Syllabus · SSC exams
SSC CGL Syllabus & Exam Pattern
Version SSC CGL 2026 notice · current
SSC Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026. Tier-I 200 marks (qualifying), Tier-II Paper-I decides merit; extra papers for JSO and AAO.
Exam facts
- Conducted byStaff Selection Commission
- Age (as on 1 Aug 2026)18–27, 20–30, 18–30 or 18–32 years, depending on the post
- QualificationGraduation (some posts need specific subjects)
- StagesTier-I → Tier-II (Paper-I for all; Paper-II for JSO; Paper-III for AAO)
- Negative markingTier-I: 0.50 per wrong answer. Tier-II Paper-I (Sections I–III): 1 mark. Papers II and III: 0.50
- Qualifying onlyComputer Knowledge Test and Data Entry Speed Test (DEST)
- DESTAbout 2,000 key depressions in 15 minutes
- Tentative datesTier-I: Aug–Sep 2026; Tier-II: Dec 2026
Exam pattern
Tier-I (objective)
- General Intelligence & Reasoning25 Qs50 marks15 min
- General Awareness25 Qs50 marks15 min
- Quantitative Aptitude25 Qs50 marks15 min
- English Comprehension25 Qs50 marks15 min
- Total100 Qs200 marks60 min
Sectional timer of 15 minutes per subject.
Tier-II Paper-I, Session-I
- Section I-A: Mathematical Abilities30 Qs90 marks30 min
- Section I-B: Reasoning & General Intelligence30 Qs90 marks30 min
- Section II-A: English Language & Comprehension45 Qs135 marks40 min
- Section II-B: General Awareness25 Qs75 marks20 min
- Section III: Computer Knowledge (qualifying)20 Qs60 marks15 min
- Total150 Qs450 marks2 hr 15 min
3 marks per question. Session-II on the same day: Data Entry Speed Test, 15 minutes (qualifying).
Tier-II Papers II and III (only for some posts)
- Paper-II: Statistics (JSO)100 Qs200 marks2 hours
- Paper-III: General Studies – Finance & Economics (AAO)100 Qs200 marks2 hours
2 marks per question; 0.50 negative marking.
Topic-wise syllabus
Tap a subject to see its topics.
General Intelligence & Reasoning 13
- Analogy (semantic, number, figural)
- Classification (semantic, number, figural)
- Series (semantic, number, figural)
- Coding-decoding
- Venn diagrams
- Space orientation and visualisation
- Paper folding / punched hole
- Embedded figures
- Drawing inferences, critical thinking
- Indexing, address matching, date and city matching
- Numerical and symbolic operations
- Word building
- Emotional and social intelligence
Quantitative Aptitude / Mathematical Abilities 11
- Number system: whole numbers, decimals, fractions
- Percentage, ratio and proportion, square roots, averages
- Simple and compound interest, profit and loss, discount
- Partnership, mixture and alligation
- Time and distance, time and work
- Algebra: basic identities, elementary surds, graphs of linear equations
- Geometry: triangle and its centres, congruence and similarity, circles (chords, tangents)
- Mensuration: triangle, quadrilaterals, polygons, circle, prism, cone, cylinder, sphere, hemisphere, pyramid
- Trigonometry: ratios, degree and radian, standard identities, complementary angles, heights and distances
- Charts: histogram, frequency polygon, bar diagram, pie chart
- Tier-II adds: mean, median, mode, standard deviation, simple probability
English Comprehension 12
- Spot the error
- Fill in the blanks
- Synonyms / homonyms, antonyms
- Spellings / misspelt words
- Idioms and phrases
- One-word substitution
- Improvement of sentences
- Active / passive voice
- Direct / indirect narration
- Shuffling of sentence parts and sentences
- Cloze passage
- Comprehension passage
General Awareness 7
- Current events
- History and culture of India
- Geography of India and neighbouring countries
- Indian polity and constitution
- Economy and general policy
- Everyday science and scientific research
- Environment
Computer Knowledge (Tier-II) 5
- Computer basics: CPU, input/output devices, memory, backup devices, ports
- Windows Explorer and keyboard shortcuts
- Windows OS and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Internet and e-mail: browsing, downloading, uploading, e-banking
- Networking devices and protocols; cyber threats (hacking, virus, worms, Trojans) and prevention
Pattern, marks, timing, age and marking scheme are from the official source: SSC CGL 2026 notice (21 May 2026). Topic lists follow the notification’s syllabus where it gives one; otherwise they are the standard topics asked in past papers. Always confirm with the latest official notification before the exam.
Version history
- Current: SSC CGL 2026 notice
When a new notification changes the pattern or syllabus, the new version is added on top and the older versions stay listed here.