The Office of the Chief Postmaster General, Telangana Circle, Hyderabad has released the Final Answer Key for the common LDCE / Competitive Examination for promotion and recruitment to the posts of Postman / Mail Guard and MTS, held on 12 July 2026 (Sunday).
This is one exam serving two different groups of candidates:
- MTS officials competing for promotion to Postman / Mail Guard
- GDS competing for MTS
The final key covers Paper-I, Paper-II and Paper-III in all four sets (A, B, C and D).
The headline finding: five questions in Paper-I have been deleted across all four sets. Paper-II and Paper-III are fully intact.
Order at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Circle | Telangana Circle, Hyderabad – 500 001 |
| Letter No. | RE/LDCE/CE/PM&MG/MTS/2026 |
| Dated | 21-08-2026 |
| Subject | Final answer key |
| Examination | Common LDCE / Competitive Examination |
| Posts | Postman / Mail Guard, and MTS |
| Eligible candidates | MTS officials (for Postman/Mail Guard) and GDS (for MTS) |
| Vacancy year | 2026 (01-01-2026 to 31-12-2026) |
| Exam held on | 12-07-2026 (Sunday) |
| Provisional key issued on | 13-07-2026 |
| Papers covered | Paper-I, Paper-II, Paper-III |
| Sets | A, B, C, D |
| Questions deleted | 5 (all in Paper-I) |
| Addressed to | The General Manager, CEPT, Mysuru |
| Issued by | Assistant Director (Recruitment), O/o the CPMG, Telangana Circle |
First, Understand What “Final” Means Here
This matters more than the key itself.
The provisional answer key went out on 13 July 2026 — the day after the exam. That was the window for candidates to raise objections about wrong or disputed answers.
What you are looking at now is the final key. The order states it is being issued for information only to the candidates.
In plain words:
- The objection window is closed
- These answers are locked
- Your result will be calculated from this key
- There is no further representation stage on the key itself
So use this key to work out roughly where you stand — not to plan an objection. That ship has sailed.
The order also directs CEPT, Mysuru to upload the final key on the Departmental Website, and asks the Regional PMGs, GM (Finance), AD (Staff) and all recognised unions to give it wide publicity among candidates who appeared. If your union WhatsApp group has not carried it yet, they will.
The Deleted Questions — Read This Carefully
Five questions have been marked Delete in Paper-I. They appear at different question numbers in each set, because the sets are shuffled versions of the same paper.
Set A: Q2, Q3, Q8, Q19, Q38 Set B: Q3, Q9, Q12, Q13, Q38 Set C: Q2, Q8, Q27, Q28, Q40 Set D: Q4, Q7, Q8, Q23, Q32
Five in every set. That is the same five questions, sitting at different positions — which is exactly what you would expect from a properly shuffled four-set paper.
Paper-II and Paper-III have no deletions. All 25 questions in Paper-II and all 30 in Paper-III carry a valid answer in every set.
What happens to the marks for deleted questions?
The order does not say.
That is worth stating plainly rather than guessing. Different examining bodies handle deletions differently — some award the mark to every candidate regardless of what was attempted, others exclude the question from the total and recalculate out of the reduced maximum.
Telangana Circle has not specified the method in this letter. Do not rely on anyone in a WhatsApp group who tells you confidently which one applies. Wait for the result or for a follow-up clarification from the Circle Office.
What you can say for certain: five questions in Paper-I will not be counted against you on their merits, whichever method is used.
