March 27, 20269 min read

Medical Examination for Government Jobs: Standards, Common Rejections and How to Prepare

Complete guide to medical examination in government recruitment — eyesight standards, fitness criteria, department-wise requirements, common rejection reasons, appeal process, and LASIK rules.

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You've cleared the written exam, the skill test, and document verification. The last hurdle is the medical examination — and every year, candidates who've worked years for their selection get rejected here because they didn't know the medical standards or didn't address correctable issues in time.

Medical examination standards vary dramatically between departments. Defence has the strictest criteria, railways have specific vision requirements for safety-critical posts, and SSC/Banking have relatively basic fitness checks. Here's what you need to know for each.

When Does the Medical Exam Happen?

The medical examination is typically the last step in the recruitment process, after:

Written examination

Skill test / Physical test (if applicable)

Document Verification

Medical Examination

Final appointment

For some recruitments (defence, police, railway), the medical exam happens earlier in the process — sometimes immediately after the physical efficiency test. Check your specific exam notification for the exact sequence.

What Is Checked in the Medical Examination

The standard government medical examination covers:

Parameter	What's Checked	Standard
Eyesight	Visual acuity (distance and near), color vision	Varies by department — see table below
Hearing	Ability to hear conversational voice at specified distance	Usually 6 meters in each ear
Blood Pressure	Systolic and diastolic readings	Normal range: 120/80 mmHg (mild variations accepted)
Height and Weight	BMI ratio, minimum height for uniformed services	Varies by post and region
Flat Feet	Arch of the foot	Disqualifying for defence and police
Varicose Veins	Vein condition in legs	Disqualifying for uniformed services
Color Blindness	Ishihara test plates	Disqualifying for railway, defence, police
Hernia	Inguinal/umbilical hernia	Disqualifying if present — requires surgery first
Hydrocele	Scrotal examination (males)	Disqualifying in defence, some uniformed services
Dental	Number of functional teeth, dental fitness	Minimum 14 dental points in defence
Chest X-Ray	Lung condition, TB screening	Clear X-ray required
Urine Test	Sugar, albumin	Screening for diabetes, kidney issues
General Physical	Knock knees, bow legs, deformities	No significant deformities for uniformed services

Eyesight Standards by Department

This is the single most important table for candidates — eyesight is the most common reason for medical rejection:

Department/Post	Distant Vision (without glasses)	Distant Vision (with glasses)	Near Vision	Color Vision
Defence (Army/Navy/AF)	6/6 both eyes (combatant)	Not accepted for combatant roles	N5 both eyes	CP-III (Ishihara) required
Railway ALP/Technician	6/6 in one eye, 6/9 in other	Not accepted	N6 both eyes	Must pass all Ishihara plates
Railway NTPC (Station Master)	6/6 and 6/9 without glasses	—	N6 and N8	Required
Railway Group D	6/9 and 6/12	With correction to 6/6 and 6/9	N8 both eyes	Required for some posts
SSC CGL/CHSL	No specific uncorrected requirement	6/6 and 6/9 with or without glasses	N6 and N8	Not required for most posts
Banking (IBPS/SBI)	No specific uncorrected requirement	Reasonable corrected vision	Reasonable	Not mandatory
Police (State)	6/6 and 6/9 (varies by state)	Not accepted in most states	N6 and N8	Required

Key takeaway: If you're targeting Railway ALP or Defence, your uncorrected vision must meet standards — glasses are not accepted for these posts. For SSC and Banking, corrected vision (with glasses) is perfectly fine.

Common Medical Rejection Reasons

Reason	Affected Posts	Can It Be Fixed?
Color Blindness	Railway (all), Defence, Police	No — permanent condition, no treatment
Flat Feet (Pes Planus)	Defence, Police, CAPFs	Partial — orthotics help but severe cases are rejected
High Blood Pressure	All uniformed services	Yes — medication and lifestyle changes before medical
Low/Deficient Vision	Railway ALP, Defence	Partially — LASIK for some posts (see below)
Overweight/Underweight	Defence, Police	Yes — diet and exercise in advance
Hernia	Defence, Police, Railway	Yes — surgical correction accepted if healed
Hydrocele	Defence, CAPFs	Yes — surgical correction accepted
Varicose Veins	Defence, Police	Yes — treatment/surgery before medical
Diabetes (Type 2)	All posts (uncontrolled)	Managed diabetes not always disqualifying for desk jobs
Knock Knees / Bow Legs	Defence, Police	Mild cases may be accepted; severe cases are disqualifying

