Where the 2027 cycle stands

Notification due September 2026, applications close October 2026, exam January–March 2027 per the SSC calendar. Nothing is official until the notice PDF appears on ssc.gov.in.

Where the 2026 cycle stands

Notified 1 December 2025 · applications closed 31 December 2025 · CBE held 27 April – 30 May 2026 in four phases · provisional answer key 15 June 2026 · result awaited as of 12 August 2026.

Vacancies 2026

25,487 posts — 23,467 male and 2,020 female. The smallest GD intake since 2021 (2025 was revised up to 53,690). A mid-cycle upward revision is possible but has not happened.

Age

18 to 23 years. For the 2026 cycle the crucial date was 1 January 2026 — born between 2 January 2003 and 1 January 2008. For the 2027 cycle expect the crucial date to move to 1 January 2027. There is no limit on attempts.

Qualification

Matriculation / 10th standard pass from a recognised board, with the result declared on or before the cut-off date. Candidates awaiting results are not eligible. A higher qualification gives no advantage whatsoever.

Time and marking

60 minutes (80 minutes for candidates eligible for a scribe). 2 marks per correct answer. Negative marking 0.25 per wrong answer. Nothing is deducted for an unattempted question.

Qualifying marks

UR 30% · OBC and EWS 25% · SC, ST and ESM 20%. These are floors — the real cut-off is set by vacancies in your state.

NCC bonus

Added after normalisation. ‘C’ certificate 5% (8 marks) · ‘B’ certificate 3% (4.8 marks) · ‘A’ certificate 2% (3.2 marks). On a 160-mark paper 8 free marks decide thousands of ranks.

Part A · General Intelligence and Reasoning

Analogies (verbal, figural, semantic, symbolic and number) · similarities and differences · spatial visualisation · spatial orientation · visual memory · discrimination · observation · relationship concepts and blood relations · arithmetical reasoning and figural classification · arithmetic number series · non-verbal series · coding and decoding · Venn diagrams · embedded figures and figure completion · mirror and water images · paper folding and paper cutting · pattern completion · odd one out · direction sense · order and ranking · word formation and alphabet test · matrix, dice and cube · statement–conclusion and syllogism.

Part B · General Knowledge and General Awareness

Indian history — ancient, medieval, modern and the freedom struggle · Indian polity and Constitution · geography of India and the world · Indian economy and the economic scene · general policy and government schemes · scientific research, general science and everyday science · art and culture, dance forms, festivals, monuments · sports · awards and honours · books and authors · important days and dates · India and its neighbouring countries · abbreviations · static GK — capitals, currencies, firsts and superlatives · current affairs, national and international, of the last six to twelve months.

Part C · Elementary Mathematics

Number systems and computation of whole numbers · decimals and fractions and the relationship between numbers · fundamental arithmetical operations · LCM and HCF · simplification and BODMAS, surds and indices · percentage · ratio and proportion · average · profit and loss · discount · simple and compound interest · time and work · time, distance and speed including trains, boats and streams · mensuration of 2D and 3D figures · ratio and time · mixture and alligation · partnership · simple data interpretation. Algebra, geometry and trigonometry carry very little to no weight.

Part D · English or Hindi

English: reading comprehension and cloze test · spotting errors · fill in the blanks · synonyms, antonyms and homonyms · spellings and misspelt words · idioms and phrases · one-word substitution · improvement of sentences · active and passive voice · direct and indirect narration · shuffling of sentence parts and of sentences in a passage · basic grammar — tenses, articles, prepositions, subject–verb agreement.
Hindi: संधि और संधि विच्छेद · उपसर्ग और प्रत्यय · पर्यायवाची और विलोम शब्द · अनेकार्थक शब्द · समास · मुहावरे और लोकोक्तियाँ · शब्द-युग्म · वाक्य-शुद्धि · वर्तनी की अशुद्धियाँ · वाच्य · क्रिया के भेद · संज्ञा, सर्वनाम, विशेषण, काल · कार्यालयी हिन्दी · अपठित गद्यांश.

