SSC CGL Recruitment 2026 — Apply Online for 12,256 Group B & C Posts at ssc.gov.in

Time management begins with knowing the calendar. Missing a deadline — especially the application or fee payment cutoff — can disqualify you before the exam even begins. Save or screenshot the dates below.

Event	Date
Notification Release Date	21 May 2026
Online Application Opens	21 May 2026
Last Date to Apply Online	22 June 2026 (by 23:00 hours)
Last Date for Online Fee Payment	23 June 2026 (by 23:00 hours)
Application Form Correction Window	29 June to 1 July 2026 (by 23:00 hours)
Age & Qualification Cut-off Date	1 August 2026
Tier-I Exam (Tentative)	August – September 2026

 Note: Correction window fee is Rs. 200 for the first correction and Rs. 500 for the second correction, applicable to all candidates including those otherwise exempt from the application fee.

 

SSC CGL 2026 Vacancy Details — All 40 Posts Listed

A total of approximately 12,256 vacancies are distributed across five Pay Levels (4 through 8). The final post-wise and category-wise breakdown will be published on ssc.gov.in. Here is the complete post-wise summary as released:

 Pay Level 8 — Rs. 47,600 to Rs. 1,51,100 (Group B Gazetted)

Post Name	Department / Ministry	Age Limit
Assistant Audit Officer (Central Cadre)	Indian Audit & Accounts Dept. under C&AG	18–30 years
Assistant Audit Officer (State Cadre)	Indian Audit & Accounts Dept. under C&AG	18–30 years
Assistant Accounts Officer (State Cadre)	Indian Audit & Accounts Dept. under C&AG	18–30 years

 Pay Level 7 — Rs. 44,900 to Rs. 1,42,400 (Group B)

 Pay Level 6 — Rs. 35,400 to Rs. 1,12,400 (Group B)

Post Name	Department / Ministry	Age Limit
Sub Inspector	National Investigation Agency (NIA)	18–30 years
Sub-Inspector / Junior Intelligence Officer	Narcotics Control Bureau (MHA)	18–30 years
Junior Statistical Officer (JSO)	Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation	18–32 years
Statistical Investigator Grade-II	Ministry of Home Affairs	18–30 years
Divisional Accountant	Offices under C&AG	18–30 years
Office Superintendent	CBDT	18–30 years
Section Head	Director General of Foreign Trade	18–30 years
Research Assistant	National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)	18–30 years

Pay Level 5 — Rs. 29,200 to Rs. 92,300 (Group C)

Post Name	Department	Age Limit
Auditor	Offices under C&AG / CGDA / Other Ministries	18–27 years
Accountant / Junior Accountant	C&AG / CGA / Other Ministries	18–27 years

 Pay Level 4 — Rs. 25,500 to Rs. 81,100 (Group C)

Post Name	Department	Age Limit
Postal Assistant / Sorting Assistant	Dept. of Posts	18–27 years
Senior Secretariat Assistant / Upper Division Clerk	Central Govt. Offices / Ministries	18–27 years
Senior Administrative Assistant	Military Engineering Services, Ministry of Defence	18–27 years
Tax Assistant	CBDT / CBIC	18–27 years
Sub-Inspector	Central Bureau of Narcotics, Ministry of Finance	18–27 years

SSC CGL Recruitment 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Nationality

Applicants must be citizens of India, or subjects of Nepal, Bhutan, or persons of Indian origin who have migrated from specified countries with the intention to permanently settle in India. An eligibility certificate from the competent authority is required wherever applicable.

Educational Qualification (as on 1 August 2026)

The basic requirement for most posts is a Bachelor's Degree from a recognised University or Institute. Specific posts carry additional requirements:

•       Junior Statistical Officer (JSO): Bachelor's Degree in any subject with at least 60% marks in Mathematics at Class 12 level, or a degree with Statistics as a subject.

•       Statistical Investigator Grade-II: Graduation in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Demography, IT, Computer Science, Data Science, or Artificial Intelligence.

•       Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer: Bachelor's Degree is essential. Desirable qualifications include CA, CMA, CS, M.Com, MBA (Finance), or M.B.E.

•       Research Assistant (NHRC): Bachelor's Degree plus at least one year of research experience in a recognised institution.

•       Final year students may apply but must possess the required qualification on or before 1 August 2026.

