Everything below comes from the Staff Selection Commission's examination notice for CHSL 2026 (dated 7 September 2026), a later SSC schedule notice, and the SSC notice that declared the first round of allocation for CHSL 2025. SSC says the schedule in the notice is tentative, so check ssc.gov.in for changes. Our own comments are labelled.
Stages at a glance
| Stage | Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-I | Computer-based, objective | Shortlisting for Tier-II (not counted in final merit) |
| Tier-II, Session-I | Computer-based, objective: Sections I, II and III | Sections I and II decide merit; Section III is qualifying |
| Tier-II, Session-II | Section-IV: skill test (DEO) or typing test (LDC/JSA) | Qualifying |
| Document verification | By the user department, after the final result | Eligibility check |
Dates (per SSC): applications 7 September to 7 October 2026 (23:00), fee payment until 8 October 2026 (23:00), correction window 14 to 16 October 2026. The notice says the Tier-I and Tier-II schedules are "to be notified later". SSC's notice of 1 October 2026 then proposes Tier-I from 30 November to 31 December 2026. We did not find a Tier-II date. If you are reading this after 7 October, check the SSC website for any extension of the application window; we have not seen one.
Posts, pay and eligibility
| Post | Pay level (per notice) |
|---|---|
| Lower Division Clerk (LDC) / Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) | Level 2 (Rs 19,900-63,200) |
| Data Entry Operator (DEO) | Level 4 (Rs 25,500-81,100) and Level 5 (Rs 29,200-92,300) |
| Data Entry Operator, Grade A | Level 4 (Rs 25,500-81,100) |
- Vacancies: approximately 2,536 tentative. SSC says final, post-wise vacancies come later.
- Age: 18 to 27 years as on 1 August 2026 (born between 2 August 1999 and 1 August 2008), with relaxations such as 5 years for SC/ST and 3 years for OBC.
- Education: Class 12 pass or equivalent, on or before 7 October 2026. For DEO / DEO Grade A in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the Staff Selection Commission and the Ministry of Culture, the notice requires Class 12 in the Science stream with Mathematics.
- Fee: Rs 100. Women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen eligible for reservation are exempt.
Tier-I scheme
| Part | Subject | Questions | Marks | Sectional timer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | English Language (basic knowledge) | 25 | 50 | 15 minutes |
| II | General Intelligence | 25 | 50 | 15 minutes |
| III | Quantitative Aptitude (basic arithmetic skill) | 25 | 50 | 15 minutes |
| IV | General Awareness | 25 | 50 | 15 minutes |
| Total | 100 | 200 | 60 minutes |
- Multiple-choice, 2 marks per question. Negative marking: 0.50 per wrong answer.
- The notice marks the subjects "not in sequence", so the order on screen can differ from the table.
- Candidates eligible for a scribe get 80 minutes (15 + 5 = 20 minutes per subject).
- Questions are in English, Hindi and the regional language you choose in the form, for Parts II, III and IV. The English Language part is not translated. The notice lists 15 languages including Hindi and English.
- Where Tier-I runs in several shifts, scores are normalised using the procedure SSC published on 2 June 2025, and the normalised scores decide cut-offs. Our normalisation explainer was written around CGL but describes the same method.
Tier-II, Session-I (2 hours 15 minutes)
| Section | Parts | Questions | Marks | Time and sectional timer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A: Mathematical Abilities; B: Reasoning and General Intelligence | 30 + 30 = 60 | 180 (3 each) | 1 hour; 30 minutes per part |
| II | A: English Language and Comprehension; B: General Awareness | 40 + 20 = 60 | 180 (3 each) | 1 hour; 40 minutes for English, 20 for General Awareness |
| III | Computer Knowledge Test | 15 | 45 (3 each) | 15 minutes |
- Negative marking: 1 mark per wrong answer in Sections I, II and III.
- You must qualify every section of Tier-II separately.
- Section III is qualifying. Questions are in English, Hindi and your chosen regional language, except the English Language part.
- Scribe-eligible candidates get 1 hour 20 minutes each for Sections I and II (30 + 10 minutes per part in Section I, 40 + 15 and 20 + 5 in Section II) and 20 minutes for Section III.
