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Government Exams
SSC
The Staff Selection Commission conducts six recruitment examinations that between them fill most non-gazetted central government posts. They are usually discussed as one family, and for preparation purposes that is roughly right — the subjects overlap heavily — but the exams differ in qualification, in depth and, crucially, in how they punish a wrong answer.
Choosing between them is mostly a question of what you hold. A degree opens CGL and CPO; an engineering diploma opens JE; class 12 opens CHSL; class 10 opens GD and MTS. Beyond that, the choice turns on whether you want a desk, a uniform, or a technical post.
SSC · checked 19 September 2026
SSC exams this month, from the official portals
Notifications, application windows, exam dates, answer keys and results as the conducting bodies published them, each with its source and a link to the exam guide.
Choosing
Which SSC exam fits you
Qualification narrows the field first. What remains is a choice about the kind of work and the kind of selection process you are willing to go through.
| Exam | Qualification | What it fills | The distinctive demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL | Bachelor’s degree | Group B and C posts across ministries | A harder Tier 2 that alone builds the merit list |
| SSC CHSL | Class 12 | Clerical and data entry posts | A typing or data entry skill test |
| SSC MTS | Class 10 | Multi-Tasking Staff and Havaldar | Two sessions with different negative marking rules |
| SSC GD | Class 10 | Constable in the central armed police forces | Physical and medical standards |
| SSC CPO | Bachelor’s degree | Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and CAPFs | Physical tests between the papers, and an English-heavy Paper 2 that builds the merit |
| SSC JE | Engineering diploma or degree | Junior Engineer posts | Technical papers in your own discipline |
Most candidates apply for more than one, which is sensible: the reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English and general awareness syllabi overlap enough that one preparation serves several exams. What does not transfer is the specifics — the negative marking rate, the skill tests, the physical standards and the technical papers all differ, and each needs its own attention in the weeks before that particular exam.
2026 cycle
Where each SSC exam stands, and the pattern it is running on
Checked 12 September 2026 against the notices on ssc.gov.in. Dates marked tentative are the notice’s own windows; the exam-city intimation and admission certificate through the candidate login are what confirm them.
| Exam | Notice | Applications | Written exam | Tentative vacancies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL 2026 | 21 May 2026 | 21 May – 22 June, reopened 23–25 June 2026 | Tier 1 30 September – 30 October 2026 (notice of 12 September); Tier 2 December 2026 (tentative) | About 12,256 |
| SSC CHSL 2026 | 7 September 2026 | 7 September – 7 October 2026 | Tier 1 and Tier 2 to be notified | About 2,536 |
| SSC MTS 2026 | Not yet issued | — | Calendar had placed the CBE in September–November 2026; expect a later date | — |
| SSC GD Constable 2026 | 1 December 2025 | 1–31 December 2025 | CBE held 27 April – 31 May 2026; result awaited | 25,487 |
| SSC CPO 2026 | 10 September 2026 | 10–30 September 2026 | Paper 1 to be notified; October–November 2026 in the calendar | 2,018 |
| SSC JE 2026 | 2 September 2026 | 2–22 September 2026 | Paper 1 October–November 2026, Paper 2 December 2026 (tentative) | 1,748 |
| Exam | First stage | Negative marking | What builds the merit list |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC CGL | Tier 1: 100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes with 15-minute sectional timers | 0.50 in Tier 1; 1 mark in Tier 2 Paper 1 | Tier 2 Paper 1 Sections 1 and 2 (390 marks), plus Paper 2 or 3 for JSO and AAO |
| SSC CHSL | Tier 1: 100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes with 15-minute sectional timers | 0.50 in Tier 1; 1 mark in Tier 2 | Tier 2 Sections 1 and 2 (360 marks); typing or skill test qualifying |
| SSC MTS | Session 1: 40 questions, 120 marks, 45 minutes; Session 2: 50 questions, 150 marks, 45 minutes | None in Session 1; 1 mark in Session 2 | Session 2 only |
| SSC GD | CBE: 80 questions, 160 marks, 60 minutes | 0.25 | The CBE, normalised, plus NCC bonus; PET/PST and medical qualifying |
| SSC CPO | Paper 1: 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes with 15-minute sectional timers | 0.25 in Paper 1; 0.50 in Paper 2 | Paper 2: 160 questions, 320 marks, of which 200 are English |
| SSC JE | Paper 1: 200 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours | 0.25 in Paper 1; 1 mark in Paper 2 | Paper 2: 100 engineering questions, 300 marks |
Every application runs through the One-Time Registration login on ssc.gov.in, the fee is ₹100 with women and SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates exempt, the correction window costs ₹200 for a first correction and ₹500 for a second, and marks in every multi-shift paper are normalised by the Commission’s formula of 2 June 2025 before cut-offs are set. The exam guides below carry the full tier-wise tables, the eligibility and physical standards, the procedure from OTR to appointment and the previous cycle’s cut-offs.
