SSC · Government Exams

SSC CGL Syllabus

The SSC CGL syllabus is broad but shallow in Tier 1 and narrower but deeper in Tier 2. Reading it as one flat list is the usual mistake; the same subject name means different things at the two stages.

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SSC CGL · checked 19 September 2026

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

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19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

SSC CGL: the facts that matter now

01
Notice 21 May 2026; about 12,256 tentative vacancies; Tier 1 from 30 September to 30 October 2026 (schedule notice of 12 September 2026); Tier 2…
2026 cycle
02
Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
Conducted by
03
Graduate — a bachelor’s degree in any discipline as on the closing date
Level
04
Tier 1 (qualifying, 200 marks) → Tier 2 (merit, 390 + qualifying modules) → document verification
Stages

Syllabus

SSC CGL — What the syllabus covers

Four subjects run through the whole exam: reasoning, quantitative aptitude, English and general awareness. Tier 1 samples all four lightly — 25 questions each, mostly single-step. Tier 2 goes considerably deeper on mathematics and English in particular, and adds computer knowledge, which does not appear in Tier 1 at all.

General Intelligence and Reasoning: Analogies, classification, series (number, letter and figure), coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, seating arrangement, matrix and word-formation problems, Venn diagrams, mirror and water images, paper folding and cutting, embedded figures. Non-verbal reasoning carries real weight here, which surprises candidates who have prepared only for banking exams.
Quantitative Aptitude: Arithmetic — 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, partnership. Advanced mathematics — algebraic identities, linear equations, triangles and their centres, circles and tangents, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, mensuration of solids, trigonometric ratios and identities, heights and distances, degree and radian measure, standard identities, and data interpretation from bar graphs, pie charts and tables.
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, para jumbles. Tier 2 adds substantially more vocabulary and a longer comprehension load.
General Awareness: Indian history with an 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 such as books, awards, dances and important days, and current events. Questions test 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 whole exam.

Paper-specific syllabus for two post groups

Paper 2 — Statistics — collection and presentation of data, measures of central tendency and dispersion, moments, skewness and kurtosis, correlation and regression, probability theory, random variables and distributions, sampling, index numbers, time series analysis and statistical inference. Taken only by Junior Statistical Officer applicants.
Paper 3 — General Studies (Finance and Economics) — fundamental principles of accounting, financial accounting concepts, basic economics, demand and supply, production and cost, forms of market, national income, money and banking, public finance, and Indian economic and fiscal policy. Taken only by Assistant Audit Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer applicants.

A syllabus is a list of what can be asked, not a plan for what to study first. Previous papers are the better guide to weighting: arithmetic and algebra dominate the mathematics module, reading comprehension and vocabulary dominate English, and general awareness rewards static knowledge more consistently than it rewards current affairs.

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