SSC CGL Preparation 2020 – Candidates who are taking part in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam 2020 must know how to prepare for the examination. Hard work and dedication are key factors in SSC CGL Preparation. From this page, the aspirants can know the good books, syllabus, stages of the examination, etc. The more aspirants prepare, the easier a competition gets. To be eligible for the final appointment it is important for the candidates to clear all the tiers. Know all the details about SSC CGL Preparation 2020 from this page.
SSC CGL Preparation 2020
Before starting the preparation for the exam, it is important for the students to know the exam pattern and scheme of the examination. Check the details given below which will be a helping hand for the students in the preparation for the exam.
Books are an Important Criteria: The students who are taking the examination must ensure that they prepare for the exam from the best books. Make sure that your concepts are clear. Students can refer to the Lucents General Knowledge book for the General Awareness section etc. From this page, candidates can get the details about the things given below.
- Best books
- Exam Pattern, Scheme and Syllabus
- How to Prepare
- Things aspirants must do before appearing for SSC CGL
- Sample Schedule
SSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination 2020 Overview
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) offers jobs in central government. The students who have always aspired to be in the govt job can apply for it when they are college. The SSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam consists of the four tiers. Tier-I and Tier-II are held in online mode, computer-based test. The Tier-III is descriptive in nature which is pen and paper-based. Lastly, Tier-IV is a computer skill test.
It is held annually and the number of applicants for the SSC CGL is huge in number. Refer to the details given on this page and know the preparation strategies for the examination. Students must stick to a schedule in order to ace the exam. Remember to download the SSC CGL Admit Card before appearing for the exam.
SSC CGL Tier-I / Tier-II Exam Best Books 2020
As the exam is around the corner the pressure is building upon students as on how to study efficiently to ace the examination. It is strongly advised to solve previous year question papers as the same sort of questions might be asked again.
To start the preparation for the exam, it is important for the students to be aware of the important books. Here we have given the list of books which is helpful for the students subject-wise.
For Mathematics
- Arithmetics: Magical Books on Quicker Maths by M Tyra or Arihant Fast Track Arithmetics
- Advanced Maths: Advanced Maths by Rakesh Yadav or Advance Maths by Rishikesh Publication (Lucent Publication)
- Higher level Questions: Quantum Cat by Sarvesh Verma
- Previous Year Paper: Kiran 7100+ Maths Book (Preferred) or SSC Maths by Rakesh Yadav 7300+
For English
- Basic English Guide – for all sections: Objective general English by SP Bakshi or Objective General English by R S Agarwal
- Grammar Rules: A Mirror of common errors (A K Singh) or Plinth to Paramount by K D Campus Volume 1 by Neetu Singh
- Previous Year Paper: SSC Previous Paper Set (M B Publications) up to CGL or SSC Previous Papers Set (Kiran) 8800+
- Comprehension: RC + PQRS + Cloze Test
For Vocabulary
- Word Power Made Easy – Norman Lewis
- Kiran One Word Substitutions – Kiran Prakashan
- Arihant Idioms and Phrases – Arihant Publications
- Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms – B.B Sinha
SSC CGL Tier-III (Descriptive Exam) Best Books 2020
- Essay Writing: 151 Essays of Arihant Publications
- Contemporary Essay Writing: Tata Mcgraw Hills Publications
- Letter Writing: A Handbook for Letter Writing by Arihant Publications
- Nibandh Mala: 221 Hindi Nibandh by Arihant Publication
SSC CGL Tier-I Exam Pattern 2020
It is advised that students must go through the exam pattern first and then start the SSC CGL preparation as per it. Check the table below to know the pattern of the examination.
- Nature of Exam: It is a computer-based test which has multiple choice based questions.
- Duration of the exam: The candidates get 1 Hour (60 minutes). VH / OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/deformity in writing hand- Pl candidates get 1 Hour 20 minutes (80 minutes) for the exam.
- Marking Scheme: Each question is of 2 marks. There is negative marking of 0.5 marks for every wrong answer from the total score.
Candidates can check the table given below to know the total mark and number of questions which are going to be asked from each subject.
| Subjects | Number of Questions | Total Marks of Each Subject |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 | 50 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
SSC CGL Tier-I Syllabus 2020
Candidates must carefully go through the syllabus and then start the SSC CGL preparation as per it. With the help of the syllabus, candidates can know the important topics from which questions can be asked. Here is the SSC CGL syllabus for Tier-I subject-wise.
