The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam every year to recruit staffs for Group B and Group C post at the various department, organization and ministries of the Government of India.
Graduates have to sit for a four-tier exam. The computer skill test is mandatory to get through this exam. Candidates preparing for the upcoming SSC CGL exam may use resources like this SSC CGL exam analysis from all years, to get an overview of the Exam and would probably help them to prepare well with the following suggestions.
Pattern of SSC CGL Exam
Before the candidate may jump onto to the syllabus it is mandatory to know the pattern of this exam conducted by the SSC CGL. In the following table, the details about the exam pattern is given.
| Tiers | Types of questions | Mode of exam | Duration/Marks |
| Tier 1 | Objective Mcqs | Online | 60mins/200 |
| Tier 2 | Objective Mcqs | Online | 2 hrs/200 for each paper |
| Tier 3 | Descriptive paper in English and Hindi | Pen and Paper | 60mins/100 |
| Tier 4 | Data entry speed test(DEST)/ Computer proficiency test(CPT) | Wherever applicable, not necessary for all post | 15mins/Qualifying in nature |
SSC CGL Exam Analysis for General Intelligence and Reasoning: Tier l
General Intelligence and reasoning is considered to be the simplest of all if you practise well. The questions asked revolves around Classification, analogy, coding-decoding, blood relation, matrix and etc.
| Topics | No. of questions (2016-17) | No. of questions(2017-18) | No. of questions(2018-19) |
| Analogy | 2 (moderate-difficult) | 2(easy) | 3-4(easy) |
| Blood Relation | 1 (easy) | 0 | 1(difficult) |
| Coding-decoding | 2 (easy-moderate) | 2 (moderate) | 3(easy) |
| Cubes/dices | 1(easy) | 1(moderate) | 1(easy) |
| Directions | 1(easy) | – | – |
| Matrix based | 1 (easy) | 2(easy) | – |
| Meaning full Order | 1 (easy) | 2(moderate) | 1((easy) |
| Missing numbers | 2(moderate-difficult | 1(easy) | 2(easy) |
| Out one out | 4(moderate-difficult) | – | 3(easy) |
| Series | 3(easy) | 3(difficult) | 2(moderate) |
| Statement conclusion | 1(easy) | 1(moderate) | 1(easy) |
| Venn diagram | 1(moderate) | 1(easy) | 1(easy) |
| Visual reasoning | 4(moderate) | 2(moderate) | 3(easy) |
| Word formation | 1(easy | 2(moderate) | – |
SSC CGL Exam Analysis for Quantitative Aptitude: Tier l
It is considered to be the most challenging part of the exam where the questions range from Moderate to difficult level. To clear the cut-off for this section candidate should practice a lot.
| Topics | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
| Number system | 1(easy) | 1(easy) | 2(easy) |
| Percentage | 1(easy) | 1(moderate) | 1(easy-moderate) |
| SI/CI | 1(easy) | 1(easy) | 1(easy-moderate) |
| Profit, Loss & Discount | 1(easy) | 1(easy) | 1(easy-moderate) |
| Averages | 1(easy) | 1(moderate) | 1(easy) |
| Work&time, Pipes&Cisterns | 1(easy) | 2(easy) | – |
| Time, Speed& Distance | 1(easy) | 1(moderate) | 1(easy) |
| Geometry/Mensuration | 4(easy-moderate) | 5/2(difficult) | 2/3(moderate) |
| Trigonometry | 3(easy-moderate) | 4-5(moderate) | 4(easy) |
| Algebra | 6(easy-moderate) | 4(moderate) | 1(easy) |
| Data Interpretation | 4(easy) | 4(easy) | 4(easy-moderate) |
SSC CGL Exam Analysis for English Grammar and Comprehension: Tier l
It is considered to be easy but it tricks many candidates. It tests English language skill and requires thorough practice.
