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SSC CHSL Exam Syllabus: What You Need to Know

Exam Overview: The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts the Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Exam for recruiting candidates to the positions of Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC)/ Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) and Data Entry Operator (DEO).

Exam Format: The exam is conducted in two tiers. In Tier-I, which is a Computer Based Examination, you’ll face questions in two main sections: General Intelligence and English Language.

1. General Intelligence: This section tests your reasoning abilities. It includes both verbal and non-verbal questions. Here’s what you can expect:

• Questions on Analogies (finding similarities between words or concepts).
• Symbolic operations and trends.
• Figural Analogies (similar to semantic analogies, but with shapes and figures).
• Classification of objects based on meaning or context.
• Venn Diagrams to test logical reasoning.
• Pattern-folding and unfolding.
• Series completion involving numbers or figures.
• Critical thinking, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and social intelligence questions.

2. English Language: This section evaluates your proficiency in English. You can expect questions on:

• Identifying errors in sentences.
• Filling in missing words in a sentence.
• Synonyms and Antonyms (words with similar and opposite meanings).
• Correcting misspelled words.
• Idioms and Phrases (common sayings in English).
• One-word substitutions (a single word that replaces a whole phrase).
• Sentence improvement (correcting sentences for better clarity and grammar).
• Active and Passive Voice (changing sentences from active to passive voice and vice versa).
• Direct and Indirect narration (changing the way a sentence is expressed while retaining its meaning).
• Rearranging sentence parts to form a coherent paragraph.
• Cloze passages (filling in missing words in a passage).
• Reading comprehension (answering questions based on a provided passage).

3. Quantitative Aptitude

     a )  Number Systems:

• Whole Numbers: Basic understanding of numbers without fractions or decimals.
• Decimal and Fractions: Understanding and performing calculations involving decimal numbers and fractions.
• Relationship between Numbers: Understanding how numbers relate to each other, such as greater than, less than, etc.

    b) Fundamental Arithmetical Operations:

• Percentages: Understanding percentages and how to calculate them.
• Ratio and Proportion: Understanding the relationship between different quantities.
• Square Roots: Finding the square root of numbers.
• Averages: Calculating average values of a set of numbers.
• Interest (Simple and Compound): Understanding how interest is calculated, both simple and compound.
• Profit and Loss: Calculating profits and losses in business transactions.
• Discount: Calculating the reduced price of an item.
• Partnership Business: Understanding how profits are shared in a partnership.
• Mixture and Allegation: Solving problems related to different mixtures.
• Time and Distance: Calculating distances and speeds over time.
• Time and Work: Understanding work done over a period of time.

    c) Algebra:

• Basic Algebraic Identities: Understanding simple algebraic formulas.
• Elementary Surds: Basic operations involving square roots.
• Graphs of Linear Equations: Understanding and interpreting graphs of straight lines.

    d). Geometry:

• Elementary Geometric Figures: Basic understanding of shapes like squares, triangles, circles, etc.
• Triangle Properties: Understanding different types of triangles and their properties.
• Congruence and Similarity of Triangles: Understanding when two triangles are equal or similar.
• Circle Properties: Understanding concepts related to circles and their parts.
• Tangents and Chords: Understanding lines that touch circles and their properties.
• Common Tangents: Understanding lines that touch two or more circles at the same time.

    e). Mensuration:

• Triangle and Quadrilaterals: Understanding and calculating areas and perimeters of these shapes.
• Regular Polygons: Understanding and calculating properties of regular shapes like pentagons and hexagons.
• Circle: Calculating the circumference and area of circles.
• 3D Shapes: Understanding and calculating volumes and surface areas of 3D shapes like prisms, cones, cylinders, spheres, and pyramids.

    f).Trigonometry:

• Trigonometric Ratios: Understanding ratios like sine, cosine, and tangent.
• Complementary Angles: Understanding angles that add up to 90 degrees.
• Height and Distances: Solving simple problems related to heights and distances.
• Standard Identities: Knowing fundamental identities like sin²θ + cos²θ = 1

