October 9, 2026
SSC CGL: Section-Wise Preparation Strategy for Tier 1 and Tier 2
How to approach SSC CGL's two-tier exam section by section, including what changed in the current Tier 2 pattern.
- Vacancies 10,731 tentative vacancies as per the latest revised notification (subject to further revision through the cycle) source
- Eligibility Bachelor's degree from a recognized university (some posts, e.g. Jr. Statistical Officer, require Statistics/Maths); age limit 18-32 years depending on post (brackets: 18-27, 20-30, 18-30, 18-32), cutoff 1 Aug 2026; relaxation OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10 years source
- Exam pattern Tier 1 (qualifying): 100 Q / 200 marks / 60 min - Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, English (25 Q / 50 marks each, 15-min sectional timer), -0.5 per wrong answer. Tier 2 (CBE) expected December 2026. source
Exam format
- General Intelligence and Reasoning — 25 questions
- General Awareness — 25 questions
- Quantitative Aptitude — 25 questions
- English Comprehension — 25 questions
- Mathematical Abilities (Tier 2) — 30 questions
- Reasoning & General Intelligence (Tier 2) — 30 questions
- English Language & Comprehension (Tier 2) — 45 questions
- General Awareness (Tier 2) — 25 questions
- Computer Knowledge (Tier 2) — 20 questions
Key dates
- May 21, 2026 Notification released source
- May 21, 2026 Online application opens source
- Jun 22, 2026 Online application closes source
- Sep 30, 2026 Tier 1 (CBE): Sept 30 – Oct 30, 2026 source
- TBA Tier 2 (CBE): date to be announced (expected) source
- TBA Result: to be announced after Tier 2 (expected) source
SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) is the Staff Selection Commission's flagship exam for Group B and Group C graduate-level posts across central ministries, departments, and subordinate offices — Income Tax Inspector, Assistant Audit Officer, and Excise Inspector are among the better-known destinations. Because it feeds into a wide spread of job profiles, its syllabus is broader than CHSL's, even though the two share a similar two-tier shape.
Tier 1 is 100 questions across General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Comprehension — 25 marks each, one computer-based sitting. This tier screens volume: most candidates who clear it do so by being reliably good across all four sections, not spectacular in one.
Tier 2's current pattern has five sections across a longer, session-based exam: Mathematical Abilities, Reasoning & General Intelligence, English Language & Comprehension (which includes a cloze test and a reading-comprehension passage, not just standalone grammar items), General Awareness, and Computer Knowledge (qualifying only, like CHSL). The weightage is heavier on Mathematical Abilities and English than Tier 1 was, which catches candidates who prepared Tier 1 and assumed Tier 2 would simply repeat it.
A section-wise strategy that works well: treat Quantitative Aptitude as a depth subject (master each topic — number systems, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mensuration — rather than skimming all of them shallowly), treat General Awareness as a breadth subject (short, frequent review across polity, history, geography, science, and economy beats one long cram session), and treat English as a format subject — once you're comfortable with vocabulary and grammar, the cloze and comprehension formats are really about pacing, not new knowledge.
Camino Prep's SSC CGL question bank mirrors this real Tier 1 + Tier 2 structure exactly, with bilingual English/Hindi instructions. Start with the free preview on the exam page, and check the calendar for this cycle's Tier 1 and Tier 2 windows before you plan your study schedule.