SSC Syllabus – The Staff Selection Commission sets the SSC exam pattern and syllabus of all the exams. The aim is to give candidates a clear idea about the Staff Selection Commission syllabus and exam pattern for all exams and provide them with SSC study materials.
The SSC conducts exams annually to recruit candidates in various departments, organizations, offices under Govt. of India. The SSC Syllabus for most of the exams keeps changing at an interval of a few years. Candidates need to have updated data on the SSC Exams before going ahead with the application form filling.
All set for SSC exams? Give a finishing touch to your SSC exam preparation with
- Free Online SSC Mock Tests
- SSC Question Paper
- Static GK
- Current Affairs
- Free Online Quiz
- English for Competitive exams
- 100 Difference between Articles for Revision
Hence, this article will help the candidates understand the SSC syllabus and the latest SSC exam pattern properly. Candidates appearing for exams conducted by the Staff Selection Commission can download the latest SSC Syllabus PDF provided in the article.
The SSC Syllabus and exam pattern for the following Exams are discussed below:
- SSC CGL
- SSC CPO
- SSC CHSL
- SSC JE
- SSC GD
- SSC MTS
- SSC Stenographer
SSC CGL Syllabus
Before getting into the SSC Syllabus for the CGL exam, the Exam Pattern needs to be understood.
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:
| Tier | Subject | No. of questions | Maximum Marks | Time allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tier I | General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 50 | 60 Minutes (Total) For VH/ OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/ deformity in writing hand- 80 Minutes. |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 | ||
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 | ||
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 | ||
Tier II | Paper 1- Quantitative abilities | 100 | 200 | 120 Minutes (for each Paper) For VH/ OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/ deformity in writing hand- 160 Minutes |
| Paper 2- English language & Comprehension | 200 | 200 | ||
| Paper 3- Statistics | 100 | 200 | ||
| Paper 4- General Studies(Finance & Economics) | 100 | 200 |
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:
| Tier | Mode of Exam | Scheme of Exam | Maximum marks | Time allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier III | Pen and Paper mode | Descriptive Paper in Hindi/English (Writing of Essays, Precis, Applications, etc.) | 100 | 60 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-
- General Intelligence & Reasoning
- General Awareness
- Quantitative Aptitude/ SSC maths syllabus
- English Comprehension skills
| English Comprehension skills | General Intelligence & Reasoning | General Awareness | Quantitative 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-
- Quantitative Aptitude
- English Language & Comprehension
- Statistics
- General Studies- Finance & Economics-
The detailed SSC CGL Syllabus for Tier-II Exam is given below:
| Quantitative Aptitude | English Language & Comprehension | Statistics | General 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, kurtosis | Economics-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 Test | Description | Post |
|---|---|---|
Data Entry Speed test | 8,000 (eight thousand) Key Depression per hour on the Computer | Tax Assistants( Central & Excise) |
| A passage of about 2000 (two thousand) key depressions for a duration of 15 (fifteen) minutes. | ||
| Computer Proficiency Test | Word 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.
- Get free SSC CGL mock tests based on the latest exam pattern in the linked article.
SSC CPO Syllabus
The SSC exam syllabus and paper pattern information for the Central Police Organization (CPO) exam is covered in this section.
The SSC CPO Exam has a pattern which consists of :
- Paper-I
- Physical Standard Test (PST)/ Physical Endurance Test (PET)
- Paper-II
- Detailed Medical Examination (DME)
All these stages of the examination are mandatory.
The detailed SSC CPO Exam Pattern is as follows:
| Paper | Subject | No of questions | Total Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Paper 1 | General Intelligence & Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 02 hours |
| General Knowledge & General Awareness | 50 | 50 | ||
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | ||
| English Comprehension | 50 | 50 | ||
| Paper 2 | English language & Comprehension | 200 | 200 | 02 hours |
Prepare for the SSC CPO exam by solving the SSC CPO mock test series and analyze your performance based on the marks scored in each test.
The SSC exam syllabus-related information regarding the SSC CPO Exam is given below.
SSC CPO Syllabus for Paper I covers the same topics as in SSC Syllabus for the CGL examination.
The SSC Exam syllabus for CPO Paper-II covers English Language & Comprehension. The topics that need to be focused while preparing for Paper II are as mentioned below.
