Government · Central · Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
SSC Combined Graduate Level
Tier 1 only shortlists. Selection is 390 Tier-2 marks — and each wrong answer swings four.
What this exam is
One exam fills some sixty Group B and C posts across the central government — tax assistants, ASOs, inspectors, auditors. The 2025 cycle's funnel: roughly 28 lakh registered, 13.5 lakh sat Tier 1, 1.39 lakh reached Tier 2, and 15,118 were finally selected — about 1.1% of those who appeared. The 2026 cycle is live: 12,256 tentative vacancies, applications closed in June, Tier 1 due August–September.
The structure misleads beginners: Tier 1 marks never count in selection. It is a pure screen — 100 questions in 60 minutes at −0.50 per wrong, with recent UR cutoffs between 137 and 153 out of 200, roughly 75% scoring just to stay alive. Merit is built almost entirely on Tier 2 Paper-I's Sections I and II: 390 marks at 3 per question and −1 per wrong, so every error swings four marks. The 2024 final cutoff was 322.77 of 390 — there is essentially no error budget. English alone carries 135 of those 390 marks, more than Maths or Reasoning.
From 2026 the exam changed shape: hard 15-minute sectional timers in Tier 1, each section locking shut when its clock dies. The old strategy — rush General Awareness, bank ten minutes for Quant — is gone; you now need four separately-paced sections. And two pass/fail gates eliminate quietly: the computer-knowledge module and the typing test (2,000 key depressions in 15 minutes). Preparing means two gears — 10th-level maths at 36 seconds a question, then the same domains harder and slower — plus typing practice nobody budgets for.
Who can sit it
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline (JSO additionally needs 60% in Class-12 Maths or Statistics at graduation)
- Age by post, on 1 Aug 2026: 18–27 for most clerical posts, 18–30 for ASO/Inspector posts, 20–30 for AAO and CBI/NIA SI
- Relaxations: OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10 to +15 years
- No cap on attempts — the age window is the only limit
- Fee ₹100; women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen exempt
The paper, stage by stage
| Stage | Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | General Intelligence & Reasoning · General Awareness · Quantitative Aptitude · English (25 Q each; shortlisting only — marks don't count in merit) | 100 | 200 | 60 min — 15 min per section, hard-locked (new 2026) |
| Tier 2 · Paper-I | Section I: Mathematical Abilities 30 + Reasoning 30 (3 marks/Q, −1 per wrong) | 60 | 180 | 60 min (30 + 30) |
| Tier 2 · Paper-I | Section II: English Language & Comprehension 45 + General Awareness 25 — merit = Sections I + II (390) | 70 | 210 | 60 min (40 + 20) |
| Tier 2 · Paper-I | Section III: Computer Knowledge Test (qualifying only; higher bar for ASO/Inspector-type posts) | 20 | 60 (not in merit) | 15 min |
| Tier 2 · Paper-I | Section IV: Data Entry Speed Test — ~2,000 key depressions (qualifying; fails eliminate) | — | No marks | 15 min |
| Tier 2 · Paper-II | Statistics — JSO / Statistical Investigator candidates only (−0.50 per wrong) | 100 | 200 | 2 hours |
| Tier 2 · Paper-III | General Studies (Finance & Economics) — AAO/AAcO candidates only (−0.50 per wrong) | 100 | 200 | 2 hours |
Live demo — no signup
Try SSC CGL questions.
Watch the AI read you.
Original items in this exam's style — a timer armed the moment you saw them. Your answer and your seconds produce the diagnosis.
A trader marks an article 50% above its cost price and allows a 20% discount on the marked price. If he still earns a profit of Rs 60, what is the cost price of the article?
Your diagnosis appears here
The engine is watching the clock, not just the answer.
Common questions
SSC CGL — frequently asked
Who conducts SSC CGL?
SSC Combined Graduate Level is conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC).
When is the next SSC CGL exam?
CGL 2026 is mid-cycle: applications closed 25 June, Tier 1 sits in the calendar's August–September window (exact dates awaited), Tier 2 expected December 2026. SSC's recent rhythm: notification May–June → Tier 1 September → Tier 2 January → final result by May.
How many vacancies or seats does SSC CGL have?
12,256 tentative (2026 cycle); 15,130 final (2025).
What is the SSC CGL exam pattern?
The paper is Tier 1: 100 MCQs. Tier 2 Paper-I: 150 scored + typing test. Timing: Tier 1: 60 min (4 × 15-min locked sections). Tier 2 Paper-I: ~2h30m in timed modules.
Is there negative marking in SSC CGL?
−0.50 per wrong in Tier 1; −1 per wrong in Tier 2 Paper-I.
What is the eligibility for SSC CGL?
Bachelor's degree in any discipline (JSO additionally needs 60% in Class-12 Maths or Statistics at graduation) Age by post, on 1 Aug 2026: 18–27 for most clerical posts, 18–30 for ASO/Inspector posts, 20–30 for AAO and CBI/NIA SI Relaxations: OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10 to +15 years No cap on attempts — the age window is the only limit Fee ₹100; women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen exempt
How many candidates appear for SSC CGL?
~28 lakh registered, ~13.5 lakh appeared in Tier 1 (2025).
Which languages is SSC CGL available in?
Hindi & English (English sections in English only).
What is the SSC CGL syllabus?
The paper covers Quantitative Aptitude (10th-level, at speed), Advanced maths: geometry, trigonometry, mensuration, Data Interpretation, Reasoning & General Intelligence, English Language & Comprehension, General Awareness & Current Affairs, Statistics (Paper-II, JSO track), Finance & Economics (Paper-III, AAO track), Computer Knowledge (qualifying), Data-entry typing (qualifying).
Related
Others sitting this one also prepare for
IBPS Clerk
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)
No interview. The mains score is 100% of the merit — and you compete only against people who picked the same state.
IBPS RRB
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), for the Regional Rural Banks
The largest banking intake of the year — and for the clerical posts the local language is not a formality but a gate.
RRB NTPC
Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Ministry of Railways
1.21 crore applications for 11,558 posts — and a score that is normalised against strangers who sat a different shift.
UPSC CSE
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Three stages over 13 months. 9.4 lakh applicants, 958 selected. Prelims marks don't count.
Honesty note: Adversarial verify pass pending (agent budget) — both question keys manually re-solved and confirmed. Scheme facts (sectional timers, −1 marking, merit arithmetic, DEST standards) were read directly from the official CGL 2026 notice PDF by one researcher. Conflicts noted: 2025 final-result date reported as both 8 Apr (allocation round) and 14 May 2026 — treated as allocation then final; CGL 2024 final vacancy figure 18,236 is single-source; no single official figure for the 2025 final cutoff (per-post range 317–396). Topic weightages are prep-community analysis, not official. Whether 2026 Tier 1 runs single-shift or multi-shift is unannounced.
You've read the brief.
Now sit the paper.