SSC CGL 2026 Notification: 12,256 Vacancies Announced

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released the official notification for the Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2026 on 21 May 2026. The exam is conducted for filling up various Group "B" and Group "C" posts in different Ministries, Departments and Organisations of the Government of India, along with various Constitutional Bodies, Statutory Bodies and Tribunals.

This year, the Commission has announced approximately 12,256 tentative vacancies. Final post-wise and category-wise vacancies will be published later on the SSC website. Applications are to be submitted strictly online through the SSC portal at https://ssc.gov.in or via the my-SSC mobile application.

Important Dates

Posts Offered (by Pay Level)

Note: Vacancies in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), if any, are open to male candidates only. Several inspectorate posts (Central Excise, Preventive Officer, Examiner, CBN Inspector, NCB Sub-Inspector, CBI / NIA Sub-Inspector) have additional physical standard and medical test requirements at the user-department stage.

Eligibility

SSC CGL Educational Qualification (as on 1 August 2026)

• Most posts: Bachelor's Degree from a recognised University or equivalent.
• Junior Statistical Officer: Bachelor's degree with at least 60% marks in Mathematics at Class 12 level, or a Bachelor's degree with Statistics as one of the subjects.
• Statistical Investigator Grade-II: Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Demography, Population Studies, Operations Research, IT, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Applications, Data Science or Artificial Intelligence.
• Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer: Bachelor's degree; CA / CMA / CS / M.Com / MBA City Intimation Slip (Finance) / Masters in Business Economics is a desirable qualification.
• State-cadre AAO / AAcO: Bachelor's degree plus proficiency in the regional/official language of the state at matriculation level.

Candidates appearing in the final year of graduation can also apply, provided they hold the essential qualification on or before 1 August 2026.

Age Limit (as on 1 August 2026)

Permissible age relaxation is granted as per Government of India rules — 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, 10 years for PwBD (UR), with appropriate stacking for combined categories. Ex-Servicemen and central government employees with three years of continuous service have separate relaxation provisions detailed in the notice.

SSC CGL Application Fee

• Fee payable: ₹100 (one hundred rupees only).
• Exempted: Women candidates, SC, ST, PwBD and eligible Ex-Servicemen.
• Payment mode: Online only — BHIM UPI, Net Banking, or Visa / Mastercard / Maestro / RuPay debit cards.
• Correction window charge: ₹200 for the first correction, ₹500 for the second correction — applicable to all candidates irrespective of category or gender.
• Fee, once paid, is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Scheme of Examination

The selection process is a two-tier Computer Based Examination (CBT). Both tiers are RBI objective in nature, except for the Data Entry Speed Test that follows Paper-I for select posts. Tier-I is a screening round; Tier-II carries the weight for final merit.

Tier-I — Screening (1 hour)

A sectional timer of 15 minutes applies to each subject. Negative marking is 0.50 marks for every wrong answer. Questions are set in English and Hindi (except English Comprehension).

Tier-II — Main Exam

Tier-II is conducted in three papers. Paper-I is mandatory for all posts. Paper-II is meant only for candidates who have applied for Junior Statistical Officer. Paper-III applies only to those shortlisted for Assistant Audit Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer.

Negative marking in Tier-II is 1 mark per wrong answer in objective papers — a steeper penalty than Tier-I.

SSC CGL Examination Centres

Centres are organised under nine SSC regional offices. Each candidate must select three centre choices in order of priority, all within the same region. Once submitted, the centre government exam cannot be changed.

SSC CGL How to Apply

1. Visit the new SSC portal at https://ssc.gov.in. OTRs created on the old ssc.nic.in domain are not valid on the new portal.
2. Complete the One-Time Registration (OTR) with Aadhaar-based authentication. The OTR remains valid for all future SSC examinations on the portal.
3. Capture a live photograph through the application module — pre-existing photographs are not accepted (no cap, no spectacles, plain background, eye-level camera).
4. Upload your scanned signature in JPEG/JPG, 10–20 KB, dimensions roughly 6 cm × 2 cm.
5. Fill the application form, select three centre preferences within one region, and review using the Preview option.
6. Pay the ₹100 fee online (if not exempted) before 23 June 2026 at 23:00 hrs.
7. Use the correction window from 29 June to 1 July 2026 if needed — a maximum of two corrections allowed, on payment of the applicable charges.

Helpline

For any difficulty in filling the application form, candidates may call SSC at the toll-free number 1800 309 3063.

SSC CGL remains one of the most credible bridges between an Indian undergraduate degree and a stable central-government career — across audit, taxation, intelligence, statistics and administration. With over twelve thousand vacancies and a tight one-month application window, the practical takeaway is simple: register early, double-check the form, and avoid the last-day server rush.

For the official, binding text, candidates should always refer to the full notification PDF on the Commission's website. Disputes, eligibility clarifications and category-wise vacancy details are governed by that document, not by any summary — including this one.