SSC Selection Post Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Computer Based Examination: 200 marks, 60 minutes

Each question carries 2 marks, and 0.50 is deducted for a wrong answer.

The same structure applies at all three levels. Only the difficulty changes.

The hour is split by a sectional timer of 15 minutes per part. A part closes when its time is up, finished or not, and you can't carry spare time into the next one. Candidates eligible for a scribe get 20 minutes a part, 80 minutes in all.

Skill tests

Some posts add a typing, skill or physical test, or a document-based assessment. Whether you face one depends on the posts you applied for; the phase notice lists it post by post. Typing, data entry and computer proficiency tests are qualifying unless the post details say otherwise, so they don't add to your score.

Medium

The paper is in Hindi and English only, and you pick one when you apply. Responses are recorded only in that language, so you can't switch in the hall.

The syllabus is the same at all three levels; only the standard differs.

General Intelligence

Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation, spatial orientation, problem solving, analysis, judgement, 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, Venn diagrams, punched hole and pattern folding, figural pattern completion, and embedded figures.

General Awareness

Current events, India and its neighbouring countries, history, culture, geography, economic scene, general polity and the Constitution, scientific research, sports, and awards. Questions test awareness of the environment and its application to society rather than specialist study.

Quantitative Aptitude

Number systems, computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions, percentage, ratio and proportion, square roots, averages, interest, profit and loss, discount, partnership, mixture and alligation, time and distance, time and work, algebra, triangles, circles, polygons, mensuration, trigonometry, heights and distances, and data interpretation through histogram, bar diagram and pie chart. Graduation-level papers reach further into algebra, geometry and trigonometry than Matriculation-level ones.

English Language

Reading comprehension, spotting errors, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, spelling detection, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, sentence improvement, active and passive voice, direct and indirect narration, and shuffling of sentence parts and of sentences in a passage.

Educational qualification

There is no single qualification. Each post carries its own, grouped into three levels: Matriculation, Higher Secondary, and Graduation and above. Many posts also need a specific subject, diploma, certificate or experience.

Read the post-wise table in the phase notice. A mismatch isn't caught when you apply; it's caught at document verification, after you've sat the paper.

Age

Age limits differ post by post, commonly 18 to 25, 18 to 27 or 18 to 30, with the usual relaxations.

Post-specific requirements

Some posts need a typing or skill test, some a physical standard, some prescribed experience. All of it is in the phase notice, post by post.

1. Computer Based Examination: 200 marks, one hour. A separate merit list is drawn for each post.
2. Skill, typing or physical test where the post needs one.
3. Document verification, where your qualification is checked against the post you applied for.

There is no common merit list. Each post has its own vacancies and applicants, so the same score can select you for one post and fall short for another in the same phase. Applying for several posts you're qualified for is normal, up to the number the notice allows.

There's no single pay scale. Each post code carries the pay level of the post it fills, and one phase can run from a Matriculation-level Group C post to a Graduation-level technical one.

The pay level is printed against each post code in the phase notice, next to its qualification and age limit. These are 7th Pay Commission levels; take-home pay adds dearness allowance, house rent allowance and transport allowance, which vary with the posting city.

Fee

Payment is online only: BHIM UPI, net banking, or a Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or RuPay debit card. There's no challan.

One Time Registration first

You create a One Time Registration (OTR) profile with your photograph and signature, then apply for the exam from it. The OTR is reused for every SSC exam, so get the photo and signature right once.

The fee window closes a day after the application window. A paid correction window follows for fixing details you already submitted; it isn't a second chance to apply.

Have ready

• A working mobile number and email. SSC sends the scribe OTP and admission certificate alerts there.
• Photograph and signature in the specified dimensions.
• Matriculation certificate for date of birth, and a category certificate if you claim reservation. A false category claim leads to debarment.

You apply post by post

Each post has its own code, qualification and age limit, and you're considered only for the posts you applied for.

Vacancies come from individual ministries, departments and subordinate offices of the central government, and the list changes every phase. A typical phase spans scientific and technical establishments, museums and archives, survey and statistical offices, medical and laboratory posts, and clerical and support roles.

