SSCUsual cycle
SSC CHSL
Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination
- Age
- 18–27
- Qualification
- 12th pass
- Usually
- Notified around April–June
Combined Graduate Level Examination
SSC CGL · also known as CGL
Overview
The biggest graduate-level exam for Group B and C posts in central ministries and departments: Income Tax and GST inspectors, assistants in the CSS, auditors, accountants and more.
Posts: Assistant Section Officer, Inspector (Income Tax, GST, Examiner), Sub-Inspector (CBI, NIA), Auditor, Accountant, Junior Statistical Officer, Tax Assistant and others.
Important dates
No official dates have been published for the next cycle yet.
Usual yearly cycle
| Notification | June |
|---|---|
| Applications | June–July |
| Exam | September (Tier 1), December–January (Tier 2) |
| Result | 3–6 months after Tier 2 |
Eligibility
Age
18–32 years. Depends on the post: most are 18–27, some 20–30 or up to 32. Counted on 1 August (cut-off date in the notice).
| Category | Upper age limit | Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| General | 32 years | No limit |
| EWS | 32 years | No limit |
| OBC | 35 years (+3) | No limit |
| SC | 37 years (+5) | No limit |
| ST | 37 years (+5) | No limit |
| PwBD (General) | 42 years (+10) | No limit |
PwBD candidates from OBC/SC/ST get their category relaxation on top (central government rules). Ex-servicemen and some departmental candidates get further relaxation as per the notice.
Qualification
A bachelor's degree in any subject. Junior Statistical Officer needs 60% in Maths at 12th or Statistics in the degree; some posts need a specific degree.
Nationality
Citizen of India (some posts also accept subjects of Nepal or Bhutan and certain persons of Indian origin, as the notice states).
Exam pattern
1. Tier 1
Qualifying; marks aren't added to the final merit.
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, English (25 questions each) | 100 | 200 | 60 minutes | 0.5 a question |
2. Tier 2
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I: Maths, Reasoning, English, General Awareness, Computer knowledge, data entry speed test | — | 390 | 2 hours 15 minutes | 1 a question in Section I–II |
| Paper II: Statistics (JSO only) | — | 200 | 2 hours | — |
Syllabus
An outline of the main topics. The official notification has the full syllabus.
Reasoning
- Analogies, classification, series
- Coding-decoding
- Syllogism, Venn diagrams
- Blood relations, direction sense
- Non-verbal reasoning
Quantitative Aptitude
- Percentage, ratio, profit and loss
- Interest, time and work, speed
- Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mensuration
- Data interpretation
English
- Grammar, error spotting
- Vocabulary, idioms
- Comprehension, cloze test
General Awareness
- Current affairs
- History, geography, polity, economy
- General science
Selection process
Tier 1 (qualifying) → Tier 2 → document verification. Some posts add a skill test.
Salary and vacancies
Pay: Pay Level 4 to 8 (₹25,500–₹47,600 basic) depending on the post (approx.).
Vacancies: About 8,000–18,000 posts a year in recent cycles.
Latest notices
- Answer key
- Answer key
- Notice
- Notice
- Notice
- Notice
- Notice
- Notice
- Result
- Notice
- Notice
- Notice
- Result
- Notice
- Result
Frequently asked questions
Can final-year students apply?
Yes, if they graduate by the cut-off date in the notice.
This page summarises the most recent official notification and is approximate: age limits, pattern, fees and vacancies change from year to year. Always read the official notification on ssc.gov.in before applying.