SSC MTS English Language & Comprehension Syllabus
Seventy-five marks on a syllabus you can cover in a few weeks. In terms of marks returned per hour of preparation, nothing else in SSC MTS comes close to English.
The reason it goes underprepared is that many candidates for a matriculation level exam are not confident in English and avoid the section rather than attacking it. That is the wrong instinct, because the standard is genuinely basic.
Where it sits in the exam
Detail | Value |
Session | Session 2 |
Questions | 25 |
Marks | 75 |
Marks per question | 3 |
Negative marking | 1 mark |
Session duration | 45 minutes, shared with General Awareness |
The section is set in English regardless of the language you chose for the rest of the paper.
SSC MTS English syllabus, topic wise
Spot the error
Sentences with a planted grammatical error to be identified. Subject verb agreement, tenses, articles and prepositions are the usual culprits.
Fill in the blanks
Single blanks testing vocabulary, prepositions, articles and conjunctions.
Synonyms and antonyms
Common words rather than literary vocabulary.
Spelling
Detecting misspelt words from a set of options.
Idioms and phrases
Common idiomatic expressions and their meanings.
One word substitution
A single word replacing a descriptive phrase.
Sentence improvement
Choosing the better version of an underlined portion.
Comprehension passage
A short passage with questions on its content. Passages at this level are direct, and answers are usually located rather than inferred.
How basic is the standard
The Commission describes the section as testing basic comprehension and writing ability. That is accurate. There is no cloze test, no para jumble and no long inference based comprehension of the kind CHSL and CGL use.
Vocabulary sits at everyday usage. Grammar sits at school level rules. A candidate who works through a standard school grammar book and a list of common idioms has covered most of what appears.
How to prepare
Start with grammar rules rather than vocabulary. Spot the error, fill in the blanks and sentence improvement between them make up a large share of the section, and they run on the same handful of rules.
Learn idioms and one word substitution from lists. This is one of the few places where rote learning genuinely works, because the same expressions recur.
Read the comprehension passage last and read it once, properly. At this level the answers are in the text, and a careful single reading beats a rushed double one.
Attempt selectively. One mark comes off for each error, so a guess between two options is worth taking and a guess between four is not.
Frequently asked questions
How many English questions are asked in SSC MTS?
25 questions for 75 marks, in Session 2.
Is there negative marking in the SSC MTS English section?
Yes. One mark is deducted for every wrong answer.
Can I attempt the English section in Hindi?
No. The section is set in English regardless of the medium chosen for the rest of the paper.
What level is the SSC MTS English syllabus?
Basic comprehension and writing ability at matriculation standard.
Is there a cloze test in SSC MTS English?
The notified syllabus does not list one. Check the current notification, since the topic list is short enough that any addition is significant.
Topics, marks and negative marking on this page follow the scheme of examination in the latest SSC MTS and Havaldar notification published on ssc.gov.in.