Tier-II, Session-II: skill test and typing test
Session-II takes place on the same day as Session-I. It is qualifying only.
| Test | For | Duration | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill test, Part A | DEO / DEO Grade A in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the Staff Selection Commission and the Ministry of Culture | 15 minutes | 15,000 key depressions per hour; passage of about 3,700 to 4,000 key depressions |
| Skill test, Part B | All other DEO / DEO Grade A | 15 minutes | 8,000 key depressions per hour; passage of about 2,000 to 2,200 key depressions |
| Typing test, Part C | LDC/JSA | 10 minutes | 35 words per minute in English or 30 words per minute in Hindi |
- The skill test is mandatory for every DEO, with no exemption. Scribe-eligible candidates get 5 extra minutes.
- For LDC/JSA the notice equates 35 wpm with about 10,500 key depressions per hour and 30 wpm with about 9,000. You choose English or Hindi in the application form and cannot change it. Hindi must be typed in the Mangal font; another font leads to non-qualification.
- Candidates whose disability permanently prevents typing can be exempt from the typing test with a civil surgeon's certificate in the prescribed format. This does not cover visual or hearing disabilities.
- Arithmetic from the notice's own conversion, not an SSC statement: 10,500 key depressions per hour is 1,750 in 10 minutes. 8,000 per hour is 2,000 in 15 minutes, which matches the passage length SSC gives.
Qualifying standards
| Category | Minimum marks (Tier-I; Tier-II Sections I, II and III) |
|---|---|
| UR | 30% |
| OBC and EWS | 25% |
| All other categories | 20% |
On the marks in the scheme, that is 60, 50 and 40 out of 200 in Tier-I, and 54, 45 and 36 out of 180 in each of Sections I and II (arithmetic). For Section III (45 marks), SSC's allocation notice for CHSL 2025 fixed the cut-offs at 13.5 for UR, 11.25 for OBC and EWS and 9 for the rest, which are exactly 30%, 25% and 20%. For the typing test of that cycle, the maximum errors allowed were 7% for UR and 10% for other categories (LDC/JSA); for the skill test for DEO Grade A they were 5% for UR and 7% for others. These skill-test limits are set by SSC for each cycle, so treat them as the last published values, not a promise for 2026.
Tier-I shortlisting uses much higher category-wise cut-offs than these floors. See cut-offs.
How the final merit list is built
According to the notice:
- The merit list is prepared on Tier-II only, using the aggregate marks in Sections I and II (a maximum of 360), subject to qualifying Sections III and IV.
- Allotment follows merit and the post preferences you submit online. Preferences are final and cannot be changed. Candidates who do not submit them are not considered for any post.
- Cut-offs can be set separately for three lists: DEO / DEO Grade A in the three named departments, other DEO / DEO Grade A, and LDC/JSA.
- SSC keeps no waiting list. It uses a "sliding mechanism", a single extra round of reallocation for unfilled vacancies.
- There is no re-evaluation or re-checking of scores. Answer-key challenges cost Rs 50 per question.
Tie-breaks, in order: marks in Section-I of Tier-II, then marks in Tier-I, then date of birth (older candidate first).
What this means for your attempt strategy
- Tier-I: +2 for a right answer and -0.5 for a wrong one, so an answer is worth attempting once you estimate a better than 1-in-5 chance. In Tier-II Sections I to III it is +3 and -1, so the break-even is 1-in-4. These are arithmetic consequences of the marking scheme, not SSC advice.
- Time per question: Tier-I is 36 seconds each (15 minutes for 25 questions). In Tier-II, Maths, Reasoning, English and General Awareness all work out to 60 seconds each, and Computer Knowledge to 60 seconds as well.
- Section-I is the first tie-break, and Tier-I marks are the second. Being strong in Maths and Reasoning therefore helps twice. See preparation strategy.
Practise in this format: a free 10-question mini-mock is available to try. Full CBT-pattern mocks, previous-year papers and topic practice are Pro. Typing practice is on the typing test; note that it follows an English 10-minute format, so Hindi typists and DEO skill-test candidates should check the standards above.
Related: Syllabus · Cut-offs · Preparation strategy