SSC Stenographer General Intelligence & Reasoning Syllabus
Fifty marks of the two hundred, on a syllabus that repeats almost unchanged year to year. Reasoning is the section of the SSC Stenographer CBT where preparation converts into marks fastest.
Where it sits in the exam
Detail | Value |
Questions | 50 |
Marks | 50 |
Negative marking | 0.25 |
Level | Higher secondary |
SSC Stenographer reasoning syllabus, topic wise
Analogies
Relationships between pairs of words, letters, numbers or figures.
Similarities and differences
Odd one out, verbal classification and figure classification.
Space visualisation
Direction sense, mirror and water images, paper folding, cubes and dice.
Problem solving, analysis, judgement and decision making
Logical puzzles, ordering, elimination and situation based questions.
Visual memory, discrimination and observation
Pattern recognition testing how quickly you notice small differences.
Relationship concepts
Blood relations and family tree questions.
Arithmetical reasoning
Simple logical questions built on numbers, ordering and ranking.
Arithmetical number series
Number progressions and missing term questions.
Abstract ideas and symbols
The Commission’s own wording covers the ability to deal with abstract ideas and symbols and their relationships, which in practice means coding and decoding, symbolic operations and non-verbal series.
What is not tested
There is no separate quantitative aptitude section in SSC Stenographer. Arithmetical reasoning is the only place numbers appear, and it is logic rather than calculation.
That is unusual among SSC exams and worth knowing before you plan. Candidates arriving from CGL or CHSL preparation often carry across weeks of maths work that this paper never asks for.
How to prepare
Work through the nine topic areas one at a time until each is automatic, then move to timed mixed sets.
Sketch non-verbal questions rather than solving them mentally. Series and pattern completion improve quickly once you draw the transformation.
Aim to finish these fifty questions well inside the time allotted. Whatever you save goes to the hundred question English section, which is where the paper is actually decided.
Answer anything you can narrow to two options. At 0.25 per error against a one mark question, the guess is in your favour.
Frequently asked questions
How many reasoning questions are asked in SSC Stenographer?
50 questions for 50 marks.
Is there a maths section in SSC Stenographer?
No. There is no separate quantitative aptitude section. Numbers appear only within arithmetical reasoning.
Is non-verbal reasoning part of the syllabus?
Yes, through series, classification, space visualisation and symbol based questions.
What is the negative marking for this section?
0.25 marks for each wrong answer.
What level is the section set at?
Higher secondary, matching the Class 12 eligibility for the post.
Topics, marks and negative marking on this page follow the scheme of examination in the latest SSC Stenographer notification published on ssc.gov.in.