SSS CHSL EXAM 2026

The Staff Selection Commission Combined Higher Secondary Level (SSC CHSL 2026) examination is conducted annually by the SSC body and provides a chance for people who have passed class 12 (or completed 10+2 education) to enter roles in the central government at the Group C level. Candidates are hired for roles like Lower Division Clerk (LDC), Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA), and Data Entry Operator (DEO) based on the rank and preference of the candidates. It is conducted in two stages in a computer-based format and judges the general knowledge, quantitative aptitude, and computer skills of candidates in general.

SSC CHSL 2026 Exam Overview

SSC CHSL 2026 Eligibility Criteria

The examination is open to all people who are citizens of India, Nepal, or Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who arrived in India before January 1, 1962, to settle permanently, and mostly it has uniform eligibility apart from special requirements for some specific posts.

Educational Qualification
One should have passed class 12 or an equivalent examination from a recognized board. However, for DEO (Data Entry Operator) Grade ‘A’ in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Culture, and Staff Selection Commission, one must have Science with Mathematics in class 12 (no such educational requirement exists for the post of DEO Grade A in any other ministry). For this, students who are appearing in class 12 can also compete, but on the condition that they should have a passing certificate by the ‘crucial date’, which is usually before the Tier 1 results.

Age Limit (as of Jan 1, 2027)
SSC CHSL 2026 has an age bracket, i.e., the candidate needs to be in the age group of 18 to 27 years. For the 2026 cycle, this generally means you must have been born between January 2, 2000, and January 1, 2009. However, there is age relaxation according to category, which is as follows:

There is no attempt limit, and one can give as many attempts as possible until the candidate falls within the age bracket.

SSC CHSL 2026 Exam Pattern

The SSC CHSL 2026 examination pattern is conducted in two stages, the first one being qualifying and the other one being merit-defining, which means that only Stage 2 marks will be included while declaring the final merit list; both are conducted in a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format. Apart from this, the paper is multilingual, which means that you can choose the language of the paper from the list of 14 non-English languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri (Meetei), Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu). One thing to note here is that the section of General English will be available in English only, and even if you have opted for a non-English language in the paper, you can switch to English midway during the exam, but if you have picked English as your default language, then you can't switch to any other language.

Tier 1: The Qualifying Stage

It consists of 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) from four major areas, i.e., General Intelligence and Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness, and English Language, and it needs to be completed in 60 minutes. Here, each correct answer will earn you 2 marks, while an incorrect one results in negative marking of 0.50 marks. The section-wise division of marks is as follows:

Key Note: SSC releases separate shortlists for Tier 2 for the DEO and LDC candidates based on their scores in the Tier 1 test. DEO, having a higher cut-off, makes them eligible for LDC/JSA posts too but not vice versa.

Tier 2: The Merit-Defining Stage

Candidates who qualify Tier 1 appear for Tier 2, which is more complex in nature than Tier 1 as it is conducted in two sessions.Tier 2 is divided into two sessions held on the same day. Each correct answer here earns 3 marks, but the penalty for a wrong answer increases to 1 mark.

Session I (2 Hours 15 Minutes)

This session is similar to Tier 1 as it also tests knowledge across core subjects and computer literacy, but the difference is that it is comparatively more difficult and has a fixed time limit for each section. Here, each correct answer earns 3 marks, but the penalty for a wrong answer increases to 1 mark.

• Section 1 (1 Hour): Mathematical Abilities (30 Qs) + Reasoning & General Intelligence (30 Qs) = 180 Marks.

• Section 2 (1 Hour): English Language & Comprehension (40 Qs) + General Awareness (20 Qs) = 180 Marks.

• Section 3 (15 Mins): Computer Knowledge Module (15 Qs) = 45 Marks.

It is of qualifying nature, and the minimum marks required are as follows:

Session II (Part-specific Duration)

This session tests computer skills. Specifically, it is a typing test and it is only of qualifying nature.

1) Skill Test (Part A and Part B)

It is for DEO positions alone (Part A for DEO in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Culture, and Staff Selection Commission; and Part B for the rest of the DEOs) and it lasts for 15 minutes. Unlike Session 1, it is only in English. In that, one has to maintain a speed of 15000 key depressions per hour and the maximum permissible errors are as follows:

The only difference between Part A and Part B is that Part A has 3700 to 4000 key depressions while Part B has 2000–2200 key depressions. So one requires a faster speed for Part A.

2) Typing Test (Part C)

It is for LDC/JSA and it lasts for 10 minutes. Unlike Session 1, it is conducted only in English and Hindi, and the candidate has to opt for one of these two during the application form stage. The minimum requirement of typing speed is as follows:

• English Speed: 35 words per minute (~10,500 key depressions/hour).
• Hindi Speed: 30 words per minute (~9,000 key depressions/hour).

The maximum permissible errors in the typing test are as follows:

SSC CHSL 2026 Selection Process

Post Tier 2 completion, SSC releases an Online Option Form in which candidates have to fill in their post as well as departmental preferences. It should be done carefully while considering the medical eligibility of certain posts, as once a post is allotted, then in case of the candidate being medically unfit, it will result in the lapse of his offer and he cannot opt for any other post later. Once the preference forms are received by SSC, it soon releases the merit list with the allotment of post and department. After that, selected candidates have to go for document verification and medical tests, which are of a preliminary nature.