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EXAM SYLLABUS

Candidates need to know the syllabus to appear in SSC CGL (TIER-I) Exam.

General Intelligence & Reasoning

General Awareness

Quantitative Aptitude

English Comprehension

SSC CGL (TIER -I ) EXAM: Syllabus

General Intelligence & Reasoning:

General Awareness:

EXAM SYLLABUS

Candidates need to know the syllabus to appear in SSC CGL (TIER-I) Exam.

General Intelligence & Reasoning

General Awareness

Quantitative Aptitude

English Comprehension

SSC CGL (TIER -I ) EXAM: Syllabus

General Intelligence & Reasoning:

General Awareness:

Numerical Aptitude:

English Comprehension:

SCHEME OF EXAMS

EXAM PATTERN

Understanding the SSC CGL exam pattern is crucial for effective preparation. The exam is conducted in two tiers—Tier I and Tier II, each consisting of multiple sections. Candidates should be familiar with the structure of both stages to plan their strategy efficiently. Here is a detailed overview of the SSC CGL 2026 exam pattern for both tiers.

Tier I is the preliminary stage and is qualifying in nature (used for shortlisting for Tier II).

Mode

Computer-Based Examination (Online)

Duration

60 minutes (1 hour)

Total Questions

100 Questions

Total Marks

200 Marks

Sections (4 Sections – Equal Weightage):

General Intelligence & Reasoning

25 Questions

50 Marks

General Awareness

25 Questions

50 Marks

Quantitative Aptitude

25 Questions

50 Marks

English Comprehension

25 Questions

50 Marks

Marking Scheme

2 marks for each correct answer

Negative marking: 0.50 mark deducted for each wrong answer

Key Points

All questions are objective (MCQ).

Normalisation is applied due to multiple shifts.

Marks are used to shortlist candidates for Tier II.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Candidates willing to Apply for SSC CGL Examination are Required to Fulfill Certain Conditions to be Eligible for it. The Candidate who does not Satisfy the Eligibility Criteria Like Age, Minimum Educational Qualification, Their Candidature shall be Rejected by the Authorities.The Criteria for Eligibility SSC CGL are Decided by the Conduction Body Itself.

1. Nationality

2. Age Limit & Relaxations

3. Educational Qualifications

4. Medical Standards

Nationality

A candidate must be either :

A Citizen of India or

A subject of Nepal or

A subject of Bhutan or

 A Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 to permanently settle in India or

A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam to permanently settle in India, shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

Note:- A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary may be admitted to the Examination but the offer of appointment will be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issued to him by the Government of India. Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (2), (3), (4), and (5) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

Age Limit & Relaxation

Relaxation in the Upper Age Limit

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Candidates willing to Apply for SSC CGL Examination are Required to Fulfill Certain Conditions to be Eligible for it. The Candidate who does not Satisfy the Eligibility Criteria Like Age, Minimum Educational Qualification, Their Candidature shall be Rejected by the Authorities.The Criteria for Eligibility SSC CGL are Decided by the Conduction Body Itself.

1. Nationality

2. Age Limit & Relaxations

3. Educational Qualifications

4. Medical Standards

Nationality

A candidate must be either :

A Citizen of India or

A subject of Nepal or

A subject of Bhutan or

 A Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 to permanently settle in India or

A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam to permanently settle in India, shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

Note:- A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary may be admitted to the Examination but the offer of appointment will be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issued to him by the Government of India. Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (2), (3), (4), and (5) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

Age Limit & Relaxation

Relaxation in the Upper Age Limit

Educational Qualifications

In order to be Eligible for SSC CGL Examination, the Candidates are Required to Possess at least a Graduation Degree from a Recognized University or Institute. The Candidates Appearing in the Final Year of their Graduation can also Apply for SSC CGL however, they must possess the SSC CGL. However, Detailed Information Regarding Educational Qualifications for Different Posts is given below:

Medical Standerd

Physical standards for the post of Inspector (Central Excise/Examiner/Preventive Officer), Inspector & Sub-Inspector in CBN:-

Note:- Physical standards are only applicable for the Selected posts.

Note: For the Post of Inspector (Central Excise/ Examiner/ Preventive Officer), Persons with Disabilities will have to Meet the Pphysical Standards like- Height, Chest and Weight s Prescribed for the Relevant Post. However, for Orthopaedically Disabled Candidates, the following Relaxation in Physical Test is allowed:

a) The test of “Walking” shall not be insisted in the case of OL and OAL categories.

b) The test of “Cycling” shall not be insisted in the case of OA, OL, and OAL categories.

IMPORTANT DATES

As per the Staff Selection Commission Calendar 2026–27, the SSC CGL 2026 notification will be released in March 2026. The online application process, including fee payment and the application correction window, will be available from March to April 2026. The city intimation slip and Tier 1 admit card are expected in April 2026, while the Tier 1 examination will be conducted between May and June 2026. The Tier 2 exam date will be announced later.

