SSC CGL Tier I pattern at a glance
The figures below come from the scheme of the Combined Graduate Level Examination published by the Staff Selection Commission on ssc.gov.in and restated in its recent notices. The SSC publishes the scheme and the details of later tiers with each year's notice, so use this page for orientation and read the notice for your year.
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Objective, multiple-choice, computer-based |
| Sections | General Intelligence and Reasoning; General Awareness; Quantitative Aptitude; English Comprehension |
| Questions per section | 25 |
| Marks per section | 50 (2 marks per question) |
| Total | 100 questions, 200 marks |
| Duration | 1 hour, with a sectional timer of 15 minutes for each section |
| Extra time | Candidates eligible for a scribe get 1 hour 20 minutes, with a sectional timer of 20 minutes each |
| Negative marking | 0.50 marks for each wrong answer |
| Language | English and Hindi, except English Comprehension |
The sectional timer: the rule that shapes everything
Each section has its own 15-minute timer. When it expires, you move to the next section, and, as in other exams with sectional timing, you cannot return. The practical consequences:
- You cannot use time saved in General Awareness to finish Quantitative Aptitude.
- You need a per-section pace: about 36 seconds per question on average, but less for recall-based sections and more for calculation-based ones.
- Flagged questions have to be revisited within the same section's 15 minutes.
- Practising with one 60-minute clock for the whole paper hides this and can give a false sense of pace.
Marking scheme and worked examples
| Scenario (one section) | Calculation | Score out of 50 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 attempted, 18 correct, 2 wrong | 18 × 2 − 2 × 0.5 | 35.0 |
| 25 attempted, 18 correct, 7 wrong | 18 × 2 − 7 × 0.5 | 32.5 |
| 25 attempted, 21 correct, 4 wrong | 21 × 2 − 4 × 0.5 | 40.0 |
| 15 attempted, 15 correct | 15 × 2 | 30.0 |
The first two rows have the same number of correct answers (18). The second attempted five more questions and all five were wrong, so it lost 5 × 0.50 = 2.5 marks. The third row shows what happens when attempts and accuracy are both high. The break-even accuracy is 20%, so almost any informed attempt is worth making, but extra attempts at very low accuracy cost marks and, more importantly, time that could have gone to questions you can solve.
Section-wise structure and implications
General Intelligence and Reasoning (25 questions)
Verbal and non-verbal questions, with the same families recurring. Aim to finish in 11 to 13 of the 15 minutes at high accuracy, leaving time to check. See the Reasoning page.
General Awareness (25 questions)
Mostly recall. A prepared candidate can finish in 7 to 9 minutes; the rest of the 15 is for checking. Unused time cannot be carried forward, so use it to re-check doubtful answers. See the General Awareness page.
Quantitative Aptitude (25 questions)
The section most likely to use the whole 15 minutes. Speed methods matter. See the Quantitative Aptitude page.
English Comprehension (25 questions)
A mix of grammar, vocabulary and comprehension. Rule-based questions are fast; passages take longer. See the English page.
Question styles in Tier I, with worked examples
Quantitative: compound interest. What is the compound interest on 8,000 at 5% per annum for 2 years? The amount is 8,000 × 1.05 × 1.05 = 8,820, so the interest is 820.
Quantitative: time and work. A can do a job in 12 days and B in 18 days. How long will they take together? The combined rate is 1/12 + 1/18 = 5/36 per day, so 36 ÷ 5 = 7.2 days.
Reasoning: series. 3, 7, 15, 31, ? The differences are 4, 8, 16, so the next is 31 + 32 = 63.
Reasoning: direction. A person walks 4 km north and then 3 km east. How far is she from the starting point? √(16 + 9) = 5 km.
English: error spotting. "Neither of the boys are present today." The error is "are", because "neither" takes a singular verb: "Neither of the boys is present today."
General Awareness. Which article of the Constitution of India abolishes untouchability? Article 17.
These take 20 to 60 seconds each when you know the method. That is the speed the exam asks for.
Later tiers and how they relate to Tier I
After Tier I, the SSC's scheme includes Tier II (a longer paper with sections on mathematical abilities, reasoning, English language and comprehension, general awareness and, for some posts, computer knowledge, statistics or finance and economics), and for some posts further tests. The details differ by year and post, so use the notice. A sensible approach is to build Tier I speed first, and to extend your preparation to Tier II topics once Tier I mocks are consistent. Because the details can change, we do not reproduce the Tier II scheme here.
What the pattern means for your mocks
- Use mocks with four sections of 25 questions, a 60-minute limit and a 15-minute timer for each section.
- Check that the mock applies 0.50 negative marking.
- Practise on a computer, since the exam is computer-based.
- Test the order of sections if the platform allows you to choose.
- Do sectional tests regularly, not only full papers.
Checklist: is this mock faithful to Tier I?
| Check | Faithful mock | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 4 sections × 25 questions | Different counts or sections |
| Timing | 60 minutes with a 15-minute timer per section | One clock only |
| Marking | +2, −0.50 | No negative marking or a different ratio |
| Mode | Computer-based | Paper-only format |
| Explanations | Methods and shortcuts shown | Answer key only |
Use the SSC CGL mock test strategy to plan your tests and the SSC CGL hub for available papers.
Disclaimer and sources: the Tier I pattern above was checked in October 2026 against the CGL scheme of examination on ssc.gov.in and the SSC's recent notices. TestMint is independent of the SSC; please confirm the pattern and the later tiers in the notice for your year.
