Course
SSC CGL — Combined Graduate Level
The full SSC CGL structure — Tier 1 (qualifying) + Tier 2 Paper-I/II/III (scoring) — with sectional-timing strategy and practice drills. Working picture as of August 2026; confirm the current notification on ssc.gov.in.
India · graduate recruitment · 5 units
Unit 1: Unit 1 — The SSC CGL exam structure & strategy
SSC CGL is a two-tier exam. Tier 1 is 100 MCQs / 200 marks / 60 minutes with SECTIONAL timing (15 min per section): General Intelligence & Reasoning (25 Q), General Awareness (25 Q), Quantitative Aptitude (25 Q), English Comprehension (25 Q). Negative marking is 0.50 per wrong answer. Tier 1 is qualifying (not counted in the final merit). Tier 2 is scoring: Paper-I compulsory (Math Abilities 30/90, Reasoning 30/90, English 45/135, GA 25/75, Computer 20/60 qualifying, DEST qualifying), Paper-II Statistics (JSO), Paper-III GS Finance & Economics (AAO). Strategy: Tier 1 is a speed filter — sectional timing means you cannot borrow time between sections, so practice each section at its own pace. Tier 2 is where marks are won — depth in Math + English + GA.
Teach: sectional-timing strategy
Tier 1 gives you 15 minutes per 25-question section. That is 36 seconds per question. In the Quant section, attempt the easy arithmetic first (percentage, ratio, average), skip the long data-interpretation to return later, and never spend more than 60 seconds stuck. Practice each section as its own timed sprint — this trains the 15-minute rhythm the exam actually tests.
Exercises
- Build your SSC CGL study plan — You have 4 months to SSC CGL. Write a plan covering: Tier 1 sectional speed (months 1-2), Tier 2 Paper-I depth (months 2-4), GA current affairs (daily 30min), English grammar (daily 20min), and mock tests (from month 3).
Unit 2: Unit 2 — Tier 1: Quant + Reasoning
Tier 1 Quantitative Aptitude (25 Q / 15 min) tests Class-X math: percentages, ratio & proportion, averages, simple/compound interest, time & work, speed & distance, profit & loss, and data interpretation. General Intelligence & Reasoning (25 Q / 15 min) tests analogies, series, coding-decoding, syllogisms, blood relations, and non-verbal (figure) reasoning. Both reward SPEED + accuracy — the sectional timing means you must solve fast and skip smart. Memorize the core formulas (percentage ↔ fraction table, interest, speed conversions) so they are instant.
Teach: percentage ↔ fraction shortcut
Memorize: 12.5% = 1/8, 16.67% = 1/6, 20% = 1/5, 25% = 1/4, 33.33% = 1/3, 50% = 1/2. Sample: 'A price rises by 25%, by what % must it fall to return to the original?' Rise 25% = ×5/4, so fall must be ×4/5 = 20% decrease. Formula: fall% = rise%/(100+rise%) × 100 = 25/125 × 100 = 20%. This class of question appears every year.
Exercises
- Quant percentage drill — The price of an article is increased by 20% and then decreased by 20%. What is the net change? (a) 0%, (b) 4% decrease, (c) 4% increase, (d) 2% decrease
- Reasoning series drill — Find the next term: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ? (a) 40, (b) 42, (c) 44, (d) 36
Unit 3: Unit 3 — Tier 1: English + General Awareness
Tier 1 English Comprehension (25 Q / 15 min) tests grammar (error spotting, fill-in-the-blank, synonyms/antonyms), vocabulary, and reading comprehension. General Awareness (25 Q / 15 min) tests current affairs (last 6-12 months), Indian history/polity/economy, geography, science, and static GK. English rewards consistent grammar + vocab practice; GA rewards daily current-affairs reading + static revision. Both are speed sections — read the comprehension questions first, and for GA, answer only what you are confident about (0.50 negative marking).
Teach: error-spotting pattern
Common SSC error-spotting traps: subject-verb agreement ('The team of players ARE ready' → IS), pronoun case ('between you and I' → me), and tense consistency. Sample: 'Neither of the boys have submitted the form.' 'Neither' is singular → 'has submitted'. Spot the subject first, then check the verb agrees. This one rule catches a large share of error-spotting questions.
Exercises
- English error-spotting drill — Spot the error: 'The committee have decided to postpone the meeting.' (a) The committee, (b) have decided, (c) to postpone, (d) no error
Unit 4: Unit 4 — Tier 2 Paper-I (scoring)
Tier 2 Paper-I is the scoring stage (all posts): Mathematical Abilities (30 Q / 90 marks), Reasoning & General Intelligence (30 Q / 90 marks), English Language & Comprehension (45 Q / 135 marks), General Awareness (25 Q / 75 marks), Computer Knowledge (20 Q / 60 marks, qualifying), and the Data Entry Speed Test (qualifying). Negative marking is 1 mark per wrong answer in Paper-I. English carries the most marks (135) — master grammar + vocab + RC. Math (90) + Reasoning (90) need depth beyond Tier 1. Computer is qualifying — clear it with basic IT knowledge. Strategy: Paper-I is where the merit list is decided; allocate study time by marks weight (English > Math = Reasoning > GA).
Teach: allocate study time by marks weight
Tier 2 Paper-I is 390 scored marks: English 135 (35%), Math 90 (23%), Reasoning 90 (23%), GA 75 (19%). A rational study plan spends ~35% of Tier 2 time on English, 23% each on Math and Reasoning, 19% on GA — not equal time per section. Most aspirants over-study Math and under-study English, which is the opposite of the marks distribution. Allocate by weight, then by your weakest section within that weight.
Exercises
- Tier 2 marks-weighted plan — You have 8 hours/week for Tier 2 Paper-I. Allocate the hours across English (135 marks), Math (90), Reasoning (90), GA (75), and Computer (qualifying) proportional to marks weight.
Unit 5: Unit 5 — Tier 2 Paper-II/III + DEST
Tier 2 Paper-II (Statistics, 100 Q / 200 marks) is for the Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) post — it tests statistics (collection, classification, measures of central tendency and dispersion, correlation, regression, index numbers, sampling, probability). Paper-III (General Studies Finance & Economics, 100 Q / 200 marks) is for the Assistant Audit Officer (AAO) post — it tests Indian economy, finance, accounting, and auditing basics. The Data Entry Speed Test (DEST) is qualifying — a typing-speed test (8,000 key depressions/hour for most posts). Only attempt Paper-II/III if you are applying for the JSO/AAO posts; otherwise focus on Paper-I. DEST needs typing practice, not theory.
Teach: a statistics concept for Paper-II
For JSO Paper-II, know the difference between measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and dispersion (range, variance, standard deviation). Sample: 'Which measure is least affected by extreme values?' The MEDIAN — it is the middle value and ignores outliers, while the mean shifts with them. This distinction appears repeatedly in JSO statistics questions.
Exercises
- Paper-II statistics drill — For the data 5, 7, 8, 9, 100, which is most representative of the central tendency? (a) mean, (b) median, (c) mode, (d) range. Explain.