The SSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam fills thousands of Group B and Group C posts, and it is one of the most competitive exams in India. Before you buy a single book, you need to know exactly what you are preparing for. This page breaks the syllabus into the four Tier 1 subjects, lists the topics under each, and tells you where aspirants usually lose marks.

Tier 1 exam pattern at a glance

Tier 1 is a computer-based objective test with four sections of 25 questions each, so 100 questions in total, carrying 200 marks. You get 60 minutes, and each wrong answer carries a negative mark of 0.50. The four sections are General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension. Every section has equal weight, which means a weak subject cannot be ignored: a score of 5 out of 25 in any section is very hard to recover from.

SSC has revised the CGL pattern more than once, especially for Tier 2, so treat any number you read online (including here) as a guide and check the latest notification on the official SSC website before you plan your final months.

General Intelligence and Reasoning

Reasoning rewards practice more than reading. The questions are short, but speed comes from recognising patterns quickly. The topics you should cover are:

  • Verbal reasoning: analogy, classification (odd one out), number and letter series, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, ranking and order, alphabet tests.
  • Logical reasoning: syllogism, Venn diagrams, statements and conclusions, statements and assumptions, calendar and clock problems.
  • Non-verbal reasoning: mirror and water images, paper folding and cutting, embedded figures, counting figures, figure completion, matrix and missing number puzzles.

Start with series, coding-decoding and blood relations because they are quick to master. Leave the heavy figure-based puzzles for later, and always attempt them with a timer.

General Awareness

This is the most open-ended section, so a clear plan matters. It splits into three parts: static subjects, static GK and current affairs.

  • History: ancient, medieval and modern India, with extra attention to the freedom struggle.
  • Geography: physical geography of India and the world, rivers, climate, soils, resources, major crops.
  • Polity and economy: the Constitution, fundamental rights, the Parliament, important amendments, basic economic terms, budget, banking and taxation.
  • General science: physics, chemistry and biology at the school level (up to Class 10), plus everyday science.
  • Static GK and current affairs: important days, books and authors, awards, sports, schemes, and the last 6 to 8 months of news.

Revise the NCERT books for history, geography and science, and read a short current affairs digest daily instead of cramming a year of news at the end. You can follow our daily current affairs for this.

Quantitative Aptitude

Quant decides rank for most toppers because the marks are the most controllable. The syllabus is school-level mathematics, but the questions are designed for speed.

  • Arithmetic: number system, HCF and LCM, simplification, percentage, ratio and proportion, average, profit and loss, discount, simple and compound interest, time and work, pipes and cisterns, time, speed and distance, boats and streams, mixtures and alligation.
  • Algebra: linear equations, identities, and basic quadratic ideas.
  • Geometry: lines and angles, triangles and their centres, congruence and similarity, circles, quadrilaterals.
  • Mensuration: area and perimeter of 2D figures, volume and surface area of cubes, cuboids, cylinders, cones and spheres.
  • Trigonometry: ratios, identities, complementary angles, heights and distances.
  • Data interpretation: tables, bar graphs, line graphs and pie charts.

Arithmetic carries a large share of questions in most papers, so build a strong base there first. Our percentage formulas and tricks page is a good place to start.

English Comprehension

English is a scoring section if your vocabulary and grammar basics are sound.

  • Reading comprehension and cloze test: passages with questions on meaning, tone and inference, and fill-in-the-passage questions.
  • Grammar: error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks, active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, subject-verb agreement, tenses and prepositions.
  • Vocabulary: synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, spelling errors.
  • Sentence arrangement: para jumbles and sentence rearrangement.

Read one good English editorial every day and keep a notebook of ten new words a week. Grammar rules should be learned with examples, not memorised as lists.

How to use this syllabus

  1. Print the topic lists and tick each topic only after you have solved at least 20 questions on it.
  2. Mark your weakest topic in each subject and give it extra time every week.
  3. Take a mock test every week and compare section scores, not just the total. Our free mock tests show you where you lose time.
  4. Follow a dated plan. Our 3-month SSC CGL roadmap shows one way to split the weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Is the syllabus the same every year?

The topic areas stay broadly similar, but the pattern, the weight of topics and the Tier 2 structure can change. Always read the current notification.

Which section should I start with?

Begin with the one you find easiest so you build momentum, then spend most of your time on the section where you score lowest.

Do I need coaching?

Many selected candidates prepare with free resources, standard books and regular mocks. Coaching helps some people stay disciplined, but it is not required.

GovAspirant is a private education portal and is not affiliated with any government body. Exam rules change, so always confirm dates, pattern and eligibility in the official notification.