General Intelligence and Reasoning: In this section, the candidate’s ability to solve logical questions are tested. The questions are going to be pertaining to:
- Problem-solving
- Analysis
- Judgment
- Decision making
- Visual memory
- Discrimination
- Observation
- Relationship concepts
- Arithmetical reasoning and figural classification
- Arithmetic number series
- Non-verbal series
- Coding and decoding
- Statement conclusion
- Coding & decoding
- Numerical Operations
- Symbolic Operations
- Trends, Space Orientation
- Space Visualization
- Venn Diagrams
- Drawing inferences
- Punched hole/pattern –folding & unfolding
- Figural Pattern – folding and completion
- Indexing, Address matching, Date & city matching, Classification of centre codes/roll numbers,
- Small & Capital letters/numbers coding, decoding, and classification,
- Embedded Figures, Critical thinking, Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence
- General Awareness: This section assesses candidates’ skills to answer the questions based on their knowledge about the world. In this subject, the questions can be from topics like:
- History
- Culture
- Geography
- Economic Scene
- General Policy & Scientific Research.
- Quantitative Aptitude: Students ability to solve the mathematical questions is tested in this section. Candidates who have a good command over maths can score well in this section. The questions can be asked from:
- Computation of whole numbers
- Decimals
- Fractions and relationships between numbers
- Percentage
- Ratio & Proportion
- Square roots
- Averages
- Interest
- Profit and Loss
- Discount
- Partnership Business
- Mixture and Alligation
- Time,distance & Work
- Basic algebraic identities of School Algebra
- Elementary surds
- Graphs of Linear Equations
- Triangle and its various kinds of centers
- Congruence and similarity of triangles
- Circle and its chords
- Tangents, angles subtended by chords of a circle, common tangents to two or more circles
- Triangle, Quadrilaterals, Regular Polygons, Circle, Right Prism, Right Circular Cone, Right Circular Cylinder, Sphere, Hemispheres, Rectangular Parallelepiped, Regular Right Pyramid with triangular or square base
- Trigonometric ratio
- Degree and Radian Measures
- Standard Identities
- Complementary angles
- Heights and Distances
- Histogram
- Frequency polygon
- Bar diagram & Pie chart
- English Comprehension: The students basic comprehending skills and writing skills are tested in this section.
SSC CGL Tier-II Exam Pattern 2020
Candidates who pass the Tier I of the SSC CGL are eligible to undergo the Tier II. Check the exam pattern given below.
- Nature of Exam: It is going to be a computer-based test objective type.
- Duration of the exam: The students will get 120 minutes for the exam. The candidates belonging to VH and CP category will get 160 minutes.
- Marking Scheme: In this, Paper I, III, and IV consist of questions each of 2 marks. There is negative marking of 0.25 for each wrong answer in Paper-II (English Language and Comprehension) and of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer in Paper-I, Paper-III and Paper-IV.
Refer to the table below to know the number of questions and marks for each subject.
| Subjects | No. of MCQs | Total Marks of Each Subject |
| Paper I – Quantitative Aptitude | 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 Tier-II Syllabus 2020
Those who qualify the SSC CGL first-tier successfully are eligible to undergo the Tier-II exam. Here is the subject wise syllabus which is going to be a helpful hand to the candidates in the SSC CGL preparation.
Paper-I Quantitative Aptitude:
- Computation of whole numbers
- Decimals
- Fractions and relationships between numbers
- Percentage, Ratio & Proportion
- Square roots
- Averages
- Interest
- Profit and Loss
- Discount
- Partnership Business
- Mixture and Alligation
- Time, distance & Work
- Basic algebraic identities of School Algebra
- Elementary surds
- Graphs of Linear Equations
- Triangle and its various kinds of centers
- Congruence and similarity of triangles
- Circle and its chords
- Tangents, angles subtended by chords of a circle, common tangents to two or more circles
- Triangle, Quadrilaterals, Regular Polygons, Circle, Right Prism, Right Circular Cone, Right Circular Cylinder, Sphere, Hemispheres, Rectangular Parallelepiped, Regular Right Pyramid with triangular or square base
- Trigonometric ratio
- Degree and Radian Measures
- Standard Identities
- Complementary angles
- Heights and Distances
- Histogram
- Frequency polygon
- Bar diagram & Pie chart
Paper-II English Language and Comprehension:
- Spot the error
- Fill in the blanks
- Synonyms, Antonyms
- Spelling/detecting
- Miss-spelled words
- Idioms & phrases
- One word substitution
- Improvement of sentences
- Active / Passive voice of verbs
- Conversion into direct / indirect narration
- Shuffling of sentence parts
- Shuffling of sentences in a passage
- Cloze passage & comprehension passage.