SSC CPO Syllabus for Paper-II
| English Language & Comprehension | Error recognition, filling in the blanks (using verbs, Tenses, Conjunction, prepositions, articles etc), Vocabulary, Spellings, Grammar, Sentence Structure, Synonyms, Antonyms, Sentence Completion, Phrases, and Idiomatic use of Words, comprehension etc. |
|---|
Check important Idioms and Phrases Questions and Answers in the given link. Candidates can check the General English for competitive exams to get the relevant list, rules, and concept-based topics covered in the English language section.
Checking the SSC CPO syllabus will help the candidates to get a clear idea of the exam topics and patterns for better preparation.
SSC CPO Exam Pattern- Salient Points:
- As per the SSC CPO Exam Pattern, the questions in both papers will be of Objective Multiple Choice Type.
- Questions will be set in Hindi and English in Parts-I, II and III of Paper-I.
- As per the SSC Exam Pattern, there will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer in Paper-I & Paper-II.
- The Commission at its discretion may fix qualifying marks in Paper-I, Paper-II and any part(s) of Paper-I.
- The Commission reserves the right to alter/ modify the scheme of examination.
- Check SSC CPO Previous Year Question Papers for assistance in preparation and a better understanding of the exam pattern and syllabus.
SSC CHSL Syllabus
The SSC exam syllabus and paper pattern for the Combined Higher Secondary Level (CHSL) is mentioned in this section.
The SSC CHSL Exam will consist of the following Pattern:
- Computer-Based Examination (Tier-I)
- Descriptive Paper (Tier-II)
- Skill Test/ Typing Test (Tier-III)
The SSC Exam pattern for CHSL- Tier-I
| Part | Subject | No of questions | Total Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part I | English Language (Basic Knowledge) | 50 | 50 | 60 Minutes (80 Minutes for PwD candidates |
| Part II | General Intelligence | 50 | 50 | |
| Part III | Quantitative Aptitude (Basic Arithmetic Skill)/ SSC maths syllabus | 50 | 50 | |
| Part IV | General Awareness | 50 | 50 |
The SSC Exam pattern for CHSL- Tier II
| Tier | Mode of Exam | Scheme of Exam | Maximum marks | Time allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier II | Pen and Paper mode | Descriptive Paper in Hindi/English (Writing of Essays, Precis, Applications, etc.) | 100 | 60 Minutes /Reserved candidates- 80 Minutes |
The SSC Exam pattern for CHSL- Tier III
| Category | Post | Exam description | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
Data Entry Skill test | Skill Test for Data Entry Operator | Data Entry Speed of 8,000 (eight thousand) Key Depressions on Computer. | 60 minutes/80 minutes for reserved candidates |
| Data Entry Operator in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG): | Speed of 15000 key depressions on Computer‟ | ||
| Typing Test | LDC/ JSA and Postal Assistant/ Sorting Assistant | English typing speed- 35 words per minute Hindi typing speed- 30 words per minute | 60 minutes/80 minutes for reserved candidates |
The information regarding the SSC syllabus for the CHSL exam is given below.
The Staff Selection Commission Syllabus for the CHSL exam is again similar to the one in SSC CGL and CPO exam. Given below is the brief of the SSC exam syllabus covered in the CHSL examination.
SSC CHSL Syllabus for Tier I
| General Intelligence/Reasoning | Quantitative Ability | English Language | General Awareness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logical Reasoning | Computation of Whole Number, Decimal and Fractions, Relationship between numbers. | Reading Comprehension | History |
| Alphanumeric Series | Profit & Loss | Cloze Test | Culture |
| Ranking/Direction/Alphabet Test | Simple Interest & Compound Interest & Surds & Indices | Para Jumbles | Geography |
| Coding/Decoding | Permutation, Combination & Probability |
Candidates can check important Alpha-Numeric Series Questions on the given page for preparation and practice.
Also, get the list of important Logical reasoning topics and important SSC study material on the given page that explains the concepts and tricks to solve the questions in the exam.
SSC CHSL Syllabus for Tier II
| Essay Writing | Letter Writing |
|---|---|
| Application | Comprehension |
Go through the formats of the following to increase the chances of fetching good marks in the descriptive tests of various SSC examinations.
- Letter writing format
- Essay Writing – Overview
- Precis writing format
It is important for candidates to know the difference between precis and summary writing, check the given link.