• Statistical Charts: Use of Tables and Graphs

  a. Histogram:
  A histogram is a graphical representation of the distribution of numerical data. It’s like a bar chart but for continuous data. The bars touch each other to show that the data is continuous.

  b. Frequency Polygon:
  A frequency polygon is another way to represent the distribution of data. It is formed by joining the midpoints of the tops of the bars in a histogram with straight lines.

  c. Bar Diagram:
  A bar diagram is a simple way to represent data using rectangular bars of different lengths. The length of the bar is proportional to the value it represents.

  d. Pie Chart:
  A pie chart is a circular graph divided into sectors, illustrating numerical proportion. The arc length of each sector is proportional to the quantity it represents.

  General Awareness:

  The general awareness section aims to test your understanding of the world around you. It includes questions related to:

  • Current Events: Stay updated on recent happenings and news from around the world.

  • Everyday Observation and Experience: Think about common experiences from a scientific perspective. For example, understanding why seasons change or how certain appliances work.

  • India and Neighbouring Countries: Know about the history, culture, geography, economic aspects, general policies, and scientific research of India and its neighboring countries.

  • Environment and Its Application to Society: Understand the impact of environmental factors on society, like climate change, pollution, and sustainable development.

  • Note for VH Candidates: If you have a visual disability of 40% or above, certain components involving maps, graphs, diagrams, and statistical data will not be a part of the test in the General Intelligence and Quantitative Aptitude sectionss

Computer Based Examination (Tier-II)

Module-I: Mathematical Abilities

In this module, you’ll be tested on your basic math skills. Here are the topics you need to focus on:

1. Number Systems:

• Understanding whole numbers, decimals, and fractions.
• Knowing the relationships between different numbers.

2. Fundamental Arithmetical Operations:

• Learning percentages, ratios, and proportions.
• Calculating square roots and averages.
• Understanding concepts like simple and compound interest, profit and loss, discount, partnership business, mixture and alligation.
• Solving problems related to time, distance, and work.

3. Algebra:

• Familiarity with basic algebraic identities and elementary surds.
• Graphs of linear equations.

4. Geometry:

• Recognizing common geometric shapes and their properties.
• Understanding triangles and their centers.
• Knowing about congruence and similarity of triangles.
• Understanding circles, chords, tangents, and angles formed by chords.
• Knowledge about common tangents to two or more circles.

5. Mensuration:

• Calculating the area and perimeter of triangles and quadrilaterals.
• Understanding regular polygons and circles.
• Knowing about 3D shapes like prisms, cones, cylinders, spheres, and pyramids.

Trigonometry:

1. Trigonometric Ratios:

• Trigonometry deals with triangles and angles.
• Three main ratios:
  • Sine (sin): Opposite side / Hypotenuse
  • Cosine (cos): Adjacent side / Hypotenuse
  • Tangent (tan): Opposite side / Adjacent side

2. Complementary Angles:

• Two angles are complementary if their sum is 90 degrees.
• Example: 30 degrees and 60 degrees are complementary angles.

3. Height and Distances:

• Trigonometry helps in finding heights and distances without measuring them directly.
• Simple problems involve calculating the height of a tree or distance between two objects.

4. Standard Identities:

• sin⁡2+cos⁡2=1
• This identity is fundamental and widely used in trigonometric calculations.

Statistics and Probability:

1. Use of Tables and Graphs:

• Histogram: Represents data in bars.
• Frequency Polygon: Line graph connecting data points.
• Bar Diagram: Uses bars to show data.
• Pie Chart: Circle divided into sectors to represent data percentages.

2. Measures of Central Tendency:

• Mean: Average of all numbers.
• Median: Middle number when data is arranged in order.
• Mode: Most frequently occurring number.
• Standard Deviation: Measures how spread out numbers are.

3. Calculation of Simple Probabilities:

• Probability measures the likelihood of an event happening.
• Simple probability calculation involves dividing favorable outcomes by total outcomes.