Final Answer Key — Paper-I (50 Questions)
| Q. No. | Set A | Set B | Set C | Set D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | C | B | A |
| 2 | Delete | D | Delete | B |
| 3 | Delete | Delete | C | B |
| 4 | A | C | D | Delete |
| 5 | D | B | C | D |
| 6 | C | A | D | B |
| 7 | D | B | B | Delete |
| 8 | Delete | B | Delete | Delete |
| 9 | C | Delete | B | A |
| 10 | B | D | A | D |
| 11 | A | B | D | C |
| 12 | B | Delete | A | C |
| 13 | A | Delete | C | C |
| 14 | D | A | A | B |
| 15 | C | D | B | A |
| 16 | A | C | A | A |
| 17 | B | C | B | B |
| 18 | B | C | A | A |
| 19 | Delete | B | D | D |
| 20 | D | A | C | C |
| 21 | C | A | C | C |
| 22 | C | B | C | D |
| 23 | C | A | C | Delete |
| 24 | B | D | B | C |
| 25 | A | C | A | B |
| 26 | D | A | B | C |
| 27 | A | C | Delete | A |
| 28 | C | A | Delete | B |
| 29 | A | B | A | D |
| 30 | B | D | D | A |
| 31 | C | B | C | C |
| 32 | B | A | B | Delete |
| 33 | C | B | B | C |
| 34 | B | B | A | B |
| 35 | B | C | B | B |
| 36 | A | B | B | A |
| 37 | C | C | C | B |
| 38 | Delete | Delete | B | B |
| 39 | B | C | C | C |
| 40 | B | B | Delete | B |
| 41 | D | A | C | D |
| 42 | A | B | D | C |
| 43 | C | A | A | C |
| 44 | D | B | B | D |
| 45 | A | D | A | A |
| 46 | B | A | B | B |
| 47 | D | D | D | A |
| 48 | C | C | A | B |
| 49 | A | C | D | D |
| 50 | B | D | C | A |
Final Answer Key — Paper-II (25 Questions)
| Q. No. | Set A | Set B | Set C | Set D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | A | D | B |
| 2 | B | C | A | B |
| 3 | B | A | C | A |
| 4 | C | A | C | C |
| 5 | B | D | D | A |
| 6 | A | D | B | D |
| 7 | C | B | B | A |
| 8 | A | B | A | C |
| 9 | A | C | C | C |
| 10 | D | B | A | D |
| 11 | B | B | A | D |
| 12 | B | B | C | B |
| 13 | A | A | A | B |
| 14 | C | A | A | C |
| 15 | A | D | D | B |
| 16 | B | B | D | B |
| 17 | B | B | B | B |
| 18 | A | A | B | A |
| 19 | A | C | C | A |
| 20 | D | A | B | D |
| 21 | D | A | B | A |
| 22 | A | C | B | C |
| 23 | C | C | A | A |
| 24 | C | D | A | A |
| 25 | D | D | D | D |
No deletions in Paper-II.
Final Answer Key — Paper-III (30 Questions)
| Q. No. | Set A | Set B | Set C | Set D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | A | C | A |
| 2 | C | D | B | A |
| 3 | A | C | B | A |
| 4 | B | D | A | D |
| 5 | D | D | D | C |
| 6 | A | B | A | B |
| 7 | B | B | C | C |
| 8 | A | B | A | D |
| 9 | D | B | D | A |
| 10 | A | C | A | B |
| 11 | B | A | D | D |
| 12 | A | A | A | D |
| 13 | D | A | D | B |
| 14 | C | D | B | A |
| 15 | A | B | B | B |
| 16 | C | A | A | B |
| 17 | A | D | C | C |
| 18 | C | A | C | A |
| 19 | B | B | C | B |
| 20 | C | B | D | A |
| 21 | D | A | D | B |
| 22 | A | C | C | A |
| 23 | C | C | B | D |
| 24 | B | A | B | A |
| 25 | B | D | B | C |
| 26 | C | B | A | B |
| 27 | A | B | A | D |
| 28 | D | C | B | C |
| 29 | B | C | C | C |
| 30 | A | C | A | C |
No deletions in Paper-III.
How to Check Your Score Properly
A few practical points, because people make the same mistakes every year.
Check your set letter first. It is printed on your question booklet. Using Set A’s key against a Set C booklet gives you a meaningless number and an unnecessary bad evening.
Total questions: 105. Fifty in Paper-I, twenty-five in Paper-II, thirty in Paper-III.
