How to apply for SSC CGL exam — complete 2026 guide

For SSC CGL 2024 (the cycle Pooja sat for), 30.69 lakh candidates registered, 17.86 lakh appeared in Tier 1, and around 17,727 posts were notified. The post-wise category-wise final cutoffs were published in March 2026. The SSC Examination Notice itself is barely 75 pages, but it controls the next 10 months of your life.

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was constituted by a Government of India resolution dated 4 November 1975 (later modified) under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). It is the central recruitment agency for Group B (Non-Gazetted) and Group C posts in Ministries / Departments of the Government of India and their attached / subordinate offices.

CGL specifically recruits graduates for posts under various Ministries:

• Ministry of Finance — Income Tax Inspector (CBDT), Inspector / Examiner (CBIC), Sub-Inspector (CBN), Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer (CAG), Junior Accountant (various)
• Ministry of Home Affairs — Sub-Inspector (CBI), Sub-Inspector (NIA), ASO (IB)
• Ministry of External Affairs — Assistant Section Officer (MEA)
• Cabinet Secretariat — Assistant Section Officer (RAW / Cabinet)
• Central Secretariat Service (CSS) — Assistant Section Officer
• Other Ministries — Inspector (Posts), Auditor / Accountant (CGDA, CGA, AGCR), Tax Assistant, Senior Secretariat Assistant, etc.

Each post is governed by its own Recruitment Rules (RRs) notified by the parent Ministry under Article 309 of the Constitution.

Drops late April / first week of May each year on ssc.gov.in as a single PDF (~70-80 pages).

Read carefully:

• Annexure-I — list of posts, ministries, vacancies (year-wise), pay level.
• Annexure-II — eligibility (age, education, physical) post-wise.
• Annexure-III — exam scheme (Tier 1, 2, 3, 4).
• Annexure-IV — application fee + payment modes.
• Annexure-XV — photo + signature specifications.
• Important Instructions — dress code, prohibited items, exam-day rules.

• Citizenship: Indian citizen, or subject of Nepal/Bhutan, or Tibetan refugee (pre-1962), or person of Indian origin migrated from specified countries.
• Age (as on 1 August of exam year): Varies by post:
  • 18 – 27 years: Most posts (Auditor, Accountant, Tax Assistant, UDC)
  • 18 – 30 years: Income Tax Inspector, Inspector (CBIC), Inspector (CBN), Inspector (Posts), ASO (CSS, MEA, AFHQ)
  • 20 – 30 years: Sub-Inspector (CBI), Sub-Inspector (NIA), Sub-Inspector (NCB)
  • 18 – 32 years: Junior Statistical Officer (JSO)
• Relaxations: SC/ST + 5; OBC + 3; PwBD General + 10, OBC + 13, SC/ST + 15; Ex-servicemen (3 yrs after deducting service); central government civilians (under conditions).
• Educational qualification: Bachelor's degree (any discipline) by 1 August of exam year. Some posts have additional requirements:
  • JSO: Bachelor's with Mathematics or Statistics as a subject.
  • AAO/AAuO (CAG): Bachelor's, but desirable: CA / CS / MBA / Maths / Statistics / Economics / Commerce.
  • Inspector (CBN), Sub-Inspector (CBI): plus physical standards (see Step 3).
• Number of attempts: No cap. Apply every year till the age limit.

• Inspector (CBIC, CBN), Sub-Inspector (CBI):
  • Male: Height 157.5 cm, Chest 81 cm (5 cm expansion).
  • Female: Height 152 cm, Weight 48 kg.
• Sub-Inspector (NIA): similar to CBI.
• Concessions for hill / tribal / specified categories — see notice.
• Physical Endurance Test (PET) for some posts (CBN, CBI) — walking 1.6 km in 15 min (male), 1 km in 20 min (female), cycling, etc.
• Don't tick a post you can't physically clear — you'll be eliminated at PET stage and the rank goes waste.

The portal is ssc.gov.in (legacy: ssconline.nic.in still redirects). Since 2024, SSC mandates a One-Time Registration (OTR) profile that survives across all SSC exams (CGL, CHSL, MTS, CPO, JE, GD Constable, Stenographer, etc.).

