Gauhati High Court Stenographer Grade-II 2026 Free Guess Paper

The Gauhati High Court opened 35 posts for Stenographer Grade-II in the District Courts of Assam, the largest single intake for this post in recent years.The Gauhati High Court released the Stenographer Grade II Recruitment 2026 notification to fill 35 vacancies for the Principal Seat at Guwahati and its outlying benches. A graduate with a stenography diploma can now target a permanent judiciary post with a clear, published mark scheme. This analysis breaks down the pattern history and builds a stage-by-stage prep strategy.

TL;DR

• The 2026 drive has 35 vacancies, far above recent single-digit rounds at other Gauhati High Court benches.
• The Stenography Test carries 100 marks and decides the bulk of a candidate’s final rank.
• The Written Test (70 marks) is only a qualifying stage. It does not add to the final merit score.
• Candidates must secure a minimum of 30 marks in the stenography test to qualify for the written stage, and only the top 1:10 ratio of candidates advance.
• The application fee is Rs. 500 for unreserved and OBC/MOBC candidates and Rs. 250 for ST(P)/ST(H) candidates, with PwBD candidates exempt.
• Final selection depends on stenography speed and interview performance, not on the written paper score.

Vacancy Trend: A Larger Intake Than Recent Years

The Gauhati High Court released the notification to fill 35 vacancies for the Principal Seat at Guwahati and its outlying benches, open to graduates who hold a valid stenography certificate. Past rounds at other benches of the same court filled far fewer seats. The Kohima Bench filled only two posts in its 2021 to 2024 cycle. The Itanagar Bench filled two to three posts in its 2018 and 2020 rounds. A 35-post intake gives this cycle a wider door than a typical Gauhati High Court stenographer drive.

Eligibility and Important Dates

A candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree from a UGC recognized university as on the date of advertisement, and must hold a diploma or certificate in stenography or shorthand from an ITI, polytechnic, or other recognized institute. A candidate who is still completing the stenography course may also apply, but must submit the completion certificate at document verification. The candidate must also show adequate knowledge of Assamese, the official language of Assam.

Age Limit by Category

The unreserved category age limit runs from 18 to 40 years, OBC/MOBC candidates get an upper limit of 43 years, SC candidates get 45 years, ST(P) and ST(H) candidates get 45 years, and PwBD candidates get 50 years, all measured as on 30 July 2026.

Selection Process: Where the Marks Actually Count

The selection process runs in three stages. Only two of the three stages feed into the final merit list. This is the single most important fact for exam strategy.

Stage 1: Stenography Test (100 Marks)

The stenography test opens with a two-minute voice test before dictation, followed by a speed test in shorthand at 100 words per minute for a total of 700 words over seven minutes. The candidate then gets three minutes to test the computer and 25 minutes to transcribe the dictated passage. A candidate must score at least 30 marks here to move forward, and the court calls forward candidates equal to ten times the vacancy count, a 1:10 ratio, based on stenography test rank. For 35 posts, close to 350 candidates advance to the next stage.

Stage 2: Written Test (70 Marks, Qualifying Only)

The written test uses an OMR-based, objective, multiple-choice format covering English Language Proficiency for 50 marks and the official language of Assam, Assamese, for 20 marks, run over one and a half hours. Both language sections are qualifying only, and a candidate must score at least 40 percent in each section to clear this stage. A high written score does not raise final rank. It only opens the door to the interview.

Stage 3: Viva-Voce (10 Marks)

The interview stage carries 10 marks. Past selection lists from the same court confirm that the final merit order combines only the stenography test score and the viva-voce score. The written test score does not appear in the final tally at all.

Previous Year Pattern Analysis: What Changed and What Stayed Fixed

A review of Gauhati High Court stenographer advertisements from 2017 through 2026 shows one constant and one shift. The constant is the dictation speed. Every round tested shorthand dictation at a fixed speed with a set word count within a seven-minute window, and the 2026 round keeps the same 100 words per minute, 700-word passage. The shift is in mark distribution. Earlier rounds, such as the 2017 and 2018 Itanagar Bench drives, used a 90-mark stenography test, a 50-mark English paper, and a 10-mark viva, for a 150-mark grand total. The 2026 Assam district court round raises the stenography test to 100 marks and adds a 20-mark Assamese component, for a 180-mark grand total. The core lesson stays the same across every round: the stenography test carries more weight than any other single stage, and it is the stage a candidate must master first.

Cutoff Behavior From a Recent Gauhati High Court Round

A 2024 selection round at the Kohima Bench of the same court gives a real picture of how tight the interview stage runs. In that round, final rank came from the stenography test score plus the interview score alone. The top-ranked candidate scored 48.85 in the stenography test and 24 in the interview, the second-ranked candidate scored 49.5 and 22, and the third-ranked candidate scored 42.04 and 27. The gap between the top three ranks stayed under four combined points. This shows that a small drop in stenography accuracy, or a weak interview, can shift a candidate out of the select list even at the top of the merit order.

Salary, Pay Scale, and Career Value

The post carries a pay scale of Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 97,000 per month, plus Grade Pay of Rs. 9,700 and other allowances admissible under the rules. This places the post above most state-level clerical roles and close to many state PSU entry-level technical roles, while asking for a lighter academic bar, a bachelor’s degree plus a stenography diploma, rather than a specialized technical degree. The post also carries the job security and service benefits standard to judiciary staff roles in India.

Preparation Strategy Based on the Mark Structure

Since the stenography test and the viva-voce decide final rank, a candidate should split prep time by weight, not by stage order.

1. Build shorthand speed to 100+ wpm well before the exam. Practice daily dictation at or above the tested speed, since the test allows no margin below 100 words per minute.
2. Practice computer transcription under a strict 25-minute clock. Speed on paper does not help if transcription on the keyboard runs slow.
3. Treat the written test as a pass/fail hurdle, not a scoring opportunity. Spend only enough time to clear 40 percent in English and 40 percent in Assamese, then return focus to stenography drills.
4. Prepare for the viva-voce with mock interviews. Since viva marks sit inside the same 110-mark final pool as the stenography score, even a few interview points change rank order.
5. Track the coaching cost against the pay scale. Stenography coaching in Assam runs from roughly Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 15,000 for a full shorthand and typing course, a cost that recovers within the first month of the Rs. 22,000 starting salary.

Common Questions

What is the minimum qualifying mark in the Gauhati High Court Stenographer stenography test? A candidate must score at least 30 out of 100 marks to qualify for the written test.

Does the written test score count in the final Gauhati High Court Stenographer merit list? No. The written test only screens candidates forward. Final rank uses stenography test marks and viva-voce marks only.

What is the Gauhati High Court Stenographer Grade-II salary in 2026? The pay scale runs from Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 97,000 per month, plus Grade Pay of Rs. 9,700.

What is the application fee for the 2026 Stenographer Grade-II recruitment? The fee is Rs. 500 for unreserved and OBC/MOBC candidates, Rs. 250 for ST(P)/ST(H) candidates, and nil for PwBD candidates.

Is Assamese language knowledge compulsory for this post? Yes. A candidate must show adequate knowledge of Assamese, the official language of the state.

Closing Analysis

The 2026 round opens more seats than any recent Gauhati High Court stenographer drive, which raises the odds for a well-prepared candidate. The mark structure has not changed in intent since 2017. It still rewards shorthand speed and transcription accuracy above every other skill tested. A candidate who treats the written paper as a hurdle, not a scoring event, and who puts the bulk of prep hours into dictation speed and interview readiness, matches the actual weight of the exam. The next step for any aspirant is a fixed daily shorthand practice block, started now, ahead of the stenography test date the court will announce separately.