SSC CGL

SSC CGL syllabus and exam pattern explained

Published 19 Aug 2026 · Brolly Exam Prep editorial team

SSC CGL is described as one examination and is really two. Tier 1 is a sixty-minute screening test that everybody sits; Tier 2 is where the merit list is actually built. Understanding that split is the most useful thing a candidate can do early, because it changes what you study and when.

This article walks through the pattern and syllabus of both tiers, and then through the consequence that follows from the split — which is that preparing for Tier 1 alone is the most common way candidates lose a cycle.

Tier 1

The screening paper

Tier 1 structure. Confirm marks, timing and the deduction rate against the current official notification.
Section	Questions	Marks	Character
General Intelligence and Reasoning	25	50	Verbal and non-verbal; the fastest section to score in
General Awareness	25	50	Pure recall — you either know it or you move on
Quantitative Aptitude	25	50	Arithmetic-dominant at this stage
English Comprehension	25	50	Grammar and vocabulary rather than long passages
Total	100	200	60 minutes, no sectional timing

Sixty minutes for a hundred questions is roughly thirty-six seconds each, and that number is the real design constraint. There is no sectional timing, which means you allocate the hour yourself — and most successful candidates bank reasoning and general awareness quickly, then spend what remains on quantitative aptitude.

Tier 1 marks do not carry forward

A very high Tier 1 score buys you nothing beyond a seat in Tier 2. This is the single most important structural fact about SSC CGL, and it is the one candidates most often act as though they do not know.

Tier 2

The paper that builds the merit list

Tier 2 runs as Paper 1 for every candidate, plus Paper 2 or Paper 3 for two specialist post groups. Paper 1 is delivered in modules across sessions: a mathematics and reasoning session, then a session covering English and general awareness and a computer knowledge module, followed by a data entry speed test.

What changes between the tiers

Marks that count — Tier 1 decides who advances; only Tier 2 builds the final merit list.
Depth of mathematics — Tier 1 leans arithmetic; Tier 2 brings algebra, geometry, trigonometry and mensuration properly into play.
New subjects — computer knowledge appears in Tier 2 and not in Tier 1 at all.
Sectional timing — Tier 1 is one open hour; Tier 2 modules are separately timed, so you cannot borrow minutes.
Additional papers — Paper 2 in statistics for Junior Statistical Officer applicants, Paper 3 in finance and economics for Assistant Audit Officer applicants.

Syllabus

What each subject actually covers

General Intelligence and Reasoning: Analogies, classification, series in numbers letters and figures, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, seating arrangement, matrix and word-formation problems, Venn diagrams, mirror and water images, paper folding and cutting, and embedded figures. Non-verbal reasoning carries real weight, which surprises candidates prepared only for banking exams.
Quantitative Aptitude: Arithmetic through number system, percentage, ratio and proportion, average, profit and loss, discount, simple and compound interest, time and work, time speed and distance, mixture and alligation and partnership; and advanced mathematics through algebraic identities, linear equations, triangles and their centres, circles and tangents, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, mensuration of solids, trigonometric ratios and identities, heights and distances, and data interpretation.
English Comprehension: Reading comprehension, cloze test, spotting errors, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms and phrases, spelling correction, active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, and para jumbles. Tier 2 adds substantially more vocabulary and a longer comprehension load.
General Awareness: Indian history with emphasis on the freedom movement, geography of India and the world, Indian polity and the Constitution, economics, general science across physics chemistry and biology, static general knowledge, and current events. Recall rather than analysis, so breadth beats depth.
Computer Knowledge (Tier 2 only): Computer organisation, input and output devices, memory, software basics, operating systems, MS Office fundamentals, internet and email, networking basics and cyber security awareness. A small module and one of the highest scoring-per-hour areas in the entire exam.

The consequence

Why preparing for Tier 1 alone loses a cycle

Follow the logic through. Tier 1 marks are discarded. Tier 2 mathematics is substantially harder than Tier 1 mathematics. The gap between the Tier 1 result and the Tier 2 examination is a matter of weeks. Therefore the harder mathematics — the algebra, geometry, trigonometry and mensuration that decide your rank — has to be built before Tier 1, not after it.

Every cycle produces candidates who clear Tier 1 comfortably, discover that Tier 2 is a different examination, and have six weeks to prepare for it. They are not less capable than the candidates who are selected; they sequenced their preparation wrongly, on the reasonable-sounding assumption that you prepare for the first stage first.

A sequence that reflects the structure

Months one to three — build the mathematics base, including the Tier 2 topics. This is the longest pole. Start it first.
Alongside — thirty minutes of English every day. Vocabulary and grammar respond to daily contact and almost nothing else.
From month two — general awareness in small daily doses. One static source, one current affairs digest, revisited rather than accumulated.
Month four — reasoning to speed. Where a prepared candidate gains the most minutes.
Do not skip computer knowledge. Small, easy, fully learnable, and Tier 2 marks.
Final six weeks — mocks and correction, in both tier formats. With more time spent on analysis than on the attempt.

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