ITBP Head Constable Education and Stress Counsellor Online Form 2026

Quick Highlights

• Organization: Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force, Ministry of Home Affairs
• Post: Head Constable (Education and Stress Counsellor)
• Vacancies: 16 (14 male and 2 female), tentative
• Mode: Online only
• Pay: Level-4, Rs. 25,500 - 81,100 (7th CPC)
• Last date: 27 October 2026, 11:59 PM

Important Dates

The notification advises candidates not to wait for the final day. Power failures and internet problems on the applicant's side are not ITBPF's responsibility.

Vacancy Details

All 16 posts are for a single designation, split by gender and category as per the post-based roster.

Three points from the notes are worth keeping in mind:

• The vacancy count is tentative. Any change will be announced on the ITBPF recruitment website.
• 10 percent of vacancies are reserved for Ex-Servicemen. If they remain unfilled, they go to non Ex-Servicemen of the respective categories.
• If women candidates are not available in a horizontal reservation within any vertical category, the posts are filled from male candidates of that category, as per MHA guidelines.

Who Can Apply

Educational Qualification

Either of the following is accepted:

• A degree from a recognized university or equivalent with Psychology as a subject, or
• A degree from a recognized university with Bachelor of Education or Bachelor of Teaching or equivalent.

Age Limit and Relaxation

The age limit is 20 to 25 years, counted as on 27 October 2026. Date of birth as recorded in the Matriculation certificate available on the date of application is the only accepted proof, and no later request to change it will be granted.

Certificate Rules for Reserved Categories

Your category status is judged on the closing date, 27 October 2026, so the certificate must already be in your hands by then. OBC (NCL) certificates must be based on income of the three previous financial years (2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24). EWS certificates must be based on the financial year before the year of application. If a certificate is sought by the Recruitment Board and you cannot produce it in the prescribed annexure format, your claim will not be entertained and you will be treated as Unreserved (UR).

The notification also states that candidates belonging to the physically handicapped category are not eligible for this recruitment.

Pay, Allowances and Pension Choice

The post is placed at Level-4 in the Pay Matrix, Rs. 25,500 - 81,100 as per the 7th CPC. Other benefits listed include Dearness Allowance, Ration Money, Special Compensatory Allowance (when posted in specified border areas), free accommodation or HRA, Transport Allowance, Leave Travel Concession and free medical facilities.

New appointees can choose between the New Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (NPS), introduced from 01.01.2004, and the United Pension Scheme (UPS), introduced from 01.04.2024, and they receive the benefits of whichever they pick.

Application Fee

The fee is paid only through the online payment gateway on the recruitment website. It is not refunded under any circumstances, and payment by any other mode leads to rejection of the application and forfeiture of the amount.

How the Selection Works, Stage by Stage

The process runs in three phases. Admit cards are issued online with the date and venue, and your candidature stays provisional until you are finally selected and your original documents are verified.

Phase I: Physical Efficiency Test

The PET carries no marks and is qualifying in nature. You must clear every event, and anyone who fails an event is eliminated. There is no appeal against PET results.

PET is not held for Ex-Servicemen, but they must still clear the PST, written examination and medical examination. Female candidates submit a self-declaration about pregnancy status before PET and PST. A woman found to be pregnant for 12 weeks or more is declared temporarily unfit, her vacancy is kept reserved, and she can be re-examined six weeks after confinement on production of a fitness certificate. She must still qualify the PST, written examination, documentation and medical examination and earn a place in the final list.

Phase I: Physical Standard Test

Those who clear PET are measured for height, chest (male candidates only) and weight. Female candidates are measured by female staff only, and chest measurement is not taken for them. A candidate declared short in height or chest can appeal on the same day to the appellate authority, whose decision is final. Underweight or overweight candidates are not debarred at this stage, and the final call is taken at the Detailed Medical Examination.

Weight must correspond to height and age as per medical standards. Anyone claiming relaxation in height or chest must produce a certificate in Annexure-V format when asked.

