SSC CGL | 2024
SSC CGL Tier I 2024: topic weightage and difficulty analysis
100 questions across 4 sections. Overall difficulty: moderate.
SSC runs the CGL Tier I over many days and shifts, with a different paper in each and normalisation applied across them. The four-section structure, marks and timing below are taken from the official notice and are identical in every shift: 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes, each section 25 questions, on a single clock. The topic-level counts are our own compilation from candidate reports across shifts, so treat them as the typical shape of the paper rather than an exact record of any one sitting. SSC does not publish a topic-wise breakdown, and no question text is reproduced anywhere on this page.
Where the questions came from
Sorted by weightage, so the topics worth the most preparation time are at the top of each section.
General Intelligence and Reasoning
General Intelligence & Reasoning
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 22 to 24 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Non-verbal: mirror images, paper folding, embedded figures, dice The one block where SSC differs sharply from a bank paper. Practise these separately, because speed on figures decides the section time. | 16%4 Moderate | |
| Analogies Word, number and general-knowledge based analogies. Among the fastest marks in the section. | 12%3 Easy | |
| Classification (odd one out) | 12%3 Easy | |
| Series: number and figure | 12%3 Easy | |
| Coding and decoding | 12%3 Easy | |
| Venn diagrams and syllogism | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Mathematical operations and symbols | 8%2 Easy | |
| Blood relations and directions | 8%2 Easy | |
| Word and dictionary order, missing numbers | 8%2 Easy |
General Awareness
General Awareness
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 15 to 19 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| General science: physics, chemistry, biology The single largest block in the section and drawn from roughly class ten level. Chemistry facts tend to be the most direct. | 24%6 Moderate | |
| History and freedom struggle | 16%4 Moderate | |
| Indian polity and Constitution | 16%4 Moderate | |
| Geography of India and the world | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Economy and the Union Budget | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Current affairs Awards, appointments, sports and schemes from roughly the previous year. | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Static general knowledge: art, culture, books and awards | 8%2 Moderate |
Quantitative Aptitude
Quantitative Aptitude
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 18 to 22 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, interest The core scoring block. If time runs short, this is the part to finish first. | 32%8 Moderate | |
| Time and work, time, speed and distance | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Geometry Triangles, circles and their properties. SSC geometry is a level above what a bank paper asks and is where slower candidates lose time. | 12%3 Hard | |
| Mensuration | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Number system and simplification | 8%2 Easy | |
| Trigonometry | 8%2 Moderate | |
| Algebra | 8%2 Moderate | |
| Data interpretation Usually a single small table or bar chart, lighter than in banking papers. | 8%2 Easy |
English Comprehension
English Language
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 20 to 23 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension | 12%3 Easy | |
| Cloze test | 12%3 Easy | |
| Error spotting | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Sentence improvement | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Synonyms and antonyms Rote vocabulary. Worth building a running list, because SSC repeats words across cycles more than a bank paper does. | 12%3 Easy | |
| One-word substitution | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Spelling and sentence rearrangement | 12%3 Easy | |
| Fill in the blanks | 8%2 Easy | |
| Idioms and phrases | 8%2 Moderate |
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What this means for your preparation
Tier I only shortlists candidates for Tier II; its marks are not carried into the final merit. The aim here is to clear the cut-off with margin, not to maximise, because Tier II is where selection is actually decided.
Timing has changed since this paper. The 2024 sitting had a single 60-minute clock, but from the 2026 cycle SSC locks each of the four sections to 15 minutes with no carry-over, so the old tactic of banking time from reasoning and English for the slower quantitative section no longer works; plan each section to its own 15-minute budget.
General Awareness is the differentiator. Reasoning and English are scoring for almost everyone, so a candidate who has revised static GK and general science pulls ahead in the one section that cannot be reasoned out on the spot.
SSC quantitative aptitude reaches into geometry, mensuration, trigonometry and algebra that a bank paper skips. Preparing from bank material alone leaves roughly a third of this section uncovered.
The penalty is 0.50 marks for a wrong answer, out of the two marks a question carries. That is heavier than the banking quarter-mark in absolute terms, so over-attempting the GA section on guesses is expensive.
Vocabulary and static GK repeat across cycles more than in banking exams. A one-page revision note each for polity, geography, history and science, revised weekly, returns more than another mock.
See the real paper, officially
- SSC official website
After each Tier, SSC releases the tentative answer key with a link to view your own response sheet and question paper. Objections can be raised within the stated window on payment of a per-question fee that is refunded if the objection is upheld.
- SSC regional websites
Region-wise result PDFs and cut-off marks are published by the regional SSC offices as well as the headquarters site. Use the region you applied to.
Common questions
- Can I download the SSC CGL Tier I (Computer Based Examination) 2024 question paper?
- Not from this site. In India an exam question paper is a copyright work owned by the conducting body, and reproducing it commercially is infringement. What you can do is view your own paper and responses through the official portal during the objection window after the exam, and the links to do that are on this page.
- Are these topic counts exact?
- No, and we would rather say so. The exam runs across multiple shifts with a different paper in each, and the conducting body does not publish a topic-wise breakdown. The section structure, marks and timing are official. The topic counts are our compilation from candidate reports and describe the typical shape of the paper.
- How should I use a weightage analysis?
- To decide what to study next and what to skip. If one block is a third of a section, practising it has several times the payoff of a topic that carries two questions. It also tells you which questions to leave in the exam itself, which matters more than most candidates think.