SSC Stenographer Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Computer based exam: 200 marks, two hours, timed by section

Each part closes on its own clock. Time saved in Reasoning can't be used on English. Scribe users get 2 hours 40 minutes, split 40, 40 and 80. One mark a question, 0.25 off a wrong answer, in English and Hindi only.

Qualifying marks

Skill test (qualifying)

One 10-minute dictation at 100 words per minute for Grade C or 80 for Grade D, in English or Hindi as chosen in your application, then transcription on a computer:

The skill test earns no marks. It has category-wise qualifying standards, and merit comes from the written exam alone. After appointment you must learn the other language or you may not clear probation, and you'll work in whichever the office needs.

General Intelligence & Reasoning

Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation, problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, number series, non-verbal series, symbol relationships.

General Awareness

Current events, India and its neighbours, history, culture, geography, economy, polity and the Constitution, and scientific research.

English Language & Comprehension

Reading comprehension, cloze test, error spotting, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, spelling, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, sentence improvement, active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, and sentence and passage rearrangement.

Shorthand

Taking dictation in English or Hindi at the set speed and transcribing it accurately in time. Errors above the permitted percentage fail the test.

Class 12 or equivalent from a recognised board.

Age is counted on the date in the notice. Relaxation: 5 years SC and ST, 3 years OBC, 10 years PwBD, and the prescribed relaxation for ex-servicemen. Shorthand isn't needed to apply, but you must pass the skill test.

1. Computer Based Test, 200 marks. The merit list comes from this alone.
2. Skill test, qualifying: 100 w.p.m. for Grade C, 80 w.p.m. for Grade D.
3. Document verification.

No interview. Top the written paper and fail the skill test, and you're not appointed.

Grade C is often called a Level 6 post, but SSC's tentative vacancy list of 4 June 2026 shows 83 of the 149 Grade C posts at Level 7 and 66 at Level 6. Which you get depends on the department, and that depends on your preference order. Same exam, but a Level 7 start for your whole career.

Grade C is open to ages 18 to 30, Grade D to 18 to 27, so over 27 you can only apply for Grade C. You can apply for both.

Pay online only: BHIM UPI, net banking, or Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or RuPay debit card.

First do One Time Registration on the SSC portal (photo and signature, reused for every SSC exam), then apply. Have a working mobile and email, your Matriculation certificate for date of birth, and any category certificate. A false category claim gets you debarred.

In the form, choose Grade C, Grade D or both (you're only shortlisted for what you pick), and your dictation language.

The fee window closes a day after applications. After that, a correction window lets you fix submitted applications twice: ₹200 the first time, ₹500 the second.

Stenographers go to central government ministries, departments and their attached and subordinate offices. The list changes each cycle. SSC's tentative vacancy list of 4 June 2026 named 59 offices:

The biggest Grade D employers were the Department of Posts, Department of Telecommunications, CBDT and CBI. Grade C went mainly to External Affairs, the Intelligence Bureau, the Department of Revenue, NCLT and Corporate Affairs. The list is tentative; a final one comes before the result.

You pick centres in your application, all within one of SSC's nine regions:

Your region's office handles your queries, admission certificates and document verification. The skill test is held at regional offices or centres they choose, usually fewer places than the written exam, so expect a second journey.

SSC publishes an annual exam calendar on ssc.gov.in, and corrigenda are common, so check the SSC notice board rather than a date you noted when applying.

The Admission Certificate comes from your regional office's website, not headquarters. The exam city is announced a few days before the certificate goes live.

Bring the printed certificate, the original photo ID whose number you gave in the application, and two photos if asked. Scribe users must pair the scribe online (scribe's OTR number and an OTP) once the certificate is out.

The skill test has its own city notice and certificate, usually months later: for the 2025 cycle, the written result came in November 2025 and the skill test city notice in January 2026.

Multi-shift exams are normalised under SSC's procedure of 2 June 2025, and the normalised score decides merit. A tentative answer key follows each exam, with objections at ₹50 per question, non-refundable. The final key can differ.

Ties go to marks in English (Part III), then General Awareness (Part II), then the older candidate, then alphabetical order.

Allocation runs through a First Round of Tentative Allocation under a sliding mechanism (notices of 3 March and 8 April 2026), so results get revised. For the 2025 cycle the FRTA was declared on 18 June 2026, withheld the next day, reissued on 31 July 2026, and the final result came on 25 August 2026. You then fill an option-cum-preference form by its deadline. If you're picked for a preferred post and fail its medical or other standard, you're out; lower preferences aren't considered.

Everything is announced on the SSC notice board.

The qualifying marks (30%, 25%, 20%) are under Exam Pattern. The actual cut-off is the last selected candidate's normalised score, published with each result on the SSC notice board, separately for Grade C and Grade D and by category. Grade C, with about a seventh of Grade D's vacancies, cuts off higher.

After each cycle SSC puts written and skill test marks on its marks module, with the final key and your response sheet, for a limited time. The skill test standards are accuracy thresholds, not marks, and aren't in the notice.

1. Start shorthand first. Eighty to a hundred words a minute takes months of daily practice. The written paper takes weeks.
2. Practise transcription too. Typing it back accurately within the time is where most candidates fail.
3. English is half the paper and the first tie-breaker.
4. Clear the written paper comfortably (30% for UR), then spend your time on speed and accuracy.
5. Pick your dictation language carefully. Hindi gets more transcription time.
6. Mind the 0.25 penalty across 200 questions, and practise under the sectional timer.
7. Use SSC's mock test before the exam to get used to the interface.

SSC doesn't publish previous question papers. After each exam it puts up the tentative answer key with your own response sheet for a limited window; download yours, and keep it for at least three years. Before each exam it posts a mock test on the real interface.

Both appear on the SSC notice board, around the exam dates.

• ssc.gov.in: Staff Selection Commission
• SSC notice board: schedule changes, admission certificates, answer keys and results
• Notice of Stenographer Grade C and D Examination, 2026: scheme, skill test, age, fee and merit rules
• Tentative vacancy list of 4 June 2026: tentative vacancy list
• SSC candidate portal: registration and applications

What shorthand speed do I need?

100 words a minute for Grade C, 80 for Grade D, dictated for 10 minutes.

Is the skill test scored?

No. It's qualifying. Merit is from the written exam, but failing the skill test means no appointment.

Which section matters most?

English, 100 of the 200 marks.

What are the qualifying marks?

30% unreserved, 25% OBC and EWS, 20% others.

Can I take dictation in Hindi?

Yes. Hindi gets more transcription time than English.

Is Grade C always Level 6?

No. In the 2026 vacancy list, 83 of 149 Grade C posts were Level 7.

Is there an interview?

No.