SSC CGL Tier 2 Syllabus
Tier 2 is the exam. Everything before it is a filter, and everything after it is verification. Your rank, your service and your posting all come out of the marks you score at this stage.
It runs as up to three papers. Paper 1 is compulsory for every candidate. Paper 2 applies only to Junior Statistical Officer applicants. Paper 3 applies only to candidates shortlisted for Assistant Audit Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer.
SSC CGL Tier 2 structure
Paper | Who sits it | Questions | Marks | Negative marking |
Paper 1 | All candidates | 150 objective plus a typing test | 450 | 1 mark in Sections 1, 2 and the Computer module |
Paper 2, Statistics | Junior Statistical Officer applicants | 100 | 200 | 0.50 |
Paper 3, General Studies in Finance and Economics | Assistant Audit Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer applicants | 100 | 200 | 0.50 |
Paper 1 at a glance
Session | Section | Module | Questions | Marks | Time |
Session 1 | Section 1 | Mathematical Abilities | 30 | 90 | 1 hour for the section |
Session 1 | Section 1 | Reasoning and General Intelligence | 30 | 90 | |
Session 1 | Section 2 | English Language and Comprehension | 45 | 135 | 1 hour for the section |
Session 1 | Section 2 | General Awareness | 25 | 75 | |
Session 1 | Section 3 | Computer Knowledge Test | 20 | 60 | 15 minutes |
Session 2 | Section 3 | Data Entry Speed Test | Skill test | Qualifying | 15 minutes |
Every objective question in Paper 1 carries 3 marks. The Computer Knowledge Test and the Data Entry Speed Test are mandatory but qualifying, so their marks stay out of the merit list while failure in either removes you from consideration for the posts that require them.
What Tier 2 tests that Tier 1 does not
The topic headings look familiar. The depth does not.
Mathematical Abilities extends into statistics and probability, and mensuration widens to solids including right prisms, cones, cylinders, spheres, hemispheres, rectangular parallelepipeds and regular right pyramids.
English becomes the largest single module in the paper at 45 questions and 135 marks. Vocabulary is set well above Tier 1, and comprehension passages get longer.
General Awareness asks for precision rather than recognition. Article numbers, scheme launch years and ministry attributions all appear.
Computer Knowledge and data entry are new at this stage entirely, and neither exists in Tier 1.
The negative marking problem
Tier 1 deducts 0.50 on a 2 mark question. Tier 2 Paper 1 deducts a full mark on a 3 mark question.
Run the arithmetic. In Tier 1, four errors cost you one correct answer. In Tier 2 Paper 1, three errors cost you one correct answer, and the questions are harder. A candidate who carries a Tier 1 attempt strategy into Tier 2 loses rank without ever seeing where it went.
Papers 2 and 3
Paper 2 covers statistics at graduate level for Junior Statistical Officer posts, running from collection and presentation of data through to time series analysis and index numbers.
Paper 3 covers General Studies in Finance and Economics, split into 80 marks on finance and accounts and 120 marks on economics and governance. It applies to Assistant Audit Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer applicants and counts towards their merit.
Both papers are objective, 100 questions for 200 marks in two hours, with 0.50 deducted per wrong answer. Each has a dedicated page on this site.
Frequently asked questions
How many papers are there in SSC CGL Tier 2?
Up to three. Paper 1 for everyone, Paper 2 for Junior Statistical Officer applicants and Paper 3 for Assistant Audit Officer and Assistant Accounts Officer applicants.
What is the total mark for SSC CGL Tier 2 Paper 1?
450 marks across 150 objective questions, plus the qualifying Data Entry Speed Test.
Is the Computer Knowledge Test counted in merit?
No. It is mandatory but qualifying, and its marks are not added to the merit list.
What is the negative marking in SSC CGL Tier 2?
One full mark in Paper 1 Sections 1 and 2 and the Computer Knowledge module. 0.50 in Paper 2 and Paper 3.
Do I have to sit Paper 2 and Paper 3?
Only if you applied for the posts they apply to. Most candidates sit Paper 1 alone.