LASIK Surgery Rules

This is one of the most asked questions, and the rules differ significantly:

Where LASIK is accepted:

SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS — LASIK is accepted. Post-LASIK corrected vision must meet the standard
Banking (IBPS/SBI) — LASIK accepted. No specific restrictions
Railway NTPC — LASIK accepted for most non-safety posts
Police (most states) — LASIK accepted with a minimum 1-year gap between surgery and medical exam

Where LASIK is NOT accepted:

Defence (Army/Navy/Air Force) — LASIK/PRK is NOT accepted for combatant roles. Only certain non-combatant branches may accept it with restrictions
Railway ALP/Technician — LASIK is NOT accepted. Natural uncorrected vision of 6/6 is required because these are safety-critical posts (loco pilot driving trains)
Merchant Navy — Generally not accepted for deck officers

If considering LASIK: Get the surgery at least 12 months before your expected medical exam date. Carry the surgery certificate, pre-operative and post-operative records to the medical examination. Some boards may ask for a corneal topography report post-LASIK.

The Appeal and Re-Medical Process

If you're declared medically unfit, you have the right to appeal:

Appeal Period: Typically 15-30 days from the date of the medical examination result
Appeal Application: Submit a written appeal to the recruiting agency requesting re-medical examination
Re-Medical Board: A fresh medical board (different doctors) re-examines you
Re-Medical is Final: The decision of the re-medical board is generally final — there's no second appeal through the recruiting agency
Court Option: If you believe the medical rejection was incorrect, you can challenge it in CAT or High Court with supporting medical evidence from recognized hospitals

Success rate: Re-medical appeals succeed in a reasonable number of cases, especially for borderline blood pressure readings, minor vision discrepancies, and conditions that have been corrected since the first medical.

How to Prepare for the Medical Exam

Start preparing 3-6 months before your expected medical date:

1. Get a Pre-Medical Checkup Visit a private hospital and get a comprehensive health checkup covering all the parameters listed above. This gives you time to address issues. 2. Address Correctable Issues Early

High BP: Start medication if prescribed, reduce salt intake, regular exercise
Overweight: Systematic weight loss through diet and exercise — crash diets don't work and can worsen health
Hernia/Hydrocele: Get surgical correction done — minimum 6 months before the medical for full healing
Dental: Get dental work done (fillings, extractions) well in advance

3. Vision Preparation

Get your eyes tested at a government hospital to know your exact visual acuity
If LASIK is accepted for your target post and your vision is borderline, consider the surgery with adequate lead time (12+ months)
Practice Ishihara plates if color vision is required — you can't change color vision, but knowing whether you pass or fail helps you plan

4. On the Day

Get adequate sleep the night before (fatigue increases blood pressure readings)
Avoid caffeine and heavy meals before the exam
Carry all previous medical records, surgery certificates, and prescription details
Wear comfortable clothing — you'll need to change for the physical examination
Stay hydrated but don't overhydrate (can affect urine test readings)

Monitor medical exam schedules and standards for all active recruitments on SarkariNaukriHub.

FAQ

Q: Can I be rejected for wearing spectacles in SSC or Banking medical exam? No. For SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS) and Banking (IBPS, SBI) posts, wearing spectacles is perfectly acceptable. Your corrected vision (with glasses) must meet the standard, which is usually 6/6 and 6/9 or better. Spectacles are only an issue for Defence combatant roles and Railway ALP/Technician posts. Q: I have mild flat feet. Will I be rejected for SSC CGL? SSC CGL is an office-based post and flat feet is NOT a disqualifying condition for SSC CGL, CHSL, or Banking posts. Flat feet is checked only for uniformed/field services — Defence, Police, CAPFs. If your target is a desk job, flat feet is not an issue. Q: How long is the medical fitness certificate valid? The medical examination conducted by the recruiting agency is valid for that specific recruitment cycle only. If you're selected in a different exam later, you'll undergo a fresh medical. There's no universal validity period — each recruitment has its own medical. Q: Can controlled diabetes lead to medical rejection? For desk jobs (SSC CGL, Banking), controlled Type 2 diabetes with normal HbA1c levels is generally not disqualifying. For uniformed services (Defence, Police, CAPFs), diabetes may be disqualifying depending on severity. If you have diabetes, carry your latest HbA1c report and physician's certificate confirming it's well-controlled.