SSC Revises PwD Certificates, AFCAT 1 2026 Registration, TN Half-Yearly Exams & NEET PG Choice Filling

Nov 17, 2025

Published: Monday, November 17, 2025

SSC Revises Disability Certificate Formats for Enhanced Accessibility

The Staff Selection Commission has revised the formats for disability certificates in line with guidelines issued by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, according to the official notice released today. Under the revised system, Form 5 will be used for candidates with a single disability, while Form 6 will apply to those with multiple disabilities. These new formats replace the earlier three forms—5, 6, and 7—that were referenced in previous SSC notifications.

Flexible Transition and Application Guidelines

According to the official notice, for examinations where notifications were released after October 16, 2024, and the recruitment process is still ongoing, candidates may submit their disability certificates in either the revised formats (Form V and Form VI, as per the DEPwD notification dated October 16, 2024) or the earlier formats. This flexibility ensures candidates are not disadvantaged during the transition period.

Reinstatement of Own Scribe Facility with Enhanced Compliance

SSC has reinstated the 'own scribe' facility for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD), applicable to examinations notified on or before December 31, following clarifications issued by the DEPwD. The facility is now governed by additional compliance requirements designed to maintain examination integrity while ensuring accessibility.

Under the revised norms, the age of the scribe must correspond to the qualification level of the examination. For matriculation and Class 12 examinations, the scribe should generally not be older than 20 years, while for graduate-level examinations, the age limit is 22 years. Moreover, Aadhaar-based authentication has been made mandatory for all scribes registered under the 'Own Scribe' facility.

In cases where Aadhaar verification cannot be completed at the examination venue, candidates will be required either to use a scribe provided by the Commission or to appear for the examination without one. This provision balances accessibility with security requirements.

Upcoming Examination Timeline and Self-Slot Selection

Meanwhile, the Commission has enabled the self-slot selection facility for candidates appearing for the SSC Junior Engineer and Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and CAPF examinations 2025 Paper One. The window to select slots for Sub-Inspectors in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination 2025 (Paper-I) will close on November 21 at 11 PM.

According to the SSC exam calendar, the Junior Engineer—Civil, Mechanical, Electrical—Examination 2025 (Paper-I) will be conducted from December 3 to December 6, while the Sub-Inspectors in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination 2025 (Paper-I) will be held between December 9 and December 12.

Indian Air Force Opens AFCAT 1 2026 Registration

The Indian Air Force has opened registrations for the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT 1) 2026 starting today, November 17, according to the official announcement. Candidates can submit applications on the official portal afcat.edcil.co.in until December 14. The AFCAT 1 exam will be conducted on January 31, 2026, with admit cards available for download from January 22.

Recruitment Objectives and Eligibility Criteria

The AFCAT 1 2026 recruitment aims to induct officers for the January 2027 course. Applicants must keep their Class 10 and 12 certificates, a valid email ID, phone number, and Aadhaar details ready before applying. The candidates must be Indian citizens.

Age limits vary by branch: Flying Branch candidates must be aged 20-24 years, while Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) candidates should be aged 20-26 years. Educational qualifications differ across branches as well.

For Ground Duty (Non-Technical), candidates need a minimum of 60% marks in Physics and Mathematics at the 10+2 level and a minimum 4-year graduation/integrated post-graduation degree in Engineering/Technology from a recognised university. Flying Branch candidates require graduation (minimum 3 years) in any discipline with 60% marks and must have studied Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level, or hold a BE/B.Tech degree with a minimum of 60% marks from a recognised university.

Technical Branch aspirants need a 4-year degree qualification in Engineering/Technology or cleared Sections A and B of the Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India)/Aeronautical Society of India with 60% marks.

Application Process and Selection Methodology

The application fee is ₹550 plus GST. Candidates can select up to five preferred cities from a list of 104 exam centres. The application process involves visiting afcat.cdac.in, clicking on the 'AFCAT 1 2026' registration link, completing registration to create a login ID, filling in the application form with personal, educational, and communication details, uploading required documents, photograph, and signature, paying the prescribed application fee and submitting the form, and downloading a copy of the confirmation page for future reference.

The selection process for AFCAT 1 2026 will comprise three stages: an online written examination, followed by the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB) interview, and a medical examination. Successful candidates will be shortlisted for final training at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal, Hyderabad.

