The Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM), under the Department of Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha, will select candidates for 1,115 contractual posts at State, District and Block levels through a single Computer Based Test (CBT). The paper has 100 MCQs for 100 marks in 90 minutes, in English only, with 0.33 mark deducted for every wrong answer. There is no interview and no group discussion.
An honest point first: the exam is split into a Domain-Specific section and a Common section, but the published summaries of the advertisement do not give a chapter-wise topic list, the number of questions in each section, or category-wise qualifying marks. The advertisement does refer to a syllabus appendix, so the final topic list should be read from the official PDF. Everything below that is confirmed is marked as confirmed, and anything that is only a study suggestion is clearly labelled.
OLM Syllabus 2026 and Exam Pattern — Odisha Livelihoods Mission CBT Guide
1,115 Contractual Posts | Single CBT of 100 Marks in 90 Minutes | Negative Marking 0.33 | Apply by 5 December 2026
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| Particulars | Details |
| Organisation | Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM), Department of Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha |
| Posts | 1,115 contractual posts in 57 roles at State, District and Block levels |
| Selection | CBT, provisional merit list, document verification, final merit list |
| CBT | 1 paper, 100 MCQs, 100 marks, 90 minutes (120 minutes for eligible PwD candidates) |
| Marking | +1 for correct, −0.33 for wrong, 0 for unattempted |
| Language | English only |
| Sections | Domain-Specific Syllabus and Common Syllabus |
| Application Dates | 6 November to 5 December 2026 (11:55 PM) |
| Application Fee | ₹500 (SC, ST and PwD: nil). Refunded to all candidates who appear in the exam |
| Official Website | missionshakti.odisha.gov.in |
OLM Exam Pattern 2026 — Confirmed Details
| Feature | Details |
| Exam Type | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Number of Papers | 1 |
| Questions | 100 MCQs with 4 options each |
| Marks per Question | 1 |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Extra Time for Eligible PwD | 30 minutes (total 120 minutes) |
| Negative Marking | 0.33 mark per wrong answer |
| Time per Question | 54 seconds |
| Score Used | Normalised score (calculated up to seven decimal places) |
| Mock Test | A mock test link will be placed on the website before the CBT |
| Response | Marks |
| Correct answer | +1 |
| Wrong answer | −0.33 |
| Unattempted question | 0 |
Four wrong answers cost about 1.3 marks, which is more than one correct answer. At 54 seconds per question, the safest plan is to answer what you know quickly in the first round, mark the doubtful questions, and use the last 15 minutes for the questions where you can remove at least two options.
| Attempted | Correct | Wrong | Net Marks |
| 70 | 56 | 14 | 51.38 |
| 80 | 60 | 20 | 53.40 |
| 90 | 62 | 28 | 52.76 |
| 100 | 65 | 35 | 53.45 |
What Is Confirmed About the Syllabus — and What Is Not
| Item | Status |
| Two sections: Domain-Specific and Common | Confirmed |
| Domain section is linked to the post you apply for | Confirmed |
| Chapter-wise topics of Domain-Specific section | Not given in the summaries of the advertisement |
| Subjects, topics and marks of the Common section | Not given in the summaries of the advertisement |
| Number of questions in each section | Not given in the summaries of the advertisement |
| Category-wise qualifying marks | Not specified |
| Syllabus appendix | The advertisement asks candidates to read it, so check the PDF |
Because the topic list is not printed in the summaries, you should read the official advertisement PDF (the link is at the end) and the syllabus appendix mentioned in it, before you finalise your study plan.
This is a real risk for candidates: some websites publish long topic lists for OLM that are not copied from any OLM document. Treat any such list as a guess, and match it with the appendix of the official PDF before you spend weeks on it.
The Domain-Specific Section — Which Post Belongs to Which Domain?
The advertised posts cover these functional areas. Your Domain-Specific questions are expected to relate to the area of the post you have applied for.
