SSC CHSL Exam Pattern and Syllabus 2026: Tier 1, Tier 2, Typing Test and Free Mock Tests

Posts filled through SSC CHSL

• Lower Division Clerk and Junior Secretariat Assistant — clerical posts across central ministries, departments and subordinate offices
• Data Entry Operator — in various ministries; some DEO posts sit at a higher pay level and carry a stiffer speed requirement

Educational qualification as on 7 October 2026

• LDC, JSA, DEO and DEO Grade A in general — Class 12 or equivalent from a recognised board or university.
• DEO in the departments listed in the notice (including the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General) — Class 12 in the Science stream with Mathematics as a subject.
• Final-year students — Not eligible unless the class 12 result is declared by the closing date.

Other conditions

• Nationality — Indian citizens, and the other categories the notice lists with an eligibility certificate where required.
• Fee — ₹100 online; women and SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates are exempt.
• Pay — LDC and JSA are in Pay Level 2 (₹19,900–63,200); DEO in Level 4 (₹25,500–81,100) or Level 5 (₹29,200–92,300); DEO Grade A in Level 4.
• Typing and data entry standards — Not an eligibility condition at application, but a qualifying test in Tier 2 that decides whether a merit-list candidate is appointed. PwBD candidates who are exempt under the notice must produce the prescribed certificate.

The SSC CHSL process from registration to result

1. One-Time Registration on ssc.gov.in Create an OTR profile once on the Commission’s portal. Registration asks for Aadhaar-based verification, a mobile number and e-mail that remain with you for the whole cycle, and your basic educational and category details. The OTR number and password are what you log in with at every later stage — exam-city intimation, admit card, answer-key challenge, result and option form — so keep them safe.
2. Fill the online application for SSC CHSL Log in, pick the examination, confirm the OTR details, choose the examination centre preferences and the medium of the paper, and upload or capture the photograph and signature exactly as the notice specifies. The declaration you sign at the end binds you to the eligibility conditions, and the Commission verifies documents only at the end of the process — an ineligible candidate can go through every stage and be dropped at verification.
3. Pay the fee The fee is ₹100, paid online by BHIM UPI, net banking or Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or RuPay cards, with 8 October 2026 (23:00) as the last date. Women and SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates pay nothing. Fees are not refunded.
4. Use the correction window if you need it A three-day correction window opens about a week after applications close. The Commission charges ₹200 for the first corrected submission and ₹500 for the second, from every candidate regardless of category. Some fields — notably the OTR identity details — cannot be changed at this point, which is why the OTR should be filled carefully in the first place.
5. Exam-city intimation, then the admission certificate Roughly two weeks before the examination the candidate login shows the city allotted; the admission certificate itself is released only three to four days before the date. Print it, and carry it with an original photo identity document that carries the same date of birth as your application.
6. On the day: biometrics, frisking and the clock Report at the time on the admission certificate; entry closes before the shift begins. Expect biometric capture and frisking, and expect the paper to be delivered with the timers the notice describes — a section or session that has closed cannot be reopened. Rough sheets are provided; nothing electronic is allowed inside.
7. Tentative answer key and challenge A few days after the last shift the Commission uploads tentative answer keys with each candidate’s response sheet. Objections are filed online only, within the announced window, on payment of a per-question fee that is not refunded. Subject-matter experts examine the objections and the final key is used for evaluation.
8. Result, marks and the next stage Results are published as PDF write-ups on the notice board with category-wise cut-offs and the count of candidates shortlisted; individual marks are released in the login shortly afterwards. Candidates for the next stage receive fresh admission certificates through the same login.
9. Tier 1 result and the two shortlists Tier 1 produces cut-offs for the DEO posts and for the LDC/JSA posts separately, because the two groups have different Tier 2 skill tests. Answer-key challenges cost ₹100 per question, filed online within the window.
10. Tier 2: objective session in the morning, skill or typing test after Section 1 and Section 2 are separately timed hours; the computer module is 15 minutes. After Session 1 closes, DEO candidates take the data entry skill test and LDC/JSA candidates the typing test on the same computer. Both are qualifying and both are compulsory unless the notice exempts you.
11. Marks, option-cum-preference form and allocation Final answer keys and marks are published; candidates in the merit zone fill an option-cum-preference form ranking posts and departments. The Commission then declares a first round of tentative allocation, verifies identity, and publishes the final result; the department completes document verification before appointment.

A four-month plan

1. Month 1: a diagnostic and the basics Sit a full Tier 1 mock in week one. Then work the arithmetic that fills Quantitative Aptitude — percentages, ratio, averages, profit and loss, interest, time and work, speed and distance — alongside the reasoning question types, English grammar rules and a static general awareness spine.
2. Month 2: sections under the timer Practise each section as a 15-minute block. Add algebra, geometry, trigonometry and mensuration for Tier 2 Section 1, and cloze tests and comprehension passages for Section 2. Start daily current affairs.
3. Month 3: full mocks and the error log A full Tier 1 mock every two days, a Tier 2 mock every week, and an error log by topic that you revise from. Begin typing practice on a physical keyboard.
4. Month 4: revision and the exam Revise from your own notes, keep current affairs going, and taper mocks in the last ten days. Read the pattern in the notice once more before the paper.

Where the marks are

• Quantitative Aptitude and Mathematical Abilities — The widest spread of scores; arithmetic speed in Tier 1, algebra and geometry depth in Tier 2.
• Reasoning — Near-full marks are realistic with practice on series, analogies, coding, puzzles and figure questions.
• English — Forty questions for 120 marks in Tier 2 — grammar, vocabulary, error spotting, cloze tests and comprehension. Daily reading matters more than rule lists.
• General Awareness — Recall; static GK plus six months of current affairs.
• Computer module and typing — Qualifying, and a fail is a fail. Practise both.

Official documents

Notice of Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination 2026 (7 September 2026) CHSL 2025 Tier 1 result write-up with cut-offs (27 February 2026) CHSL 2025 final vacancies (18 June 2026) CHSL 2025 first round of tentative allocation (17 August 2026) SSC home page — notices, calendar and candidate login