SSC CGL 2026 Tier-I — Exam City, Admission Certificate & Latest Updates

Age (as on 01.08.2026)

Age limits are post-wise: 18–27 years (Level 4 and Level 5 posts), 18–30 years (most Group "B" posts), 20–30 years (for example, Assistant Section Officer in CSS/Railways/MEA/AFHQ and Sub Inspector in CBI) and 18–32 years for one Level 6 post. Category relaxations apply as per the notice.

Educational Qualification (as on 01.08.2026)

• Most posts: Bachelor's degree from a recognised university or institute.
• Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer (State Cadre): Bachelor's degree plus proficiency in the regional/official language of the State at matriculation level.
• Junior Statistical Officer: Bachelor's degree with at least 60% in Mathematics at Class 12, or a Bachelor's degree with Statistics as a subject.
• Statistical Investigator Grade-II: Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Demography, Population Studies, Operation Research, IT, Computer Science/Engineering/Technology/Application, Data Science or Artificial Intelligence.

Physical and Medical Standards

Some posts — such as Inspector (Central Excise/Examiner/Preventive Officer), Inspector and Sub-Inspector in CBN, Sub-Inspector/Junior Intelligence Officer in NCB, Sub-Inspector in CBI and NIA, and UDC/SSA in BRO — have specific physical standards, physical tests and medical standards (Annexure XV and XVI of the notice). These are checked by the User Department after final selection.

Tentative Vacancies as on 24.09.2026

This is SSC's updated tentative list (59 post entries). The Notice of Examination of 21.05.2026 had said "approx. 12,256" tentative vacancies. SSC states that final vacancies may vary, and it does not collect state-wise or zone-wise vacancies — contact the User Departments for those.

Pay Levels (Notice of Examination, para 2)

The full post-wise list with departments and categories is in the official tentative vacancy PDF.

Tier-I Pattern (Notice of Examination, para 13.8)

• Time: 1 hour, with a sectional timer of 15 minutes for each subject (1 hour 20 minutes, 20 minutes per subject, for candidates eligible for a scribe).
• Objective multiple-choice questions, in English and Hindi except English Comprehension.
• Negative marking: 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.
• No re-evaluation or re-checking of scores at any tier.

After Tier-I

• Tier-II (tentatively December 2026 as per the May notice): Paper-I is compulsory for all posts; Paper-II (Statistics) only for candidates shortlisted for JSO and Statistical Investigator Grade-II; Paper-III (General Studies – Finance and Economics) only for those shortlisted for Assistant Audit Officer/Assistant Accounts Officer.
• Sectional timing in Tier-II Paper-I: Section-I (Mathematical Abilities 30 questions, Reasoning and General Intelligence 30 questions) is 1 hour with a 30-minute timer for each subject; Section-II (English Language and Comprehension 45 questions, General Awareness 25 questions) is 1 hour with 40 minutes for English and 20 minutes for General Awareness. Candidates eligible for a scribe get extra time (para 13.9).
• Paper-I includes a qualifying Computer Knowledge Test and a qualifying Data Entry Speed Test (DEST, about 2,000 key depressions in 15 minutes). Higher CKT/DEST standards apply for posts where computer proficiency or DEST is prescribed.
• Document verification, and physical standards/medical tests for posts that require them, are handled by the User Departments.

SSC CGL 2026: Central Region City and Shift Reassignment Notice

SSC Central Region's notice dated 24 September 2026 says that some candidates originally allotted Noida, Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Muzaffarpur or Patna have been reassigned in line with their preferences. For a few candidates, the exam date or shift has also changed. If you are affected, log in through the official SSC portal, recheck your City Live Status, and confirm the date, time and venue printed on your Admission Certificate before travelling. This notice does not say that every candidate's allotment has changed.

The notice asked candidates who wanted to appear only in their previously allotted city to email SSC Central Region by 27 September 2026.

Source: Official SSC Central Region reassignment notice (24 September 2026) · Download a copy (PDF)

How to Check Your SSC CGL 2026 Exam City

1. Open the official Staff Selection Commission website, ssc.gov.in.
2. Log in with your SSC registration credentials.
3. Open the designated CGL 2026 Tier-I exam-city section in your login and note your exam city (and date, if shown).

SSC's notice of examination (para 14.4) says candidates who cannot find their details on the website one week before the exam must immediately contact the SSC Regional Office concerned with proof of having submitted the application.

How and When to Download the Admission Certificate

• SSC says the Admission Certificate will tentatively be available two to three days before your own exam date, through the same login module.
• Because Tier-I runs from 30 September to 30 October 2026, candidates get their Admission Certificates on different days. Do not wait for a single "admit card release date".
• Print the Admission Certificate — you must bring the printout to the exam hall.

Exam-Day Documents (Notice of Examination, para 14.7–14.10)

• Printout of the Admission Certificate.
• If you could not complete Aadhaar-based authentication: report two hours before the exam, and carry at least two recent passport-size colour photographs and an original valid photo ID with the date of birth as printed on the Admission Certificate (Aadhaar/e-Aadhaar, Voter ID, Driving Licence, PAN, Passport, university/college/school ID, Govt./PSU employer ID, Ex-Serviceman discharge book, or other Central/State Government photo ID).
• If the photo ID has no date of birth, carry an additional original proof of date of birth. A date-of-birth mismatch means you will not be allowed to take the exam.
• PwBD candidates using a scribe: the medical certificate/undertaking and photocopy of the scribe's photo ID as specified.
• Any other document mentioned on the Admission Certificate.