• “Login → New User? Register now” → Aadhaar eKYC OTP.
• Provide: name, DOB, gender, parents, mobile, email, permanent + correspondence address.
• Educational: 10th, 12th, graduation (board, year, marks/CGPA, university).
• Upload: photograph (20-50 KB, JPG, 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm, taken within last 3 months, with date stamp visible in photo as per 2024 rule), signature (10-20 KB, JPG, 4 cm × 2 cm, in black ink).
• After OTR, you get a Registration Number + password — save it.

When the CGL notice opens (May):

• Login → “Latest Notifications” → “Apply” against CGL.
• Pre-filled: personal + educational details from OTR. Verify carefully — once submitted, only one Correction Window (3-7 days, with fee) is allowed.
• Choice of post preferences — ranking up to 12-15 posts. THE single most important section. Once final, no change. Pooja put Income Tax Inspector at #1; you must put what you actually want first because allocation is by merit + first-vacant-preference.
• Choice of exam centre — Tier 1 has separate centre options from Tier 2; you choose Tier 1 centre at this stage. Tier 2 centre is auto-allocated based on Tier 1 region.
• Declaration tick-box (truthful information; understanding of biometric / photo capture at exam centre).

• Fee: ₹100 (General + OBC + EWS male candidates). NIL (SC, ST, PwBD, Ex-servicemen, all female candidates of any category).
• Modes: net banking, debit / credit card, UPI, BHIM, SBI Challan (offline cash).
• After successful payment, the form locks. Print acknowledgement (1 page; carries your Registration Number + Roll Number once allotted).
• Use the Correction Window (announced after application closes; 3-7 days) for any name / DOB / category changes — fee ₹200 for first correction, ₹500 for second.

• Released 7-15 days before Tier 1 exam (typically late August / early September).
• Login → “Admit Card” → choose region → download.
• Carry: printout (preferably colour) + original photo ID (Aadhaar / Voter ID / Driving Licence / PAN / Passport) + 2 passport-size photos (matching OTR).
• Reach centre 90 minutes before reporting time. Biometric capture (fingerprint + photo) at gate; bring no electronics, no jewellery, no wallet (lockers usually available but not guaranteed).

• Tier 1 (CBT, ~September): 100 MCQs, 60 minutes, 200 marks total.
  • General Intelligence & Reasoning (25 Q × 2 = 50)
  • General Awareness (25 × 2 = 50)
  • Quantitative Aptitude (25 × 2 = 50)
  • English Comprehension (25 × 2 = 50)
  • Negative marking: −0.50 per wrong.
  • Qualifying for Tier 2 (cutoff per category).
• Tier 2 (CBT, ~October-November): The merit-deciding stage.
  • Paper 1 (compulsory for all): 3 sections — Mathematical Abilities + Reasoning & GI + English (60 + 60 + 90 Q × 3 marks; 2.5 hrs); negative −1.
  • Paper 2 (Statistics — only JSO): 100 Q × 2 = 200; 2 hrs.
  • Paper 3 (Finance & Economics — only AAO/AAuO): 100 Q × 2 = 200; 2 hrs.
  • Module on Computer Knowledge (qualifying for ASO posts in CSS / MEA / AFHQ).
  • Data Entry Speed Test (DEST): typing speed test — qualifying for Tax Assistant.
• Tier 3 (Descriptive, ~December): Essay (200-250 words) + Letter / Application (150-200 words). 100 marks. Pen & paper. Qualifying (33%) — only for posts requiring report / précis writing (Inspector posts).
• Tier 4 (Skill Test, ~January):
  • DEST: Tax Assistant — 2,000 key depressions / 15 min.
  • CPT (Computer Proficiency Test): ASO (CSS, MEA) — Word / Excel / Slides — qualifying.

• Provisional merit list: late February / March (next year).
• Document Verification (DV) at SSC Regional Office — bring originals: matric, intermediate, graduation, caste / EWS / PwBD certificates, ex-serviceman discharge book.
• Allocation by CGL Final Result — published by SSC HQ; post + ministry assigned strictly by merit + post preference + category vacancies.
• Joining letter sent by the parent Ministry / department within 3-6 months. Pooja's joining letter from CBDT came 5 months after her DV.

