Exam Overview

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Bachelor's Degree from a recognized University or equivalent (candidates in final year may also apply, must possess the qualification by 1 August 2026). Age Limit (calculated as on 1 August 2026): 18–27 years for most posts (born between 2 August 1999 and 1 August 2008); 20–30 years for certain posts (born between 2 August 1996 and 1 August 2006); 18–30 years for Inspector and equivalent posts; 18–32 years for some posts

Age relaxation

SC/ST: 5 years

OBC

3 years; Ex-servicemen and PwD as per government norms

Nationality

Indian citizen (certain posts open to Nepalese/Bhutanese subjects and Tibetan refugees as per govt. rules)

Other

Must meet physical and medical standards for specific posts like Inspector (CBIC), SI, etc.

Application Process

Application Mode

Online only via official SSC website (ssc.gov.in)

Registration Start Date

21 May 2026

Last Date to Apply

22 June 2026 (11:00 PM)

Last Date for Fee Payment

23 June 2026 (11:00 PM)

Application Fee

₹100 for General/OBC/EWS male candidates; Fee exempted for SC/ST/PwD/Ex-servicemen and all female candidates

Required Documents

Valid photo ID, passport-size photograph, scanned signature, educational qualification certificates, caste/category certificate (if applicable)

Steps

(1) Complete SSC One-Time Registration (OTR) if not done. (2) Login and click the CGL 2026 application link. (3) Fill personal, educational, and category details. (4) Upload photograph and signature as per SSC specifications. (5) Pay application fee online (if applicable). (6) Submit the form and save/print the final application printout

Total Vacancies

12,256 posts across Group B and C in various ministries/departments.

Total Applicants

28154450

Cutoff Analysis

General

136.83 (Tier 1, 2025); 322.77 (Tier 2 Final, 2024)

OBC

130.36 (Tier 1, 2025); 306.27 (Tier 2 Final, 2024)

114.97 (Tier 1, 2025); 287.36 (Tier 2 Final, 2024)

106.36 (Tier 1, 2025); 270.10 (Tier 2 Final, 2024)

Success Rate Analysis

Year 2021

0.39

Year 2022

0.11

Year 2023

0.59

Year 2024

0.52

Year 2025

0.52

Previous Year Trends

2021

19.63 lakh registrations for 7,621 vacancies (lowest vacancy count in 5 years). Tier 1 UR cutoff: ~119.23; Tier 2 Final UR cutoff: 478.55 (anomalously high due to old 4-paper Tier 2 pattern worth 700 marks). Moderate difficulty. Exam conducted post-COVID with fewer centres and staggered scheduling.

2022

33.55 lakh applications; ~17.5 lakh appeared. Tier 1 UR cutoff: 114.27 (significantly lower due to moderate paper and high vacancies of 36,012 — highest ever). Tier 2 Final UR cutoff: 270.36. Largest vacancy year with relatively accessible cutoffs. Paper was considered easier than previous years.

2023

24.74 lakh applications for ~7,500 vacancies. 12.36 lakh appeared in Tier 1. Tier 1 UR cutoff: ~147.78; Tier 2 Final UR cutoff: 287. Moderate difficulty. Reasoning and English sections saw increased complexity. New exam pattern (two-tier revised) fully implemented.

2024

Record 34.83 lakh registrations for 18,236 vacancies. 18.13 lakh appeared in Tier 1. Tier 1 UR cutoff: ~150.04; Tier 2 Final UR cutoff: 322.77. Highest applicant count in a decade. Exam became more competitive with normalisation applied across shifts.

2025

28.15 lakh applications for 14,582 vacancies (193 candidates/seat). Tier 1 cutoff (UR) at 136.83 — slightly lower than 2024 due to higher difficulty. ~13.7 lakh candidates appeared. 1,39,395 qualified for Tier 2. Increased focus on data interpretation and current affairs in GA. Final vacancies revised upward to 15,130.

Previous Year Analysis

1. Analysis Of SSC

Analysis of SSC CGL question papers from 2021–2025 reveals several consistent trends:

1. Quantitative Aptitude Incre

Quantitative Aptitude increasingly features Data Interpretation (1–2 sets in Tier 1, 3–4 sets in Tier 2) and arithmetic-heavy problems (Profit-Loss, Percentage, Ratio). Geometry and Mensuration contribute 4–5 questions regularly in Tier 1.

2. Reasoning

Reasoning has become more logic-intensive with reduced figure-based questions; Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, and Syllogism are the highest-frequency topics across all years. Matrix-based puzzles have appeared consistently since 2022.

3. English Section Difficulty

English section difficulty has increased steadily; Reading Comprehension now constitutes 30–35% of Tier 2 English marks. Error Spotting and Cloze Tests maintain high frequency. Vocabulary (idioms, one-word substitution) remains a constant 20–25% component.

4. General Awareness

General Awareness has shifted significantly toward current affairs (60% weight as of 2023–25), with static GK now appearing mostly through current-affairs-linked questions. Science questions are increasingly applied/conceptual rather than factual.

5. Overall Difficulty Trend

Overall difficulty trend: 2021 (Moderate), 2022 (Easy-Moderate, reflected in lower cutoffs), 2023 (Moderate-Hard), 2024 (Hard with normalisation), 2025 (Hard). Questions are rarely repeated verbatim but concepts and templates repeat frequently.

6. The 2022 Reform

The 2022 reform introduced a restructured Tier 2 pattern eliminating Tier 3 (descriptive) and Tier 4 (skill test as standalone), making Tier 2 the sole merit determinant — a major strategic shift candidates must account for.

Subject Breakdown

•
Quantitative Aptitude: Tier 1: 25 questions / 50 marks; Tier 2 Paper 1 Section I-A: 30 questions / 90 marks
•
Reasoning: Tier 1: 25 questions / 50 marks; Tier 2 Paper 1 Section I-B: 30 questions / 90 marks
•
English: Tier 1: 25 questions / 50 marks; Tier 2 Paper 1 Section II-A: 45 questions / 135 marks
•
General Awareness: Tier 1: 25 questions / 50 marks; Tier 2 Paper 1 Section II-B: 25 questions / 75 marks

SSC CGL