The SSC CGL Exam will be held in two stages: Tier-1 and Tier-2. SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam will be compulsory for all candidates. For the SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam, there will be Paper 1, 2, whereas Paper I is Compulsory for all posts, Paper II is for candidates who apply for the posts of Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Let's have a look at the exam pattern for all these stages of the SSC CGL Recruitment process one by one.
The candidates must note that the SSC CGL Tier 1 is qualifying in nature and Tier 2 is scoring in nature. The marks scored in SSC CGL Tier 2 will be considered for final selection for the vacancies announced through the SSC CGL Exam.
SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam Pattern 2026
SSC CGL Tier-1 Exam will be conducted online, comprising 4 sections with 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in total and with a maximum of 200 marks. The entire exam needs to be completed in a time span of 60 minutes. SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam will be of a qualifying nature and marks will not be counted in the final selection.
The questions asked in the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam 2026 are from the following sections:
- General Intelligence & Reasoning
- General Awareness
- Quantitative Aptitude
- English Comprehension
| SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam Pattern 2026 | ||||
| S.No. | Sections | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Time Allotted |
| 1 | General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 50 | A cumulative time of 60 minutes
|
| 2 | General Awareness | 25 | 50 | |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 | |
| 4 | English Comprehension | 25 | 50 | |
| Total | 100 | 200 | ||
A Penalty for Wrong Answer: There is a negative marking of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.
SSC CGL Sliding Mechanism 2025-26 Starts- Click to Check
SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam Pattern 2026
The SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam 2026 will be conducted in 2 phases- Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper I (Compulsory for all posts), Paper II for candidates who apply for the posts of Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
| SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam Pattern 2026 | ||
| S.No. | Papers | Time Allotted |
| 1 | Paper I: (Compulsory for all posts) | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| 2 | Paper II: Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) and Statistical Investigator Gr. II | 2 hours |
The detailed SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2026 for Tier 2 Exam has been discussed below, along with the changes made by SSC this year.
| SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam Pattern 2026 [Paper 1] | |||||||
| Sessions | Sections | Modules | Subject | No. of Questions | Marks | Weightage | Duration |
| Session I | Section I | Module-I | Mathematical Abilities | 30 | 90 | 23% | 1 hour |
| Module-II | Reasoning and General Intelligence | 30 | 90 | 23% | |||
| Section II | Module-I | English Language and Comprehension | 45 | 135 | 35% | 1 hour | |
| Module-II | General Awareness | 25 | 75 | 19% | |||
| Section III | Module-I | Computer Knowledge Test | 20 | 60 | Qualifying | 15 minutes | |
| Session II | Module-II | Data Entry Speed Test | One Data Entry Task | Qualifying | 15 minutes | ||
| SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam Pattern 2026 [Paper 2] | ||||
| Papers | Sections | No. of question | Maximum Marks | Duration |
| Paper II | Statistics | 100 | 200 | 2 hours |
Penalty for Wrong Answer: There is a negative marking of 1 mark for each wrong answer in Section I, Section II and Module I of Section III of Paper I and 0.50 marks for each wrong answer in Paper II.