+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Post                          | Pay    | Age (1 Aug   | Physical reqd?     |
|                               | Level  | of exam yr)  |                    |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Assistant Section Officer     |  L-7   | 18 – 30      | No                 |
| (CSS / MEA / AFHQ / Cab Sec)  |        |              |                    |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Income Tax Inspector (CBDT)   |  L-7   | 18 – 30      | No                 |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Inspector (CBIC) /            |  L-7   | 18 – 30      | YES — 157.5 cm     |
| Inspector (CBN)               |        |              | (M), 152 cm (F)    |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Sub-Inspector (CBI)           |  L-7   | 20 – 30      | YES — 165 cm (M),  |
|                               |        |              | 150 cm (F) + PET   |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Sub-Inspector (NIA)           |  L-7   | 18 – 30      | YES                |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Assistant Audit Officer       |  L-8   | 18 – 30      | No                 |
| (CAG)                         |        |              |                    |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Auditor (CAG / CGDA / CGA)    |  L-5   | 18 – 27      | No                 |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Tax Assistant (CBDT / CBIC)   |  L-4   | 18 – 27      | No (DEST typing)   |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+
| Junior Statistical Officer    |  L-6   | 18 – 32      | No (Maths/Stats    |
| (M/o Statistics & PI)         |        |              | in graduation)     |
+-------------------------------+--------+--------------+--------------------+

Application fee: ₹100 General/OBC/EWS male; NIL SC/ST/PwBD/Ex-Servicemen/Female.
Correction window fee: ₹200 (first), ₹500 (second).
RTI fee to PIO SSC: ₹10 by IPO. BPL = free.

• Photograph rejected — selfie, dark glasses, headgear (other than religious), face less than 50%, blurry, or without the required date stamp (rule introduced 2024 — photo must show the date in lower margin proving it was taken within last 3 months).
• Signature rejected — in CAPITALS, in print, partial. Must be in black ink, full signature, scanned cleanly.
• Aadhaar eKYC failure — name in Aadhaar differs from your matric. Update Aadhaar first (UIDAI portal — uidai.gov.in), then retry OTR.
• Payment debited but not reflected — wait 24-72 hours. Check “Transaction Status” on SSC portal. Don't retry until you've confirmed failure with bank.
• Existing OTR profile errors — OTR locks once submitted. Use SSC's OTR Update facility (limited fields editable; permanent fields like DOB / category need a corrigendum from the Regional Director).
• Post preference saved wrong — review the order before final submission. Pooja's friend ranked Auditor #1 thinking it was higher than ITI; ended up posted to a small CAG office in Imphal instead of Mumbai ITD.
• Centre full — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad fill in 48 hours. Apply on Day 1 of the window.
• Physical standards not met for Inspector posts — failure at PST/PET wastes the rank; you cannot “switch” to a non-physical post post-result.
• Document mismatch at DV — name in graduation differs from matric; date of birth in OTR differs from school leaving certificate. Rectify with affidavit + gazette notification well before DV date.
• EWS / OBC certificate format / year — must be central format (Annexure prescribed in notice), issued in the current financial year for EWS, within last 3 years for OBC NCL with NCL declaration.

• 011-24368068 / 011-24365263 (10 am – 5 pm, Mon-Fri).
• Online ticket: https://ssc-helpdesk.gov.in — fill issue, upload screenshot.
• SSC Regional Offices (9 regions: Delhi-NR, Allahabad-CR, Mumbai-WR, Chennai-SR, Kolkata-ER, Guwahati-NER, Bengaluru-KKR, Raipur-MPR, Chandigarh-NWR) — physical visit possible.
• Best for: payment failure, login lockout, admit card not generated, last-day glitch.

• https://ssc.gov.in → “Public Grievance” → fill ticket. Reply SLA 15 working days (no statutory force).
• Or write to: rectt@ssc.gov.in (recruitment) / dirssc-dop@nic.in (Director SSC, DoPT).

• https://pgportal.gov.in → Ministry: “Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)” → sub-organisation “Staff Selection Commission”.
• Higher visibility. Often gets routed to a Director–level SSC officer.

SSC is a public authority under §2(h) of the RTI Act 2005. The Central Public Information Officer is:

The CPIO, Staff Selection Commission, Block No. 12, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003.

Each Regional Director also has a CPIO for region-specific matters.