Vision — the single biggest cause of failure

Distant vision 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the worse eye, uncorrected. Near vision N6 and N9. Spectacles and contact lenses are not permitted, and there must be no evidence of refractive surgery such as LASIK. Colour vision CP-2. No squint. If you wear glasses, get this checked before you spend a year preparing.

Tattoos

Permitted only on the inner forearm of the non-saluting (left) arm or the back of the hand, only if the content is a name or a traditional or religious symbol, and only if it is small — roughly not more than a quarter of that body part. Tattoos depicting violence, religious hatred, obscenity or extremism are barred outright. Candidates from tribes with a customary practice of tattooing are exempted at the board’s discretion.

Other rejection criteria

Knock knees · flat foot · varicose veins · operated hydrocele · hernia · piles · any ear, nose or throat abnormality · deformity of limbs or joints. Teeth must give at least 14 dental points in good repair. Hearing must be normal in both ears. Chest must be well formed with 5 cm expansion.

Review Medical Examination

A candidate declared unfit at the DME can appeal for an RME within the window printed on the unfitness certificate, with a specialist opinion from a government hospital and the prescribed fee. The RME board re-examines only the specific defect cited. The RME board’s decision is final.

Domicile decides your merit list — not your exam centre

Vacancies are allotted state-wise and merit is drawn state-wise, so a domicile or PRC certificate for Tamil Nadu is mandatory at document verification. A TN candidate who writes the exam in Bengaluru is still counted against the TN quota. But if the state you declared in the application does not match the certificate you produce, your candidature is cancelled outright. Get this right at the application stage.

Tie-breaking, in order

Marks in Part-A (Reasoning) → marks in Part-B (GK) → marks in Part-C (Maths) → date of birth, older candidate ranks higher → alphabetical order of name. Note that Reasoning breaks the tie first, which is an argument for not treating it as the section you rush through.

Pay

Pay Level 3 — ₹21,700 to ₹69,100. Same basic pay in BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB, SSF and Assam Rifles. Realistic in-hand today is roughly ₹33,000 to ₹45,000 depending on city class and posting; field postings add ration money and risk-and-hardship allowances on top.

What changes between forces

Not the pay — the posting. CISF is largely urban, airports and industrial units, the most family-friendly. CRPF means LWE and J&K deployments with hardship allowance. ITBP, BSF and SSB mean border and high-altitude postings. SSF is Delhi-centric.

Promotion

Constable → Head Constable → ASI → Sub-Inspector → Inspector. By seniority plus a departmental exam plus continued physical and medical fitness. MACP gives financial upgradation at 10, 20 and 30 years even without a functional promotion.

2026 cycle status

The calendar set advertisement for 30 April 2026 and closing for 31 May 2026. As of 12 August 2026 the notification had not been released — it is over three months overdue. The calendar’s exam window of July–September 2026 is therefore already invalid.

Vacancies 2025 (final)

3,522 posts, revised up from 3,131 at notification. LDC/JSA 3,396 · Junior Health Administrative Assistant 89 · DEO 24 · DEO Grade ‘A’ 13. Trend: 4,893 (2021) · 4,726 (2022) · 1,600 (2023) · 3,712 (2024) · 3,522 (2025).

Age and qualification

18 to 27 years. The crucial date for 2026 is not yet known — do not trust any “born between” window published today; the 2025 cycle used 1 January 2026, while CGL 2026 used 1 August 2026. 12th standard pass from a recognised board.

How your rank is actually calculated

3 marks per correct answer, 1 mark deducted for each wrong answer in Sections I, II and III. But merit is prepared on Section-I and Section-II of Tier-2 only — 360 marks. Tier-1’s 200 marks, the 45-mark Computer Knowledge Test and the typing test all contribute zero to your rank. They only have to be cleared. Minimum qualifying marks in each section: UR 30%, OBC and EWS 25%, all others 20%.

Tie-breaking, in order

Marks in Section-I of Tier-2 → marks in Tier-1 → date of birth, older candidate ranks higher → alphabetical order of name. Note that Tier-1 marks, which are not counted for merit, are still used to break ties — a reason not to treat Tier-1 as a formality once you know you have cleared it.