•       Distance learning degrees are accepted only if approved by the Distance Education Bureau, UGC. Proof must be submitted at document verification.

           Sarkari Jobs 

Age Limit (as on 1 August 2026)

Age is calculated as on 1 August 2026. The date of birth as recorded in the Matriculation or Secondary Examination Certificate is treated as final.

Age Range	Date of Birth (Both Dates Inclusive)
18 to 27 years	02-08-1999 to 01-08-2008
20 to 30 years	02-08-1996 to 01-08-2006
18 to 30 years	02-08-1996 to 01-08-2008
18 to 32 years (JSO only)	02-08-1994 to 01-08-2008

 Age Relaxation

Category	Relaxation
SC / ST	5 years
OBC	3 years
PwBD (General)	10 years
PwBD (OBC)	13 years
PwBD (SC/ST)	15 years
Ex-Servicemen	3 years a

SSC CGL 2026 Application Fee

Category	Fee
General / OBC / EWS (Male)	Rs. 100/- (Non-Refundable)
Women Candidates (All Categories)	NIL
SC / ST	NIL
PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities)	NIL
Ex-Servicemen (ESM) Eligible for Reservation	NIL

 

Fee is payable online via BHIM UPI, Net Banking, or Visa / Mastercard / Maestro / RuPay Debit Cards. Once paid, fees are non-refundable. Applications submitted without the required fee will be rejected outright.

 

SSC CGL Recruitment 2026 Selection Process

Selection is based on a two-tier Computer Based Examination (CBE). All marks scored in CBE sessions conducted across multiple shifts are normalised using the procedure published by SSC on 02 June 2025. There is no re-evaluation or re-checking at any stage.

Tier-I Examination — Qualifying in Nature

Tier-I tests four equally weighted subjects in a single one-hour session. It is qualifying in nature, meaning your Tier-I marks do not count towards the final merit list — but you must clear it to appear for Tier-II.

 

Subject	Questions	Max Marks	Time Allowed
General Intelligence & Reasoning	25	50	15 min sectional
General Awareness	25	50	15 min sectional
Quantitative Aptitude	25	50	15 min sectional
English Comprehension	25	50	15 min sectional
Total	100

 Negative marking: 0.50 marks deducted per wrong answer. Questions are set in both Hindi and English except the English Comprehension section. PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe get 1 hour 20 minutes total.

 Tier-II Examination — Scoring (Merit-Based)

Tier-II is the decisive stage and consists of up to three papers conducted on separate days:

•       Paper-I: Compulsory for all candidates across all posts.

•       Paper-II: Required only for Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) and Statistical Investigator Grade-II candidates.

•       Paper-III: Required only for Assistant Audit Officer (AAO) and Assistant Accounts Officer (AAcO) candidates.

Paper / Section	Subject / Content	Questions	Marks	Duration
Paper-I — Section I	Mathematical Abilities + Reasoning & General Intelligence	60 (30+30)	180	1 hr sectional
Paper-I — Section II	English Language & Comprehension + General Awareness	70 (45+25)	210	1 hr sectional
Paper-I — Section III	Computer Knowledge Test (CKT) — Qualifying	20	60	15 min
Paper-I — Section IV	Data Entry Speed Test (DEST) — Qualifying	—	—	15 min
Paper-II	Statistics (JSO / Statistical Investigator only)	100	200	2 hrs
Paper-III	General Studies: Finance & Economics (AAO / AAcO only)	100	200	2 hrs

Negative marking in Tier-II: 1 mark per wrong answer in Sections I, II, and III of Paper-I; 0.50 marks for wrong answers in Paper-II and Paper-III. Sections III and IV are qualifying — you must pass them but their marks are not added to the merit score. PwBD candidates eligible for a scribe receive 20 minutes extra per hour.

 

SSC CGL 2026 Exam Syllabus at a Glance

Tier-I Topics

General Intelligence & Reasoning: Analogies, classification, coding-decoding, number series, Venn diagrams, space visualisation, embedded figures, critical thinking, emotional and social intelligence, arithmetic reasoning.

General Awareness: Current events (national and international), Indian History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Policy, Scientific Research, Sports, Books and Authors, important schemes, current Chief Ministers and Governors.

