NTA Young Professional Recruitment 2026: Vacancies, eligibility, salary and other details about contractual posts offering ₹80,000 per month

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has started the recruitment process for Young Professional (YP) positions to strengthen its academic, legal, and finance divisions as it expands its examination and research activities. According to the official notification, the vacancies are available across three streams—Academic Research, Legal Research, and Finance and Accounts Research. Selected candidates will be posted at the NTA headquarters in New Delhi and may be required to travel within India for official work.

Vacancy details

According to the official notification, 16 Young Professional posts have been announced. Of these, 12 vacancies are for Academic Research, 2 for Legal Research, and 2 for Finance and Accounts Research.

The appointment will be on a contractual basis for an initial period of 24 months, which may be extended by another 12 months based on the candidate's performance and organisational requirements.

Eligibility criteria

Only candidates registered on the UPSC Pratibha Setu portal are eligible to apply.

For Academic Research, candidates must:

• Have appeared in the Civil Services Examination and be listed on the UPSC Pratibha Setu portal.
• Preferably hold a postgraduate degree in a relevant subject.
• Candidates with a PhD or research and teaching experience will be given preference.

For Legal Research, candidates must:

• Have appeared in the Civil Services Examination with Law as an optional subject.
• Hold a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from a recognised university.
• Candidates with experience in legal research or litigation will be given preference.

For Finance and Accounts Research, candidates must:

• Have appeared in the Civil Services Examination and be registered on the UPSC Pratibha Setu portal.
• Hold a postgraduate degree in Commerce, Economics, Finance, or a related discipline, or possess professional qualifications such as Chartered Accountant (CA), Cost and Management Accountant (CMA), or Company Secretary (CS).
• Candidates with experience in finance, budgeting, or auditing will be preferred.
• Applicants must also satisfy the age limit prescribed under the UPSC Pratibha Setu scheme.

Salary and tenure

Selected candidates will receive:

• A fixed monthly remuneration of Rs 80,000.
• An initial contract of 24 months, extendable up to 36 months based on performance and organisational requirements.
• Eight days of leave per year on a pro-rata basis.
• A full-time, five-day work week at the NTA headquarters in New Delhi.

The notification states that the engagement is purely contractual and does not guarantee permanent employment with the NTA or the Government of India.

Selection process

The selection process will include:

• Shortlisting of eligible candidates based on their qualifications and the relevant stream.
• An interview, which may be conducted in person or through video conferencing.
• If required, the NTA may also conduct a written test or task-based assessment before making the final selection.

The agency has clarified that meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee shortlisting or selection. It also reserves the right to revise the number of vacancies or not fill any post without assigning a reason.