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If you finished Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Maths and wrote JEE Main, there is a route into the Indian Army with no separate written exam. Shortlisting is based on your JEE Main rank and other parameters, then you face the Services Selection Board (SSB). TES-57 is open now and closes on 12 November 2026.
What is the Army 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme?
TES is an officer entry for Class 12 PCM students: you spend three years at a Cadets Training Wing (CTW) doing basic military training alongside engineering, then one year at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, according to SSBCrack's summary of the TES-57 notification. The three CTWs are at CME Pune, MCTE Mhow and MCEME Secunderabad, and the summary says cadets who complete the course are awarded an engineering degree.
You are commissioned as a Lieutenant with a permanent commission, and the TES-57 notification report on Testbook puts the provisional intake at 90 vacancies. The stipend of Rs 56,100 a month starts only in the final IMA year, after the first three years of training.
Who is eligible for TES-57?
These are the conditions for the July 2027 course, as listed in the Testbook report on TES-57:
Unmarried male candidates only.
Class 12 passed with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, with at least 60% aggregate in those three subjects.
You must have appeared in JEE Main 2026.
Born between 1 January 2008 and 1 January 2011, both dates included (16½ to 19½ years on 1 July 2027).
Indian citizen, or one of the other nationality categories named in the notification.
Two checks are easy to get wrong, so do them on paper first.
Worked example, PCM aggregate. Say you scored Physics 58, Chemistry 61 and Maths 62, each out of 100. That is 181 out of 300, or 60.33%, so you qualify. A friend with 59, 60 and 60 has 179 out of 300, which is 59.666...%, and does not. The SSBCrack summary says you must enter the exact PCM percentage to two decimal places, not rounded off, so your friend would type 59.66, not 59.67 or 60. Any false entry leads to rejection.
Worked example, age. A birth date of 20 December 2007 falls outside the TES-57 window. Check your date against the exact range, not your age in years.
How does TES shortlisting work?
The Army shortlists candidates using the JEE Main Common Rank List and "other prescribed parameters", and meeting the 60% PCM rule alone does not guarantee an SSB call, according to the Testbook report. The SSBCrack summary says the cut-off is expected tentatively in the fourth week of November 2026, and that Army Headquarters may fix it without giving reasons.
In practice, your JEE Main rank matters most, and you will not know the cut-off when you apply. If you are in Class 11 or 12 and aiming at a later TES course, JEE Main preparation is TES preparation; start with our guide to JEE Main 2027 Session 1 registration. When a mock test shows you picking the wrong method, the Fermi Problem Library has worked problems with a step-by-step solver that explains the reasoning rather than printing an answer.
What happens at the SSB for TES?
The SSBCrack summary says shortlisted candidates are called for an SSB of up to five days at Prayagraj, Bhopal, Bengaluru or Jalandhar, expected in February and March 2027. Call-up letters come only by registered email and SMS. It is a two-stage process, and candidates screened out in Stage I return home the same day. Those recommended then go through a medical examination at a military hospital, as the Testbook report notes.
Final merit rests solely on SSB marks, the same summary says. Our guide on how to prepare for your SSB interview covers the stages in more detail.
Your checklist from application to SSB
The SSBCrack summary lists the rules and documents behind each step below.
Read the full notification on the official portal, joinindianarmy.nic.in, and apply only online there.
Check your date of birth against the window and work out your PCM aggregate to two decimals.
Apply once only, before 12 noon on 12 November 2026. Multiple applications are cancelled, and you cannot change anything after the window closes.
Use an email address and phone number you check daily, because SSB call-ups arrive only there.
Save your roll number and a printout of your application. The roll number appears about 30 minutes after the window closes.
Watch for the cut-off in late November 2026.
For the SSB, pack original Class 10 and 12 certificates, mark sheets and ID proof, two sets of self-attested photocopies, your JEE Main 2026 result, a self-attested application printout and 20 self-attested passport photos. DigiLocker copies do not replace originals.
Stay unmarried: marriage after applying means non-selection; during training, discharge and recovery of training costs.
If you are weighing other routes, compare TES with the Indian Navy 10+2 B.Tech entry through JEE Main, which also shortlists on your JEE rank.
