Your complete A–Z guide to SSC CGL 2026

SSC notifications are full of short forms. Before anything else, here is every abbreviation used in this guide and in the official notice, explained in simple words. Keep this handy — whenever you see a short form later, you can look it up here.

Exam & Process Terms

Category & Reservation Terms

Department & Post Abbreviations

Salary Terms

If you read nothing else, read this table. It summarises the whole notification in one place.

Every date below is taken directly from the official notice. Times are in 24-hour format; "23:00 hours" means 11:00 PM.

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is a Government of India body that recruits staff for central government ministries, departments and organisations. The Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination is its flagship exam for graduate-level posts.

Through one common exam, SSC fills a large number of different posts — from an Inspector of Income Tax, to an Assistant Section Officer in a ministry, to an Auditor or a Tax Assistant. You apply once, take a common exam, and based on your merit and the preferences you fill, you are allotted to a specific post and department.

It is a national-level exam taken by lakhs of graduates every year, conducted fully on computer (online). There is no fixed limit on the number of attempts — you can appear as many times as you remain within the age limit.

The notice lists the likely posts grouped by 7th Pay Commission "Pay Level". A higher pay level generally means higher pay. "Group B" posts are senior to "Group C" posts. "Gazetted" means the appointment is notified in the official gazette (a more senior status). The age limits below are explained fully in Section 7.

5.1 Pay Level 8 — ₹47,600 to ₹1,51,100

5.2 Pay Level 7 — ₹44,900 to ₹1,42,400

5.3 Pay Level 6 — ₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400

5.4 Pay Level 5 — ₹29,200 to ₹92,300

5.5 Pay Level 4 — ₹25,500 to ₹81,100

Your salary depends on the Pay Level of your post, your posting city (X/Y/Z, which decides HRA), and current allowance rates. The notice fixes the pay scale (basic pay range); allowances are added on top. The pay scales below are official; the approximate in-hand figures are indicative estimates based on current allowance rates and will vary.

* These in-hand ranges are estimates (for X/metro cities, before income tax) and are not part of the official notice. Actual amounts change with the current DA rate, your city category, and standard deductions (NPS, CGHS, CGEGIS).

There are three eligibility checks: Nationality, Age, and Educational Qualification. You must satisfy all three.

7.1 Nationality / Citizenship

A candidate must be one of the following:

• A citizen of India; OR
• A subject of Nepal; OR
• A subject of Bhutan; OR
• A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, or certain East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia) and Vietnam, with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Candidates in the last three groups need an eligibility certificate from the Government of India. They can sit the exam, but the appointment letter is issued only after that certificate is granted.

7.2 Age Limit (calculated as on 01 August 2026)

Different posts have different age bands. Your exact Date of Birth must fall inside the window shown below. The DoB is taken ONLY from your Matriculation (Class 10) certificate, and it cannot be changed later.

7.2.1 Upper Age Relaxation (extra years for certain categories)

Reserved categories get extra years above the upper age limit, as follows:

7.3 Educational Qualification (as on 01 August 2026)

The basic requirement for almost all posts is a Bachelor's degree (graduation). A few posts need something extra. Here is the post-specific breakdown:

Applications are accepted online only — on the SSC website (https://ssc.gov.in) or the 'MySSC' mobile app (from Google Play Store). The process has two parts: a one-time registration (OTR), then the actual application.

9.1 The Steps

9.2 Correction Window (if you make a mistake)

• Open from 29 June to 1 July 2026 (up to 23:00 hrs).
• You may correct and re-submit your form a maximum of two times.
• Charges: ₹200 (first correction), ₹500 (second correction) — for everyone, non-refundable, paid online.
• After the window closes, no change is possible by any means (post, email, etc.).

Selection is in two stages, both on computer (Computer Based Examination): Tier-I, then Tier-II. Below is the complete structure — number of questions, marks, time, and negative marking — exactly as in the notice.

10.1 Tier-I — Structure

Tier-I is a single objective (multiple-choice) paper of 100 questions and 200 marks. Questions are set in both English and Hindi, except the English Comprehension section.

