SSC GD Syllabus 2026 and Exam Pattern: Topics, Marks, Negative Marking and Stages

SSC GD exam pattern 2026: scheme of the CBE

The notice gives one 60-minute duration for the whole paper rather than a separate time for each part. On average that is 45 seconds per question, which is why speed matters as much as knowledge in this exam.

A right answer earns 2 marks and a wrong one loses 0.25, so a wrong answer costs one-eighth of what a right one earns. Leaving a question blank costs nothing.

Has the SSC GD exam pattern changed from last year?

No. The GD 2025 notice, published on 5 September 2024, had exactly the same scheme: 80 questions of 2 marks, four parts of 20 questions, 60 minutes, 0.25 negative marking, the same 15 languages and the same 30, 25 and 20 per cent minimum marks. So any good preparation material built on the last two cycles still fits. Only the next notice can tell whether 2027 keeps it.

Minimum qualifying marks and NCC bonus marks

Before merit even comes in, you must cross a minimum score in the CBE to be considered for the physical tests. NCC bonus marks are not counted for this minimum.

Crossing the minimum does not mean you are through. SSC shortlists men and women separately, state-wise, area-wise and category-wise, by merit, and calls about 8 times the number of vacancies to the PET and PST. The cut-off for your state, category and gender is set by this merit, so aim well above the minimum rather than at it.

The bonus is given only if you claimed it in the application form, and your certificate must have been issued on or before 1 January 2026 for the 2026 cycle. It is added provisionally and withdrawn if you cannot show the original at document verification. Ex-servicemen do not get this bonus.

SSC GD syllabus 2026: part-wise topics

The notice calls its topic list an indicative syllabus. It does not give any topic-wise weightage or marks per topic, so treat the weightage charts found online as guesses, not SSC rules. Here is what each part covers, in the notice's own topic names.

Part A: General Intelligence and Reasoning (20 questions)

This part checks analytical aptitude and how well you notice and tell apart patterns. The notice says the questions will be mainly non-verbal.

• Analogies
• Similarities and differences
• Spatial visualisation and spatial orientation
• Visual memory
• Discrimination and observation
• Relationship concepts
• Arithmetical reasoning
• Figural classification
• Arithmetic number series and non-verbal series
• Coding and decoding

Part B: General Knowledge and General Awareness (20 questions)

This part tests your awareness of the world around you, at the level any educated person is expected to have. The notice says it will not need special study of any one subject.

• Current events
• Everyday observations and their scientific side (general science)
• India and its neighbouring countries, especially sports, history, culture and geography
• Economic scene
• General polity and the Indian Constitution
• Scientific research

Part C: Elementary Mathematics (20 questions)

• Number systems
• Computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions
• Relationships between numbers
• Fundamental arithmetical operations
• Percentages
• Ratio and proportion
• Averages
• Interest
• Profit and loss
• Discount
• Mensuration
• Time and distance
• Time and work

The notice also prints a topic called Ratio and Time in this list. We have kept it out of the list above because it reads like a printing slip, but ratio, time and distance and time and work are all covered anyway.

Part D: English or Hindi (20 questions)

This part tests whether you can understand basic English or Hindi and follow a simple passage. The notice does not list sub-topics for it, so prepare the basics of grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension in the language you are strongest in.

SSC GD syllabus in Hindi: which languages can you write the exam in?

The syllabus is the same whatever language you choose. The SSC GD 2026 CBE was offered in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

SSC also posted a Hindi version of the GD 2026 notice on ssc.gov.in in December 2025, so you can read the official syllabus in Hindi. If the Hindi and English versions ever differ, the notice says the English version prevails. Part D is itself a test of basic English or Hindi, so it is answered in one of those two languages even if you take the rest of the paper in a regional language such as Marathi or Tamil.

After the 2026 exam, SSC let candidates view questions in Hindi and English in the answer key module, but challenges could be raised only in the language the candidate had chosen for the exam.

What comes after the CBE: PET, PST, medical and documents

The physical tests and the medical are qualifying only. Your rank, and therefore which force you get, depends on the CBE score alone. Every applicant has to rank all seven forces in the application form (BSF, CISF, CRPF, SSB, ITBP, Assam Rifles and SSF), and the order cannot be changed later.

Because vacancies are fixed state by state, the domicile state and district you enter in the application decide which vacancies you compete for. At document verification you must produce a domicile certificate of that same state; a mismatch cancels the candidature, and the state cannot be changed at that stage. Fill this part of the form with great care.

Ex-servicemen do not run the race and are exempt from PST, but they are still measured for the record and must pass the medical. For every height, chest, weight and running standard, with all category relaxations, see our SSC GD physical test guide.

How SSC breaks a tie

If two candidates have the same CBE score including NCC bonus, the 2026 notice applies these checks one after another until the tie is broken:

1. Higher marks in Part A (Reasoning)
2. Higher marks in Part B (General Knowledge and General Awareness)
3. Higher marks in Part C (Elementary Mathematics)
4. The older candidate ranks higher
5. Alphabetical order of names

So a strong reasoning score is the first thing that separates candidates with equal totals.

SSC GD 2026 timeline and the 2027 cycle

For the 2026 cycle you had to be 18 to 23 years old on 1 January 2026, with 5 extra years for SC and ST and 3 for OBC, and to have passed Class 10 by that date. The fee was Rs 100, with women, SC, ST and eligible ex-servicemen exempt. Persons with disabilities cannot apply for this exam. Expect the 2027 notice to move these dates forward, and check it before you apply.

How to prepare for the SSC GD CBE

• Take the official mock test on ssc.gov.in first, so the screen, the question palette and the timer feel familiar on exam day.
• Practise in sets of 80 questions in 60 minutes. Speed comes from doing many short, timed sets, not from reading theory.
• For reasoning, focus on non-verbal questions such as figure series, classification and spatial questions, since the notice says this part is mainly non-verbal.
• For maths, master Class 10 arithmetic: percentages, ratio, averages, interest, profit and loss, time and work, and mensuration. Learn shortcuts for calculation, as there is no calculator.
• For general awareness, combine current events with static topics on India and its neighbours. Our list of GK questions with answers is a good place to revise.
• Choose the language for Part D that you read fastest, and practise short comprehension passages in it.
• Start running early. The PET is pass or fail, and a high CBE score is wasted if you cannot finish the race in time.

You can read free notes on Sikhami for each part, test your speed against other aspirants in quiz battles, and join a study room on Sikhami to keep a daily practice routine with people preparing for the same exam.