SSC CGL 2026 Syllabus – Tier 1 & Tier 2 Pattern

SSC CGL 2026 syllabus has four subjects in Tier 1 and three sections in Tier 2 Paper I. Tier 1 screens candidates in one hour, Tier 2 Paper I runs across three timed sessions. The pattern is from the official SSC CGL 2026 notification released on 21 May 2026. Last updated: 21.05.2026.

For vacancy details and application dates see the SSC CGL 2026 notification page.

Tier 1 exam pattern

Negative marking: 0.5 marks per wrong answer. Sectional timing of 15 minutes per subject — you cannot switch back to a previous section.

Tier 2 exam pattern

Negative marking in Tier 2: 1 mark per wrong in Paper I, 0.5 in Paper II and III. DEST (Data Entry Speed Test) is qualifying — mandatory for Tax Assistant and Postal Assistant posts.

Tier 1 syllabus – subject wise

General Intelligence and Reasoning (25 questions)

• Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation
• Problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making
• Arithmetical reasoning, figural classification
• Arithmetic number series, non-verbal series
• Coding and decoding, blood relations, direction sense
• Statement and conclusion, syllogistic reasoning
• Number analogy, matrix problems, word building

General Awareness (25 questions)

• Current affairs – national and international (last 6 months)
• Indian history, culture, geography
• Economy – budget basics, five year plans, government schemes
• Indian polity and constitution
• Science – Physics, Chemistry, Biology (class 10 level)
• Static GK – capitals, currencies, sports, awards, books and authors

Quantitative Aptitude (25 questions)

• Number systems, LCM and HCF, simplification
• Percentage, profit and loss, discount, simple and compound interest
• Ratio and proportion, time and work, pipes and cisterns
• Time, speed and distance, trains, boats and streams
• Mensuration – area, perimeter, volume of 2D and 3D shapes
• Data interpretation – bar graphs, pie charts, tables, line graphs
• Trigonometry – heights and distances, identities
• Algebra – basic identities, linear and quadratic equations
• Geometry – triangles, circles, quadrilaterals, coordinate geometry basics

English Comprehension (25 questions)

• Reading comprehension passages (2-3 passages)
• Fill in the blanks, sentence correction
• Synonyms, antonyms, one word substitution
• Idioms and phrases, spelling errors
• Active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech
• Para jumbles, cloze test

Tier 2 syllabus – Paper I

Section 1 – Mathematical abilities (30 Q) and Reasoning (30 Q)

Maths at Tier 2 covers everything from Tier 1 at higher difficulty plus statistics (mean, median, mode, standard deviation, variance), coordinate geometry, logarithms and advanced mensuration. Reasoning adds data sufficiency, Venn diagrams and analytical reasoning.

Section 2 – English (45 Q) and General Awareness (25 Q)

English comprehension at Tier 2 has harder passages, vocabulary in context, precise writing and complex sentence correction. GA at this level goes deeper into economy, polity and science than Tier 1.

Section 3 – Computer Knowledge (20 Q)

Computer basics, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), internet usage, email management, networking basics, cyber security, Windows OS operations and keyboard shortcuts.

Preparation tips

• Tier 1 is a speed exam. 15 minutes per section means roughly 36 seconds per question — skip and come back, but you cannot go to another section
• SSC repeats topics like mensuration, percentage, DI and trigonometry across years — previous papers are the best study material
• For GA, monthly current affairs magazines plus static GK from standard books covers most questions
• Tier 2 Maths adds statistics — mean, median, mode and standard deviation are asked almost every year in Paper I Section 1
• Computer section is easy but time-limited at 15 minutes — do not skip it, it is scoring

For admit card information see the SSC CGL 2026 admit card guide. Cut off analysis is on the SSC CGL 2026 cut off page.

Last updated: 21.05.2026

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