RTI helps here when:

• Mark sheet not yet released — SSC publishes per-tier mark sheets ~30-45 days after each tier result. RTI gets your individual marks faster. Established by Aditya Bandopadhyay v. CBSE (2011) 8 SCC 497 and applied to SSC by CIC orders.
• Final answer key for Tier 1 / Tier 2 — SSC releases tentative answer keys within 7 days of the exam (with a window for paid challenges at ₹100/question). The final answer key post-result is available via RTI.
• Your evaluated answer script (Tier 3 descriptive) — available post-final-result; ₹2/page on top of base ₹10. Aditya Bandopadhyay applies.
• Tie-breaker rule application — SSC's tie-breaker order: Tier 2 Paper 1 marks → Tier 1 marks → DOB (older first) → alphabetical. RTI to know how the rule was applied between you and the candidate just above you.
• Reason for rejection at DV / Medical — if the rejection note on the portal is one line (“documents not in order”), RTI extracts the specific deficiency.
• Cutoff details + category-wise vacancy fill — for transparency / preparation analysis.

See: RTI in 12 simple steps and Challenging an exam result — revaluation, re-scrutiny, RTI.

RTI does NOT help here when:

• You want SSC to revise your marks — RTI gets information; it cannot order revaluation. SSC's CBT marks are final unless a question is dropped post-challenge (which gives marks to all). Tier 3 descriptive marks can be revised only via written representation within the stipulated window.
• You want another candidate's marks / address / category-tag — denied under §8(1)(j) (personal information) unless larger public interest is shown.
• You disagree with the post preference allocation rule — the post-allocation policy is laid down in the notice itself; not an “information” matter. Send representations to the Director (Recruitment), DoPT.
• Question paper “leak” investigations — SSC denies under §8(1)(g) and (h) when investigations are pending.
• You want SSC to add a post mid-cycle — ministries notify vacancies; SSC compiles. Not an RTI matter.

Q. I'm in the final year of B.A. Can I apply?
Yes — but only if your degree result will be declared before 1 August of the exam year. SSC accepts a provisional certificate / final mark sheet at DV. If your university is delayed beyond 1 August, your candidature is liable to be cancelled even if you cleared all tiers.

Q. I made a mistake in post preference. Can I fix it?
Use the SSC Correction Window (3-7 days, announced after applications close). Fee: ₹200 for first correction, ₹500 for second. After the correction window, no change is possible — your initial preference stands.

Q. I cleared Tier 1 but my Tier 2 admit card is not appearing.
Check the SSC region you wrote Tier 1 in (admit cards are released region-wise). Login with the same credentials as Tier 1. If not visible after 7 days of Tier 2 admit-card release announcement, file an SSC online grievance with screenshot — they regenerate within 48 hours.

Q. SSC OTR shows wrong DOB. Now what?
DOB is a permanent field once OTR is created. You cannot edit it via OTR Update. Write to your SSC Regional Director with: (a) representation, (b) self-attested matric certificate showing correct DOB, © screenshot of OTR error. Allow 30-45 days for backend correction.

Q. I cleared CGL last year but didn't get joining yet. Should I apply again?
Yes — apply again. Many candidates apply year after year until their joining is finalised, since vacancy notification, allocation and joining can take 12-24 months. There's no penalty for double application.

Q. My height is 156 cm. Can I apply for Inspector (CBIC)?
For male General candidates, the minimum is 157.5 cm. You'd be eliminated at PST. Apply for non-physical posts (Auditor, Tax Assistant, ASO, AAO) instead.

Q. Can SSC OTR be used for IBPS bank exams or UPSC?
No. Each agency has its own profile. SSC OTR is only for SSC-conducted exams (CGL, CHSL, MTS, CPO, JE, GD, Stenographer, Selection Posts).

Q. I belong to OBC but my caste isn't on the central list. Can I claim OBC?
No. OBC reservation in central recruitment requires the caste to be on the Central List of OBCs (maintained by NCBC — ncbc.nic.in). State-list OBC is not enough. If your caste is on the state list only, you must apply as General.

• Challenging an exam result — revaluation, re-scrutiny, RTI
• RTI in 12 simple steps — for first-time filers
• All Indian government helplines — one master directory
• RTI forms + state-wise fee chart
• How to apply for UPSC Civil Services Exam — 2026
• How to apply for Bank PO / Clerk via IBPS / SBI — 2026
• How to apply for CUET-UG — complete 2026 guide

Last reviewed: 26 April 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. SSC CGL notice dates, post lists and physical standards change every year — verify on ssc.gov.in or write to admin@bighelpers.in if you spot a stale figure.