The regional office matters. Post codes carry a regional prefix (NR, WR, CR, ER and so on), that office handles the applications, and corrigenda and cancellations are issued per post code during the phase. A post you applied for can be changed or withdrawn after the notice.

You name your preferred centres when you apply, from the list in the notice. Centres sit under SSC's nine regional offices, and all your choices must be in one region.

The region you pick also handles your queries and document verification, so a far-off centre means a far-off regional office too. Allotment follows preference where capacity allows, and the exam city is announced before the admission certificate.

Selection Post is notified in numbered phases, each with a different set of posts. Vacancies, qualifications and age limits change completely between phases, so no dates or vacancy figures are listed here.

Each phase notice appears on ssc.gov.in, and its dates are in SSC's annual exam calendar on the same site. The most recent is the Phase-XIV/2026 notice.

SSC calls it an Admission Certificate, and it comes from the regional office whose centres you chose, on that office's own website. The exam city is published a few days before the certificate goes live.

Carry with you

• The printed Admission Certificate.
• The original photo ID whose number you entered in the application. A different ID or a photocopy isn't accepted.
• Two passport photographs, if the certificate asks for them.

If you use a scribe: once the certificate is live, enter the scribe's OTR number on the portal, and key in the OTP sent to the scribe's mobile. This can't be done at the centre.

Multi-shift papers are normalised using the procedure SSC published on 2 June 2025, and the normalised score decides shortlisting, merit and cut-off.

A tentative answer key and your response sheet go up on the SSC answer key page after the exam, for a limited window. Challenges cost ₹100 per question, non-refundable, and are accepted only online. The final key can differ from the tentative one. Download your response sheet while it's up; SSC advises keeping it for three years.

Ties are broken by total normalised marks, then Part A marks, then the order printed in the notice.

Results are declared separately for each level, with merit worked out per post code, so one candidate can appear in several lists. Selection is subject to document verification by the appointing authority.

The minimum qualifying marks for the computer based exam are fixed in the notice:

The actual cut-off is worked out per post code after the exam and sits well above these. SSC publishes it with each level's result on ssc.gov.in.

1. Read the post-wise table first. Picking posts well matters as much as scoring well, because cut-offs vary hugely between posts in one phase. Popular posts draw crowds; codes in less obvious offices often draw far fewer applicants for the same paper.
2. Apply for every post you genuinely qualify for, within the notice's limit. Each has its own merit list.
3. Practise to the sectional timer. Twenty-five questions in 15 minutes is 36 seconds each, with no borrowing from another part. Skipping a hard question is a timing call.
4. Don't guess blind. A wrong answer costs a quarter of a right one, and the timer tempts you to fill in an unfinished part.
5. Prepare to the level of your posts. The structure is identical across levels; only the difficulty changes.
6. Check for a skill or physical test on the posts you chose, and prepare for it alongside the written paper.
7. Take the official mock once. Before each exam SSC links a mock on the same testing platform. It's useful for the interface, not the questions.

SSC doesn't publish previous Selection Post question papers. PDFs sold under that name are candidate reconstructions, and their answer keys are unchecked.

The closest official material is your own response sheet, posted with the tentative key on the SSC answer key page for a short window after each exam.

Official website: ssc.gov.in

Candidate portal (registration and applications): SSC candidate portal

What is SSC Selection Post?

A rolling recruitment, notified in numbered phases, through which central government departments fill individual posts. One phase can carry hundreds of them.

Is there one merit list?

No. Each post has its own, so cut-offs vary widely within a phase.

What are the three levels?

Matriculation (Class 10), Higher Secondary (Class 12), and Graduation and above. Same paper structure, different difficulty.

How many questions and marks?

100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes, in four sections of 25.

How much is deducted for a wrong answer?

0.50 marks.

Is there sectional timing?

Yes. Each of the four parts gets 15 minutes and then closes. Scribe-eligible candidates get 20 minutes a part.

What qualification do I need?

It depends on the post. Check the post-wise table in the phase notice.