What differs
The details that catch candidates out
- Negative marking is not uniform — SSC MTS Session I has none at all, while other papers deduct. Carrying one exam’s guessing discipline into another costs marks in both directions.
- Skill tests are qualifying, not optional — CHSL typing and the CGL data entry test add nothing to your score but end candidacies when failed.
- Physical and medical standards arrive last — in GD and CPO, after every written stage — which is why training and a medical check belong in week one.
- Tier structures differ — CGL’s merit comes only from Tier 2; CPO interleaves physicals between two written papers; JE runs two technical papers.
Getting started
What to do first
- Take a full mock in your target exam before studying anything. It tells you which sections are already competitive and which are not, which is the only sound basis for a plan.
- Read the current notification end to end. Eligibility, age relaxations, negative marking and the stage structure all change between cycles.
- Start the slowest-building components immediately. English vocabulary, general awareness and — for uniformed posts — physical training all accumulate over months and cannot be compressed.
- Then study the weakest section first. Not the one you enjoy most, which is the usual instinct.
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Questions
SSC — FAQs
Which SSC exam is easiest to clear?
The question is usually asked about difficulty and answered better by ratio. SSC MTS and SSC GD have the gentlest papers but the largest applicant fields, because they require only class 10. SSC JE has a demanding technical paper but a far smaller eligible pool. In practice the exam you are most likely to clear is the one whose specific demands match your strengths — technical knowledge for JE, English for CPO, arithmetic speed for MTS, physical fitness for GD.
Can I prepare for several SSC exams at once?
Yes, and most candidates do. The reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English and general awareness syllabi overlap substantially, so one core preparation serves several exams. What needs separate attention is each exam’s specifics — the negative marking rate, typing or data entry skill tests, physical and medical standards, and technical papers. Those differ enough that treating the exams as identical will cost you marks in the weeks that matter.
What is the SSC CGL exam pattern for 2026?
Tier 1 is 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes with a 15-minute sectional timer on each of reasoning, general awareness, quantitative aptitude and English, and 0.50 deducted per wrong answer; it is qualifying. Tier 2 Paper 1 is 130 merit questions for 390 marks across a mathematics and reasoning section and an English and general awareness section, plus a qualifying computer module and a data entry test, with one mark deducted per wrong answer. The SSC CGL guide has the full tier-wise tables.
What is the SSC GD exam pattern?
A single computer-based paper of 80 questions for 160 marks in 60 minutes — reasoning, general knowledge and general awareness, elementary mathematics, and English or Hindi, 20 questions each — with 0.25 deducted per wrong answer, followed by a qualifying PET, PST and medical examination. The CBE marks, normalised and with NCC bonus, are the merit list.
Does negative marking work the same way across SSC exams?
No, and this is one of the more consequential differences. SSC MTS Session I applies no deduction at all, which means every question there should be attempted; other papers do deduct, at rates that vary between exams and sometimes between tiers of the same exam. A candidate who carries a cautious habit into a no-penalty paper gives away marks, and one who carries a loose habit into a penalised paper loses them.
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