When does the SSC CGL notification 2026 release?

The SSC CGL notification typically releases on ssc.nic.in in the December–January window for the following year's exam cycle (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). For the 2026 cycle, the notification was published in late 2025, with the tier-1 exam scheduled in mid-2026. SSC does sometimes slip the date — recheck the SSC portal before relying on the schedule.

What is the SSC CGL eligibility by post?

SSC CGL posts are split into Group B (Gazetted) and Group C (Non-Gazetted), with most requiring a Bachelor's degree from a recognised university (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). A few posts have additional requirements: JSO (Junior Statistical Officer) needs at least 60% in Maths at Class 12, and the Auditor / Accountant posts require Commerce knowledge. Age limits vary by post — 18 to 27 / 30 / 32 years depending on the role.

What is the SSC CGL application fee?

The SSC CGL application fee is ₹100 for General / OBC / EWS male candidates; women, SC, ST, PwD, and ex-servicemen are exempt (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). Payment is online (debit / credit card, net banking, UPI, BHIM) or via SBI challan at a partner branch. The fee is non-refundable.

What is the SSC CGL exam pattern?

SSC CGL has four tiers (SSC CGL Notification, 2026): Tier-1 (objective, 60 Qs, 60 mins), Tier-2 (objective + descriptive, 3 sections, 9 hours total), Tier-3 (descriptive / typing — now mostly subsumed), and Tier-4 (skill test / DV). Tier-1 is qualifying; Tier-2 marks determine the final merit for most posts.

Can final-year students apply for SSC CGL 2026?

Yes — candidates appearing in the qualifying Bachelor's degree exam in the year of application can provisionally apply for SSC CGL (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). They must produce the degree certificate at the document verification stage. Candidates must be within the age limit on the cut-off date specified in the notification.

What is the SSC CGL syllabus for Tier-1?

SSC CGL Tier-1 covers General Intelligence & Reasoning (25 Qs), General Awareness (25 Qs), Quantitative Aptitude (25 Qs), and English Comprehension (25 Qs) — 60 Qs in total (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). Negative marking is 0.5 per wrong answer. Tier-2 has separate sections for Maths, English, and a third section based on the post.

How do I apply for SSC CGL 2026?

Apply on ssc.nic.in by registering with a personal email and mobile, completing the One-Time Registration (OTR), filling the CGL application, uploading scanned photo and signature, and paying the fee (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). The OTR is reused across SSC exams — update it before applying. Submit before the deadline; late submissions are not accepted.

When does SSC CGL 2026 result declare?

SSC CGL Tier-1 result typically releases 4–6 weeks after the exam; Tier-2 result follows 6–8 weeks after Tier-2 (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). The final merit list publishes after all tiers and document verification. SSC publishes timelines on its portal — exact dates vary by cycle.

SSC CGL Notification 2026: Posts, Fees & Apply

SSC CGL notification 2026 is published on ssc.nic.in with the application window in the December–January window for the following year; the application fee is ₹100 (General / OBC / EWS male, women / SC / ST / PwD exempt), and most posts require a Bachelor's degree (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). The exam runs in four tiers — Tier-1 objective, Tier-2 objective + descriptive, Tier-3 / 4 skill and DV — with Tier-2 marks determining the final merit for most Group B / C posts.

Data last verified September 2026 from the SSC official portal and the CGL 2026 notification (SSC, 2026).

SSC CGL 2026 — eligibility summary

The SSC CGL notification spells out post-wise eligibility (SSC CGL Notification, 2026):

Post group	Qualification	Age limit (years)
Assistant Section Officer (CSS, IB, MEA, etc.)	Bachelor's degree	20–30
Income Tax Inspector / Auditor / Accountant	Bachelor's degree (Commerce preferred)	18–30
Junior Statistical Officer (JSO)	Bachelor's with 60% in Maths at Class 12	21–32
Tax Assistant (CBDT / CBIC)	Bachelor's degree	18–27
Sub-Inspector (CBN, NIA, CBI)	Bachelor's degree	20–30

Age relaxation applies for SC / ST (5 yrs), OBC (3 yrs), PwD (10–15 yrs), ex-servicemen as per rules (SSC CGL Notification, 2026).

SSC CGL application fee

General / OBC / EWS (male): ₹100
Women / SC / ST / PwD / Ex-servicemen: Exempt

Payment modes: SBI net banking, debit / credit card, UPI, BHIM, or SBI e-Challan at a partner branch (SSC CGL Notification, 2026).

