The SSC CGL Exam will be conducted in four tiers as indicated below:

  • Tier I- Computer Based Examination
  • Tier II- Computer Based Examination
  • Tier III- Pen and Paper Mode (Descriptive paper)
  • Tier IV- Computer Proficiency Test/ Skill Test (wherever applicable)/ Document Verification.

The table below gives an idea about the SSC CGL Exam Pattern:

TierSubjectNo. of questionsMaximum MarksTime allowed
Tier IGeneral Intelligence and Reasoning255060 Minutes (Total)

For VH/ OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/ deformity in writing hand- 80 Minutes.

General Awareness2550
Quantitative Aptitude2550
English Comprehension2550
Tier IIPaper 1- Quantitative abilities100200120 Minutes (for each Paper)

For VH/ OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/ deformity in writing hand- 160 Minutes

Paper 2- English language & Comprehension200200
Paper 3- Statistics100200
Paper 4- General Studies(Finance & Economics)100200

Aspirants preparing for any exam conducted by the Selection Commission can check the SSC General Awareness for relevant topics for preparing the General Awareness Section of the exams.

Tier III SSC CGL Exam Pattern:

TierMode of ExamScheme of ExamMaximum marksTime allowed
Tier IIIPen and Paper modeDescriptive Paper in Hindi/English

(Writing of Essays, Precis, Applications, etc.)

10060 Minutes

For VH/ OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/ deformity in writing hand- 80 Minutes

The SSC CGL syllabus covers major topics related to various subjects like – Reasoning, Aptitude, Current Affairs, English Language and Comprehension.

SSC CGL Syllabus for Tier I

Tier I comprises four sections-

  1. General Intelligence & Reasoning
  2. General Awareness
  3. Quantitative Aptitude/ SSC maths syllabus
  4. English Comprehension skills
English Comprehension skillsGeneral Intelligence & ReasoningGeneral AwarenessQuantitative Aptitude
Synonyms & Antonyms,

One Word Substitution, Vocab and grammar skills, Spotting the errors, Reading comprehension,
Sentence Rearrangement/Para Jumbles

Symbolic/Number Analogy, Semantic Classification,

Symbolic/Number Classification,

Space Visualization,

Venn Diagrams,

Drawing inferences

History- Harappa Civilization, Vedic culture, Medieval India and their important systems; India’s freedom movement and their leaders,

Geography- about countries and their geographical details, Famous seaports and airports and their location.

General Knowledge, current affairs

Number System Problems

Percentage.

Ratio & Proportion,

Square roots,

Averages,

Interest,

Complementary angles,

Heights and Distances,

Histogram,

Data analysis

Candidates can check important tips to master error spotting to attempt the question in exams with relative ease.

Aspirants can go through a variety of Sentence Correction Questions to understand how questions on sentence corrections are framed in the exam.

SSC CGL Syllabus for Tier II

The SSC CGL syllabus for Tier II will have 4 papers-

  1. Quantitative Aptitude
  2. English Language & Comprehension
  3. Statistics
  4. General Studies- Finance & Economics-

The detailed SSC CGL Syllabus for Tier-II Exam is given below:

Quantitative AptitudeEnglish Language & ComprehensionStatisticsGeneral Studies- Finance & Economics-
Number System Problems

Percentage,

Time and distance,

Time & Work,

Basic algebraic identities of School Algebra

Active and Passive Voice

Direct and indirect Speech conversion and narration,

Shuffling of sentence parts in passages,

Comprehension passage.

Data distribution, calculation, a diagrammatic representation of data, Moments and relationships- skewness, kurtosisEconomics-Macro & Micro Economics, Growth & Development

Market analysis- production, demand, supply,

Indian Economy,

Economic reforms,

Money and banking,

Role of Technology in reforming the Economic domain

Given in the link are Important Maths Tricks and shortcuts, check for assistance.

Candidates can go through SSC CGL Previous Year Question Papers to understand the scope of the syllabus the exam pattern of CGL well.

SSC CGL Syllabus for Tier III

The main aim of this Tier III exam is to evaluate the candidates’ language proficiency, grammar knowledge, vocabulary usage and writing skills in English/Hindi.

The topics for this exam can be related to current affairs and sensitive matters like- Demonetization, women empowerment, Terrorism, Right to equality, freedom of women in a country like India, etc.

Candidates need to write precis, application, letters, essays, passages as a part of the qualification for this exam.

Staff Selection Commission Syllabus for CGL Tier-IV

The syllabus for the SSC CGL Tier-IV exam is as follows:

SSC CGL TestDescriptionPost
Data Entry Speed test8,000 (eight thousand) Key Depression per hour on the ComputerTax Assistants( Central & Excise)
A passage of about 2000 (two thousand) key depressions for a duration of 15 (fifteen) minutes.
Computer Proficiency TestWord Processing

Spreadsheet

Generation of slides

Assistant Section Officer of Central Secretariat Service (CSS), Assistant Section Officer (MEA), Assistant in Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Assistant (GSI) in the Ministry of Mines.

Candidates should check the SSC CGL syllabus to get a clear idea of the exam topics and patterns for better preparation.

Important Pointers for SSC CGL Exam Pattern:

  • The Commission reserves the right to make changes in the scheme of examination.
  • As per the SSC exam pattern for the CGL exam, in Tier-I, there will be a negative marking of 0.50 for each wrong answer
  • In Tier-II, there will be a negative marking of 0.25 for each wrong answer in Paper-II (English Language and Comprehension) and of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer in Paper-I, Paper-III, and Paper-IV.
  • In Tier-II, Paper-I and Paper-II are compulsory for all the posts.
  • As per the SSC CGL Exam Pattern, in Tier-II, Paper-III will be for only those candidates who apply for the post of Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) and who are shortlisted in Tier-I for this Post/ Paper.
  • In Tier-II, Paper-IV will be for only those candidates who are shortlisted in Tier-I for Paper-IV i.e. for the posts of Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer.
  • The SSC CGL Exam Pattern has Computer Proficiency Test/ Skill Test (wherever applicable)/ Document Verification that is conducted as per the provisions of the notice of examination.
  • Candidates should check SSC CGL official notification from time to time for more details on the syllabus, exam pattern changes.