SSC CHSL Syllabus for Tier III
| Skill Test | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Data Entry Operator | Data Entry Speed of 8000 key depressions per hour on the computer. The speed will be adjudged on the basis of the correct entry of words/key depressions as per the given passage | The duration of the test will be for 15 minutes and printed matter in English containing about 2000-2200 key depressions would be given to each candidate who would enter the same in the test computer |
| Data Entry Operator in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG) | The speed of 15000 key depressions per hour will be adjudged on the basis of the correct entry of words/key depressions as per the given passage | The duration of the test will be for 15 minutes and printed matter in English containing about 3700-4000 key depressions would be given to each candidate who would enter the same in the test computer |
| Lower Division Clerk/ Junior Secretariat Assistant (LDS/JSA) and Postal Assistants/ Sorting Assistants (PA/SA) | The speed of 10500 key depressions per hour will be adjudged on the basis of the correct entry of words/key depressions as per the given passage | The duration of the test will be for 15 minutes and printed matter in English containing about 9000 key-depressions/hour would be given to each candidate who would enter the same in the test computer. |
Important Pointers for SSC CHSL Exam Pattern:
- The Tier-I Examination will consist of Objective Type, Multiple choice questions only & will be set in English & Hindi for Part-II, III & IV.
- As per the SSC exam pattern for CHSL, there will be a negative marking of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.
- The minimum qualifying marks in Tier-II would be 33 percent.
- The paper will have to be written either in Hindi or in English & a combination of both languages while answering will be rewarded with zero marks.
- The SSC CHSL syllabus reference in detail will help understand the SSC CHSL exam better in terms of preparation strategy, books and study material.
- Aspirants can get free SSC CHSL Mock tests as per the latest exam pattern in the linked article.
SSC JE Syllabus
The SSC Syllabus and exam pattern for the Junior Engineer (JE) are covered in brief in this section.
The exam pattern of Junior Engineer is divided into two papers i.e. Paper-I (Computer-based Test) and Paper-II (Written Test).
The SSC JE Exam Pattern is given below:
| Paper | Exam Mode | Subject | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paper-I: Objective Type | Computer-based Test | General Intelligence and Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 02 hours |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 | |||
| Part-A General Engineering (Civil & Structural) Or Part-B General Engineering (Electrical) Or Part-C General Engineering (Mechanical) | 100 | 100 | |||
| Paper-II: Descriptive Type | Written Test | Part-A General Engineering (Civil & Structural) Or Part- B General Engineering (Electrical) Or Part-C General Engineering (Mechanical) | 300 | 02 hours |
Check the following links for assistance in preparation:
- Reasoning puzzles
- Blood relation
- Seating Arrangements
- Clocks
- Machine Input Output
The SSC JE Syllabus is given below. The subjects covered in SSC JE Paper I syllabus and the important topics of each subject are given below:
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | General Awareness | General Engineering |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship concepts Arithmetical reasoning Problem-solving Space visualization Visual memory Analysis and judgment Analogies | Geography Culture History Economic Scene Scientific Research General Polity | Part-A (Civil Engineering & Structural Engineering) Building Materials Surveying Estimating Soil Mechanics Costing and Valuation Concrete Technology Irrigation Engineering, |
Part-B (Electrical Engineering) Basic concepts Circuit law AC Fundamentals Magnetic Circuit Electrical Machines Measurement and Measuring instruments Synchronous Machines Part-C (Mechanical Engineering) Theory of Machines and Machine Design 1st Law of Thermodynamics 2nd Law of Thermodynamics IC Engine Performance Air standard Cycles for IC Engines IC Engines Combustion Boilers IC Engine Cooling & Lubrication Classification Rankine cycle of System |
The SSC JE Paper-II syllabus is given below:
Paper-II is a written test of 300 marks for a duration of 2 hours on any of the following parts chosen by the respective candidate:
Part-A (Civil Engineering & Structural Engineering)
Part-B (Electrical Engineering)
Part-C (Mechanical Engineering)
Candidates need to select any one of the parts which they wish to take during the exam.
Basically, Paper-II of the SSC JE syllabus includes a detailed explanation of each of the topics under each part as discussed in the General Engineering section of Paper I.
Important Pointers for SSC JE Exam Pattern:
- As per the SSC JE Exam Pattern, Paper-I and Paper-II for General Engineering, the candidate will be required to attempt only the part as selected in the application form filled by the candidate.
- There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer in Paper-I. Candidates are, therefore, advised to keep this in mind while answering the questions.
- For more details on the SSC JE syllabus and exam pattern, refer to the SSC JE syllabus article linked here.
SSC GD Syllabus
The SSC Syllabus and exam pattern for the Constable in General Duty (GD) exam are discussed in this section.
