FPSC Allows Calculators in 17 Phase 3 Tests From 13 to 19 October

The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) will let candidates use a calculator in 17 of its Phase 3 recruitment tests, held from 13 to 19 October 2026. The list includes Statistician, Sub Engineer, Meteorologist, Electrical Engineer and four Lecturer (Male) papers. If your case is not on the list, leave the calculator at home.

FPSC posted the public notice, titled "Specified Cases Allowed Use of Calculator for Phase-III/2026", on its website on 8 October 2026. We downloaded the one page list from FPSC's own site and copied every case number, date and post below. A day earlier, on 7 October, FPSC also confirmed that its tests from 10 to 19 October will go ahead on the dates already announced.

FPSC allows calculators in 17 Phase 3 cases

FPSC's 8 October list names 17 cases where a calculator is allowed in the General Recruitment Phase 3 tests. They are mostly science, engineering, statistics and finance posts. Every other Phase 3 case, and the CSS MPT on 10 October, is not on the list.

Each row on the notice gives a date, a session, a case number and the post. We have kept FPSC's own case numbers, because that is the number printed on your application and your admission certificate. Match the number, not just the post name. FPSC has more than one Lecturer case, and only some of them are on the list.

One small printing slip is worth knowing about. The last two rows on FPSC's notice show the date as "19.108.2026". Phase 3 runs only until 19 October, so both papers are on 19 October 2026. Your admission certificate will show the exact date and time, and that is the paper to trust.

The calculator papers run from 13 to 19 October

The calculator cases fall on seven days in a row, from Tuesday 13 October to Monday 19 October 2026. Wednesday 14 October has only one, the Sub Engineer paper. Friday 16 October has the most, with four cases. By subject, six are engineering papers, four are Lecturer papers, four are statistics or weather posts, and three are other posts.

Four of the 17 cases are Lecturer (Male) papers in the 125 series: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Accounting and Finance. If you applied for a Lecturer post in another subject, a calculator is not on the list for you. That is the group most likely to get this wrong, because the posts share a case number with a different letter on the end.

FPSC confirmed its October tests go ahead as planned

FPSC's notice of 7 October 2026 says the CSS MPT 2027 is on 10 October and the Phase 3 tests run from 12 to 19 October. It says tests "will be held accordingly to the given schedule". No date has moved since the 29 September notice.

That short notice, No. F.1/4/2026-T&S-Coord., was posted as a website alert. It refers back to the timetable FPSC issued on 29 September. So the dates on your admission certificate stand. If you have not downloaded yours yet, the steps are in how to download your FPSC admission certificate, along with the reporting times and the list of things you may carry.

The CSS MPT is a separate test. It is not on the calculator list, and the CSS MPT on 10 October follows its own rules for what you bring into the hall.

Check your case before test day

Find the case number on your admission certificate, then look for it in the table above. If it matches, you may take a calculator into that paper. If it does not, a calculator is not allowed, even if the post sounds technical.

1. Open your FPSC admission certificate and note the case number, for example F.4-116/2026-R.
2. Check the letter in brackets, if there is one. F.4-125(M) and F.4-125(J) are two different papers.
3. Find that exact number in FPSC's 8 October list, on the FPSC website under public notices.
4. Match the date and session on the list with the date and time on your certificate.
5. If both match, pack a calculator with your certificate, original CNIC and black ball pen.

The notice does not say which calculator models are allowed. It names the cases, nothing more. A plain calculator with no text memory and no wireless link is the safest thing to carry, because anything that can store or send data invites trouble at the door. A phone used as a calculator is out of the question. FPSC treats any phone or communication device in the hall as misconduct that can lead to debarment.

What else stays the same in Phase 3

Only the calculator rule is new. Everything else about the Phase 3 tests is unchanged: the dates, the centres, the reporting time and the papers. FPSC's paper format and its marking rules for wrong answers have not changed either.

So the usual routine holds. Reach the hall early with your printed admission certificate and your original CNIC. Expect a multiple choice paper. After the test, FPSC posts results and shortlisting lists on its website, and the steps to check your FPSC result and merit list do not change because a calculator was allowed.

If you were rejected at the shortlisting stage of an earlier case, that is a separate process with its own deadline. It has nothing to do with this notice.

Common questions

Can I take a calculator into my FPSC Phase 3 test?

Only if your case number is one of the 17 on FPSC's 8 October 2026 list. Every other Phase 3 case is calculator free.

Is a calculator allowed in the CSS MPT 2027?

No. The CSS MPT on 10 October 2026 is not on FPSC's calculator list.

Which Lecturer papers allow a calculator?

Four Lecturer (Male) BS-17 papers: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Accounting and Finance, case numbers F.4-125(M), (C), (J) and (A).

Which calculator should I take?

FPSC's notice does not name a model. A basic calculator with no memory for text and no wireless link is the safest choice. Never use your phone.

Have the Phase 3 test dates changed?

No. FPSC's 7 October 2026 notice says the tests from 10 to 19 October will be held on the schedule announced on 29 September.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked at about 5 am PKT on 10 October 2026. We read two FPSC public notices on fpsc.gov.pk: "Public Notice - Specified Cases Allowed Use of Calculator for Phase-III/2026", posted 8 October 2026, and notice No. F.1/4/2026-T&S-Coord. dated 7 October 2026, "Conduct of Exam/ Tests by FPSC w.e.f. 10.10.2026 to 19.10.2026". The case list, dates and sessions are copied from the first. The notice gives no calculator model rules, so we do not state any.