Phase II: Written Examination

Those who clear PST sit a 100-mark objective test, either OMR or computer based at ITBPF's discretion. The paper has 100 questions and a duration of 2 hours. Sixty of the hundred questions are from Psychology, which is what makes this paper different from a standard constable exam.

Psychology Syllabus Breakdown

There is no negative marking. Minimum qualifying marks are 35 percent for UR, EWS and Ex-Servicemen and 33 percent for SC, ST and OBC (NCL). The answer key will be uploaded on the recruitment website after the exam, and there is no provision for re-evaluation or re-checking. Mobile phones, calculators and any electronic device are barred, and even carrying them unused counts as unfair means.

Merit List

Category-wise merit lists (UR, SC, ST, OBC (NCL), EWS and Ex-Servicemen) are drawn from written examination marks alone. The number called for documents and medical examination equals the vacancies plus an allowance for the average medical failure rate, and there is no reserve list. If marks tie, the older candidate ranks higher, and if the tie continues, the name that comes first alphabetically in English ranks higher. SC, ST, OBC (NCL) and EWS candidates who make it on their own merit without relaxed standards are counted against Unreserved vacancies.

Phase III: Documents and Medical Examinations

Shortlisted candidates go through original document verification first, then the Detailed Medical Examination (DME) under MHA uniform guidelines. Anyone declared unfit in DME may seek a Review Medical Examination (RME) by signing the consent in Annexure-VII within 24 hours of being told. The RME board's decision is final, and there is no category of temporary unfit: each candidate is declared either fit or unfit.

Medical and Physical Fitness Conditions

• Distance vision: 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the worse eye, without glasses or lenses. Visual correction of any kind is not permitted.
• Near vision: N6 in the better eye and N9 in the worse eye. Binocular vision is required.
• Colour vision: CP III by Ishihara. A colour blind person is not eligible.
• No knock-knees, flat foot, varicose veins or squint, and good mental and bodily health with no defect that could interfere with duties.

Tattoo Rules

Tattoos are allowed only within limits. Content depicting religious symbols or figures and names, as followed in the Indian Army, is permitted. Location must be the inner side of the left forearm only or the back of the hands. Size must be less than one-fourth of the particular part (elbow or hand). A tattoo that has been removed and has faded substantially is treated as a scar, and the candidate can continue with the approval of the Presiding Officer, subject to review by the Medical Board.

How to Apply for ITBP Head Constable (Education and Stress Counsellor) 2026

Only the online route is valid. Offline applications are rejected summarily. Use the steps below.

1. Read the full notification and confirm that you meet the age, education, physical and medical conditions before you start.
2. Keep your category, gender and employment status details ready, along with a working e-mail ID, a working mobile number and passport size photographs.
3. Open the ITBPF recruitment website between 28 September 2026 (00:01 AM) and 27 October 2026 (11:59 PM) and create your profile there.
4. Fill every detail in the profile and the online application form carefully, because false or incorrect information leads to cancellation and changes are not allowed later.
5. Pay the Rs. 100 fee through the online payment gateway if you are a male candidate in the UR, OBC or EWS category. SC, ST, female and Ex-Servicemen candidates pay no fee.
6. Submit the form and take a clear, legible print-out of the application form to carry on test days.
7. Download the admit card from the same website when it is issued and carry it with the application print-out to the PET and PST venue.

A genuine e-mail ID and mobile number matter more than usual here, since admit cards are available only for download and ITBPF will not be responsible if one is not received for technical or other reasons. Candidates already working in Central or State Government, autonomous or statutory bodies or a PSU must bring a No Objection Certificate in original (Annexure-IV) at the documentation stage, or their candidature is rejected.