The SSC GD Exam consists of a Computer-based mode which consists of one objective type paper containing 100 questions carrying 100 marks.
SSC GD Exam Pattern
| Subject | No of questions | Total marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A- General Intelligence and Reasoning Part B- General Knowledge and General Awareness Part C- Elementary Mathematics Part D- English/ Hindi | 25 25 25 25 | 25 25 25 25 | 90 minutes |
The SSC Syllabus for SSC GD Constable examination is aligned to the syllabus of CGL, CPO and CHSL exams. Candidates preparing for SSC GD can check SSC Syllabus mentioned above in this article.
For more details on the syllabus and SSC exam pattern of Constable GD Exam, refer to the SSC GD syllabus.
Aspirants can also refer to the SSC GD Mock test page to get free mock tests based on the latest exam pattern.
Important Pointers of SSC exam pattern and syllabus for General Duty Exam:
- The computer-based examination will be conducted in English and Hindi only.
- Based on the performance in CBE, candidates will be shortlisted for PET/ PST by the Staff Selection Commission.
- Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and Physical Standard Test (PST) will be conducted at various centers finalized by the CAPFs.
SSC MTS Syllabus
The SSC MTS Exam Pattern and syllabus are discussed in this section.
The SSC MTS exam consists of two papers: SSC MTS Paper I and SSC MTS Paper-II.
SSC MTS Paper I is an objective type online mode examination consisting of 100 questions in total. It consists of four sections i.e. General Awareness, General Reasoning and Intelligence, English, and Numerical Aptitude.
Each section in the paper I is of 25 marks carrying 25 questions (1 mark for each question). There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks on each wrong attempt. Candidates are required to obtain the minimum qualifying marks to be called for the next round.
SSC MTS Paper-II is a descriptive type offline examination of 50 marks. Candidates have to write a short essay or letter to pass the elementary language test.
The Staff selection commission releases the SSC MTS syllabus along with the notification every year. SSC MTS syllabus is largely the same every year.
To check the topic-wise SSC Syllabus for the MTS examination for all the four sections mentioned above, kindly check the SSC MTS Syllabus page.
SSC Stenographer Syllabus
The SSC Stenographer exam pattern and syllabus are important to understand before starting with the preparation.
The SSC Stenographer exam consists of two stages:
- Computer Based Test
- Skill Test
The exam pattern of the SSC Stenographer CBT exam is as mentioned below.
| SSC Stenographer Exam Pattern CBT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stenographer CBT Sections | Number of Questions | Max Marks |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 50 | 50 |
| English Language & Comprehension | 100 | 100 |
| Total | 200 | 200 |
The computer-based test is an online objective type test. Candidates have to complete the CBT exam in 2 hours. One mark is awarded for each right answer and 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer.
Keep referring to the SSC official notification for any changes in the SSC syllabus or SSC Exam Pattern.
Those who are preparing for either SSC exams or any other government exams have to prepare for Reasoning Ability as it is an important part of the syllabus of most of the examinations. Check 3 sutras to prepare for reasoning ability for competitive exams.
Candidates preparing for various government exams can check the detailed syllabus of respective exams on the given links:
Frequently Asked Question – SSC Syllabus & Exam Pattern
Q1 What are the subjects covered in the SSC syllabus of various SSC exams?
Ans. English, Quantitative Aptitude, General Intelligence & Reasoning, and General Awareness are common subjects covered in SSC syllabus of Staff Selection Commission exams. However, there are exams in SSC that require candidates to have professional knowledge as well. A detailed list of subjects along with the topics covered is given in the syllabus page of respective exams.
Q2 Is there a negative marking in the SSC exam?
Ans. Yes, some of the SSC exams do have negative marking schemes like SSC CGL, CHSL, CPO, and JE penalise candidates for wrong attempts but SSC GD follows no such scheme. Details related to the number of marks a candidate will lose for the wrong answer are given on SSC syllabus page.
Q3 What is the minimum education qualification for all SSC exams?
Ans. All the SSC Exams have different requirements for the educational qualification of the candidates. The academic qualification for the various posts in SSC are as follows:
- SSC CGL – A Graduation Degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks.
- SSC JE – A degree or Diploma in Engineering relevant to the post applied for (no minimum percentage specified)
- SSC CHSL – A 12th pass certificate from any board or university (no minimum percentage specified)
- SSC GD – A 10th Pass certificate from a recognized board (no minimum percentage specified)
- SSC CPO – A Graduation Degree in any discipline from a recognized university (no minimum percentage specified)
