All you want to know about Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Examinations

Staff Selection Commission - Combined Graduate Level Examination, often referred to as SSC CGL is an examination conducted to recruit staff to various posts in ministries, departments and organizations of the Government of India. It is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission for selecting staff for various Group B and Group C posts. The Staff Selection Commission was established in 1975.

Some of the departments and post for which the candidates are hired are:

• Inspectors of Central Excise and Customs Department
• Inspectors of Income Tax Department
• Sub-Inspectors in Central Bureau of Narcotics and CBI
• Divisional Accountant, Junior Accountant, Auditor in various offices of Government of India
• Assistants in Ministries/Departments, Attached and Subordinate office of Government of India

For the graduates, SSC provides a great opportunity to serve the country by being a part of its administrative and operational system.

The key details and structure of the examination is summarized below.

Age Limit and Qualifications Required

The age limit required for various posts are different (mainly in the range of 18-30 years). For posts like Inspectors, physical fitness related requirements are also present.

The candidates need to check thoroughly the details for the posts they are applying for, at the time of notification.

Structure of the examination

The examination consists of a Preliminary Examination followed by a Main examination. Earlier it also used to have interviews, but following a government order, interviews have been dispensed off for all non-gazette posts in the central government. A computer proficiency test or a skill test will also be held for some posts. There will be negative marking for the wrong answers, however there is no sectional cut-off.

The detailed notification comes generally during April-May.

Phase I -  Preliminary Examination (Objective Multiple Choice Questions)

As per the last released notification, the preliminary examination is of 200 marks. It has following 4 sections, which have to be completed in a total time of 60 minutes

• General Intelligence and Reasoning
• General Awareness
• Quantitative Aptitude
• English Comprehension

Phase II -  Main Examination (Objective Multiple Choice Questions)

The main examination will also have four sections. Section 1 and 2 will be compulsory for all candidates who have qualified. Section 3 and 4 are only for candidates who have applied for special posts.

• Quantitative Ability
• English Language and Comprehension
• Statistics
• General Studies (Finance and Economics)

Phase III -  Descriptive Exam

SSC has also decided to add a paper based descriptive paper which can be attempted in English or Hindi for Essay, Precis, Letter writing. This paper replaced the interview of 100 mark

Phase III -  DEST/ CPT

Data Entry Speed Test or a Computer Proficiency Test will also be held for some positions.

Prospective Candidates

In official notice Staff Selection Commission said about 3.8 million candidates have applied for the exam in 2017. About 1.5 million candidates actually appeared in the preliminary examination against 3 million candidates who had registered for the exam in 2016.

Similarity with other examinations

Candidates preparing for banking and management can also consider for career opportunities through SSC, as the syllabus has many similarities (except the specialized posts). Speed and accuracy becomes the major determining factors for qualification, mainly in phase I and II.

Also as the Phase I and II are held mainly before major management examinations, it is a great way to test your preparations for coveted management examinations like CAT.