SSC CGL Tier-1 exam pattern

Section	Questions	Marks	Time
General Intelligence & Reasoning	25	50	Combined 60 mins
General Awareness	25	50
Quantitative Aptitude	25	50
English Comprehension	25	50
Total	100 (60 score-bearing)	200	60 mins

Negative marking is 0.5 per wrong answer (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). Tier-1 is qualifying — marks are not added to the final merit, but the cut-off gates Tier-2 eligibility.

SSC CGL Tier-2 pattern

Tier-2 has three sections (SSC CGL Notification, 2026):

Section I: Quantitative Abilities — 100 Qs, 200 marks, 2 hrs
Section II: English Language & Comprehension — 200 Qs, 200 marks, 2 hrs
Section III: Statistics (for JSO posts) / General Studies (Finance & Economics) — 100 Qs, 200 marks, 2 hrs

Tier-2 is the merit-determining stage. Section III is post-specific (Statistics for JSO, Finance & Economics for Auditor / Accountant).

SSC CGL syllabus — Tier-1 quick view

Section	Topics
Reasoning	Analogy, series, coding, blood relations, direction, syllogism, Venn diagrams, seating, puzzles
GA	Indian polity, history, geography, economy, science, current affairs
Quant	Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, data interpretation
English	Grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, fill-in-the-blanks, error-spotting

SSC CGL apply online — step by step

Visit ssc.nic.in and complete / update the One-Time Registration (OTR).
Click the active CGL notification; fill the application form.
Upload photo (JPG, 20–50 KB) and signature (JPG, 10–20 KB) — exact specs.
Pay the fee (₹100 or ₹0 for exempt categories).
Save the confirmation PDF — keep until the merit list publishes.

Resources & next steps

The official notification PDF on ssc.nic.in is the only authoritative source for post-wise eligibility, vacancies, and reservation rules. For a structured study plan, the entrance-exams hub at /entrance-exams-trainings links to the SSC past papers and chapter-weightage data.

SSC CGL — what to prepare first

For SSC CGL 2026, the highest-leverage prep focus is Tier-2 Quantitative Aptitude and English, since Tier-1 is only qualifying (SSC CGL Notification, 2026). A typical 3-month prep plan:

Weeks 1–4: Quant basics — arithmetic (ratios, percentages, SI/CI), algebra (linear + quadratic), geometry (mensuration + circles).
Weeks 5–8: English — grammar, vocabulary, comprehension. Kiran / SP Bakshi for vocab; Wren & Martin for grammar.
Weeks 9–10: Tier-2 specific — Statistics / Finance & Economics (post-specific).
Weeks 11–12: Mock tests + previous year papers.

SSC CGL mock tests on the SSC portal and Testbook are essential — Tier-2 cut-offs are tight, and timed practice is the differentiator (SSC CGL Notification, 2026).

Verify current vacancies, dates, and eligibility on the official source: ssc.nic.in (SSC, 2026).

Quick reference — official India exam portals

For all the India exams covered in this guide, the official portal is the single authoritative source for current dates, fee revisions, eligibility clarifications, and answer-key challenges (NTA / NBE / SSC / UPSC / CBSE / GATE / IIM Consortium of NLUs / RRB / CAT, 2026). The official portals publish:

Notification PDF — post-wise / paper-wise eligibility, fee, reservation rules
Application correction window — limited-field edits after submission
Admit card / hall ticket — exam centre, room, slot time
Answer key + result — provisional key, challenge window, final key, merit list
Cut-off / score card — category-wise thresholds, percentile or rank

Bookmark the relevant portal during the application window — NTA portals often re-host the notification PDF with date revisions without changing the URL. Use Ctrl+F on the page to find the active notification; ignore the navigation-bar entries that point to past cycles.

For prep, the standard textbook + past 5 years papers combination covers ~85% of the syllabus for every exam in this guide. Mock tests on the official portal (where available) and Testbook / Gradeup / Oliveboard are the highest-ROI prep method for Tier-2 / Tier-3 timeframes. Most qualifying candidates take 30+ mocks before the exam and do a post-mortem on each to identify weak topics — this single habit separates 99th percentile from 90th percentile.

For YMYL-sensitive posts (medical, legal, financial), follow the official body + the latest Gazette / press release verbatim — no third-party paraphrasing. Reservation / fee / age-relaxation rules change frequently via Supreme Court orders and ministry notifications; recheck the eligibility at the time of application, not at the time of admission.

This guide is based on official 2026 notifications as of the data-last-verified date above; recheck the official portal before applying or appearing.