Do not calculate a final “pass or fail”. You do not know the qualifying thresholds per paper, the treatment of deleted questions, or the cut-off, which depends on vacancies and on how everyone else performed. What you can get is a rough position — nothing more.
Do not treat a rough score as a result. Every year candidates convince themselves they have cleared or failed based on a home calculation, then find the actual result says otherwise. Wait for the official declaration.
Keep your question booklet if you still have it. Until the result is out, it is your only means of verifying anything.
What Comes Next
Based on how these examinations normally proceed:
- Final answer key — done (21 August 2026)
- Result and provisional shortlist for DEST — expected next
- Data Entry Skill Test (DEST) — for shortlisted candidates
- Final merit list and promotion orders
Watch the Departmental Website at indiapost.gov.in, where CEPT Mysuru has been asked to upload the key, and the Telangana Circle web portal. Also stay in touch with your Divisional Office and your union, since the order specifically routes publicity through recognised unions.
If you are shortlisted for DEST, one thing you can do right now: CEPT hosts a free dummy DEST practice software with a user manual that mirrors the actual test interface. Other circles have circulated the link to their candidates. Starting typing practice before the shortlist comes out is what separates comfortable candidates from panicking ones.
For Candidates in Other Circles
This exam has an unusual structure worth understanding, because it applies well beyond Telangana.
It is a common examination for two different promotion routes. The same paper, on the same day, serves MTS officials seeking Postman / Mail Guard, and GDS seeking MTS. That is why the letter number reads PM&MG/MTS.
For a GDS reading this: the GDS to MTS route runs through exactly this kind of departmental examination — three papers, four sets, followed by a skill test. It has nothing to do with the GDS Online Engagement recruitment, which is merit-based on 10th class marks with no exam at all. Two entirely different things that get confused constantly.
For an MTS official: this same exam is your route to Postman / Mail Guard, and the LGO examination is your separate route to PA / SA. Two different ladders, and you can plan for either.
Every circle conducts its own version with its own dates, its own key and its own result. Telangana’s key applies to Telangana’s paper only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When was the Telangana Circle Postman / Mail Guard and MTS exam held? 12 July 2026 (Sunday).
Q. How many questions were deleted? Five questions, all in Paper-I, in every set. Paper-II and Paper-III have no deletions.
Q. Which questions were deleted? Set A: Q2, Q3, Q8, Q19, Q38. Set B: Q3, Q9, Q12, Q13, Q38. Set C: Q2, Q8, Q27, Q28, Q40. Set D: Q4, Q7, Q8, Q23, Q32.
Q. How will marks for deleted questions be awarded? The order does not specify. Wait for the result or an official clarification rather than relying on rumours.
Q. Can I still raise an objection to an answer? No. The provisional key issued on 13 July 2026 was the objection stage. This final key is issued for information only.
Q. How many questions were there in total? 105 — Paper-I had 50, Paper-II had 25 and Paper-III had 30.
Q. Who was eligible for this exam? MTS officials for promotion to Postman / Mail Guard, and eligible GDS for MTS.
Q. Where is the official answer key uploaded? CEPT, Mysuru has been asked to upload it on the Departmental Website, indiapost.gov.in. It will also appear on the Telangana Circle portal and be circulated through recognised unions.
Q. What comes after the answer key? The result and the provisional shortlist for the Data Entry Skill Test are the next expected steps.
Q. Does this key apply to other circles? No. This is the Telangana Circle paper only. Each circle conducts its own examination and issues its own key.
Final Word
The key is out, the answers are locked, and five Paper-I questions are off the table.
Check your set letter, tally honestly, and then stop. A rough score tells you roughly where you stand — it does not tell you whether you have cleared. That comes with the result.
If you think you are anywhere near the line, start your typing practice now rather than waiting for the shortlist. The DEST is the one stage where preparation converts directly into marks.
All the best to every candidate from Telangana Circle.