| Domain Area | Examples of Posts in the Advertisement | Typical Degree Fields Listed for These Posts |
| Human Resources and Training | State Project Manager (HR & Training), Additional State Project Manager (HR & Training) | Arts, Science, Commerce, MSW, MBA (HR) |
| Farm and Non-Farm Livelihoods | State Project Manager (Farm / Non-Farm Livelihoods), Project Manager (Farm & Non-Farm Livelihoods), State Mission Executive (Livestock, Fisheries) | Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary, Fisheries, MSW, Social Science, Rural Management; Veterinary or Fishery bachelor’s for the two Executive posts |
| Value Chain and Market Linkage | State Project Manager (Value Addition, Market Linkage), Project Manager (Value Chain Development and Market Linkage) | Agribusiness Management, Marketing, Economics, Development Studies, MSW |
| Institutional and Capacity Building | Project Manager (Institutional Building and Capacity Building and MIS), State Project Manager (Institutional Building) | Economics, Rural Development, MSW, Computer Science, IT, MCA |
| Financial Inclusion and Accounts | Project Manager (Financial Inclusion and Accounts), State Mission Executive (Bank Linkage, Accounts and Finance), Accountant cum MIS Assistant | Finance, Commerce, Economics, Banking, MBA (Finance), CA/ICWA (Inter/Final); B.Com with PGDCA for the Accountant posts |
| IT, MIS and Knowledge Management | State Mission Executive (MIS, KMC and IT), Additional State Project Manager (MIS, Digital content and IT), Program Assistant | Computer Science, IT, MCA, MBA (IT), Mass Communication; Graduate with PGDCA for Program Assistant |
| Social Development, Gender and Monitoring | State Mission Executive (Gender, FNHW, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) | Arts, Science, Commerce, Gender Studies, MSW, Economics, Statistics, Rural Development |
| Block and District Management | Block Mission Manager, Block Manager, District Mission Manager | Post Graduate in Arts, Science, Commerce, MBA, MSW, Rural Development |
This table groups posts by function so that you can see where your own degree fits. The functional areas come from the advertisement, and the sample question topics for each area are not official.
Suggested Study Areas by Domain (Not an Official Syllabus)
Since OLM has not printed topics in the summaries, the list below is a study suggestion based on the nature of each domain and on the work of a livelihoods mission. Use it only as a starting point and replace it with the official appendix as soon as you read it.
| Domain | Suggested Areas to Revise |
| Livelihoods Mission Basics (useful for all) | Self Help Groups (SHGs), village and cluster level federations, community institutions, rural livelihoods, Mission Shakti and women empowerment in Odisha, major rural development schemes |
| Farm and Non-Farm | Basic agriculture and allied activities (livestock, fisheries, horticulture), micro enterprises, skill development, value addition |
| Financial Inclusion and Accounts | Basic accounting, bank linkage of SHGs, digital payments, insurance and pension schemes, financial literacy, basic computer skills in accounting software |
| IT and MIS | Computer basics, MS Office, data entry and reports, databases and MIS basics, internet and e-governance |
| Monitoring and Social Development | Statistics basics, survey and data analysis, monitoring and evaluation concepts, gender and nutrition, social inclusion |
| Management and Capacity Building | Basics of human resource management, training needs and methods, communication, project planning and reporting |
For the Common section, the notification mentions the section but gives no subjects. A good use of time is to keep up with current affairs of Odisha and India, basic reasoning, basic arithmetic and English comprehension, since the paper is in English only. Check the official appendix to confirm.
Vacancy by Role Family — Where the Seats Are
| Role | Vacancies | Share of 1,115 |
| Block Manager | 453 | 40.6% |
| Block Accountant cum MIS Assistant | 247 | 22.2% |
| Block Mission Manager | 174 | 15.6% |
| Project Manager (4 types, 30 each) | 120 | 10.8% |
| Accountant cum MIS Assistant | 60 | 5.4% |
| State-level single posts (State Project Manager, Additional State Project Manager, State Mission Executive) | 47 | 4.2% |
| District Mission Manager | 8 | 0.7% |
| Program Assistant | 6 | 0.5% |
| Total | 1,115 | 100% |
Three block-level roles (Block Manager, Block Accountant cum MIS Assistant and Block Mission Manager) hold 874 posts, which is 78% of all vacancies. Because each of the 47 State-level roles has only one vacancy, the Domain-Specific questions for them will be very specialised, while the block-level exam will attract many more candidates from similar backgrounds.
Category-Wise Seats Across All Posts
| Category | Seats | Share |
| UR | 561 | 50.3% |
| ST | 368 | 33.0% |
| SC | 159 | 14.3% |
| OBC | 27 | 2.4% |
| Total | 1,115 | 100% |
The PwD seats (41 in all) are counted inside these categories and are not added on top.
One out of every three seats (368) is for ST candidates, which is a very high share, and Block Manager alone has 202 ST seats out of 453. OBC has only 27 seats, with none in the three block-level roles.
