SSC CGL 2026

SSC CGL 2026, the Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level Examination, is a national-level, computer-based exam run every year by the Staff Selection Commission. It fills Group B and Group C posts in ministries, departments and offices of the Government of India, from Assistant Section Officer and Income Tax Inspector to Auditor and Tax Assistant.

For the 2026 cycle the notification came out on 21 May 2026. SSC later revised the vacancies from 12,256 to 10,731. Tier 1 runs from 30 September to 30 October 2026, and Tier 2 is expected in December 2026.

Any graduate can apply. The age limit depends on the post (18–27, 18–30 or up to 32 years as on 1 August 2026), and the pay ranges from Pay Level 4 to Pay Level 8.

General Awareness carries 50 marks in Tier 1, so revise our daily current affairs alongside static GK.

Educational qualification

• Most posts: a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
• Junior Statistical Officer: a bachelor’s degree with at least 60% in Mathematics at Class 12, or a degree with Statistics as a subject.
• Statistical Investigator Grade-II: a bachelor’s degree with Statistics studied in every year or semester of the course.
• Research Assistant (NHRC): a bachelor’s degree plus one year of research experience.

Age limit (as on 1 August 2026)

Upper age relaxation

Nationality

A citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or another person eligible under the rules in the official notification (some need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India).

Applications are accepted online only, at ssc.gov.in or the mySSC app.

1. Complete One-Time Registration (OTR), with Aadhaar authentication or another valid photo ID.
2. Sign in and open the SSC CGL 2026 application form; your OTR details are pre-filled.
3. Fill in your qualification details and post preferences.
4. Upload your signature and photograph (a live photo is captured during the process).
5. Pay the fee by UPI, net banking or debit/credit card and submit.
6. Save or print the submitted form for later stages.

Application fee

Tier 1 (qualifying)

Objective, computer-based, 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes (15-minute sectional timer per section; 80 minutes for candidates eligible for a scribe).

Tier 2

Paper I questions carry 3 marks each and Paper II questions 2 marks each. Check the official notification for negative marking.

1. Tier 1: a qualifying computer-based test that shortlists candidates for Tier 2.
2. Tier 2: Paper I is compulsory for everyone; Paper II (Statistics) is only for JSO and Statistical Investigator posts. The final merit list is based on Tier 2.
3. Document verification: shortlisted candidates bring original certificates.
4. Final allocation: posts are allotted by merit and the candidate’s post preferences.

SSC revised the 2026 vacancies to 10,731 (earlier 12,256): UR 4,412, SC 1,715, ST 804, OBC 2,772, EWS 1,028.

Vacancies in previous years

• Plan the syllabus topic by topic and keep fixed time for revision and current affairs.
• Take full-length and sectional mock tests under timed conditions, then review every mistake.
• Practise arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data interpretation daily for Quant.
• Build vocabulary and grammar, and practise reading comprehension and error spotting for English.
• Read the news every day and revise static GK regularly for General Awareness.
• Solve previous year papers to understand the level and the most-asked topics.