As per the exam pattern, the paper includes four sections—General Awareness, Verbal Ability (English), Numerical Ability, and Reasoning—along with a Military Aptitude Test. The test comprises 100 questions worth 300 marks, to be completed in two hours. Each correct answer carries 3 marks, while 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect response.

Tamil Nadu Releases Half-Yearly Examination Schedule for Classes 6-12

The Directorate of Government Examinations, Tamil Nadu, has released the official half-yearly exam timetable for the 2025-26 academic year, covering Classes 6 to 12, according to today's announcement. The schedule begins on December 10, 2025, with board classes (10 and 12) and continues until December 23, 2025, offering students nearly two weeks of structured assessments.

Comprehensive Schedule for Board Classes

According to the notification, SSLC (Class 10) and Plus Two (Class 12) students will start their exams on December 10 with Tamil/First Language, followed by English/Second Language on December 11. The remaining subjects—Mathematics, Science, Social Science, and elective/optional papers—are scheduled across the following days from December 10-23, 2025.

The exam timing is 10 AM to 1 PM, with reading time from 9:45 AM to 9:55 AM and an additional 5 minutes for verification time. The exams conclude on December 23, giving students a well-spaced timetable to manage preparation and rest between subjects.

Staggered Sessions for Different Classes

Class 11 students will also write their half-yearly exams during the same period, December 10 to 23, but in the afternoon session from 2 PM to 5 PM, with reading time from 1:45 PM to 1:55 PM, allowing them to utilise morning hours for revision. The schedule covers core subjects: languages, science streams, mathematics, commerce, humanities, and various electives.

For middle and lower classes, the exams will commence slightly later, starting December 15 and ending December 23, 2025. The DGE has staggered morning and afternoon sessions to match student age groups and optimize alertness. Classes 6 to 8 will have exams from 10 AM to 12:30 PM, Class 5 from 2 PM to 4 PM, and Class 9 from 2 PM to 4:30 PM.

The structured schedule, combined with reading and verification time before each exam, reflects the state's focus on reducing exam stress and improving student performance. Schools can now streamline academic planning, while students get clarity to pace their revision without last-minute pressure.

NEET PG Counselling 2025 Round 1 Choice Filling Commences

The Medical Counselling Committee has commenced the Round 1 choice-filling process for NEET PG Counselling 2025, marking the beginning of centralised allotment of MD, MS, and PG Diploma seats under the All India Quota and central universities, according to today's announcement. The process, which opened on November 17, will remain active until November 18, following which the MCC will process entries and announce the first allotment list on November 20.

Critical Timeline and Locking Procedures

The MCC has issued detailed guidelines for candidates participating in Round 1. All course and college preferences must be finalised and locked by November 18. Once locked, choices cannot be edited or rearranged. If a candidate fails to lock manually, the system may auto-lock the last saved preferences.

Candidates should carefully review seat availability, fee structures, reservation criteria, and institute-specific requirements before submitting their final list. Accurate prioritisation is crucial, as the system will allot seats strictly based on the order of preferences. Document verification and reporting at the allotted institutes will continue until November 30, as per the counselling timeline.

Complete Round 1 Schedule

As per the official notification, the Round 1 schedule includes choice filling from November 17-18, 2025, choice locking on November 18 from 4 PM to 11:55 PM IST, seat allotment processing on November 19, 2025, Round 1 results on November 20, 2025, reporting and joining from November 21-27, 2025, and institute verification of data from November 28-30, 2025.

Strategic Considerations for Candidates

Medical counsellor Gaurav Tyagi from Career Xpert emphasised that Round 1 is the most important phase of the entire counselling cycle. Historically, the maximum number of premium seats is allotted in this round because most candidates are still in the race and haven't taken up any alternative seats. Top government colleges and clinical branches usually get filled in Round 1 itself.

Experts recommend filling as many choices as possible, with many candidates making the mistake of selecting only 10-20 options. The recommendation is to select 50+ realistic choices, especially for competitive branches. Candidates should check last year's cutoff trends, prioritise wisely from most preferred to least preferred without overestimating their rank, and ensure they lock choices manually to avoid system glitches.

The counselling process concerns seats under All India Quota 50%, Deemed Universities, Central Universities, AFMS, and AIIMS registered PG programmes. Thousands of seats are being contested nationally, with extreme competition for popular branches such as Radiology, Dermatology, General Medicine, and Orthopaedics.