Reservation Calculator for Category-wise Post Split
Split any number of advertised posts into EWS, OBC, SC, ST and UR seats under the central government pattern.
Enter the total number of posts to see the category-wise split.
This uses the central government reservation pattern (EWS 10%, OBC 27%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%, the remainder Unreserved), the pattern printed on most SSC, railway and central PSU notifications. State public service commissions and many state recruitment boards use different percentages (and sometimes additional categories), so check the specific notification's reservation roster before relying on this for a state-level post.
About this tool
A notification often prints a single figure such as '1,250 vacancies' and leaves the category break-up to a table buried later in the PDF, or to a corrigendum that arrives weeks afterwards. Until then, candidates want a rough idea of how many posts fall in their category.
This calculator takes the total number of posts and applies the central government reservation percentages in force since the 2019 EWS amendment, which are 10 percent for EWS, 27 percent for OBC (non-creamy layer), 15 percent for SC, 7.5 percent for ST and the remaining 40.5 percent Unreserved. It converts the shares into whole posts in a way that always adds back up to the total you entered.
The output is an estimate of the vertical reservation split. It is meant for sizing up a recruitment, comparing two notifications or sanity-checking a published vacancy table, and it is no substitute for the roster the recruiting body actually applies.
How to use the reservation calculator
- Find the total number of posts advertised in the notification and type it into the 'Total posts advertised' field.
- Read the category-wise rows for EWS, OBC (non-creamy layer), SC, ST and UR, each with its percentage alongside.
- Add the rows to confirm they equal the total you entered; the rounding method guarantees this.
- Compare the figures with the vacancy table in the notification, if one is published, and trust the notification where they differ.
The percentages and the rounding method
Each category's exact share is its percentage of the total, which is usually a fraction. Rounding every row to the nearest whole number on its own can produce a sum that is one or two posts above or below the total. The tool instead uses largest-remainder rounding. Every row is first rounded down, the shortfall between the sum of those floors and the total is counted, and that many extra posts are handed out one each to the rows with the largest leftover fractions.
The Unreserved share is whatever is left after the four reserved percentages, so it is 100 minus 59.5, or 40.5 percent, and it takes part in the same rounding as the other rows.
- EWS: 10 percent of total
- OBC (non-creamy layer): 27 percent of total
- SC: 15 percent of total
- ST: 7.5 percent of total
- UR (Unreserved): 40.5 percent of total, shown in bold as the open-competition pool
- Seats: floor of each exact share, plus one for the rows with the biggest fractional remainders until the total is reached
Worked example with 47 posts
Hypothetical: a notification advertises 47 posts. The exact shares are 4.7 for EWS, 12.69 for OBC, 7.05 for SC, 3.525 for ST and 19.035 for UR. Rounding down gives 4, 12, 7, 3 and 19, which sum to 45, two short of the total. The two largest remainders belong to EWS (0.7) and OBC (0.69), so each of those gains one post.
Rounding each row to the nearest whole number would have given 5, 13, 7, 4 and 19, a total of 48, one post more than exists. The largest-remainder step is what prevents that.
| Category | Percent | Exact share | Rounded down | Final posts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EWS | 10 | 4.7 | 4 | 5 |
| OBC (non-creamy layer) | 27 | 12.69 | 12 | 13 |
| SC | 15 | 7.05 | 7 | 7 |
| ST | 7.5 | 3.525 | 3 | 3 |
| UR (Unreserved) | 40.5 | 19.035 | 19 | 19 |
| Total | 100 | 47 | 45 | 47 |
Reading the split
The UR row is the open pool. It is open to every candidate, including those from reserved categories who qualify on merit without claiming relaxation, which is why reserved-category candidates with strong scores often get selected against UR seats. It is not a quota for the general category.
The reserved rows are vertical reservation. Horizontal reservations cut across them and are not shown. Under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, 4 percent of posts in central establishments are reserved for PwBD candidates, and ex-servicemen, women and sportspersons quotas apply to many Group C posts as per the rules in the notification. Those seats are taken out of each vertical category rather than added to the total.
For very small recruitments the percentages lose meaning. With one post, the tool gives it to UR because UR has the largest fractional share. With two posts, UR and OBC get one each. In real recruitment a reservation roster decides which category a specific vacancy belongs to, and a single post may well be reserved depending on where the cadre's roster stands.
Common mistakes
- Applying the central pattern to a state notification. States run their own percentages and often extra categories (MBC, EBC, SBC or state-specific quotas), so the split for a state PSC or police post can look very different.
- Reading the UR figure as 'seats for General candidates only'. General category candidates compete only in UR, but UR itself is open to all.
- Forgetting backlog vacancies. Notifications often carry forward unfilled reserved posts from earlier cycles, which pushes the reserved share well above the percentages.
- Expecting the exact percentage in every row. Whole posts cannot be split, so the rounding method shifts a post here and there.
- Using the output to argue about a published vacancy table. The recruiting body's roster is authoritative; this tool only approximates it.
Where the central pattern does not apply
The percentages here are the ones printed on most SSC, railway and central PSU notifications. The 10 percent EWS reservation came in through the 103rd Constitutional Amendment in 2019 and applies to central recruitments; some state governments adopted it with different figures and some have not applied it to every cadre.
Recruitments governed by a post-based roster, cadre-specific rules, departmental promotion quotas or court orders can show a split that no percentage model reproduces. The tool cannot see any of that, so treat the output as a first estimate and the notification's own vacancy table as the final word.
The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
›Does UR mean posts only for General category candidates?
No. UR stands for Unreserved, the open-competition pool. Any candidate, including SC, ST, OBC or EWS candidates who clear the unreserved cut-off without using a relaxation, can be selected against a UR post. General category candidates have no reserved seats of their own, so UR is the only pool they compete in, which is where the confusion comes from.
›Why is my state's reservation split different from this calculator?
Because reservation percentages are set separately by each state for its own services. Many states reserve different shares for SC, ST and backward classes than the centre does, add categories such as MBC or EBC, and apply EWS differently or not at all. This tool uses only the central pattern, so for a state PSC, police or board recruitment read the reservation roster in that notification.
›Why do the category seats not match percent times total exactly?
Posts come in whole numbers. Multiplying 47 posts by 7.5 percent gives 3.525 posts for ST, which has to become 3 or 4. The tool rounds every row down and then gives the leftover posts, one each, to the rows with the largest fractional parts, so the five rows always add up to the exact total. Plain rounding of each row can overshoot or undershoot by a post or two.
›Does the calculator include PwBD, ex-servicemen or women reservation?
No. Those are horizontal reservations that run across the vertical categories shown here. Under the RPwD Act 2016, 4 percent of central posts are reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities, and ex-servicemen and women quotas apply to many posts as per the notification. The seats for them are carved out of each vertical category, so the tool's five rows already contain them rather than leaving them out of the total.
›What does the split look like for a notification with only one or two posts?
With one post the tool assigns it to UR, since UR has the largest fractional share (0.405). With two posts, UR (0.81) and OBC (0.54) take one each. In practice, a cadre's reservation roster decides which category a specific vacancy belongs to, so a single advertised post can be reserved for SC, ST or OBC depending on the roster point. Rely on the notification for small recruitments.
›Is EWS reservation applied in every central government recruitment?
It is applied in direct recruitment to central government posts and most central PSUs since 2019, and the 10 percent EWS row on most SSC and railway notifications reflects that. It does not apply to promotions, and some autonomous bodies and state-level organisations follow their own rules. If a notification shows no EWS column, the tool's EWS row simply does not apply to that recruitment.