Staff Selection Commission (SSC)

Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has officially released the detailed notification for the Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Examination 2026 (SSC CHSL 2026) on 7 September 2026. This recruitment drive aims to fill 2,536 vacancies across various Ministries, Departments, and Constitutional Offices of the Government of India for Group C posts including Lower Division Clerk (LDC), Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA), Data Entry Operator (DEO), and Postal Assistant / Sorting Assistant (PA/SA).

SSC CHSL Notification 2026: Overview

Important Dates

Posts & Vacancy Breakdown (Notification-Based)

The Staff Selection Commission has announced a total of 2,536 vacancies for CHSL 2026. Category-wise distribution (UR, EWS, SC, ST, OBC, ESM, PwBD) will be updated in a subsequent corrigendum/final vacancy list.

Salary & Post-wise Pay Matrix

*Note: In-hand salary varies depending on city classification (X, Y, Z for HRA), department allowances, and deductions.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Educational Qualification (As on 01.08.2026)

• For LDC / JSA / PA / SA: Candidates must have passed Class 12th (10+2) Standard or equivalent examination from a recognized Board or University.
• For DEO (CAG & CGDA): Passed Class 12th in the Science stream with Mathematics as a mandatory subject from a recognized Board or equivalent.
• Important: Appearing candidates (awaiting 12th results) are not eligible. Candidates must possess the qualifying certificate on or before 01 August 2026.

2. Age Limit (As on 01.08.2026)

• Minimum Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Age: 27 Years
• Candidates must have been born not earlier than 02.08.1999 and not later than 01.08.2008.

3. Age Relaxation (Official Notification Codes)

Note: EWS candidates get no age relaxation unless covered under other applicable categories.

4. Nationality / Citizenship

A candidate must be either:

• A citizen of India, or
• A subject of Nepal, or
• A subject of Bhutan, or
• A Tibetan refugee who arrived in India before 1 January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
• A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, or East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, Vietnam) with the intention of permanently settling in India (Certificate of eligibility from Govt. of India required).

One-Time Registration (OTR) – Mandatory Process

SSC has made OTR mandatory for all candidates on its new official portal (ssc.gov.in). Key guidelines:

• Old OTR from ssc.nic.in is NOT valid. All candidates must complete fresh OTR registration.
• With Aadhaar Authentication: No separate photo/signature upload required; no physical photo ID needed at the exam center (Aadhaar acts as ID).
• Without Aadhaar Authentication: Candidates must capture a live photo in the application portal and upload a scanned signature (JPEG, 10–20 KB, 6 cm × 2 cm).
• Once created, the OTR profile can be used for all future SSC exams (CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD, etc.).

Application Fee & Payment Mode

Payment Modes: Debit Card / Credit Card / Net Banking / UPI / Wallets via SSC online payment gateway. Fee once paid is non-refundable.

Selection Process & Exam Pattern

The recruitment involves a multi-stage selection process:

1. Tier 1: Computer Based Examination (Objective CBT)
2. Tier 2: Computer Based Examination (Session I) + Skill / Typing Test (Session II)
3. Document Verification (DV): Verification of original documents by user departments
4. Final Merit List & Department Allocation: Based on performance in Tier 1 and Tier 2 CBT

Tier 1 – Exam Pattern (CBT)

Negative Marking: 0.50 marks deducted for each incorrect answer in Tier 1.

Tier 2 – Exam Pattern (Session I & Session II)

Tier 2 Minimum Qualifying Marks

• Unreserved (UR): 30%
• OBC / EWS: 25%
• All other categories (SC, ST, PwBD, ESM): 20%

Document Specifications (For Non-Aadhaar OTR)

Exam Cities & Regions (9 Regions)

SSC CHSL exam is conducted across 9 regional directorates covering 100+ cities nationwide. Candidates can choose up to 3 preferred exam centres within the same region:

• Central Region (CR): Patna, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, etc.
• Eastern Region (ER): Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kolkata, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, etc.
• Karnataka, Kerala Region (KKR): Bengaluru, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, etc.
• Madhya Pradesh Region (MPR): Bhopal, Indore, Raipur, Gwalior, Jabalpur, etc.
• North Eastern Region (NER): Guwahati, Imphal, Shillong, Agartala, etc.
• Northern Region (NR): Delhi, Jaipur, Dehradun, Haldwani, etc.
• North Western Region (NWR): Chandigarh, Jammu, Srinagar, Amritsar, Patiala, etc.
• Southern Region (SR): Hyderabad, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, etc.
• Western Region (WR): Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Surat, etc.

How to Apply for SSC CHSL 2026 Online

1. Visit the official Staff Selection Commission website at ssc.gov.in.
2. Click on "Register Now" to complete your fresh One-Time Registration (OTR) with personal, contact, and ID details.
3. Log in with your Registration Number and Password.
4. Navigate to "Apply" and select "Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination 2026".
5. Fill in educational qualification details, age relaxation claims, and select 3 preferred examination cities.
6. Complete photo verification (live capture / Aadhaar auth) and upload scanned signature.
7. Pay the required application fee (₹100 for Gen/OBC/EWS males; Exempted for SC/ST/PwBD/Female).
8. Review the complete application form preview carefully and click on Submit.
9. Download and print a copy of the completed application form for future reference.

Key Clauses from Official Notification

• Single Application: Only one application per candidate is permitted. Multiple applications will lead to summary cancellation.
• False Information: Submitting fake documents or false information will result in immediate debarment from all SSC examinations.
• Scribe Facility: Available for PwBD candidates with 40%+ benchmark disability upon request during the application stage.
• Score Normalization: Normalized marks will be computed across multi-shift CBTs using SSC standard formula.
• Final Merit: Final merit list is prepared strictly based on Tier 1 + Tier 2 CBT scores; Skill/Typing test is qualifying.