Hello aspirants, in our previous article we have already talked about SSC exam preparation and its strategy but all we know is that SSC conducts various recruitment exams. So today in this article we will specifically talk about the SSC CGL Exam, its preparation strategy, exam pattern etc. it will be very helpful for the candidates who are thinking of appearing for the SSC CGL exam in 2026.
Table of Contents
As we know, for a few months SSC has been in the news for its vendor change and SSC CGL 2025 tier-I exam just finished a few months ago and it has not declared its result yet. ssc will also conduct its tier-II exam for selected candidates in December. But for the SSC CGL 2026 exam i will share my experience so that it can be helpful for a beginner and freshers candidates.
SSC CGL Preparation Strategy
What is SSC CGL Exam?
But before going to the SSC CGL exam preparation strategy we have to know about what the SSC CGL exam is. So CGL standards for Combined Graduate Level exam are conducted by SSC every year all over India. It is considered one of the toughest exams because every year lakhs of people appear for it and a few of them pass it.
Do you ever wonder why SSC CGL is the most popular exam in India? It has mainly two reasons. First is it is a central government job which provides you job security, good salary and a decent lifestyle. The second and most important reason is it includes various posts like Income tax inspector, Excise Inspector, Custom Officer, Assistant Section Officer in various central govt ministries, SI in CBI etc. Through this post name you can understand how powerful this post is and so it is a very popular exam in India.
SSC CGL Eligibility Criteria
We already know about the SSC CGL exam. Now we will know what is the eligibility criteria for the SSC CGL exam? Minimum educational qualification for the exam is graduation in any discipline from any government recognized University. Another important thing is age limits where age limits of the candidates should be between 18 to 32 years. However age relaxation will be available for reserved categories. You can know about it in detail from its official website. However if you are a graduate student then it can be a better career option for you.
SSC CGL Syllabus
Before starting the preparation you have to understand the syllabus of SSC CGL exam. The syllabus of all the SSC exams like CGL, MTS, CHSL are almost the same. Therefore preparing for one exam can give you the benefits in others exams also. In SSC CGL there are mainly four sections like Quantitative Aptitude, General Intelligence and Reasoning, English Language and General Awareness. For detailed syllabus I will recommend you to check the ssc official website or SSC CGL notifications.
SSC CGL Exam Pattern
If we talk about the exam pattern of ssc cgl then we can find there are mainly three stages. Such as Tier-I, Tier-II and Documents Verifications. Which we described below.
SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam
In the Tier-I exam there are four sections which we described above and each section has 25 questions and each question will carry only 2 marks. It means the full marks of this exam is 200 marks and candidates will get 60 minutes to give the answers of 100 questions.
SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam
In tier-II exam there are three sections and each section has two modules. In Module I there are Mathematical Abilities and in Module II there is Reasoning and General Intelligence. Each module has 30 questions and each question will carry 3 marks. However, Section II in the first module has English Language and Comprehension which has 45 questions and in the second module has General Awareness which has 25 questions. Again in second modules each question will carry 3 marks. Whereas in Section III the first module has Computer Knowledge Test which has 20 questions and each question of 3 marks and in the second module has Data Entry Speed Test which is qualifying in nature. Section I and Section II are one hour each but in Section III each module has only 15 minutes. For more detailed information I will prefer to read the ssc cgl notification.
Study Materials for SSC CGL Exam
If you are a beginner then you should definitely join any coaching centre. If possible then it is better to join any offline coaching otherwise you can also join any online coaching centre. I also joined an online coaching centre called Rankers Gurukul. I will suggest some of the online coaching centres which will be very reputed and cheap so that every student can afford it. Like Rankers Gurukul, Career will, Career Power, Rojgar With Ankit etc.
Initially you have to complete all the syllabus of SSC CGL exam , then you have to practice it from previous years books like kiran publication, pinnacle publication etc. However I will advise all the candidates to keep the limited source of study materials so that it can be very easy to complete and revise. Some of the suggested books for each section are given below.
- Quantitative Aptitude: For Quantitative Aptitude I will suggest SSC CGL Warrior or SSC MATHS 6500+ previous years books by Aditya Ranjan sir.
- General Awareness: For General awareness i will suggest reading the NCERT books or otherwise you can read the SSC General Awareness book by Aditya Ranjan sir.
- General Intelligence & Reasoning: Kiran Publication or Pinnacle Publications previous year book is enough for the revisions of General Intelligence & Reasoning.
- English Comprehension: For English I will suggest the book of Neetu Singh mam for learning grammar and use Kiran or Pinnacle publication book for revisions.
Attempt Mock Tests
Mock tests play a very important role in SSC CGL preparation. Through mock tests you can learn how to manage time in the exam centre and it will also help you to overcome the fear. While you attempt a mock test you will face many challenges but these challenges will help you in the original exam. After attempting a mock test you have to analyse it and identify the weak topics and give special attention to those topics. There are already various mock test platforms but i will prefer you to choose Test Book mock test platform. Why you should choose the test book mock test platform is because it is very affordable and its interface is like the original exam interface software.
However at last I can say you have to study hard to clear this exam. Once you complete your syllabus practice previous year questions and give mock tests as much as possible. I think this article will help you a lot for the beginners to start their preparation. At first it will be very tough and you will face many challenges. But your hard work and consistency will help you to overcome all the challenges. Gook luck for your upcoming SSC CGL exam.
