Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Exam to fill various Group ‘B’ and Group ‘C’ posts in different Ministries/ Departments/ Organisations. Many graduates in the country aspire to crack the CGL exam and join any of the posts filled through this exam. It is one of the popular competitive exams prepared by the country’s graduates.
The SSC CGL Exam is conducted in four stages – Tier I, Tier II, Tier III and Tier IV. The candidates who appear for this exam must crack all these stages in one go to get selected for one of the posts filled through this exam.
In this article, the different stages of the SSC CGL Exam are clearly explained; knowing the scheme of the exam is the first step before starting the preparation.
Scheme of SSC CGL Exam
The SSC CGL Notification is released yearly once to recruit various Group ‘B’ and Group ‘C’ posts and has the following stages:
| Stages of the SSC CGL Exam | |
| Tier-I | Computer-Based Examination |
| Tier-II | Computer-Based Examination |
| Tier-III | Pen and Paper Mode (Descriptive paper) |
| Tier-IV | Computer Proficiency Test/ Data Entry Skill Test (wherever applicable). |
Candidates who have completed a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized University or equivalent can apply for this exam. The candidates appearing in the final exam of the graduation can also apply, however, if they possess the required educational qualifications.
For the posts of Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer and Junior Statistical Officer, the commission prescribes essential qualifications and desirable qualifications to be possessed by the candidates. A candidate with a bachelor’s degree could apply for all other posts.
After the notification is released, interested candidates can apply and start preparing by looking at the detailed scheme of the exam.
Scheme of Tier I Examination of SSC CGL
The scheme of Tier I of the SSC CGL Exam is as follows:
| Subject | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Time Allotted |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 50 |
1 hour (1 hour and 20 minutes for the candidates eligible for scribe) |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 | |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 | |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
Important Points to Remember:
- Tier-I questions will consist of Objective Type, Multiple choice questions. The questions will be set both in English & Hindi, except for English Comprehension in Tier-I.
- Tier-I will have a negative marking of 0.50 for each wrong answer.
Scheme of Tier II Examination of SSC CGL
The scheme of Tier II of the SSC CGL Exam is as follows:
| Papers | Subject | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | Time Allotted |
| Paper I | Quantitative Abilities | 100 | 200 | 2 hours (for each Paper) (2 hours and 40 minutes for the candidates eligible for scribe |
| Paper II | English Language and Comprehension | 100 | 200 | |
| Paper III | Statistics | 100 | 200 | |
| Paper IV | General Studies (Finance and Economics) | 100 | 200 |
Important Points to Remember:
- The questions in Tier II will consist of Objective multiple-choice questions. The questions will be set both in English & Hindi, except for English Comprehension in Paper II of the Tier-II exam.
- In Tier II, there will be a negative marking of 0.25 for each wrong answer in Paper II (English Language and Comprehension) and 0.50 marks for each wrong answer in Paper I, Paper II.
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In Tier-II, Paper-I and Paper-II are compulsory for all the posts.
- Paper III of Tier-II will be for only candidates who apply for the Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) posts in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and who are shortlisted in Tier-I for the Posts.
- In Tier-II, Paper-IV will be for only those candidates who are shortlisted in Tier-I for Paper-IV i.e. for the posts of Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer.
Scheme of Tier III Examination of SSC CGL
The scheme of Tier III of the SSC CGL Exam is as follows:
| Scheme of Examination | Maximum Marks | Time Allowed |
| Descriptive Paper in
English or Hindi (Writing of Essay/ Precis/ Letter/ Application etc.) |
100 | 1 hour
(1 hour and 20 minutes for the candidates who are eligible for scribe) |
Important Points to Remember:
- The mode of examination of the Tier III stage will be based on Pen and Paper mode.
- The Paper in Tier III will have to be written in Hindi or English.
- Part paper written in Hindi and Part in English will be awarded zero marks.
- In Tier III, candidates must write their correct Roll Number at the prescribed places on the cover page of the Answer Book. Candidates must also affix their signature and Left-hand Thumb Impression in the relevant columns in the Answer Book.
- Answer Books not bearing Roll Number, Signature and Left-hand Thumb Impression shall be awarded zero marks.
- The candidates must not write any personal identity, e.g. name, roll number, mobile number, address, etc, inside the Answer Book (Tier-III).
Scheme of Tier IV Examination of SSC CGL
The scheme of Tier IV of the SSC CGL Exam is as follows:
| Name of the Stage | Scheme of the Examination |
| Skill Test | Computer Proficiency Test (CPT) and Data Entry Speed Test (DEST) will be conducted. |
After applying for the exam, the candidates must keep track of the SSC Admit Card, which will be released by the commission weeks before the exam. Possessing an admit card is a must to gain entry into the exam hall.