Practical notes on the typing test

One word counts as five key depressions including spaces. You choose English or Hindi at the time of application and cannot change it later — choose English unless you genuinely type Hindi. Hindi typists may use Mangal / Unicode InScript or Kruti Dev 010 / Remington. Scribe-eligible candidates get 15 minutes instead of 10.

Error tolerance

Permissible errors: UR 20% · OBC and EWS 25% · SC, ST and others 30%, calculated to two decimal places. A full mistake is an omitted, substituted, added or repeated word, a spelling error, or a half-typed word. A half mistake is a spacing error, wrong capitalisation, a punctuation error or transposition. The test is pass or fail — no marks, and your score is never disclosed.

English Language

Spot the error · fill in the blanks · synonyms and homonyms · antonyms · spellings and detecting misspelt words · idioms and phrases · one-word substitution · improvement of sentences · active and passive voice of verbs · conversion into direct and indirect narration · shuffling of sentence parts · shuffling of sentences in a passage · cloze passage · comprehension passage.

In Tier-2 the notification adds a specific instruction: one comprehension passage will be a simple one based on a book or a story, and the other based on current affairs, an editorial or a report. Read editorials, not just grammar books.

General Intelligence

Semantic, symbolic, number and figural analogy · semantic, symbolic, number and figural classification · semantic, number and figural series · symbolic operations · trends · space orientation · Venn diagrams · drawing inferences · punched hole and pattern folding and unfolding · figural pattern folding and completion · embedded figures · critical thinking · problem solving · emotional intelligence · social intelligence · word building · coding and decoding · numerical operations.

Also asked in practice: blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, mathematical operations, cubes and dice, mirror and water images, clocks, calendars, data sufficiency and seating arrangement.

Quantitative Aptitude

Number systems: computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions, relationship between numbers. Arithmetic: percentages · ratio and proportion · square roots · averages · simple and compound interest · profit and loss · discount · partnership business · mixture and alligation · time and distance · time and work. Algebra: basic identities of school algebra, elementary surds, graphs of linear equations. Geometry: triangle and its centres, congruence and similarity, circle, chords, tangents, angles subtended by chords, common tangents. Mensuration: triangle, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, circle, right prism, right circular cone and cylinder, sphere, hemisphere, rectangular parallelepiped, regular right pyramid. Trigonometry: ratios, complementary angles, heights and distances (simple problems), standard identities. Statistical charts: histogram, frequency polygon, bar diagram, pie chart.

Tier-2 adds statistics and probability — mean, median, mode, standard deviation and simple probability.

General Awareness

SSC’s own wording covers current events and everyday observation in its scientific aspect, plus India and its neighbouring countries — history, culture, geography, economic scene, general policy and scientific research.

In practice also: Indian polity and Constitution · static GK · awards and honours · books and authors · sports · important days · environment · inventions and discoveries · abbreviations · government schemes · banking and economy basics.

Computer Knowledge Test (Tier-2, qualifying): organisation of a computer, CPU, input and output devices, memory and its organisation, backup devices, ports, Windows Explorer, keyboard shortcuts · Windows and the basics of MS Word, MS Excel and PowerPoint · web browsing and searching, downloading and uploading, managing an email account, e-banking · networking devices and protocols, and security threats such as hacking, viruses, worms and Trojans, with preventive measures.

LDC / JSA

Pay Level 2 — ₹19,900 to ₹63,200. Approximate in-hand ₹27,000 in a Z-class town to ₹32,000 in a metro.

DEO and DEO Grade ‘A’

Pay Level 4 — ₹25,500 to ₹81,100, with certain DEO posts at Level 5, ₹29,200 to ₹92,300. Approximate in-hand ₹37,000 to ₹42,000. Note: several sites place DEO Grade ‘A’ at Level 5 — the notification puts it at Level 4.

Deductions and fee

NPS at 10% of basic plus DA, CGEGIS ₹30, CGHS ₹250. Application fee ₹100, free for all women, SC, ST, PwBD and eligible ex-servicemen — EWS and OBC candidates are not exempt, whatever some tables say.

Your old registration is dead — make a fresh OTR

SSC moved from ssc.nic.in to ssc.gov.in, and the notice is explicit: the OTR generated on the old website will not work on the new one. Every candidate must register afresh. Once created, the same OTR serves every exam notified on the new portal.