Pay by Role
| Role | Pay per Month (₹) |
| State Project Manager (9 roles) | 72,450 |
| District Mission Manager | 70,560 |
| Additional State Project Manager (18 roles) | 52,080 |
| State Mission Executive (20 roles) | 36,225 |
| Project Manager (4 types) | 35,000 |
| Block Mission Manager | 31,338 |
| Accountant cum MIS Assistant | 25,000 |
| Block Accountant cum MIS Assistant | 20,700 |
| Block Manager | 19,080 |
| Program Assistant | 16,560 |
- The contract is for 1 year at first, and it can be renewed on satisfactory performance and project need
- A contract gives no right to regularisation or permanent absorption
- No TA or DA is paid for the exam, document verification or first joining
Eligibility and Age at a Glance
| Point | Details |
| Age Limit | 21 to 42 years as on 1 January 2026 |
| Relaxation | SC/ST/SEBC/Women 5 years, PwD 10 years, Ex-Servicemen: period of defence service (maximum age 59 years), current OLM staff: no age limit |
| Experience | 3+ years for most Block and Executive roles, 5+ years for Project Manager, District, Accountant cum MIS Assistant and State Project Manager roles |
| Block Accountant cum MIS Assistant | B.Com with PGDCA, Computer Science or IT, with 3+ years |
| Citizenship | Indian citizen |
These are not fresher posts. Almost all roles need 3 to 5 years of relevant experience, so keep your experience certificates ready.
Selection Process — What Happens After the CBT
- CBT: single paper of 100 marks
- Provisional merit list after evaluating the CBT, using the normalisation rules
- Document verification: about three times the vacancies of each post are called
- Final merit list: prepared from normalised CBT marks and document verification
- A provisional answer key is published, and objections are allowed within the prescribed period
- Tie in marks: the senior candidate by age first, then alphabetical order of names
- The grievances about the CBT must be e-mailed within 3 days of the candidate’s exam
- Candidates must carry the printed e-admit card and a valid original government photo ID
For 1,115 vacancies, three times means about 3,345 candidates will be called for document verification if the ratio is applied post-wise. Since a post like Block Manager has 453 vacancies, about 1,359 candidates will be called for it. A good normalised score is therefore the only way to enter this list.
A 4-Week Plan Before the Exam Date Is Announced
| Week | Focus |
| Week 1 (7 – 13 Nov) | Read the full advertisement and the syllabus appendix. Decide your post. Collect experience and degree certificates. Apply early |
| Week 2 (14 – 20 Nov) | Domain basics for your post: concepts, schemes and terms. Make short notes. Start timed MCQ practice of 25 questions a day |
| Week 3 (21 – 27 Nov) | Common section areas: current affairs of Odisha and India, reasoning and basic arithmetic, English comprehension. One sectional test every day |
| Week 4 (28 Nov – 5 Dec) | Final check of the submitted form before 5 December. Full mock tests of 100 questions in 90 minutes with 0.33 negative marking. Use the official mock test link when it appears |
The exam date is not announced yet. Keep repeating weeks 2 and 3 with harder questions until the date is known.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Studying a topic list from an unofficial website without checking the official appendix
- Applying for a post for which you do not have the required qualification and experience
- Ignoring the negative marking and guessing every question
- Applying more than once for the same post (only the latest correct form is considered)
- Waiting until the last day, 5 December 2026, to apply
- Not downloading the e-admit card, because nothing is sent separately
OLM Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026 — FAQs
Q. What is the OLM exam pattern 2026?
One CBT with 100 MCQs for 100 marks in 90 minutes, in English, with 0.33 mark deducted for each wrong answer.
Q. What is the OLM syllabus 2026?
The CBT has a Domain-Specific section linked to your post and a Common section. A chapter-wise topic list is not given in the summaries of the advertisement, so check the syllabus appendix in the official PDF.
Q. Is there an interview?
No. There is a single CBT and document verification, and no group discussion or personal interview.
Q. Is there negative marking?
Yes, 0.33 mark for each wrong answer. Unattempted questions have no penalty.
Q. In which language is the exam?
English only.
Q. How long is the exam?
90 minutes, and 120 minutes for eligible PwD candidates.
Q. How many posts are there?
1,115 posts in 57 roles, at State, District and Block levels.
Q. What is the last date to apply?
5 December 2026 (11:55 PM). Applications opened on 6 November 2026.
Q. What is the fee, and is it refunded?
₹500 for all except SC, ST and PwD. The fee is refunded to all candidates who appear in the exam.
Q. Are these posts permanent?
No. They are contractual for 1 year at first, which can be renewed. There is no right to regularisation.
Q. What is the minimum qualifying mark?
Category-wise qualifying marks are not specified in the information available.
Important Links |
|
| Download Official Advertisement PDF (with Syllabus Appendix) | click here |
| Apply Online (Till 5 December 2026) | click here |
| OLM / Mission Shakti Official Website | click here |
| firstjob24 jobs | click here |
| Join WhatsApp Channel | click here |
| Subscribe on YouTube | click here |