Quantitative Aptitude: Number systems, percentages, averages, ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, time and work, time and distance, mensuration, trigonometry, algebra, geometry, data interpretation (bar charts, pie charts, line graphs).

English Comprehension: Reading comprehension, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, sentence correction, cloze test, spelling errors.

Tier-II Topics (Paper-I Overview)

Mathematical Abilities: Number systems, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, mensuration, trigonometry, statistics and probability.

English Language & Comprehension: Vocabulary, grammar, idioms, sentence improvement, comprehension passages based on current affairs and editorial content.

Computer Knowledge: Computer basics, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Internet and email, networking fundamentals, cybersecurity basics.

Paper-II — Statistics (JSO / Statistical Investigator)

Data collection methods, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, correlation and regression, probability theory, sampling theory, statistical inference, ANOVA, time series analysis, and index numbers.

Paper-III — Finance & Economics (AAO / AAcO)

Part A (Finance & Accounts, 80 marks): Financial accounting, GAAP, books of accounts, depreciation, bank reconciliation statements. Part B (Economics & Governance, 120 marks): Macro and micro economic concepts, Indian economy, governance structures, financial markets, and basics of the Union Budget.

 

SSC CGL 2026 Salary Structure

One of the most attractive aspects of SSC CGL posts is the salary scale backed by the 7th Pay Commission. In-hand salaries (gross) typically range from approximately Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000 per month depending on post, city of posting (which determines House Rent Allowance), and other allowances.

 

Post	Pay Level	Pay Scale	Approx. Gross Salary
Assistant Audit Officer	Level 8	Rs. 47,600 – Rs. 1,51,100	Rs. 63,000 – Rs. 70,000
Assistant Section Officer (CSS)	Level 7	Rs. 44,900 – Rs. 1,42,400	Rs. 55,000 – Rs. 65,000
Inspector (IT / CE / CBI / NIA)	Level 7	Rs. 44,900 – Rs. 1,42,400	Rs. 55,000 – Rs. 65,000
Junior Statistical Officer	Level 6	Rs. 35,400 – Rs. 1,12,400	Rs. 45,000 – Rs. 55,000
Auditor / Accountant	Level 5	Rs. 29,200 – Rs. 92,300	Rs. 40,000 – Rs. 50,000
Tax Assistant / Postal Assistant	Level 4	Rs. 25,500 – Rs. 81,100	Rs. 35,000 – Rs. 45,000

 

In addition to basic pay, employees receive Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), Transport Allowance (TA), and other government benefits including medical facilities, LTC, and pension under the New Pension Scheme.

 

How to Apply Online for SSC CGL 2026 — Step-by-Step

All applications must be submitted online. There is no offline or postal mode. Follow these steps carefully:

1.     Visit the official SSC website at www.ssc.gov.in. 

2.     Complete or update your One Time Registration (OTR) if you haven't already. This is mandatory for all candidates.

3.     Log in using your OTR credentials and navigate to 'Apply' under the SSC CGL 2026 notification.

4.     Fill in all required personal, educational, and contact details accurately.

5.     Upload scanned copies of your photograph and signature as per the specified dimensions and file size.

6.     Select your preferred exam centres from the available list.

7.     Pay the application fee (Rs. 100 for General/OBC/EWS males) through BHIM UPI, Net Banking, or Debit Card. Exempt categories proceed without payment.

8.     Review all entries carefully, submit the form, and download/print the confirmation page.

9.     Fee payment deadline is 23 June 2026 at 23:00 hours. The application correction window is open from 29 June to 1 July 2026.

 

You may also apply through the mY SSC mobile app available for Android and iOS. The app provides a convenient interface for mobile users and sends exam-related notifications directly to your device.

✎ Apply Now  

What's New in SSC CGL 2026?

SSC has introduced several significant changes in this year's exam cycle. Candidates who have appeared for SSC CGL in previous years should take particular note of the following updates:

•       Sectional timing introduced: Both Tier-I and Paper-I of Tier-II now have section-wise time limits. In Tier-I, each of the four sections is timed at 15 minutes. This significantly changes strategy — you can no longer spend extra time on your stronger sections to compensate for weaker ones.

•       Three-paper structure for Tier-II: Unlike previous years, Tier-II now officially comprises three separate papers. Paper-I is compulsory for all; Paper-II is for JSO posts; Paper-III is for AAO/AAcO posts.

