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What is inside
The Combined Higher Secondary Level examination is conducted in two computer-based tiers, and the second tier ends with a skill or typing test that only qualifies you. Knowing where marks count and where they do not lets you divide study hours sensibly.
Tier-I in brief
- Duration: one hour, with a fifteen-minute timer on each of four sections (twenty minutes each for scribe-eligible candidates).
- English Language, General Intelligence, Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness carry 25 questions and 50 marks each, so the paper totals 100 questions and 200 marks.
- A correct answer earns two marks and a wrong one loses half a mark.
- English appears only in English; the other sections are offered in English, Hindi and the regional language picked in the form.
Tier-I is a shortlisting round. Its marks are not added to the final merit list and serve only as a tie-breaker. Qualifying marks are 30 percent for UR, 25 percent for OBC and EWS, and 20 percent for others. When the test runs in several shifts, scores are normalized.
Tier-II layout
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Abilities | 30 | 90 |
| Reasoning and General Intelligence | 30 | 90 |
| English Language and Comprehension | 40 | 120 |
| General Awareness | 20 | 60 |
| Computer Knowledge (qualifying) | 15 | 45 |
Each correct answer gives three marks and each wrong answer takes away one. Only the first two sections of marks, 360 in all, feed into merit, while the computer test and the skill or typing test are qualifying. You must clear the minimum in every section.
Skill and typing standards
- Data entry operators in the first group of departments: 15,000 key depressions per hour over fifteen minutes.
- All other data entry operator posts: 8,000 key depressions per hour.
- LDC and JSA typing: ten minutes at 35 words per minute in English or 30 in Hindi, with Mangal font for Hindi.
Planning your preparation
Since Tier-II decides the rank, spend the bulk of your time on arithmetic, reasoning and English grammar, and treat Tier-I as the speed drill where you must finish four timed sections. Practise switching subjects every fifteen minutes. If marks tie in the final round, the board looks at Section-I, then Tier-I, then age.
The attached documents
The eight PDFs include the 2026 recruitment notice and its Hindi version, a schedule notice, the normalization procedure, short result write-ups with cut-offs for the 2024 and 2025 Tier-I, and the earlier notices that describe the 100-question scheme. They help you verify any number mentioned above.
Paper-based revision
For revision away from the screen, printed SSC practice books from Competer can be used to rehearse each timed section with a pencil.