MPSC Age Relaxation 2026: One-Year Upper Age Limit Relief Till December 2027; Group-C Posts May Rise to 16,000

Pune, 9th November 2026: The Maharashtra government has given a one-time, one-year relaxation in the upper age limit for state recruitment exams, including MPSC exams. The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the government resolution (GR) on Thursday, 5 November, and the relief applies to advertisements issued up to 31 December 2027.

Separately, a state committee has recommended raising the posts in the MPSC Group-C 2026 exam to more than 16,000. That part still needs an official corrigendum.

Who gets the one-year age relaxation

According to the GR, as reported by PTI and IANS, the extra year applies to:

• MPSC advertisements published between 1 January and 5 November 2026, where the selection process has not yet started
• New MPSC advertisements issued from 5 November 2026 to 31 December 2027
• Recruitment exams held by agencies other than MPSC
• Posts whose service rules set an age limit different from the standard limits in the GR of 25 April 2016

It does not apply to advertisements issued on or after 1 January 2028. From then, the normal age limits return.

Can newly eligible candidates apply now

Yes, in principle. The GR directs MPSC to give a one-time chance to candidates who become eligible because of the extra year but could not apply earlier, according to both PTI and IANS.

MPSC has not yet announced the dates or process for this. Watch the official MPSC website for a notice on each affected exam before you pay any fee.

Group-C 2026: posts may rise to over 16,000

The age decision follows an interim report by a high-level committee on recruitment exam reform, set up through a GR dated 4 September 2026 and chaired by Additional Chief Secretary V. Radha.

About 12 lakh candidates have applied for the Group-C Services Combined Preliminary Exam 2026, which so far advertises a little over 5,000 posts. Departments have sought more than 11,000 additional posts, and the committee has recommended adding them through a corrigendum, ANI reported.

IANS reported that MPSC is expected to issue the corrigendum soon, ahead of the Group-C exam scheduled for 3 January 2027. Until it is published, the official post count stays as advertised.

Other committee recommendations

• No change in the Group-C preliminary exam pattern or syllabus
• Early publication of the main exam syllabus for newly added cadres
• A fresh, secure process to prepare question papers
• Tighter security for papers and OMR sheets, with CCTV, police and signal jammers at centres

Why this matters for Pune aspirants

Pune is the state’s biggest hub for MPSC preparation, and aspirants here led protests earlier this year. In January, candidates protested in Pune before the Group-B non-gazetted preliminary exam, seeking a one-year age relaxation, PTI reported. A similar one-time relief was given in December 2024.

For candidates who crossed the age limit by a few months, this GR reopens the door. Check the exact age limit for your post in the advertisement and add one year.

For a related change in school recruitment, read about the no upper age limit for private school teachers. More job updates are in Jobs and Careers.

What is still not known

MPSC has not announced the reopened application window, the revised Group-C post count or any change to the exam date. We will update this story when it does.

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