SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021: The exam pattern for SSC CGL 2021 is indicated by the Staff Selection Commission in the official notification. Candidates can refer to the complete details of the SSC CGL exam pattern for the 2021 exam on this page and prepare for the exam strategically. The complete selection procedure includes four phases viz. Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier 3 and Tier 4. The paper of Tier-1 and Tier-2 consist of objective type questions. Tier-3 is a pen & paper based descriptive type exam while Tier-4 is for skill tests related to various posts. Read this article to know more about SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021.
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SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021
SSC CGL 2021 refers to the event of SSC CGL 2020 which is being held in the year 2021. The terms SSC CGL 2020 and SSC CGL 2021 are therefore used interchangeably on this page. The official notification, containing all the details of the exam pattern is available on the website ssc.nic.in. Candidates can get the exam pattern as per the latest notification for all tiers here on this page.
Overview
| Exam Conducting Body | Staff Selection Commission |
| Name of Exam | Combined Graduate Level Exam |
| Selection Procedure | This exam has 4 phases in the selection procedure: Tier-1 (Objective Type) Tier-2 (Objective Type) Tier-3 written exam (Descriptive exam) Skill Test |
SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021: Tier-1
The CGL 2021 Tier-1 question paper consists of 4 sections of 25 questions each. Candidates get 1 hour to solve all the 100 questions.
- In the first section, the candidates are judged for their awareness about the current affairs of the national as well as international level.
- In the second section, the candidate’s ability to solve the problems of reasoning is checked.
- The 3rd section consists of questions to check the candidate’s command of the English Language.
- 4th section is for Quantitative Aptitude.
Below is the exam pattern for Tier-1 of SSC CGL 2021
Mode of Examination: Computer Based Test.
Duration: 01 hours.
No. of Questions: 100 questions.
Type of Questions: MCQ type questions with 4 options.
Marking scheme: For every right answer, the candidate gets 2 marks each.
Negative Marking: For wrong answers, the 0.5 marks is deducted.
Check out section-wise marks distribution below
| Subjects | No. of Questions | Total Marks |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 | 50 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021: Tier-2
In the Tier-2 exam, the candidates appear for 3 papers maximum. Each paper is of 200 marks. Candidates get 2 hours to solve each paper.
- As the question paper is objective type, there is a negative marking of 1/4th marks of the total marks of the question.
- The 3 papers are of quantitative ability, language and comprehension, statistics or finance & accounts and economics & governance.
- The candidates appearing for Statistical Investigator Post have to appear for paper-3 and the candidates who wish to be on Assistant Audit Officer in C & AG post has to give paper-4. Paper-1 and Paper-2 are compulsory for all the candidates.
Below is the exam pattern for the Tier-2 exam.
Mode of Examination: Computer-Based Test
Duration: 02 hours for each paper. There is a maximum of 3 papers for a candidate.
No. of Questions: 400 questions in total.
Type of Questions: Objective type only.
Marking scheme: For every right answer, the candidates are awarded 2 marks on Paper-1, 3 and 4. On Paper-2, candidates get 1 mark for every right answer.
Negative Marks: In Paper-1, 3 and 4, 0.5 marks are deducted, while in Paper-2, 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer.
Check out the marks distribution across the papers below
| Subjects | No. of MCQs | Total Marks |
| Paper I – Qualitative Ability | 100 | 200 |
| Paper II – Language and Comprehension | 200 | 200 |
| Paper III – Statistics (For Statistical Investigator Post) | 100 | 200 |
| Paper IV – Finance & Accounts and Economics & Governance (For Assistant Audit Officer in C & AG) | 100 | 200 |
SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021: Tier-3
The 3rd stage of SSC CGL exam is a written pen-paper test. The candidates can answer the questions in either English or Hindi mode only. Candidates have to write either Essays, Precis, Letter or Applications etc. in the exam paper. The candidates have 1 hour to write this exam. However, the candidates with VH/ OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/ deformity in writing) get 80 minutes to write the exam.
Mode of Examination: Pen-paper format.
Durations: 01-hour duration only.
Type of Questions: Descriptive type questions to be answered in either English or Hindi.
