as per the official notification. Military Service Pay is ₹15,500 per month for officers from Lieutenant to Brigadier.
During training, Gentlemen Cadets receive ₹56,100 per month only after completion of three years of training, that is, only while at IMA. The notification says the training period is not counted as commissioned service, although admissible arrears for the training period are paid on commissioning. It also places the approximate Cost to Company on commissioning at ₹17–18 lakh per annum at Level 10, excluding free medical cover and once-a-year travel to the home town.
Other allowances listed include Dearness Allowance, Dress Allowance of ₹20,000 per year, Risk & Hardship Matrix allowances as applicable, Transport Allowance, Children Education Allowance, Hostel Subsidy and ration in kind. The notification also states that certain defence-specific allowances automatically increase by 25% whenever DA rises by 50%.
Selection process and documentation
The selection process begins with online application, followed by shortlisting based on JEE (Mains) Common Rank List and other parameters. The IHQ of MoD (Army) reserves the right to shortlist and fix the cut-off without assigning reasons. Shortlisted candidates will undergo a 5-day SSB at Prayagraj, Bhopal, Bengaluru or Jalandhar. The SSB follows a two-stage process, and Stage-I failures are returned the same day.
Call-up letters will be issued only through registered email and SMS. Candidates recommended by SSB will undergo medical examination at the nearest Military Hospital. The final merit list will be prepared solely on the basis of marks obtained in SSB, and higher educational qualifications, previous performance or NCC background will not affect the merit list.
Applicants must apply only online at www.joinindianarmy.nic.in and only one application is permitted. Multiple applications will lead to cancellation of candidature. After submission, a confirmation will appear on screen, and the printout with Roll Number becomes available 30 minutes after the application window closes. No hard copy needs to be sent to the Directorate General of Recruiting.
For SSB, candidates must carry the self-attested application printout, original Class 10 certificate and mark sheet showing date of birth, original Class 12 certificate and mark sheet, original ID proof, copy of JEE (Mains) 2026 result and 20 self-attested passport-size photographs. Two sets of self-attested photocopies of the certificates are also required. DIGILOCKER certificates are not accepted in place of original hard copies, except where a special authenticated procedure applies for only e-certificates.
Important dates and remaining instructions
The notification says queries will be accepted only through the Feedback/Queries option on the website, and only those received up to three days before the closing of applications will be considered. First-time applicants for this type of commission are entitled to AC 3-tier to-and-fro railway fare or bus fare within India, including reservation charges. Subsequent applications for the same type of commission do not attract travelling allowance.
Permanent body tattoos will be governed by the policy available on the official website. The notification also says that on joining the Army, personal restrictions under Article 33 of the Constitution of India, as promulgated in the Army Act and Rules, will apply. Appointment will remain provisional until antecedents are verified satisfactorily.
Candidates are advised to read the complete official notification carefully before applying. The Army has made the TES-57 notification and related updates available on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, and a PDF version has also been provided for download.