Reasoning and General Intelligence:

a. Verbal and Non-verbal Questions:

• Semantic Analogy: Comparing the meaning of words.
• Symbolic Operations: Understanding operations with symbols.
• Trends: Recognizing patterns or tendencies.
• Space Orientation: Understanding objects in space.
• Venn Diagrams: Diagrams representing logical relationships between different groups of things.

b. Other Subtopics:

• Critical Thinking: Evaluating information and arguments.
• Problem Solving: Finding solutions to complex problems.
• Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and managing emotions.
• Word Building: Creating words from given letters.
• Coding and Decoding: Translating information using codes.
• Numerical Operations: Performing basic arithmetic operations.
• Figural Pattern-folding: Understanding patterns in folded figures

Module-I of Section-II in English Language and Comprehension

• Vocabulary: Knowing the meaning of words.
• Grammar: Rules for constructing sentences.
• Sentence Structure: How sentences are formed.
• Synonyms: Words with similar meanings.
• Antonyms: Words with opposite meanings.
• Spot the Error: Finding mistakes in sentences.
• Fill in the Blanks: Completing incomplete sentences.
• Synonyms/Homonyms: Identifying similar or same-sounding words.
• Antonyms: Finding words with opposite meanings.
• Spellings/Detecting Mis-spelt Words: Identifying misspelled words.
• Idioms & Phrases: Expressions with unique meanings.
• One-word Substitution: Using one word instead of a phrase.
• Improvement of Sentences: Making sentences better.
• Active/Passive Voice of Verbs: Changing sentence focus from doer to receiver.
• Conversion into Direct/Indirect Narration: Changing speech forms.
• Shuffling of Sentence Parts: Rearranging parts to form meaningful sentences.
• Shuffling of Sentences in a Passage: Rearranging sentences in a paragraph.
• Cloze Passage: Filling in blanks in a passage.
• Comprehension Passage: Understanding and answering questions about a given passage.

Module-II of Section-II: General Awareness

 Aims to assess candidates’ general awareness and understanding of the world around them and its relevance to society. This section includes questions about current events and topics that any educated person should be familiar with. It also tests candidates’ knowledge about everyday things from a scientific perspective. Additionally, there are questions related to India and its neighboring countries, covering areas such as History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Policy, and Scientific Research.

Module-I of Section-III of Paper-I (Computer Proficiency)

Computer Basics:

• Organization of a computer: Understanding how a computer is structured and organized.

• Central Processing Unit (CPU): The brain of the computer that processes data and instructions.

• Input/Output Devices: Devices like keyboards and monitors that help you interact with the computer.

• Computer Memory: Where data is stored temporarily (RAM) and permanently (hard drives, SSDs).

• Memory Organization: How the computer organizes and stores data in its memory.

• Backup Devices: Devices used to save important data as a precaution.

• PORTs: Connection points on a computer for external devices like USB ports.

• Windows Explorer: The tool in Windows operating system for navigating files and folders.

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Quick combinations of keys to perform tasks faster.

Software:

• Windows Operating System: Basics of how to use Windows, including navigating folders and files.

• Microsoft Office: Basics of using Word for documents, Excel for spreadsheets, and PowerPoint for presentations.

Working with Internet and E-mails:

• Web Browsing & Searching: How to use a web browser to explore websites and search for information.

• Downloading & Uploading: How to download files from the internet and upload files to websites.

• Managing an E-mail Account: How to use and organize emails effectively.

• e-Banking: Basics of online banking, including checking balances and transferring money online.

Basics of Networking and Cybersecurity:

• Networking Devices and Protocols: Understanding devices like routers and the protocols (rules) they use to communicate.

• Network and Information Security Threats: Learning about threats like hacking, viruses, worms, and Trojans, and how to prevent them.

• Preventive Measures: Basic steps and tools to protect computer systems from cyber threats.

Note for VH Candidates: For candidates with visual disabilities, certain components involving maps, graphs, diagrams, and statistical data won’t be included in specific modules.