•       AAO and AAcO posts reinstated: Assistant Audit Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer vacancies — which were absent in some previous cycles — are back in SSC CGL 2026 with the highest pay scale (Level 8).

•       Normalisation procedure updated: Marks scored across multiple CBE shifts are normalised using the revised procedure published by SSC vide Notice dated 02 June 2025.

 

SSC CGL 2026 Preparation Strategy

With over 25 lakh candidates expected to apply for approximately 12,256 vacancies, the competition is intense. A structured, disciplined approach to preparation makes all the difference. Here is a practical six-step strategy:

1.          Understand the syllabus and exam pattern first: Before picking up any book or mock test, study the official syllabus carefully. Know exactly which topics are covered in Tier-I and Tier-II, and understand the new sectional timing format.
2.          Build a 90-day study plan: Allocate at least 6–8 hours daily. Prioritise subjects where you are weakest. For most candidates, Quantitative Aptitude and English require the most dedicated effort.
3.          Practice with previous year papers: Solving past question papers from SSC CGL (last 5–7 years) will help you identify recurring topics and question patterns. This is one of the most effective ways to understand what SSC actually tests.
4.         Take at least two full-length mock tests per week: Timed mock tests under realistic conditions develop both accuracy and speed. Review every mistake — don't just note the score but understand why you got a question wrong.
5.           Read a newspaper daily for General Awareness: At least 25 questions in Tier-I come from General Awareness and Current Affairs. Spending 30–45 minutes each day on a national newspaper will cover both static GK and current events simultaneously.
6.           Practise under sectional timing: This is the most important change in 2026. Use a stopwatch or a mock test platform that replicates the 15-minute sectional timer. Learning to manage each section independently is now a core skill, not an afterthought.

 

SSC CGL Previous Year Cut-Off Marks (Reference)

Understanding previous year cut-offs gives you a realistic target. The following data is from the most recent completed SSC CGL cycle and is useful for calibrating your preparation goal.

Category	Finance / AAO	JSO	Stat. Investigator Gr. II	All Other Posts
General	169.67	168.54	172.36	150.05
EWS	167.18	166.07	158.77	143.44
OBC	166.29	165.87	152.42	145.94
SC	154.29	148.51	—	126.68
ST	148.99	146.65	127.33	118.17
OH (PwBD)	147.95	132.72	—	115.98
HH (PwBD)	126.86	81.00	49.15	77.73
Ex-Servicemen	—	—	—	100.29

 

These cut-offs are out of 200 marks (Tier-I). For 2026, aim for at least 150–170 marks in Tier-I depending on your target post and category, then focus heavily on Tier-II Paper-I for the final merit position.

 

SSC CGL 2026 Exam Centres

SSC CGL 2026 will be conducted across all major regions of India. Candidates may choose their nearest exam centre during the application process. The exam centre is printed on the admit card, which is released approximately one week before the exam date. Key regions and corresponding SSC offices are:

•       Central Region (CR): Agra, Allahabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur.

•       Northern Region (NR): Delhi, Dehradun, Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Almora, Haridwar.

•       Southern Region (SR): Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Vishakhapatnam, Guntur.

•       Eastern Region (ER): Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Ranchi, Port Blair, Siliguri, Guwahati.

•       Western Region (WR): Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Nagpur, Nashik, Panaji.

•       North Eastern Region (NER): Guwahati, Shillong, Imphal, Aizawl, Kohima, Agartala, Itanagar.

•       North Western Sub-Region (NWR): Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Jammu, Srinagar, Shimla.

•       Madhya Pradesh Sub-Region (MPR): Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Raipur, Bilaspur.

•       Karnataka Kerala Region (KKR): Bengaluru, Mysore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur.

Conclusion

SSC CGL 2026 is a genuine career-defining opportunity for every eligible graduate in India. With 12,256 vacancies spread across 40 posts — from Inspector and Assistant Section Officer to Auditor and Tax Assistant — there is something meaningful here for candidates from every academic background.

The competition is tough, but it is beatable. A focused 90-day preparation plan, consistent mock test practice under the new sectional timing format, and daily General Awareness revision are all it takes to stand out from the crowd.

The application window closes on 22 June 2026. Visit ssc.gov.in, complete your registration, and start preparing today. Opportunities like this do not come around every year — make sure you do not let this one pass.

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