The Staff Selection Commission exam, established and followed by the Govt. of India is conducted for the recruitment of grade officers for the various posts under the ministerial wing. A highly competitive exam, the syllabus is structured as 3 different tiers to test the candidate’s exposure and credibility to handle managerial tasks at the government level. A candidate has to pass through all the 3 tiers to successfully clear the interview and land with a SSC post with the government of India.

Let us take a look at each tier and their syllabus in a brief manner.

Tier I – Reasoning, Intelligence, Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension

The syllabus for the first prelims in the SSC exam deals with 4 sections that covers topics related to test the overall calibre of a candidate. Basic understanding of terminologies, verbal usage, lateral thinking, and knowledge about current affairs, visual skills, and simple arithmetic tasks are evaluated for a total of 200 marks. The candidate should be well versed in English to comprehend and solve the paper in a span of 2 hours. It is a more like a quick challenge fire, with multiple choices and covers different subjects to assess the candidate’s educational background. Questionnaires related to problem solving, visual capacity, understanding of various study patterns and ideologies are some of the common themes to be found in the syllabus for tier I.

Tier II – Quantitative Ability and English Comprehension

The secondary prelims of the SSC exam, has a syllabus that is more oriented towards testing the candidate’s communicative skills and arithmetic logical reasoning power. This tier deals with 2 different papers for 4 hours for a score of 400. Analytical reasoning, algebraic sums, ratio and compound interest, simple tax calculations and decimal fractions are all a part of quantitative ability. The other paper is to test the candidate’s efficiency in English, both verbal and non-verbal. Questionnaires on comprehension, summary, pronunciation, foundation grammar, idioms and phrases follow up for the English skill section. It is mandatory, that the candidate be fluent in speaking and writing English as the final tier sets the stage for selecting a successful candidate.

Tier III – Personality and interview Test

The final tier is about the personality and interview round, where the candidate is evaluated based on their curricular activities, interpersonal skill sets and communication. It is followed up by the interview, where they are put before a panel of eminent judges to shortlist them for SSC posts. On clearing the tier III, they are eligible to appear for the various ministerial decks and to work under them.

The syllabus for the SSC exam is structured based on these 3 tiers and each tier has various sections, awarded with a score of 200 for 2 hours. They are multiple choice questions, while others need a brief explanation and worked out steps for arithmetic problems. With the number of candidates appearing for the SSC exam, the government has toughened its rules and procedures and also the syllabus.