| Topics | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
| Fill in the Blanks | – | 3(easy) | 1(easy) |
| Sentence Improvement | 3(easy) | 2(easy) | 2(easy-moderate) |
| Error detection | – | 3(easy) | 2(easy-moderate) |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 3(easy) | – | 2(easy-moderate) |
| Idioms and Phrases | 3(easy) | 2(moderate) | 2(easy) |
| Synonyms | 2(easy) | 1(moderate) | 2(easy) |
| Antonyms | 2(easy) | 2(moderate) | 2(easy) |
| Active Passive | – | – | 2(easy-moderate) |
| Word Substitution | 3(easy) | 3(easy) | 2(easy-moderate) |
| Word correction | – | 1(easy) | 1(moderate) |
| Spelling correction | – | 3(easy) | 2(easy) |
| Cloze test | – | 5(moderate) | 5(easy-moderate) |
| Reading Comprehension | 5(easy-moderate) | – | – |
SSC CGL Exam Analysis for General Awareness: Tier l
This section is tricky and requires a strong base in general awareness. The questions asked in this section does not remain confined to current awareness but the candidate needs to have knowledge from the static part of the subject as well.
| Topic | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
| History | 3(easy) | 3-4(easy) | 3(moderate) |
| Geography | 2(moderate-difficult) | 3-4(moderate) | 2(easy-moderate) |
| Polity | 2(easy-moderate) | 3-4(moderate) | 2(easy) |
| Economics | 4(easy-moderate) | 1(easy) | 1(easy-moderate) |
| Science(Biology,Chemistry and Physics) | 7(moderate) | 7(moderate) | 8(easy-moderate) |
| Computer | 1(moderate-difficult) | 2(easy) | – |
| Ecology/Environment | 2(difficult) | 3(easy) | 2(easy) |
| Current affairs | 4(easy) | – | 5-6(easy) |
SSC CGL Exam Analysis: Tier ll
SSC CGL tier ll is the objective type which is online-based. It consists of four papers. The section-wise details of the exam are given as follows.
| Paper | Subjects | No. of questions | Marks | Duration |
| l. | Quantitative Abilities | 100 | 200 | 2 Hours |
| ll. | English Language & Comprehension | 200 | 200 | 2 Hours |
| lll. | Statistics | 100 | 200 | 2 Hours |
| lV. | General Studies(Economics & Finance) | 100 | 200 | 2Hours |
The subjects mentioned have a similar syllabus to that of Tier l.
Important topics for Tier ll
Quantitative Aptitude
It requires thorough practice and the topics need to be focused on are
- Algebra
- Geometry and Mensuration
- Trigonometry
Besides the above mentioned topics, a candidate should practice questions of all other types given in the syllabus.
English Language and Comprehension
Practising mocks and focusing on the following topics can help score well in the exam.
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze test
- Synonyms/ Antonyms
- Idioms and phrases
- Sentence rearrangement
Statistics
The ones who have applied for the post of Statistical Investigator need to write this paper. The following topics are considered mandatory to clear this paper. But it is always suggested to have basic ideas about other topics as well.
- Probability theory
- Variance analysis
- Measure of central tendency
- Sampling theory
Finance and Economics
This paper has to be written by the ones who have applied for the post of Assistant Audit Officer(AAO). The candidate needs to have a fair knowledge about the basic term of economics and need to read the facts from government journals on economics.
SSC CGL Exam Analysis: Tier lll
To score well in this part of the exam the candidates need to practice essay writing, precis writing and letter writing. It is often recommended by the successful candidate to have holistic knowledge about the country. Reading newspapers and journals is considered to be essential.
Type of question asked can be figured out from the past year questions such as:
Essay Topic: How far the demonetization has achieved its objective?
After qualifying tier lll, the candidates have to appear in the fourth phase which comprises CPT and typing skill. It is advisable to practice some powerpoint presentation, Vlookup, pivot table and typing. The basic knowledge of adding rows, drawing graphs is a plus point while preparing for the Tier lV exam.