CGL and CHSL Examinations of Staff Selection Commission (SSC) for Group "B" and "C" Posts in India

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was established by Government of India as "Subordinate Services Commission", an attached office of department of Personnel and Training, to recruit "Group C” (non-technical) staff in the various Ministries, government departments, and other Subordinate Offices. Later on it was rechristened as the ‘Staff Selection Commission’ in 1977 and its scope was broadened to recruit "Group B" staff also. Candidates need to register at the official website of the commission to apply for posts notified by the commission.

Commission is headed by a Chairman who is assisted by two members, a Secretary and a Deputy Secretary and nine Under Secretaries at SSC headquarters in New Delhi. In addition to the above staff, there are Directors (one Director, two Joint Directors, four Deputy Directors, an Assistant Director), Finance (one) and Budget Officer (one), and Section Officers (24), plus hundreds of supporting officers and staff. There are regional offices in several states which are headed by a Regional Director/Deputy Director and two Sub-Regional Directors. These regional offices constitute a large network throughout the country to assist in conducting examinations at examination centers spread all over India.

SSC conducts both open and departmental examinations for recruitment to various government agencies. Main examinations conducted by SSC are as follows:

1. Combined Graduate Level examination (CGLE)

Examination is conducted to recruit the following Group B and C staff:

• Assistant, Assistant/ Superintendent in various ministries, departments, and organizations
• Assistant Audit Officer & Assistant Account Officer in Indian Audit & Accounts Department under C&AG
• Assistant Section Officer in Central Secretariat Service, Intelligence Bureau, Ministry of Railways/External Affairs, Other Ministries/ Departments/ Organizations, AFHQ
• Assistant Enforcement Officer in Directorate of Enforcement, Department of Revenue
• Inspectors in the Central Excise Department, Income Tax Department, Inspectors of Posts, Central Bureau of Narcotics
• Sub-Inspectors in Delhi Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Assistant Sub Inspectors in CISF and Sub Inspector in CBI
• Divisional Accountants
• Junior Accountants and Auditors
• Junior Statistical Officers in M/o Statistics & Programme Implementation.
• Upper Divisional Clerks (UDCs)
• Statistical Investigator Grade-II

Qualifications

Candidates willing to appear in SSC’s CGL examination must possess a Bachelor’s degree to become eligible for the examination. However, candidates appearing for the final year of graduation examination may also appear in the CGL examination provisionally. Candidates applying for the post of Junior Statistical Officer must have statistics as a subject at bachelor level and those applying for Statistical Investigator Grade II must have studied Statistics as a subject in all the three years of graduation course.

Age Limit

Candidates in the age group of 18 to 32 years depending on the post may apply for SSC CGL examination. Candidates must check the notification for age related information as age limits are categorized based on pay levels of the post and there exists age relaxation for different categories of candidates.

How to apply?

Candidates should register on the official website of the commission and then apply through online mode only as no other mode of application submission is allowed. Instructions are appended with the notifications for online application submission. At present, a fee of Rs. 100 has to be paid using online payment method. However, women candidates and few other categories including SC, ST, PwD and ESM are exempted from payment of fee.

Selection Process

SSC CGL is usually conducted once in a year. This is a Multi-Tier examination, including Tier I, Tier II, a computer proficiency test, and an interview.

Tier - I – Candidates have to answer objective Type Questions related to General Intelligence, Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension. Total marks are 200 and candidates have to secure Cut Off marks as decided by the SSC. Tier - 1 examination is computer based exam and each candidates will lose 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.

Tier - II – This examination also comprises of Objective Type Questions to test Quantitative Aptitude, English Language and Comprehension, Statistics and General Studies (Finance & Accounting and Economics & Governance) of the candidates and total marks assigned to Tier 2 examination are 800 marks. Tier - 2 is also computer based examination.Negative marking of 0.50 marks will be done for each wrong answer in paper I, paer III and paper IV while 0.25 marks in paper II.

Tier - III – Candidates have to attempt 100 marks paper of descriptive nature which will test their proficiency in English or Hindi via Essay/Passage and Letter/Application writing, etc. Mode of this examination is Pen and Paper.

Tier - IV - After qualifying in the above tests, last step is to qualify Computer-based Skill Test and Data Entry Skill Test.

Syllabus

Tier-I:

General Intelligence & Reasoning

• Questions of both verbal and non-verbal type will focus on analogies, similarities and differences, space visualization, spatial orientation, problem solving, analysis, judgment, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning and figural classification, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, coding and decoding, statement conclusion, syllogistic reasoning etc.

General Awareness

Questions will be testing the candidates' general awareness of the environment and its application to society, knowledge of current events and matters of every day observations and experience in their scientific aspect and History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Policy & Scientific Research of India and neighbouring countries.

Quantitative Aptitude

Questions will be from topics covered under mathematics subject of 10th standard level.

English Comprehension

Questions will test ability of the candidate to basic comprehension and ability to write and understand correct English.

Tier - II:

All the candidates have to appear in Paper-I and Paper-II. Questions in paper I will test the quantitative abilities of the students whereas questions in Paper-II will be designed to test candidate's understanding and knowledge of English language and comprehension. Paper III will have questions from Statistics and candidates applying for Statictical Officer etc will have to attempt it. Likewise candidates appearing for audit and finance related posts have to attempt paper IV.

2. Combined Higher Secondary Level (CHSL)

The Combined Metric Level examination is conducted to recruit following staff in various departments:

• Data Entry Operators,
• LDCs (Lower Division Clerks), Junior Secretariat Assistant and Stenos
• Postal Assistant (PA)/ Sorting Assistant (SA)

Age limit

Age of the candidates should be 18-27 years as on specified date in the notification. Various age relaxations in the upper age limits are available depending on the categories of candidates.

Qualifications

• Candidates should have passed matriculation or higher level of examination, and possess a typing speed of 25 wpm in Hindi or 30 wpm in English (for an LDC post) and shorthand speed of 80 wpm in Hindi and 100 wpm in English (for Steno posts).
• LDC/ JSA, PA/ SA, DEO (except DEOs in C&AG): 12th Standard pass or equivalent examination.
• Data Entry Operator (DEO Grade ‘A’) in the Office of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG): 12th Standard pass in Science stream with Mathematics.
• Candidates appearing in 12th exam. are eligible but they have to produce documentary evidence as on a specified date.

Application procedure

Application submission process is same for both CHSL and CGL examinations.

Examination

i) Tier - I – Computer based examination. Cut off is fixed for merit. candidates will lose 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.

ii) Tier - II (Descriptive examination): The qualifying marks (33%) are fixed in descriptive paper (Paper II), It will be Pen and Paer exam.

iii) Tier - III:

Skill test (Applicable for Data Entry Operator): Test is taken on the computer and candidates are required to qualify the 'Data Entry Speed' Skill Test at the prescribed speed (speed not less than 8000 key depressions per hour) on computer. Each candidate is given 15 minutes time for the test and provided printed matter in English containing about 2000-2200 strokes/key depressions to enter.

Typing Test (Applicable for Lower Division Clerks): Candidates applying for the post of LDC have to qualify Typing test taken on computer in Hindi or English. Candidates taking test in English need to type 35 words per minute (wpm) and those in Hindi require to type 30 words per minute in 10 minutes time provided for the test.