The Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board has announced the examination schedule for the Group 5 Staff Nurse, Paramedical Staff and Other Similar Posts Combined Recruitment Test 2026. The official rulebook published on the MPESB website confirms that the examination will start from Wednesday, 15 April 2026. It also gives the daily shift schedule, reporting time, answer-marking time and key candidate instructions. This recruitment is being conducted for Group 5 posts that include staff nurse, paramedical staff and other equivalent technical positions across departments and institutions. The official rulebook also confirms the application timeline, correction dates, fee structure, basic age criteria, exam pattern, negative marking and qualifying rules. For candidates, the most important confirmed detail is that the exam is not a single one-time slot for all applicants. It is scheduled in two shifts per day from 15 April 2026 onward. Applicants should therefore focus on the shift timing, reporting window, biometric requirements and admit-card instructions mentioned in the official rulebook and application system.

Official Exam Date Announcement

The official MPESB Group 5 rulebook clearly states that the examination will start from Wednesday, 15 April 2026. This date is printed on the first page of the rulebook along with the application dates, correction dates and fee details.

The exam date announcement is therefore officially confirmed by the rulebook itself, not just by secondary summaries. Candidates should treat 15 April 2026 as the official start date of the Group 5 paramedical staff examination schedule.

Complete Exam Schedule and Shift Timings

Exam shiftReporting timeInstruction reading timeAnswer marking time
First shift8:00 AM to 9:00 AM9:50 AM to 10:00 AM10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Second shift1:00 PM to 2:00 PM2:50 PM to 3:00 PM3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

The rulebook says the exam begins from 15 April 2026 and will run in two daily shifts. Candidates should not confuse reporting time with the actual writing time of the exam.

Application and Correction Schedule

EventDate
Application start date13 March 2026
Last date for application submission27 March 2026
Correction start date13 March 2026
Last date for correction01 April 2026

These dates are printed in the official rulebook. Candidates who have already submitted their form within the valid period can use the correction window up to 01 April 2026 as allowed in the official schedule.

Posts Covered Under Group 5

The Group 5 exam covers staff nurse, paramedical staff and other similar posts. The official rulebook groups posts by technical question-paper code and includes examples such as dental technician, lab attendant, dresser grade-2, dissection hall attendant, technician assistant, technical assistant, lab technician, prosthetic and orthotic technician, pharmacist grade-2, compounder, staff nurse, radiographic technician, radiotherapist, dark room assistant, ophthalmic assistant, cath lab technician, dialysis technician, ayurved compounder, homeopathy compounder and yunani compounder.

This means the Group 5 test is a combined technical recruitment examination for several health and allied posts rather than a single-post recruitment exercise.

Exam Pattern and Marks Distribution

The official rulebook states that there will be only one question paper carrying 100 marks. The marks distribution is divided into a general section and a technical section.

SectionMarks
General Knowledge, General Hindi, General English, General Mathematics, General Science and General Aptitude25
Technical trade based questions75
Total100

The technical section is aligned to the post group or technical trade code assigned in the rulebook.

Fee Structure

CategoryFee
Unreserved candidatesRs. 500 per question paper
SC, ST, OBC, EWS and Divyangjan candidates who are Madhya Pradesh domicileRs. 250 per question paper
Direct recruitment backlog postsNo examination fee
MP Online portal fee through kioskRs. 60
Portal fee for registered citizen user loginRs. 20

Candidates should pay attention to both the examination fee and the portal fee while completing the application.

Age Limit and Basic Eligibility Rules

The official rulebook states that for open competitive direct recruitment posts, the minimum age is 18 years and the maximum age is 40 years. For Madhya Pradesh domicile candidates belonging to SC, ST, OBC, women, Divyangjan and eligible employees of government, corporations, boards and autonomous bodies, the maximum age is shown as 45 years including the applicable relaxation.

The rulebook also states that live registration in the Madhya Pradesh state employment office is mandatory for all posts. Candidates should verify their post-specific educational qualifications and registration status before relying on the exam schedule alone.

Negative Marking and Qualifying Rules

The evaluation rule in the official document states that 1 mark will be awarded for each correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. This makes careful answering important, especially in the technical part of the paper.

The rulebook also states that the minimum qualifying marks are 50 percent for general category candidates. For Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class, Divyangjan and EWS candidates, the minimum qualifying benchmark is 40 percent after the relaxation mentioned in the rulebook.

Admit Card and Exam Day Instructions

The rulebook says candidates will be able to obtain their online admit card through their application number. It also makes it compulsory to carry a valid original photo identity proof. Accepted documents include voter ID card, PAN card, Aadhaar card, driving licence and passport. E-Aadhaar is valid only if UIDAI verification is successful.

The document also requires Aadhaar or Aadhaar-related information for biometric verification. Multi-level biometric verification is mandatory at the time of entry and during the examination, and the candidate's Aadhaar should be in unlocked status during biometric verification. Entry is allowed only up to the reporting time of the shift; late entry is not permitted.

What Is Confirmed and What Is Not Yet Separately Announced

The official rulebook clearly confirms the exam start date, daily shift schedule, application dates, correction window, fee structure, exam pattern, negative marking and basic age-rule framework. These are the main verified points candidates should rely on.

The exact admit card release date, city allotment list and later result date were not separately announced in the rulebook pages reviewed for this article. Candidates should therefore keep checking the official MPESB website and MP Online system for later notices related to admit cards and result release.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MPESB Paramedical Staff Exam Date 2026?

The official Group 5 rulebook states that the exam starts from Wednesday, 15 April 2026.

How many shifts are there in the MPESB Group 5 exam schedule?

There are two shifts per day.

What is the first shift timing for the MPESB Group 5 exam?

The first shift has reporting from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM, instruction reading from 9:50 AM to 10:00 AM, and answer marking from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

What is the second shift timing for the MPESB Group 5 exam?

The second shift has reporting from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, instruction reading from 2:50 PM to 3:00 PM, and answer marking from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

What are the application dates for MPESB Group 5 Recruitment 2026?

The application window runs from 13 March 2026 to 27 March 2026, with corrections allowed up to 01 April 2026.

Is there negative marking in the MPESB Paramedical Staff exam?

Yes. The rulebook states that 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer.

What is the total mark pattern of the MPESB Group 5 exam?

The exam has one paper of 100 marks, including 25 marks from general subjects and 75 marks from technical trade-based questions.

Is Aadhaar required for the MPESB Group 5 exam process?

Yes. The rulebook states that Aadhaar registration and Aadhaar-related information are mandatory for biometric verification during the examination process.

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