10.2 Tier-II — Structure

Tier-II is the stage that decides your final merit. It has three papers, but not everyone sits all three:

• Paper-I — compulsory for ALL posts.
• Paper-II — only for Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) and Statistical Investigator Grade-II applicants (shortlisted in Tier-I for these posts).
• Paper-III — only for Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer applicants (shortlisted in Tier-I for these posts).

Paper-I (compulsory) — conducted in TWO sessions on the same day

Paper-I has four sections. Session-I covers Sections I, II and III (total 2 hours 15 minutes). Session-II covers Section IV, the typing test (15 minutes). Each scored question carries 3 marks.

DEST detail: a typing passage of about 2,000 key-depressions in 15 minutes. It is mandatory for all posts but only qualifying (its marks don't add to merit). Sections III and IV are qualifying in nature — you must clear them, but they do not add to your merit score (except they decide eligibility for computer-proficiency/DEST posts at higher standards).

Paper-II and Paper-III

Paper-III split: Part A — Finance & Accounts (80 marks); Part B — Economics & Governance (120 marks).

Tier-II — Negative Marking

• Paper-I (Sections I, II, III): 1 mark deducted for each wrong answer.
• Paper-II and Paper-III: 0.50 mark deducted for each wrong answer.
• Section-IV (DEST): it is a typing task, so normal negative marking does not apply; it is judged on errors (see qualifying standards below).

11.1 Minimum Qualifying Marks

To 'qualify' means to clear the minimum bar. The following minimum qualifying percentages apply to Tier-I, and to Sections I, II & III of Paper-I, plus Paper-II and Paper-III of Tier-II:

11.2 DEST (Section-IV of Paper-I) — Maximum Errors Allowed

DEST is judged on how few errors you make. The maximum percentage of errors allowed (i.e., the minimum standard you must meet) is:

11.3 How the Final Merit Is Made

This is the single most important rule to understand:

Exactly which Tier-II marks count depends on the post you are selected for:

Preferences matter: you fill your post/department preferences in an online option form before the result. If you don't fill preferences, you won't be considered for any post. Preferences, once submitted, are final and cannot be changed — so fill them very carefully and only for posts whose physical/medical requirements you can meet.

If multiple shifts are held, normalisation of marks is applied (as per SSC's published procedure) so that no candidate is advantaged or disadvantaged by an easier or harder shift.

Below is the indicative syllabus from the notice, organised subject-by-subject so nothing is missed.

12.1 Tier-I Syllabus

Level note: Reasoning, General Awareness and English are at graduation level; Quantitative Aptitude is at 10th-standard level.

12.2 Tier-II Syllabus

Paper-I, Section-I, Part A — Mathematical Abilities (Matriculation level)

Number systems; fundamental arithmetic (percentages, ratio & proportion, averages, simple & compound interest, profit & loss, discount, partnership, mixture & alligation, time-distance, time-work); Algebra (identities, elementary surds, linear-equation graphs); Geometry; Mensuration; Trigonometry (ratios, complementary angles, heights & distances, standard identities); Statistics & Probability (tables & graphs, mean/median/mode, standard deviation, simple probability).

Paper-I, Section-I, Part B — Reasoning & General Intelligence

Verbal and non-verbal reasoning: semantic/symbolic/figural analogy & classification, series, coding-decoding, symbolic & numerical operations, trends, space orientation, Venn diagrams, drawing inferences, punched-hole/pattern folding & unfolding, figural pattern folding & completion, embedded figures, critical thinking, problem solving, emotional & social intelligence, word building.

Paper-I, Section-II, Part A — English Language & Comprehension (10+2 level)

Vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms & antonyms and their correct usage; spotting errors, fill in the blanks, synonyms/homonyms/antonyms, spellings, idioms & phrases, one-word substitution, sentence improvement, active/passive voice, direct/indirect narration, shuffling of sentence parts & of sentences in a passage, cloze passage, and comprehension passages (including current-affairs-based passages).

Paper-I, Section-II, Part B — General Awareness

General awareness of the environment and current events; India and neighbouring countries — History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Policy, and Scientific Research.