EXAM ANALYSIS

Last Conducted SSC CGL Exam (2025 Cycle) 

Tier-I (2025) – Computer Based Exam

The SSC CGL Tier-I exam for the 2025 cycle was conducted over a period from September 12 to September 26, 2025, in computer-based mode. Candidates appeared in multiple shifts each day across the exam window.

The exam included four main sections:

General Intelligence and Reasoning

General Awareness

Quantitative Aptitude

English Comprehension.

Tier-I – Shift & Timing Details

Tier-I in the 2025 cycle was held in three shifts per day, and reporting and shift timings were generally as follows (based on official patterns from admit cards and SSC instructions):

Shift 1: Reporting around 7:30 AM, Exam 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Shift 2: Reporting around 11:00 AM, Exam 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Shift 3: Reporting around 2:30 PM, Exam 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

These timings were shared by SSC coaching sources and multiple official admit card guidelines.

Candidates were given clear instructions to reach the center well in advance for verification, biometric checks, and document verification before the exam started.

Tier-I admit cards were released about 2–3 days before each candidate’s exam date.

Due to the number of applicants and the long exam window, the commission followed a normalisation process to adjust scores from various shifts so that scoring differences due to difficulty level variations were balanced.

Tier-II (2025 Cycle) – SSC CGL Mains

The SSC CGL Tier-II examination was conducted on January 18 and January 19, 2026.

Tier-II Pattern Highlights (2025 cycle):

Paper I was mandatory for most posts, covering Mathematics, Reasoning, English, Awareness, and Computer Knowledge.

Paper II (Statistics) was for Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) applicants.

January 19 was typically used for skill-based parts like Data Entry Speed Test and qualifying sections when applicable.

Exact shift timings for Tier-II exams are officially published on the admit card for each candidate. Typically, the morning slot starts around 9:00 AM with main papers and afternoon slots (after a break) for remaining modules.

Tier-II admit cards are usually released several days before the exam once the Tier-I result and shortlists are published.

Pattern, Difficulty & Normalisation (2025 Cycle)

Tier-I Analysis

The SSC CGL Tier-I exam comprised objective questions across four sections with one-hour duration in each shift. Due to a long exam window (September 12–26), there were many shifts. SSC used normalisation to compare candidate performance fairly across these shifts.

Because of the shift-wise structure, difficulty levels could vary slightly, which is the reason behind the normalisation methodology.

Tier-II Analysis

Tier-II is more advanced with multiple papers and modules.

Paper I tests deeper reasoning, English, maths and computer skills.

Statistics paper (Paper II) is more subject-specialised.

Unlike Tier-I, Tier-II has post-specific modules (for example JSO statistics). Candidates need to be prepared for all relevant modules that they are eligible for based on their posts.

What This Means for SSC CGL 2026 Preparation

From the latest cycle patterns you can expect:

Longer Tier-I windows where exams may be spread over many days in multiple shifts.

Shift-wise exams require normalisation, so focus on maximizing raw scores.

Consistency in Tier-II pattern with Paper I compulsory for most posts.

Reports and city slips released just before exam windows, so candidates should be ready well in advance.

Reporting times remain early morning and mid-day depending on shift allotment.

For 2026, the official notification is expected to be released in March 2026 (tentative) and Tier-I may be conducted in May-June 2026 based on the latest SSC calendar trends.

Key Insights from 2025 Cycle

Tier-I was conducted over a period of two weeks with three shifts per day.

Normalisation was used due to multiple shift exams.

Tier-II spanned two days with different papers for different posts.

Admit cards and city slips are released shortly before exams.

STUDY TIPS

1. Understand the Exam Structure Clearly

Before starting preparation, understand that SSC CGL has Tier-I (qualifying + scoring) and Tier-II (main ranking stage). Tier-I tests speed and accuracy, while Tier-II demands deep conceptual clarity, especially in Maths and English. Your preparation must gradually shift from coverage - practice - accuracy - speed.

2. Focus on High-Weightage Topics

Do not try to study everything equally. Identify frequently asked topics:

Maths: Percentage, Ratio, Average, Time & Work, Algebra basics

Reasoning: Series, Coding-Decoding, Analogy, Syllogism

English: Error spotting, vocabulary, comprehension

GA: Static GK + last 6–8 months current affairs

This ensures maximum return on effort.

3. Build Strong Basics First

Many candidates fail because they jump directly to mock tests. Spend the first phase strengthening fundamentals. If basics are clear, difficult questions also become manageable, especially in Tier-II Maths and English.

4. Practice Daily with Time Limits

SSC is not about knowledge alone; it is about speed with accuracy. Always practice questions with a timer. Even while studying theory, solve examples immediately to reinforce learning.

5. Make Short Notes for Revision

Prepare handwritten short notes for:

Maths formulas

Grammar rules

Vocabulary

Static GK facts

These notes are extremely helpful during the final revision stage.

6. Mock Tests and Analysis Are Mandatory

Mock tests are useless without analysis. After every mock:

Identify weak areas

Note repeated mistakes

Revise concepts before taking the next test

This habit alone can improve marks by 20–30 points.

