SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025: Marking Scheme, Negative Marking, Number of Papers & Questions

SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025 - The Staff Selection Commission will release the SSC CGL notification 2025. The exam pattern remains unchanged this year. Aspiring candidates can refer to the CGL pattern for comprehensive preparation.

Abhishek AroraUpdated on : Mar 04 2025 15:39 IST

SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025: The Staff Selection Commission will conduct the SSC CGL exam tentatively in September-October 2025. The commission has released the official notification including the SSC CGL exam pattern. As per the pattern, the SSC CGL 2025 exam will be conducted in Tier 1 and Tier 2. Earlier, the exam was held in four Tiers.

SSC CGL Notification (Download)

According to the revised pattern, the SSC CGL Tier 2 exam will be conducted for three papers only, along with the Data Entry Speed Test (DEST). Now, candidates will have to appear for DEST in the Tier 2 stage. Earlier, there were four papers in SSC CGL Tier 2 exam with a separate Data Entry Speed Test (DEST). The Document Verification (DV) stage has also been removed from the selection process. Now the DV will be conducted at the time of the candidate's appointment in the respective department.

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SSC CGL Preparation

SSC CGL Books

According to the SSC CGL 2025 exam pattern, the Tier 1 exam will have a total of 100 multiple-choice questions from four sections – General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Comprehension. Each section will consist of 25 questions of 1 mark each. The exam will be conducted online in computer-based mode for 1 hour. The question will be in English & Hindi except for English Comprehension. Candidates can check the SSC CGL syllabus here.

SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam will be compulsory for all candidates who applied for the exam. SSC CGL Tier 2 exam will have Papers 1, 2, and 3. Candidates must note that the Tier 2 exam, Paper I is compulsory for all of them to appear, whereas Paper II is for those candidates who apply for the posts of Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. On the other hand, candidates who apply for the posts of Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer can appear for Paper III

SSC CGL 2025 Exam Highlights

Below you will find the highlights of both Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the examination.

SSC CGL 2025 Tier 1: Exam Pattern

SSC CGL Exam Pattern	Tier-I Exam
Exam Type	Objective Multiple Choice
Exam Duration	60 minutes/ 1 hour
Exam Mode	Online Computer Based Test (CBT)
Subjects	1. General Intelligence and Reasoning
	2. General Awareness
	3. Quantitative Aptitude
	4. English Comprehension
Total Marks	200
Number of Questions	100
Negative Marking	0.50 marks (For every incorrect answer options)
Language	English/Hindi (Except English Paper)

SSC CGL 2025 Tier 2: Exam Pattern

Tier	Paper	Session	Subject	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Time allowed
II	Paper-I:	Session-I (2 hours and 15 minutes)	Section-I: Module-I: Mathematical Abilities Module-II: Reasoning and General Intelligence.	30 30	60*3 = 180	1 hour (For each section) (1 hours and 20 minutes for the candidates eligible for scribe)
				Total = 60
			Section-II:
			Module-I: English Language and Comprehension	45	70*3
			Module-II: General Awareness	25 Total = 70	= 210
			Section-III:
			Module-I: Computer Knowledge Module	20	20*3 = 60	15 Minutes (For each module)
						(20 minutes for the candidates eligible for scribe)
		Session-II (15 minutes)	Section-III: Module-II: Data Entry Speed Test Module	One Data Entry Task	-
	Paper-II		statistics	100	100*2 = 200	2 hours (2 hours and 40 minutes for the candidates eligible for scribe)

SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam 2025: Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

The SSC CGL Tier I exam consists of 100 MCQ questions. Candidates will have 60 minutes (one hour) to answer the question of Tier 1 . Take a look at the table below for better reference

SSC CGL Tier-I Sections & Subjects	Number of Questions	Sectional Marks	Duration
Part A: General Intelligence Reasoning	25	50	60 Minutes (1 Hour) 1 hour and 20 minutes for the candidates eligible for scribe
Part B: General Awareness	25	50
Part C: Quantitative Aptitude	25	50
Part D: English Comprehension	25	50
Total	100	200

SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam 2025: Revised Exam Pattern