Your photo is now taken live

The application module captures a real-time photograph through your camera — you can no longer upload an old passport photo. No cap, no mask, no spectacles. Face fully inside the frame, plain background, camera at eye level, and you may not photograph an existing photograph. The signature is still uploaded: JPEG or JPG, 10 to 20 KB, about 6.0 cm wide by 2.0 cm high.

Aadhaar authentication is voluntary — but worth doing

Offered at registration, at application and at the test centre. SSC’s incentive is concrete: if you opt in, your application cannot be rejected because the photo or signature does not meet specifications, and you do not need to carry photographs or original photo ID to the exam venue. Visually impaired candidates may bypass face authentication.

You now choose your own city, date and shift

Self-slot selection, introduced by notice on 17 October 2025, lets you pick your exam city, date and shift from your three city preferences on a first-come-first-served basis. It is now standard practice. Two warnings: candidates who choose a regional-language paper get restricted date and shift availability, and once submitted no change request is entertained. Log in the moment the window opens.

Normalisation changed method in June 2025

From June 2025 SSC uses equi-percentile normalisation instead of the old mean-and-standard-deviation formula of 2019. Your score is matched to the candidate at the same percentile position in another shift, so shift difficulty is neutralised. This is why published cut-offs carry five decimal places. Reference: SSC notice dated 2 June 2025.

Sectional timing is spreading

Introduced by notice on 15 April 2026 and already applied to Selection Post Phase-XIV and CGL 2026: a hard 15-minute timer per section, 20 minutes for scribe-eligible candidates. Sections lock automatically and you cannot return. Expect it in CHSL, MTS and Stenographer next. Practise with a sectional timer, not a single 60-minute clock.

Your scribe must register too

New for 2026: the scribe must complete their own OTR on ssc.gov.in and be Aadhaar authenticated before you can name them. You enter the scribe’s OTR number, and an OTP confirms it at admit-card generation. Informal arrangements on exam day are no longer possible.

Answer key and challenge

A tentative answer key with your response sheet appears roughly two to four weeks after the last exam date, with a challenge window of about three to five days. The fee is ₹50 or ₹100 per question depending on the exam — SSC appears to be moving from ₹100 to ₹50, but the CGL 2026 notice still prints ₹100. Always read the fee from the live challenge notice. Representations by letter or email are not entertained. Final answer keys are published after the result.

SSC Southern Region (SR), Chennai

Regional Director (SR), Staff Selection Commission,
2nd Floor, EVK Sampath Building, DPI Campus, College Road, Chennai 600 006.
Phone 044-2825 1139 and 044-2827 5568.
SSC national helpline 1800 309 3063.
Jurisdiction: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry.

Note that “SSC Madras Region” and “MDR” are legacy usages — SSC’s current notices use SR. Admit cards and city intimation slips for Tamil Nadu candidates route through the regional site as well as the national portal.

Tamil Nadu exam city codes

Chennai 8201 · Coimbatore 8202 · Madurai 8204 · Salem 8205 · Tiruchirappalli 8206 · Tirunelveli 8207 · Vellore 8208 · Krishnagiri 8209 · Theni 8211 · Puducherry 8401.

You may choose three centre preferences in order of priority, within the same region. SSC’s wording is blunt: no request for a change of centre will be considered later under any circumstances. The city list varies slightly between exams — always check the annexure of the specific notice.

We do not sell SSC-specific coaching or books

Athiyaman Academy is a Tamil-medium academy built around Tamil Nadu state exams — TNPSC, TNUSRB, TET and TRB, and the railway exams. We do not run an SSC batch, and we would rather say so than sell you a repackaged course. The page you are reading is a reference, not a sales pitch.

But a great deal of our material does transfer

General studies, Indian polity, history, geography, economy, general science, environment and current affairs are largely the same body of knowledge in TNPSC and in SSC — and our aptitude and reasoning material maps almost one-to-one onto the SSC quantitative and reasoning sections. What does not transfer is the Tamil Nadu-specific content that TNPSC weights heavily, and English, which SSC weights far more than TNPSC does.