DGMA Management Support Associate 2026: 30 Mumbai Contract Posts, CBT and Typing Test

DGMA MSA recruitment 2026: what the 30 Mumbai positions actually offer

The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has advertised 30 Management Support Associate (MSA) positions under PER-DGS-1/2026. The work location is Mumbai, and the appointments are purely contractual. This is an office-support recruitment, not a permanent Central Government cadre appointment or a Merchant Navy officer selection.

The official vacancies page records this recruitment on 21 October 2026; the revised five-page PDF is dated 22 October 2026 in its issuing-authority block. These are two different source dates. The application schedule below comes from that revised notice; subsequent changes, if any, must be checked on DGMA's own vacancy page.

A degree is essential; postgraduate study and previous office experience are desirable

Indian citizenship, recognised graduation (or accepted equivalent) and working computer proficiency are the entry requirements. The document calls for practical familiarity with MS Office, spreadsheets, data entry, internet and email. It does not prescribe a named computer certificate such as CCC, a minimum graduation percentage or a restricted list of degree disciplines. It also does not stipulate a fixed number of mandatory past-service years.

Postgraduation and/or relevant experience in office automation, data management, digitisation of records or Government/PSU office work is described as desirable. That distinction matters: an eligible graduate without postgraduate qualifications or employment history should not read the desirable clause as an automatic rejection. Conversely, desirable experience does not dispense with the essential graduation requirement.

The notification fixes 23 October 2026—the online registration opening—as the reference date for age and the essential qualification cut-off, unless DGMA changes it. Candidates completing a degree after this date cannot assume that the later application closing date will make them eligible. The published age range is 18 to 35 years. No category-specific numerical age relaxations are set out in the revised notice.

The notice states no reservation is applicable; selection is merit-based. It does not present a category-wise 30-seat roster. Although a domicile certificate appears in the document-verification list, the eligibility criteria do not impose a Maharashtra-domicile-only restriction. Applicants should follow any later clarification regarding how that document is to be produced.

CBT: four equal-weight sections, followed by a separate skills gate

DGMA has prescribed a Computer Based Test (CBT) of 100 objective questions, 200 marks and 90 minutes. The question paper is in English. There is no negative marking. If multiple shifts are used, DGMA says a normalisation method will apply; a multiple-shift arrangement itself has not yet been announced.

📊 CBT marks distribution

Total: 100 questions and 200 marks across four sections. Each section accounts for 25% of the published CBT marks. Ninety minutes for 100 questions is an average of 54 seconds per question as a preparation calculation, not a separate time limit imposed by DGMA on each question. Equal marks also mean that the digital/maritime themes within General Awareness do not replace the other three sections.

Indicative official syllabus

This is an indicative syllabus, not a chapter-wise marks allocation. In particular, basic maritime awareness belongs within General and Digital Awareness; it is not a separately announced fifth CBT paper. Neither subject-wise cutoffs nor an overall qualifying score appear in the document.

Typing test: 35 WPM, English, 15 minutes — qualifying only

After CBT, the notice places a 15-minute computer typing test in English. The required speed is 35 words per minute (WPM), approximately 10,500 key depressions per hour as stated by DGMA. Accuracy on the supplied passage is part of the evaluation. At a constant speed, 35 WPM over 15 minutes corresponds arithmetically to 525 standard words; this is only a practice benchmark, not an announced passage length or permitted-error threshold.

The typing stage is expressly qualifying in nature. It is not a second 200-mark examination, and the authority has not announced separate typing marks to add to the CBT result. Applicants should practise accurate English typing on a computer, rather than relying only on a speed estimate taken without error checks.

Selection sequence and what remains unannounced

Final selection is subject to the approved merit method and verification of eligibility and contractual conditions. Passing CBT or appearing in a shortlist does not establish a right to engagement. No admit-card issue date, answer-key publication date, result date or cutoff list has been released for this recruitment.

CBT locations: the notice restricts examination centres to the Greater Mumbai Metropolitan, Thane and Navi Mumbai region. These are examination locations, not additional confirmed job postings. E-admit cards are to be downloaded from the designated portal when released; candidates must bring a valid Government photo identity document. Identity checks, attendance capture, biometric/photograph verification and frisking may be undertaken. The notice also places disputes concerning CBT results and subsequent final selection within the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court.

How to apply, and why the correction-window restrictions matter

DGMA specifies online applications only, beginning 23 October 2026 and closing 12 November 2026. The five-page notification does not yet provide the designated application form URL or an exact final-day clock time. The safest route is the DGMA Personnel Branch vacancy directory and the application portal subsequently announced there. No application fee is charged under the revised notice. Offline submissions are not accepted.

Applicants must enter accurate details and upload their photograph, signature and other prescribed documents in the format later specified by the portal. The notice lists 15 November 2026 for an application correction window and identifies only four correctable particulars: Name, Father's Name, Category and Address. It does not list date of birth, degree details, photograph or email as correctable items, so these should be checked particularly carefully before submission. Specific correction-window hours have not been stated.

Documents to keep ready for verification

• Matriculation certificate or birth certificate for date of birth, and graduation/equivalent qualification records.
• Government photo identity proof and recent photograph.
• Postgraduate, computer-proficiency and work-experience certificates if applicable.
• Domicile certificate, which appears on DGMA's verification checklist, plus any additional document notified by the portal.

Original-document checks and police verification are expressly part of the provisional candidature conditions. The portal may prescribe its own file specifications; none should be assumed before they are announced.

₹75,000 a month is consolidated pay, not a permanent pay-matrix post

The stated amount is ₹75,000 per month consolidated, inclusive of mandatory deductions such as EPF, ESI, TDS and professional tax as described in the notification. It should not be advertised as ₹75,000 guaranteed in-hand, a 7th CPC pay level or a base salary to which all these deductions are added again. The PDF does not provide a candidate-specific net-salary calculation.

📊 Contract tenure comparison (months)

The bar comparison illustrates the initial duration against a ceiling, not two guaranteed entitlements. Further annual engagements depend on organisational need, satisfactory performance and the competent authority's approval. The notification rejects any automatic right to regularisation, absorption, permanent appointment, seniority, pensionary benefit or continued service.

Attendance, office hours, reporting, leave and work allocation will be governed by the individual contract. Work from home requires specific written authorisation. Official information, records and credentials must remain confidential during and after the engagement. Resignation and termination rules will be in the contract itself: the advertisement provides no fixed notice-period figure. No TA/DA is ordinarily payable for CBT, assessment/interview, verification or joining unless DGMA separately notifies otherwise.

The candidate's practical trade-off

For a graduate comfortable with computer-based office work, the recruitment offers a defined monthly consolidated amount and an unusually explicit four-stage selection process. It also entails travel to the notified Mumbai-region exam centres, an accuracy-tested typing requirement and an initial one-year contract without regular-government-service protections. Applicants should weigh these conditions against their present employment rather than treating the maximum three-year extension as guaranteed.

Official notice: https://dgma.gov.in/download/1792574135_6ad882b70941b_recruitment-notice-for-management-support-associat-msu-on-contractual-basis-in-the-directorate-and-its-allied-offices-in-mumbai.pdf

DGMA recruitment updates: https://dgma.gov.in/personnel-branch/vacancy