The SSC CGL Tier 2 Examination will have 3 papers– Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3. Paper 1 will be compulsory for all the candidates who have qualified for the SSC CGL Tier 1 exam. Paper II is for candidates applying for Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) posts in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, while Paper III is for candidates applying for Assistant Audit Officer/Assistant Accounts Officer positions. The revised SSC CGL 2025 examination pattern is mentioned below:

Paper 1	Sections	Module	Subject	No. of Questions	Marks	Weightage	Duration
	Section I	Module-I	Mathematical Abilities	30	90	23%	1 hour
	Section I	Module-II	Reasoning and General Intelligence	30	90	23%	1 hour
	Section II	Module-I	English Language and Comprehension	45	135	35%	1 hour
	Section II	Module-II	General Awareness	25	75	19%	1 hour
	Section III	Module-I	Computer Knowledge Test	20	60	Qualifying	15 minutes
	Section III	Module-II	Data Entry Speed Test	One Data Entry Task	-	Qualifying	15 minutes
Paper 2	Statistics			100	200	Qualifying	2 hours
Paper 3	General Studies (Finance and Economics)			100	200	Qualifying	2 hours

Additional 15 minutes will be given to PwD candidates who are eligible for scribe.

SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025: Negative Marking

The SSC CGL 2025 will have negative markings as per the revised exam pattern. SSC CGL negative marking scheme for different papers is mentioned below:

SSC CGL 2025 Tier	Paper	Marks Awarded per Question	Section	Negative Marking
SSC CGL Tier-1	1 Paper	2	4	0.5
SSC CGL Tier-2	3 Paper	Paper 1: 3 Marks	Section-I, Section-II Module-I of Section-III	1 mark
		Paper 2: 2 Marks	1	0.50 marks
		Paper 3: 2 Marks	1	0.50 marks

SSC CGL 2025 Exam Pattern: Data Entry Skill Test (DEST)

Candidates shortlisted for the SSC CGL 2025 Tier 2 exams will have to take the Data entry Speed test (DEST) while appearing for Paper 1. As per the revised SSC CGL 2025 exam pattern, DEST will be conducted as Paper II of Module 3. During DEST, the candidates will be given a passage of nearly 2,000 key depressions for which they will have 15 minutes to demonstrate their skills in data entry.

The SSC CGL DEST will be mandatory for all the posts. However, the exam will be qualifying in nature. Detailed instructions regarding the Skill Test will be provided by the Regional Offices of the Commission.

Candidates participating in the SSC CGL 2025 with OH category will be exempted from attempting DEST. PwBD candidates who are eligible for scribes will be given an additional 5 minutes for the skill test.

SSC CGL 2025: Document Verification (DV)

The SSC CGL Tier 3 will be the Documents verification round. Candidates shortlisted for the DV round will have to present (original as well as photocopy) for verification. The list of documents required during the SSC CGL Document Verification round is listed below:

Educational qualification certificate	Matriculation/secondary certificate
PwD certificate, if applicable	Caste/category certificate, if applicable
Provisional certificate/ certificate of graduation	Mark sheets of all three years of graduation
ID proof	Document Issued by the Government of India: Aadhar Card, Passport. Driving Licence, etc. Two passport-size current coloured photos
Any other document specified in admit card	Certificate of No Objection, if already employed in Government/Government undertakings
Relevant documents for Ex-Servicemen	Relevant certificate if seeking any age relaxation

If the candidate is unable to submit their preferences on the Commission's website within the allotted time, then their candidature will not be taken into consideration.
Candidates unable to provide the documents in the required format will be disqualified for the examination.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Has the SSC CGL Exam Pattern changed

The SSC CGL Exam Pattern has been revised as per the last year's SSC CGL notification.

What is the updated SSC CGL examination pattern?

As per the revised SSC CGL examination pattern, the descriptive section has been removed from the selection process.

Does SSC CGL have any negative marking?

In the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam, there is a negative marking of 0.50 for each incorrect answer, 1 mark for Paper 1 of the Tier 2 Exam, and 0.50 marks for each incorrect answer in Papers II and III.