7. Accuracy Over Attempts

Due to negative marking, random guessing reduces final scores. Train yourself to attempt questions you are confident about. Accuracy above 85 percent is ideal.

8. Consistency Is More Important Than Long Hours

Studying 4–6 focused hours daily for months is far better than irregular long sessions. SSC preparation rewards discipline and repetition.

STUDY PLANS

PHASE 1: FOUNDATION STAGE (First 2–3 Months)

Objective: Build strong conceptual clarity

Daily Study Time: 4–5 hours

Subjects Focus:

Maths: Arithmetic basics (percentage, ratio, average, time & work)

Reasoning: Basic verbal and non-verbal topics

English: Grammar rules + basic vocabulary

GA: Static GK (history, polity, geography, science)

Daily Structure:

Maths: 90 minutes (concept + practice)

Reasoning: 60 minutes

English: 60 minutes

GA: 45 minutes

Revision: 30 minutes

Output:

Strong basics, reduced fear of Maths, better reading and reasoning ability

PHASE 2: PRACTICE & SPEED BUILDING STAGE (Next 2 Months)

Objective: Improve speed, accuracy, and topic coverage

Daily Study Time: 5–6 hours

Focus Areas:

Mixed practice sets for each subject

Sectional mock tests (2–3 per week)

Current affairs (last 6–8 months)

Daily Structure:

Maths practice: 2 hours

Reasoning practice: 1 hour

English practice: 1 hour

GA + current affairs: 1 hour

Mock analysis: 30–45 minutes

Output:

Improved question selection, faster calculations, confidence in mocks

PHASE 3: FULL MOCK & ANALYSIS STAGE (Last 2–3 Months Before Tier-I)

Objective: Exam readiness

Daily Study Time: 6–7 hours

Key Activities:

Full-length mock tests (3–4 per week)

Detailed analysis after every test

Weak area revision

Formula and note revision

Daily Structure:

Mock test or practice: 2 hours

Analysis: 1.5 hours

Weak topic revision: 2 hours

GA + current affairs revision: 1 hour

English vocabulary & grammar revision: 30 minutes

Output:

High accuracy, controlled speed, exam temperament developed

PHASE 4: TIER-II FOCUSED PREPARATION (After Tier-I)

Objective: Rank improvement and selection

Focus Areas:

Advanced Maths (Algebra, Geometry, Data Interpretation)

Advanced English (Comprehension, sentence improvement, vocabulary)

Computer knowledge (basic theory + practice)

Quantitative aptitude depth practice

Study Pattern:

Maths: 3 hours daily

English: 2 hours daily

Computer knowledge: 1 hour

Mock tests: 3–4 per week with deep analysis

Output:

Strong Tier-II score leading to final selection

FINAL REVISION STRATEGY (Last 15–20 Days)

Revise short notes daily

Attempt only high-quality mocks

Focus on accuracy, not new topics

Maintain calm routine and proper sleep 

OVERVIEW

The SSC CGL Exam is a National-Level Recruitment Exam Conducted Annually by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). The purpose is to Recruit Eligible Graduates for Various Group B and Group C posts. SSC CGL Vacancy 2025 have been announced for Assistant Section Officer, Assistant Enforcement Officer, Sub Inspector, Inspector, Executive Officer, Research Assistant, Divisional Accountant, Junior Intelligence Officer, Junior Statistical Officer, Auditor, Accountant, Postal Assistant, Senior Secretariat Assistant, and Tax Assistant posts.

SELECTION PROCESS

The Staff Selection Commission conducts the SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) examination in multiple stages. The selection process consists of two main tiers followed by document verification.

Tier 1 – Computer-Based Examination (Qualifying)

Objective type (Multiple Choice Questions)

Subjects: General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, English Comprehension

Total: 100 questions, 200 marks

Duration: 60 minutes

Negative marking: 0.50 marks per wrong answer

Tier 1 is qualifying in nature. Marks are used for shortlisting candidates for Tier 2.

Tier 2 – Computer-Based Examination (Merit Stage)

Tier 2 is the main scoring stage and plays a crucial role in final selection.

Paper 1 (Compulsory for all posts)

Mathematical Abilities

Reasoning & General Intelligence

English Language & Comprehension

General Awareness

Computer Knowledge Test

Paper 2 (Only for Junior Statistical Officer – JSO)

Statistics

Paper 3 (Only for Assistant Audit Officer/Assistant Accounts Officer – AAO)

General Studies (Finance & Economics)

Tier 2 includes negative marking (usually 1 mark for certain sections and 0.50 in others).

Document Verification (DV)

Candidates who qualify Tier 2 are called for:

Document verification

Submission of educational certificates

Category certificates (if applicable)

Final merit is prepared based on Tier 2 performance.

Skill Test / Physical Test (If Applicable)

Some posts require additional qualifying tests:

Data Entry Speed Test (DEST)

Computer Proficiency Test (CPT)

Physical Standards Test (for specific inspector posts)