SSC CHSL | 2024
SSC CHSL Tier I 2024: topic weightage and difficulty analysis
100 questions across 4 sections. Overall difficulty: easy.
SSC holds the CHSL Tier I over many shifts, with a different paper in each and normalisation applied across them. The four-section structure below is from the official notice and is the same in every shift: 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes, each section 25 questions, on a single clock. The topic counts are our own compilation from candidate reports across shifts, not official data, so treat them as the typical shape of the paper rather than a record of one sitting. 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
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Series: number and figure The largest reasoning block at this level and almost entirely scoring. | 16%4 Easy | |
| Analogies | 12%3 Easy | |
| Classification (odd one out) | 12%3 Easy | |
| Coding and decoding | 12%3 Easy | |
| Syllogism and Venn diagrams | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Non-verbal reasoning: mirror images, paper folding, embedded figures | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Mathematical operations | 8%2 Easy | |
| Blood relations and directions | 8%2 Easy | |
| Word order and missing numbers | 8%2 Easy |
General Awareness
General Awareness
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 15 to 18 attempts. This is our own guidance, not an official figure.
| Topic | Questions | Share of the section |
|---|---|---|
| General science The largest block. Class ten physics, chemistry and biology, with chemistry the most direct to revise. | 24%6 Moderate | |
| Current affairs | 16%4 Moderate | |
| History and freedom struggle | 16%4 Moderate | |
| Geography | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Polity and Constitution | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Static general knowledge and culture | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Economy | 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 Nearly half the section and the fastest marks in it. This is where the CHSL paper is gentler than CGL. | 40%10 Easy | |
| Geometry and mensuration | 16%4 Moderate | |
| Number system and simplification | 12%3 Easy | |
| Time and work, time, speed and distance | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Trigonometry | 8%2 Moderate | |
| Data interpretation | 8%2 Easy | |
| Algebra | 4%1 Moderate |
English Language
English Language
A realistic target for a strong candidate: 21 to 24 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 | |
| Fill in the blanks | 12%3 Easy | |
| Synonyms and antonyms Vocabulary repeats across CHSL cycles, so a running word list pays off directly. | 12%3 Easy | |
| One-word substitution | 12%3 Moderate | |
| Idioms and phrases | 8%2 Moderate | |
| Spelling and para jumbles | 8%2 Easy |
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What this means for your preparation
CHSL Tier I is easier than CGL, especially in quantitative aptitude, which is led by arithmetic rather than heavy geometry. The candidate who finishes the easy blocks fully beats the one who chases the few hard questions.
Tier I is only a screen for Tier II; its marks do not count in the final merit. Clear the cut-off with margin and move real effort to Tier II.
There is no sectional timing, so a fast reasoning and English section can subsidise the slower quantitative one. Budget the 60 minutes before you begin.
General Awareness decides the paper, because the other three sections are scoring for most candidates. General science alone is about six marks and is the highest-return area to revise.
The penalty is 0.50 marks per wrong answer against the two marks a question carries, so accuracy matters more than coverage in the GA section, where guessing is most tempting.
Vocabulary and static GK recur across cycles. Weekly revision of a short note bank returns more here than in a banking exam, where current affairs churns faster.
See the real paper, officially
- SSC official website
SSC publishes the tentative answer key after each Tier with a link to your own response sheet and question paper, and an objection window on payment of a per-question fee refunded if the objection is upheld.
- SSC regional websites
Region-wise results and cut-off marks appear on the regional SSC office sites. Use the region you applied to.
Common questions
- Can I download the SSC CHSL 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.