UPSC Assistant Director Grade-I Metal Finishing Age Limit 2026: 30 Years, DOB Cutoff & Relaxation

The UPSC Assistant Director Grade-I (IEDS) Metal Finishing age limit 2026 is 30 years for UR candidates under Advertisement No. 05/2026. UPSC notified one UR vacancy in the Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The post carries Level 10 pay and is a permanent Group A Gazetted, Non-Ministerial post.

The original application window closed on 12 June 2026. The current importance of this recruitment is the combined UPSC Recruitment Test stage: the Commission’s current recruitment-test notices list one post under Vacancy No. 26050527623, and UPSC has published an addendum specifically for this Metal Finishing post.

UPSC Assistant Director Grade-I Metal Finishing Age Limit 2026 at a Glance

UPSC’s Recruitment Test Notices page currently lists the post under Advertisement No. 05-2026, Vacancy No. 26050527623, with the notice uploaded on 15 September 2026. The UPSC What’s New page separately lists an addendum for the one Metal Finishing post. citeturn1search2turn9view0

What Is the UPSC Assistant Director Grade-I Metal Finishing Age Limit?

The prescribed upper age is 30 years for UR candidates. The original Advertisement No. 05/2026 identifies one UR vacancy for Assistant Director Grade-I (IEDS) (Metal Finishing). The post is not reserved for PwBD candidates, but it is identified as suitable for specified PwBD candidates with benchmark disability of 40% or above.

The post-specific notice says the post is suitable for certain PwBD sub-categories, including Hard of Hearing, One Leg Affected and One Arm Affected, but the vacancy itself is not reserved for PwBD. Suitability and age concession are separate questions: candidates should satisfy both the disability-related eligibility conditions and the applicable age-relaxation rule.

Assistant Director Grade-I Metal Finishing DOB Cutoff 2026

The original online application closed at 23:59 hours on 12 June 2026. For a 30-year maximum age, the simple whole-year DOB boundary is 13 June 1996. A candidate born on or after 13 June 1996 would ordinarily remain within the 30-year ceiling on 12 June 2026; the exact date calculation and the notification’s crucial-date rule should always be applied to the candidate’s actual DOB.

The second row is only a calculation example for a full 10-year concession; it should not be treated as an automatic entitlement. The actual concession depends on the candidate’s PwBD status, the suitability of the post and the governing Government of India/UPSC rules.

Vacancy and Reservation Details

There is one vacancy for Assistant Director Grade-I (IEDS) (Metal Finishing), and it is classified as UR-01. The recruitment notice does not reserve this vacancy for PwBD candidates, although the post is suitable for specified PwBD categories.

Educational Qualification for Metal Finishing

The essential qualification is a science or engineering qualification connected with chemistry and chemical processing. Candidates need one of the following from a recognised University or Institute:

• Master’s Degree in Chemistry
• Master’s Degree in Industrial Chemistry
• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Technology
• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering

The notification also states that qualifications may be relaxed at UPSC’s discretion, with reasons recorded in writing, for candidates who are otherwise well qualified. Candidates should not treat this provision as a routine equivalence rule; the Commission decides whether such relaxation is appropriate in an individual recruitment context.

Is Experience Required?

The post-specific essential-qualification section does not prescribe a separate mandatory years-of-experience requirement alongside the listed chemistry or chemical-engineering qualifications. This distinguishes the post from several technical recruitment notices where specific professional experience is separately made essential.

Candidates should nevertheless read the complete advertisement and any subsequent UPSC corrigendum before document verification. A qualification certificate must establish the awarded degree, institution and relevant subject or discipline.

Duties of Assistant Director Grade-I (IEDS) Metal Finishing

The role is intended to provide technical support to micro, small and medium enterprises. The notification describes field-oriented technical advisory work rather than a purely desk-based administrative role.

• Visit and promote MSMEs.
• Advise MSMEs on technical problems encountered in manufacturing industrial products.
• Suggest improved and economical production techniques.
• Represent the organisation on committees and bodies where MSME interests in relation to other sectors need to be considered.

Pay Level, Group and Service Conditions

The post is permanent and carries All India Service Liability. Although the headquarters is New Delhi, the service condition does not limit the officer’s service to New Delhi.

UPSC Recruitment Test 2026: Metal Finishing

The current UPSC Recruitment Test Notices page lists the Metal Finishing vacancy under Advertisement No. 05/2026. UPSC’s September 2026 addendum groups this post with other Assistant Director Grade-I/II IEDS posts and Scientist-B posts for a combined Recruitment Test. The latest published schedule places the test on 11 October 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

The test is a shortlisting stage. Candidates called for interview must still fulfil all eligibility conditions for the post. The revised recruitment-test notice also provides the test-centre and e-Admit Card instructions for candidates in the combined recruitment.