Paper-I, Section-III — Computer Knowledge / Proficiency (qualifying)

Computer basics (CPU, input/output devices, memory & organisation, backup devices, ports, Windows Explorer, keyboard shortcuts); Software (Windows OS, MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint); Internet & e-mail (browsing, searching, downloading/uploading, managing e-mail, e-banking); Networking & cyber-security basics (networking devices & protocols, threats like hacking/virus/worms/Trojans and preventive measures).

Paper-II — Statistics (for JSO & Statistical Investigator Gr-II, graduation level)

Collection, classification & presentation of statistical data; measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode; quartiles, deciles, percentiles); measures of dispersion (range, quartile deviation, mean & standard deviation, relative dispersion); moments, skewness & kurtosis; correlation & regression (including Spearman's rank correlation, multiple & partial correlation for three variables); probability theory (including Bayes' theorem); random variables & probability distributions (Binomial, Poisson, Normal, Exponential); sampling theory (sampling techniques, sampling distribution, sample size); statistical inference (point & interval estimation, hypothesis testing, Z/t/Chi-square/F tests); analysis of variance (one-way & two-way); time-series analysis; and index numbers.

Paper-III — General Studies: Finance & Economics (for AAO / AAcO, graduation level)

Part A — Finance & Accounts (80 marks): Fundamental principles & basic concepts of Accounting; Financial Accounting (nature, scope, limitations, GAAP); basic accounting concepts (single & double entry, books of original entry, bank reconciliation, journal, ledgers, trial balance, rectification of errors, manufacturing/trading/P&L appropriation accounts, balance sheet, capital vs revenue expenditure, depreciation, valuation of inventories, non-profit accounts, bills of exchange, self-balancing ledgers).

Part B — Economics & Governance (120 marks): C&AG of India (constitutional provisions, role); Finance Commission; basic concepts of economics & micro-economics; theory of demand & supply; theory of production & cost; forms of market & price determination; Indian economy (sectors, national income, population, poverty & unemployment, infrastructure); economic reforms since 1991 (LPG & disinvestment); money & banking (RBI, commercial/RRB/payment banks, monetary & fiscal policy, budget & fiscal deficit, balance of payments, FRBM Act 2003); and role of Information Technology in governance.

Keep these ready in original (plus photocopies). They are checked by the Indenting/User Department to verify what you claimed in your form:

• Matriculation / Secondary (Class 10) certificate — for date of birth.
• Educational Qualification certificate(s) — mark sheets of all years/semesters, provisional / degree certificate.
• Caste / Category certificate — if you belong to SC / ST / OBC / EWS (in the prescribed format).
• PwBD (disability) certificate — in the required format, if applicable.
• For Ex-Servicemen — serving-defence-personnel certificate / discharge certificate / undertaking, as applicable.
• Age-relaxation certificate — if you claimed any age relaxation.
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) — if already employed in Government / Govt undertaking; and the relevant certificate for Central Govt civilian employees.
• Name-change documents (marriage / remarriage / divorce / other) — if your name differs from the matriculation certificate.
• Two passport-size recent colour photographs and one original photo-ID proof to carry to DV.

• Scribe & compensatory time: Eligible PwBD/PwD candidates (as per Paras 7.1–7.3 of the notice) get extra time — e.g., Tier-I in 1 hr 20 min instead of 1 hr, and an extra 5 minutes in DEST.
• DEST exemption: PwBD-OH candidates who submit the prescribed medical certificate (Annexure-XIV) declaring them permanently unfit for typing are exempt from DEST — except for posts where Computer Proficiency or DEST is specifically prescribed (the only such exception where exemption is still allowed is Tax Assistant in CBDT).
• PwBD sub-category: Select the correct sub-category (OH / HH / VH / PwBD-Other) as per your disability certificate when filling the form. It cannot be changed later.
• Higher standards for some posts: Posts requiring computer proficiency (e.g., ASO in CSS/MEA/AFHQ, certain CBIC posts, Postal/Sorting Assistant) and posts requiring DEST (e.g., Tax Assistants, UDC/SSA in CBN) have higher qualifying standards for CKT and/or DEST than other posts.