SSC CGL 2026 Syllabus – Exam Pattern

SSC CGL 2026 Syllabus – Tier 1 and Tier 2 exam pattern

The SSC CGL 2026 syllabus covers two tiers. Tier 1 is a screening test and Tier 2 is where your merit rank is decided. Applications close on 22 June 2026. Read the official notification PDF for the complete official syllabus. Last updated: 04.06.2026.

Tier 1 exam pattern

Duration: 60 minutes. Negative marking: 0.50 marks per wrong answer. PwBD candidates get 80 minutes. This is a screening round — your Tier 1 score does not go into the final merit.

Tier 1 syllabus – subject wise

Quantitative aptitude (25 questions)

Number system, decimals and fractions, LCM and HCF, ratio and proportion, percentage, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, discount, mixture and alligation, time and work, time and distance, mensuration (2D and 3D), data interpretation (tables, bar graphs, pie charts), basic algebra, geometry (lines, triangles, circles), trigonometry, surds and indices, sequence and series.

General intelligence and reasoning (25 questions)

Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualization, spatial orientation, problem solving, number and alphabetical series, coding and decoding, critical thinking, blood relations, direction sense, calendars and clocks, Venn diagrams, statement and conclusions, syllogism, statement and argument, matrix questions, figural classification and completion.

General awareness (25 questions)

Indian history, Indian polity and constitution, geography (India and world), economics, general science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), current events (national and international), awards and honours, sports, books and authors, government schemes, science and technology, environment and ecology.

English comprehension (25 questions)

Reading comprehension, cloze test, para jumbles, fill in the blanks, error detection and correction, active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, synonyms and antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms and phrases, spelling correction, sentence improvement, out of context sentence.

Tier 2 exam pattern

Paper I (Compulsory for all posts)

Negative marking for Sessions 1 and 2: 1 mark per wrong answer. English module (Session 2, Module I): 0.25 marks per wrong answer.

Paper II – Statistics (for JSO post only)

100 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours. Negative marking: 0.50 marks per wrong answer. Topics: collection and representation of data, measures of central tendency and dispersion, moments, skewness and kurtosis, correlation and regression, probability theory, random variables, probability distributions, sampling theory, statistical inference, analysis of variance, time series, index numbers.

Paper III – General Studies Finance and Economics

100 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours. For Statistical Investigator Gr-II and Compiler posts. Negative marking: 0.50 marks. Topics: finance and accounts, economics and governance, fundamental principles of accounting, financial rules, national income and related aggregates, money and banking, fiscal policy, Indian economy and planning.

Preparation tips

• Tier 1 Quant: NCERT Class 10-12 Maths covers the base. Solve 50 previous year papers — SSC repeats many question types. DI questions are getting more frequent in recent years.
• Tier 1 GA: Focus on last 6 months current affairs and static GK (polity, geography, history). This section separates candidates who are close to the cut off.
• Tier 1 English: Reading Comprehension has high accuracy potential. Idioms and one-word substitution need vocabulary work — start early.
• Tier 2 Paper I: Session 1 Math has 30 questions carrying 90 marks. Accuracy here matters more than speed. Do not attempt questions you are unsure of given the 1-mark penalty.
• DEST (Data Entry Speed Test): Practice typing regularly — 8,000 key depressions per hour is the qualifying standard. This is a pure skill test, not content-based.

Important links

Apply before 22 June 2026 at the SSC CGL 2026 vacancy page. The SSC CGL 2026 admit card page will be updated once SSC announces the hall ticket date.

Written By: GD Sarkari Naukri Desk

Tracks central and state government recruitment notifications, admit cards, results and cut-offs for Global Drishti, verified directly against official recruitment portals and notification PDFs. Trusted by students and job aspirants nationwide.