Marking scheme: There is no negative marking for the descriptive type of paper.
| Mode of Exam | Scheme of SSC CGl Tier III | Total Marks of Exam |
| Pen and Paper / Offline | Descriptive Paper in English or Hindi | 100 |
SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021: Tier-4
The skill test is conducted for the post of Tax Assistants (Central Excise & Income Tax). In this phase of the selection procedure, the typing test is taken. The candidates have to maintain speed in the Data Entry Speed Test (DEST) at 8,000 (eight thousand) Key Depression per hour on Computer. The candidates are given a passage to write. The passage is about 2000 (two thousand) to be written in 15 minutes. This test is qualifying in nature. The candidates are notified about the date, timing and exam centre of the skill test by the admit card/call letter.
Mock Test for SSC CGL 2021
We have also provided free mock tests for the candidates preparing for the exam. Click on the links below to take a test.
| Mock Test | Link |
| SSC CGL Hindi | Click Here |
| SSC CGL English | Click Here |
Best Books for SSC CGL 2021
Below are some important books that candidates can refer while preparing for the exam SSC CGL 2021:
| Book Title | Check Price |
| Solved Papers SSC CGL Combined Graduate Level Pre. Examination Tier-I | Buy Online |
| Kiran’s SSC CGL Question Bank 48 Solved Papers Of Previous Year Exams | Buy Online |
| 40 Sets SSC Graduate Level Exams Solved Papers (SSC CGL TIER I & II,SSC CPO SI PAPER I & II) | Buy Online |
| Kiran’S SSC CGL Combined Graduate Level Exams Question Bank (49 Solved Papers Of Previous Year Exams) – Hindi | Buy Online |
| 30 Practice Sets SSC Combined Graduate Level Pre. Examination | Buy Online |
SSC CGL 2021 Quick Preparation Strategy (Work Hard & Work Smart)
– Be selective about GK
– Practice past years’ papers
– English: Focus on one word substitution and idioms & phrases.
– Reasoning is the most scoring section.
Preparation Strategy for SSC CGL 2021
Candidates must keep calm and plan for their studies strategically. Try making a weekly plan for studying and choke out the topics to be studied in the week. This will help them with analysing their preparation level. Attempt mock tests and analyse previous year question papers.
Read Newspaper Daily. There is a section of general awareness where the candidates are judged for the awareness of the current affairs of the nation as well as international level. Hence, the candidates must read the newspaper daily. This will also help them with the reading habits for the English section.
Practice. For the reasoning and quantitative aptitude sections, the candidates must practice a lot. Aspirants must first clear the basics by solving easy questions and then start with the tough questions.
Know Your Exam: The first thing one needs to do is study the whole syllabus and exam pattern of the examination. Identify the topics and sections in the syllabus which are easy and which are tough. Note down weak topics and make plans to better these topics.
Improve speed. As the time duration for the exam is less to attempt the no. of the question, the candidates are advised to improve the speed of attempting the right questions. The candidates get less than 1 minute to attempt a question.
Clear the concepts. The most important thing is to know the basics of a topic to attempt the question correctly. The clear concepts will help you by increasing your time of attempting a question.
Study regularly. Divide the preparation time on daily hours’ basis Give more time to weaker areas. Plan the study time to manage a balanced preparation for all the sections and topics.
Make Notes. Aspirants must make notes after studying every topic. These notes can be used afterwards for revision also. The notes help them retain the important points of a topic. The notes should be short, precise and understandable.
About SSC CGL
The Combined Graduate Level Exam is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission every year. Candidates who wish to apply for any post must have education qualification of graduation. The selection procedure is divided into 4 phases. The candidates who qualify the previous phase is only eligible for appearing in the next exam. The 4 phases are the tier-1 exam, tier-2 exam, written exam and skill test. The skill test is only for the post of Tax Assistants (Central Excise & Income Tax). The tier-1 and tier-2 exam is objective type exam. There will be negative marking of 1/4 of the total marks in the objective type exam.
FAQs
Ans. There are four tiers.
Ans. Objective type questions are asked in Tiers 1 & 2. In Tier 3, descriptive type questions are asked. The fourth Tier is a skill test.
Ans. Yes. There is negative marking in the Tier 1 & Tier 2 exams.