Documents to Keep Ready

Originals are checked on the spot and returned, while self-attested copies are retained. The list in the notification is:

• Educational certificates
• Matriculation or 10th class certificate for date of birth
• SC and ST certificate (Annexure-I), OBC certificate (Annexure-II) with the non-creamy layer declaration (Annexure-II-A), or EWS certificate valid for 2025-2026 (Annexure-III), issued by an authority not lower than Tehsildar or SDM
• No Objection Certificate for government employees (Annexure-IV)
• Height and chest relaxation certificate, if applicable (Annexure-V)
• Domicile Certificate, PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, Driving License or Voter Card for citizenship verification; West Pakistani Refugees settled in Jammu and Kashmir need the Annexure-VI certificate and an electoral roll copy
• Discharge certificate for Ex-Servicemen
• Four latest passport size photographs

Certificates in any format other than the annexures provided will not be accepted.

Rules and Conditions Worth Knowing Before You Apply

• Selected candidates must serve at least 10 years. Resigning earlier requires refunding three months of pay and allowances or the cost of training, whichever is higher.
• Selected candidates can be posted anywhere in India or abroad and must complete Basic Training and other prescribed courses.
• Biometric verification is done before PET and PST and can be repeated at any stage. If fingerprints cannot be captured because of mehndi or wax, the candidate is not allowed to appear, and failure in biometric verification cancels candidature.
• No travelling or daily allowance is paid for the journey to the recruitment venue, and candidates should be ready to stay more than one day at their own arrangement.
• Every event, from PET to DME and RME, is covered by CCTV or videography.
• Change of category at a later stage is not entertained and leads to cancellation.
• Recruitment is stated to be purely merit based, and the only payment is the nominal application fee. Anyone asking for money or favours can be reported to the recruitment board or local police.
• ITBPF may cancel or postpone the recruitment, change the sequence of the process or shift an examination centre or date for administrative reasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the last date to apply for ITBP Head Constable Education and Stress Counsellor 2026?

Online applications open at 00:01 AM on 28 September 2026 and close at 11:59 PM on 27 October 2026. Applications received after the last date are not accepted, so it is safer to apply well before the closing day.

Q2. How many vacancies are there in this ITBP recruitment?

The notification lists 16 vacancies, of which 14 are for male candidates and 2 are for female candidates. The number is tentative and ITBPF may increase or decrease it without notice, with any change published on its recruitment website.

Q3. What is the age limit and the age cut-off date?

Candidates must be between 20 and 25 years of age as on 27 October 2026, which means they should be born between 28 October 2001 and 27 October 2006. Upper age relaxation is 5 years for SC and ST, 3 years for OBC (NCL), and separate relaxation applies to Ex-Servicemen and departmental candidates.

Q4. What educational qualification is required?

You need a degree from a recognised university or equivalent with Psychology as a subject. The other accepted route is a degree from a recognised university together with a Bachelor of Education or Bachelor of Teaching or equivalent qualification.

Q5. How much is the application fee and who is exempt?

Male candidates in the UR, OBC and EWS categories must pay Rs. 100 through the online payment gateway. Candidates belonging to SC, ST, female candidates and Ex-Servicemen do not pay any fee, and fee once paid is not refunded.

Q6. What are the stages of the selection process?

Phase I has the Physical Efficiency Test and Physical Standard Test, Phase II is a written examination of 100 marks, and Phase III covers document verification, Detailed Medical Examination and, where needed, Review Medical Examination. The PET is only qualifying in nature, and the merit list is prepared from written examination marks alone.

Q7. Is there negative marking, and what are the qualifying marks?

There is no negative marking in the written examination. The minimum qualifying marks are 35 percent for UR, EWS and Ex-Servicemen, and 33 percent for SC, ST and OBC (NCL) candidates.

Q8. Can candidates who wear glasses or have a physical disability apply?

The eyesight standard is measured without glasses or lenses, and visual correction of any kind is not permitted. The notification also states that candidates belonging to the physically handicapped category are not eligible to apply.

Source

Information in this article is taken from the official recruitment notification issued by DIG (Recruitment), Directorate General, ITBPF, available on the ITBPF recruitment website.

Disclaimer

VacancyPage is not affiliated with ITBPF or the Government of India. This article is a reader guide based on the official notification, and in case of any ambiguity the existing rules and regulations of ITBPF and the Government of India, as amended from time to time, will be final. Please verify every detail on the official website before applying.