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Pattern for SSC Exam
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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 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 |
| 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
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 Seaport and Airport 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 on the exam topics and pattern 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 CGL exam, in Tier-I, there will be negative marking of 0.50 for each wrong answer
- In Tier-II, there will be 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..
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 analyse 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 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, Preposition, Articles etc), Vocabulary, Spellings, Grammar, Sentence Structure, Synonyms, Antonyms, Sentence Completion, Phrases and Idiomatic use of Words, comprehension etc. |
Check important Idioms and Phrases Question 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 on the exam topics and pattern for a 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 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) | 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 SSC syllabus for the CHSL exam is given below.
The Staff Selection Commission syllabus for CHSL exam is again similar to the one in SSC CGL and CPO exam. Given below is the brief of 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 in 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 chances of fetching good marks in the descriptive tests of various SSC examinations.
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 negative marking of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer. The minimum qualifying marks in Tier-II would be 33 per cent. The paper will have to be written either in Hindi or in English & 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 at the linked article.