Paper-III Statistics:
- Collection Classification and Presentation of Statistical Data,
- Measures of Central Tendency
- Measures of Dispersion
- Moments Skewness and Kurtosis
- Correlation and Regression
- Probability Theory
- Random Variable and Probability Distributions
- Sampling Theory
- Statistical Inference
- Analysis of Variance –Time Series Analysis.
SSC CGL Tier-III Exam Pattern 2020
Those students who clear the Tier I and Tier II of the SSC CGL successfully need to undergo the Tier III. Check the exam pattern given below.
- The students also need to undergo the Descriptive paper which will be Bi-lingual in nature (Hindi or English)
- Duration of the exam: Tier III is of 60 minutes. VH/ OH (afflicted with Cerebral Palsy/ deformity in writing hand- Pl) are going to get 80 minutes for the examination.
| Mode of Exam | Scheme of Tier III | Total Marks of Exam |
| Pen and Paper / Offline | Essays / Precis / Letter / Applications etc. | 100 |
Things you must do before appearing for SSC CGL
The students who aspire to take part in the recruitment process must know the tips to prepare which will help the students to ace the examination. Here are some of the preparation strategies.
Solve Previous Year Question papers
Self Assessment is really important when it comes to a national level examination such as SSC CGL. It is strongly advised to solve previously asked questions so that aspirants can determine the level of preparation. Try to target the most frequently asked questions and practice them thoroughly. With it, the students can get to know the questions which are repeatedly asked every year.
Get here SSC CGL Question Paper – Download Now!
Good books are the key
Books are a crucial part of the preparation for any of the exam. Choosing the right books helps the student to prepare for it in the best possible way. They can guide us to glory if we study them well. It is advised that students must go through the exam pattern and syllabus first. As then it is easy to choose books for SSC CGL preparation. Prefer books as per the syllabus and try a different set of questions daily. Choose the books of reputed publishers like Arihant Publishers, R S Agarwal, Kiran Publication, R D Sharma.
Follow a schedule and stick to it
Plan a schedule as per the syllabus and the preparation. Try to be consistent rather than putting overload. Don’t let go a single day without studying as it would ruin the regime. Make sure that your concepts and clear. Revise the topics side-by-side and avoid solving the same type of questions. Plan the timetable in such a way that it gives optimum time to each subject. By practising the questions the students can get to know their weak areas in which he or she needs to focus more.
Stay motivated and do not worry
Don’t let the negativity around harm the mindset and SSC CGL preparation in any way. Stay positive and believe that nothing is impossible. Aspirants must try to be around those people who encourage them and guide them well. Take short 5-10 minutes break while studying as prolonged hours study can result in the inefficiency. Do not interact much with those friends who tend to misguide.
Smart work is the key to the treasure
Before solving the questions, see that all the concepts are clear. After that, start practising the questions. By taking the mock test and solving the previous year question papers, candidates can get a fair idea of the recurring questions in the exam. Don’t waste time-solving all the questions. Focus on frequently asked questions and target the tricky questions and practice them daily. Do not cram the questions instead try and understand the logic and concept behind it.
Sample SSC CGL Preparation Study Plan
The students can follow the sample schedule or timetable for the SSC CGL preparation. Aspirants can alter the topics as per their preference and start preparing for it.
| Parts | |||
| Days | General Intelligence and Reasoning | Mathematics | English Language |
| Monday |
| Simplification, Decimals, Recurring Decimals | Vocabulary, Spot the error, Idioms, and Phrases |
| Tuesday |
| Divisibility, Fractions, LCM | Sentence structure, Synonyms, Cloze passage |
| Wednesday |
| HCF, Partnership, Average | Antonyms and its appropriate use, Comprehension passage |
| Thursday |
| Ratio and Proportions, Percentage, Profit and Loss, | Vocabulary, Direct to Indirect Speech |
| Friday |
| Discount, Simple Interest, Time and work, Time and distance. | Sentence structure, Synonyms |
| Saturday |
| Graphs of Linear Equations.
Triangles and its various kinds of centres. Congruence of Triangle. | Antonyms and its appropriate use, Active and Passive voice |
| Sunday |
| Polygons.
Circle and its chords. Degree and Radian Measure. Histograms | Vocabulary, Shuffling of sentences |
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