SSC CGL 2018 comprises 4 levels (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4). There is a set syllabus for the entrance which the candidates need to follow thoroughly. SSC CGL 2018 Tier-1 is scheduled to be held between June 4-June 13, 2019, Tier-2 by September 11 (tentatively), CGL Tier-3 by December 29, 2019 (tentatively).
| SSC CGL Syllabus | SSC CGL Admit Card | SSC CGL Sample Papers |
Candidates must note that the score for SSC CGL Tier-I & Tier-II Exam will be normalised if it is conducted in multiple shifts. The normalisation score will be decided by SSC and it will be considered final for selecting candiidates for the further rounds (Tier-III & Tier-IV) of SSC CGL 2018 Exam.
- Official Website– ssc.nic.in
- Conducting Body- Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
- Online Exam– Tier 1 and Tier 2
- Offline Exam – Tier 3
- Computer Based Skill Test- Tier 4
SSC CGL syllabus increases after every level of exam. The difficulty level also increases. Tier IV is the final round for cracking the exam. No interviews are to be conducted as notified from the year 2016. Candidates can prepare from important books mentioned in the article below.
SSC CGL 2018 Exam Pattern Highlights
SSC CGL 2018 Exam Pattern is different for every exam. Marking scheme and syllabus differs from exam to exam.
- Tier 1 exam- 200 questions from General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness/ General knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension. 75 minutes duration with negative marking for incorrect response.
- Tier 2 exam- This has 4 papers viz., Quantitative Ability, English Language and Comprehension, Statistics (only for post of Statistical Investigator Gr. II & Compiler), General Studies of Finance and Economics (Only for the post of Assistant Audit Officer). 200 marks for each paper is allotted with a duration of 2 hours. Negative marking is applicable.
- Tier 3 exam- Descriptive paper for Essay Writing, Letter/Application Writing, Passage Writing. The paper is conducted for a duration of 1 hour for 100 marks.
- Tier 4 exam- Data Entry Skill Test/ Computer Proficiency Test for 15 minutes. This exam is qualifying in nature. No negative marking and no marks allotted.
SSC CGL 2018 Exam Pattern in Detail
As per latest notifications by SSC, SSC CGL exam now has four level of exams.
- Tier-1: Written Examination (Objective Type)
- Tier-2: Written Examination (Objective Type)
- Tier-3: Written Examination (Descriptive Type)
- Tier-4: Computer Test / Skill Test (wherever applicable)
SSC CGL 2018 Exam Pattern is given in details for the convenience of the aspiring candidates.
SSC CGL Tier-I Exam Pattern 2018
| Number of Papers | 1 |
| Total Number of Questions | 200 |
| Total Sections | 4 |
| Sections | General Intelligence and Reasoning General Awareness/ General knowledge Quantitative Aptitude English Comprehension |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Total Time | 75 Minutes |
| Negative Marking | Yes |
| Mode | Online |
| Question Type | Objective |
SSC CGL Tier-2 Exam Pattern 2018
| Number of Papers | 4 |
| Subjects | Paper- 1: Quantitative Ability Paper-2: English Language and Comprehension Paper-3: Statistics (only for post of Statistical Investigator Gr. II & Compiler Paper-4: General Studies (Finance and Economics) (Only for the post of Assistant Audit Officer) |
| Total Marks | 800 (200 in each paper) |
| Total Time | 2 hours for each paper |
| Negative Marking | Yes |
| Mode | Online |
| Question Type | Objective |
SSC CGL Tier-3 Exam Pattern 2018
| Number of Papers | 1 |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Question Type | Descriptive |
| Sections | Essay Writing Letter/Application Writing Passage Writing |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Exam Mode | Offline |
SSC CGL 2018 Tier IV Exam Pattern
| Total Marks | Qualifying in Nature |
| Time Duration | 15 minutes |
| Tests | Data Entry Skill Test (DEST)/Computer Proficiency Test (CPT) |
| Exam Mode | Online |
| Data Entry Skill Test (DEST) | Only for candidates applying for post of Tax assistants (in Central Excise and Income Tax) Criteria: 8000 key depression per hour |
| Computer Proficiency Test (CPT) | Only for candidates applying for post of Assistant Section Officer Three modules: Word Processing, Spreadsheet and Generation of Slides |
SSC CGL 2018 Marking Scheme
SSC CGL 2018 have both online and offline based tests. While Tier 1, 2 and 4 are online computer based exam, Tier 3 is descriptive written pen and paper examination. Tier 4 is the final qualifying round where document verification is also done. No personal interviews will be conducted in SSC CGL from 2016.
| SSC CGL Exam Tiers | Sections | Total Marks | Marking Scheme | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | General Intelligence and Reasoning General Awareness/ General knowledge Quantitative Aptitude English Comprehension | 200 marks | Each question carries 1 mark | -0.50 for each wrong answer |
| Tier 2 | Paper 1: Quantitative Ability Paper 2: English Language and Comprehension Paper 3: Statistics Paper 4: General Studies (Finance and Economics) | Paper 1: 100 Paper 2: 200 Paper 3: 200 Paper 4: 200 | Paper 1, Paper 3, Paper 4: Each question carries 2 marks Paper 2: Each question carries 1 mark | Paper 1, Paper 3, Paper 4: -0.50 for each wrong answer Paper 2: -0.25 for each wrong answer |
| Tier 3 | Essay, Application, Passage Writing | 100 marks | Minimum qualifying marks 33% | |
| Tier 4 | Data Entry Skill Test (DEST)/Computer Proficiency Test (CPT) (whichever applicable) | Qualifying in nature |
SSC CGL 2018 Syllabus
Syllabus for every tier in SSC CGL is different. The tables below give an idea about the syllabus in every paper under this exam.
