SSC Combined Graduate Level Examination

Overview

SSC CGL recruits graduates into Group B and Group C posts across central government ministries and departments — Assistant Section Officer, Inspector (various departments), Auditor, Junior Statistical Officer and more.

Conducting authority

Staff Selection Commission (SSC).

Nationality

Indian citizen; subjects of Nepal/Bhutan and certain other categories may also be eligible for specific posts as per that year's notification.

Educational qualification

A bachelor's degree from a recognised university; some specific posts (e.g. Junior Statistical Officer) require statistics/mathematics as a subject at degree level.

Age limit and relaxation

Category	Relaxation on upper age limit
General	None — post-wise limit applies as notified (commonly 18-32 years)
OBC	+3 years
SC / ST	+5 years
PwBD / Ex-servicemen and other categories	As per standard SSC relaxation rules in the year's notification

Age is calculated as on 1 August of the recruitment year; the exact upper limit varies by post, so always confirm it against the specific post applied for.

Number of attempts

No cap on the number of attempts — only the upper age limit for the post and category applies.

Stages

1. Tier I — Computer Based Examination
2. Tier II — Computer Based Examination (multiple papers depending on the post applied for)

Tier I pattern

Section	Questions
General Intelligence & Reasoning	25
General Awareness	25
Quantitative Aptitude	25
English Comprehension	25
Total	100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes (with sectional timing)

Tier II pattern

Paper	Applicable to	Marks
Paper I	All candidates (compulsory) — Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, English, General Awareness/Computer Knowledge	450
Paper II — Statistics	Junior Statistical Officer posts only	Varies by cycle — confirm in the current notification
Paper III — Finance & Economics	Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer posts only	Varies by cycle — confirm in the current notification

Marking scheme and negative marking

• Tier I: 0.50 marks deducted per wrong answer.
• Tier II: negative marking applies per paper/section as specified in that year's notification — it is not uniform across all Tier II papers, so check the applicable rate before assuming one.

Selection process

Tier I qualifies candidates for Tier II; final merit and post allocation is based on Tier II performance (plus Document Verification/Skill Test where the post requires it), not on Tier I marks.

How to prepare

Tier I rewards speed and accuracy under sectional time pressure — practising full-length timed mocks matters more here than in exams without sectional timing. Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning are the two sections where consistent daily practice compounds fastest; General Awareness is best built through a running current-affairs habit rather than a one-time revision push close to the exam.

Important dates

SSC CGL typically runs Tier I a few months after the notification, with Tier II following separately. Exact dates move every cycle — confirm them against the current notification rather than a previous year's calendar.

Frequently asked questions

• Do Tier I marks add to the final score? No — Tier I only qualifies candidates for Tier II; final merit is based on Tier II.
• Is Paper II or III compulsory for everyone? No — Paper II (Statistics) and Paper III (Finance & Economics) apply only to candidates targeting JSO or AAO/Assistant Accounts Officer posts respectively.
• Is there a fixed attempt limit? No — only the post-wise age limit restricts eligibility, not the number of attempts.

Official website

ssc.gov.in — confirm this cycle's exam dates, vacancy break-up and post-wise eligibility here.