SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025

SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025 for All Tiers, Check Marking Scheme, Previous Paper, Timing, Number:

➥ The SSC CGL Examination is conducted in 4 phases Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, and Tier IV. An aspirant who wants to take the Examination and become eligible for the different positions in the Ministries and Departments of the Government of India should go through the SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025 to know the different sections of the examination and the marks allotted to each section to prepare and score well in the Exams.

➥ The qualifying marks for the TIer I and the Tier II Examination are decided by Staff Selection Commission. Only those candidates who qualify the Tier I and Tier II can proceed to Tier III and Tier IV of the SSC CGL Exam.

➥ Let us now take a quick look at the SSC CGL Paper Pattern 2025 for all four phases of the Examination

SSC CGL Exam Pattern

SSC CGL Marking Scheme : Highlights

The exam pattern for SSC CGL is different for every exam. The marking scheme and syllabus differ from exam to exam.

Level 1 exam- 200 questions from General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness/ General knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Comprehension. 75 minutes duration with negative marking for an incorrect response.
Level 2 exam- This has 4 papers viz., Quantitative Ability, Statistics (only for the post of Compiler & Statistical Investigator Gr. II ), English Language and Comprehension, General Studies of Finance and Economics (Only for the post of Assistant Audit Officer). Every paper comprises 200 marks and the time allotted for each paper is of 2 hours. Negative marking is applicable.
Level 3 exam- Descriptive paper for Essay Writing, Letter/Application Writing, Passage Writing. The paper is scheduled for a duration of 1 hour for 100 marks.
Level 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 Paper Pattern 2025 in Detail:

As per the latest notifications by SSC, the exam now has four levels 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 Exam Contains Four Stages:

Phases of the Examination	Type of Questions	Mode of Examination
Tier I	Objective type with Multiple choice answers	Online computer-based exam
Tier II	Objective type with Multiple choice answers	Online computer-based exam
Tier III	Descriptive ( Hindi/English)	Pen and Paper
Tier IV	Computer proficiency Exam Skill Test	As applicable

The SSC CGL Exam pattern indicates the marking scheme of the examination. The final score for selecting the candidates will be decided by the Staff Service Commission. The marking pattern for the examination is different for all three tiers of the examination.

An Overview of the SSC CGL Examination Pattern for Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, and Tier IV

SSC CGL Tier I Examination:

S.NO	Examination particulars	Details of the Examination
1	Number of Sections	4
2	Section details	General Intelligence and reasoning General awareness Quantitative aptitude English Comprehension
3	Total number of questions	100
4	Total marks	200
5	Total time of examination	60 minutes
6	Mode of Examination	Online computer-based
7	Type of questions	Objective type with multiple choice answers
8	Marking scheme	Correct answer 2 marks Wrong answer -0.5

SSC CGL Tier-II Examination:

S.No	Examination particulars	Details of the Examination
1	Number of sections	4
2	Section details	Quantitative abilities English language Statistics ( position of statistical investigator/Compiler) General studies- Finance and Economics ( position of Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer)
4	Total marks	800 (200 for each paper)
5	Total time of the Exam	2 hours ( each paper)
6	Negative marking scheme	-0.5 ( Paper I, II, IV ) -0.25 ( Paper III )
7	Mode of examination	Online computer-based
8	Type of question	Objective type with multiple choice answers

SSC CGL Tier III Examination:

S.No	Examination Particulars	Details of the Examination
1	Number of papers	1
2	Duration of the exam	1 hour
3	Total marks	100 marks
4	Section details	Essay writing Passage writing Application/Letter writing
5	Mode of the exam	Offline ( pen and paper-based)
6	Nature of questions	Descriptive type

SSC CGL Tier IV ( DEST and CPT ):

S.No	Examination Particulars	Details of the Examination
1	Total time	15 minutes
2	Number of Tests	Data entry skill test ( 8000 Key depressions per hour ) Computer proficiency test
3	Mode of examination	Online
4	Particulars of data entry skill test	Position of Tax Assistants ( Central Excise and Income Tax )
5	Particulars of computer proficiency test	Position of Assistant Section Officer Modules- Slides, Word processing, Spreadsheet
6	Marking scheme	Qualifying
7	Marking pattern	Correct answer 2 marks Wrong answer -0.25

Important facts of the SSC CGL Question Pattern 2025:

A candidate can attempt the SSC CGL Tier I exams an innumerable number of times. However, the candidates have an age limit to apply for the examination.
The general knowledge section consists of History, Geography, Scientific Research, Economy, Culture, and General Policy.
Candidates should practice mock tests which are available on the official website of SSC.
Mock tests and previous years’ sample papers will not only improve the examination scores but increase the time management capabilities of the individual.
Candidates should only attempt those questions that they know, as wrong answers have a negative marking that will decrease the overall score of the candidate.
Candidates should study all the important topics mentioned in the SSC CGL Syllabus.
The SSC CGL paper pattern 2025 is subject to change and the candidate should go through the official website for the latest information updates.

How to Check SSC CHSL Answer Key 2025 PDF Download:

The candidates can check the answer key for the SSC CHSL Tier-1 Exam held from 12th to 19th April & 04th to 12th August can check their answer key with the following steps:

Step I: Visit the official website of SSC @ssc.nic.in
Step II: On the homepage, click on the “Answer Key” icon on the top.
Step III: Click on the notification reading- “Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination, 2020 (Tier-1); Uploading of Final Answer Keys”.