SSC CGL 2018 Syllabus- Tier 1
| Sections | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning: | This section is based on Questions from Series (number, figurative), similarities and differences, analogy, space visualization. Spatial orientation, problem solving, analysis, judgement. Decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation. Direction sense test, Blood relations, arithmetical reasoning and figural classification. Arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, coding and decoding. Statement conclusion, syllogism in reasoning etc. The topics are Semantic Analogy, Symbolic/Number Analogy. Figural Analogy, Ranking test, Semantic Classification, Symbolic/Number Classification. Figural Classification, Input-Output questions, Problem Solving, Word Building, Seating arrangement, Numerical Operations, symbolic Operations. Questions on Dies, Clock, Calender. Trends, Space Orientation, Space Visualization, Venn Diagrams. Drawing inferences, folding & un-folding of Punched hole/pattern. Figural Pattern – folding and completion, Indexing, Address matching. Date & city matching, Classification of centre codes/roll numbers. Small & Capital letters/numbers coding, decoding and classification. Embedded Figures, Critical thinking. Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence etc. |
| English Language | Questions on Fill in the Blanks, Idioms & Phrases, Jumbled sentences (ordering), One word substitution. Synonyms, Antonyms, Spellings/Detecting Mis-spelt words, Common errors, sentence improvement, Passage, Cloze test are asked. |
| Quantitative Aptitude (Q.A.) | This section is based on questions on Percentages. Ratio & Proportion. Square and cube roots. Surds and indices. Lcm and hcf, Averages, Age problems. Simple interest and Compound Interest, Profit and Loss, Discount, Partnership. Mixture and Alligation, Time and distance, Time & Work, Boat and Streams, Pipes and Cisterns. Numbers, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Heights and Distances. Divisions and Remainders, decimals ,fractions and relationships between numbers. Graphs of Linear Equations, Triangles (centres, congruence, similarity), In circles and circum-circle. Triangle, Quadrilaterals, Regular Polygons. Circle, Right Prism, Right Circular Cone. Right Circular Cylinder, Sphere, Hemispheres, Rectangular Parallelopiped. Regular Right Pyramid with triangular or square base, Trigonometric ratio. Degree and Radian Measures, Circle and its chords. tangents, angles subtended by chords of a circle. common tangents to two or more circles, Standard Identities. Complementary angles, Heights and Distances. Histogram, Frequency polygon, Bar diagram & Pie chart. |
| General Awareness (G.A. Syllabus) | General Awareness will have questions on current events, India and its neighbouring countries. Also questions from History. Geography, Economic Scene,Culture, General Policy & Scientific Research are asked. Scientific research includes physics, chemistry and Biology. Current affairs of Last 6 months are asked. |
SSC CGL 2018 Syllabus: Tier 2
| Sections | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Paper-1 (Quantitative Abilities) | Same as in Tier 1 |
| Paper 2 (English Language & Comprehension) | Same as in Tier 1 English syllabus plus Active Passive and cloze test |
| Paper 3 (Statistics) | Collection Classification and Presentation of Statistical Data Measures of Central Tendency Measures of Dispersion-Common measures dispersion Moments, Skewness and Kurtosis Correlation and Regression Probability Theory Random Variable and Probability Distributions Sampling Theory Statistical Inference Analysis of Variance Index Numbers |
| Paper 4 (General Studies (Finance and Economics) | Finance and Accounts, Economics and Governance |
SSC CGL 2018 Syllabus- Tier 3
| Sections | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Written Descriptive English Test | Precis Writing/Essay/Formal Letter/Informal Letter/Application/Passage Writing |
SSC CGL 2018 Syllabus- Tier 4
| Sections | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Data Entry Skill Test/ Computer Proficiency Test | DEST test requires 8000 key depressions per hour whereas CPT test requires computer knowledge |
SSC CGL 2018- Important Books for Preparation
Listed below are few important books that a candidate can prepare from for all the 4 tiers of SSC CGL 2018:
| Subject | Book Name | Author |
|---|---|---|
| English | English for General Competitions: from Plinth to Paramount (Volume – 1) | Neetu Singh (KD Publications) |
| English | English for General Competitions: (Volume – 2) | Neetu Singh (KD Publications) |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Advance maths for General Competitions | Rakesh Yadav (KD Publications) |
| Quantitative Aptitude | Arithmetic for General Competitions | Neetu Singh (KD Publications) |
| Reasoning | A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal | BS Sijwali and Indu Sijwali (Arihant) |
| General Awareness | India Year Book | Various Authors |
| All Subjects | Kiran’s SSC CGL Combined Graduate Level Exams Question bank 1999-2016 | Kiran Publications |
| Tier 1 Comprehensive Guide | Master Guide SSC Combined Graduate Level Tier-I Examination | Arihnat Experts |
| Tier 2 Comprehensive Guide | SSC CGL Staff Selection Commission Combined TIER-II Exam Practice Work Book Including Solved Papers | Kiran Publication |
Important Instructions for Candidates
Following instructions should be kept in mind while preparing for SSC CGL 2018:
- Candidates should practice “mock tests” to get an idea of the computer based exam for Tier 1 and Tier 2. Online tests for the same must be attempted.
- Mock tests are available on the official website of the SSC as well as the regional office websites.
- Time management is very important.
- Be careful of negative marking. Answer only those questions which you are sure of.