Recruitment Test Syllabus

The combined syllabus published for the IEDS and Scientist-B recruitment-test group covers the technical and general areas specified by UPSC. For candidates using this article to prepare for the Metal Finishing recruitment, the relevant paper should be read from the latest UPSC addendum rather than assuming that the syllabus for another post is identical.

• General Mental Ability and related general aptitude areas specified by UPSC.
• Current events and general awareness components included in the combined test notice.
• Technical and professional subjects prescribed for the respective recruitment-test group.
• Post-specific preparation in chemistry, chemical engineering, chemical technology and metal-finishing concepts is relevant to the qualification and role, but candidates should follow the exact UPSC syllabus notice for the tested subjects.

Application Dates and Fee

The application period has ended. These dates should therefore be treated as the historical application schedule, while the October 2026 Recruitment Test information describes the current stage of the recruitment.

Age Relaxation for PwBD Candidates

The recruitment identifies the post as suitable for specified PwBD categories but not as a post with a PwBD-reserved vacancy. Where the applicable UPSC and Government of India rules provide age concession for a suitable post, that concession is considered over the prescribed age limit. The advertisement materials for this recruitment state that the age can be further relaxable up to 10 years for PwBD where applicable.

Because the vacancy is not PwBD-reserved, candidates should not interpret suitability as a reservation claim. Disability certification, the specified suitable sub-category and the relevant age-relaxation rule all need to be checked separately.

Documents to Keep Ready

• Matriculation or equivalent certificate showing the date of birth.
• Master’s Degree in Chemistry or Industrial Chemistry, where that route is claimed.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering or Chemical Technology, where that route is claimed.
• University or institute documents establishing the qualification and subject.
• SC/ST/OBC/EWS certificate where applicable to the relevant claim.
• PwBD certificate in the prescribed format where disability-related benefits are claimed.
• Any document required to establish an approved age concession.

How to Check Your Metal Finishing Age Eligibility

1. Take your exact DOB from the matriculation or equivalent certificate.
2. Use 12 June 2026 as the original application closing date for the age check.
3. Check the 30-year upper-age limit for the UR vacancy.
4. If claiming PwBD age concession, verify the post’s suitability category and the applicable concession rule.
5. Confirm that your qualification is one of the four listed chemistry/chemical-engineering routes.
6. Check that the awarding institution is recognised as required by the notification.
7. Keep the original certificates ready for document verification and interview if shortlisted.

For DOBs close to the boundary, calculate the complete date rather than comparing only the year. For relaxation claims, establish the base 30-year rule first and then apply only the concession that the recruitment rules permit.

What the Current Addendum Means for Candidates

The September 2026 update is important because the original advertisement is no longer the latest recruitment document. The UPSC What’s New page now carries a dedicated addendum for the one Metal Finishing vacancy, while the Recruitment Test Notices page records the vacancy alongside the other posts covered by the combined test. Candidates who already applied should therefore use the addendum, the e-Admit Card and subsequent Commission instructions for the test-stage requirements.

The age limit itself is not converted into a new September 2026 cutoff merely because the Recruitment Test is later. The relevant age eligibility was determined under the original recruitment notice and its prescribed closing date. This distinction is especially important for candidates whose birthday falls between the application closing date and the Recruitment Test.

Important Points About UPSC Assistant Director Grade-I Metal Finishing Age Limit 2026

• The upper age limit is 30 years for UR.
• The original application closing date was 12 June 2026.
• The practical whole-year DOB boundary for the 30-year limit is 13 June 1996.
• There is one UR vacancy.
• The vacancy number is 26050527623.
• The post is in the Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSME.
• It is a permanent Group A Gazetted, Non-Ministerial post.
• Pay is Level 10.
• Essential qualification: Master’s in Chemistry/Industrial Chemistry or Bachelor’s in Chemical Technology/Chemical Engineering.
• The post is suitable for specified PwBD categories but has no reserved PwBD vacancy.
• The latest combined Recruitment Test is scheduled for 11 October 2026, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Sources and Related Age Guide

The official UPSC Recruitment Test Notices page lists Vacancy No. 26050527623 for Assistant Director Grade-I (IEDS) (Metal Finishing). UPSC’s What’s New page also lists the September 2026 addendum for this one-post recruitment.

The original Advertisement No. 05/2026 qualification, vacancy and service details are also reproduced in the Government of India’s National Test House copy of the advertisement. citeturn8search4

For a broader explanation of government-job age limits, DOB cutoffs and category relaxations, see our Government Job Age Eligibility Guide.

Last checked: 22 September 2026. Candidates should follow any later UPSC corrigendum, Recruitment Test notice or e-Admit Card instruction.