SSC CHSL Notification 2026 Out: 2,536 Vacancies, Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Salary, Application Dates and Full Details

SSC CHSL Notification 2026 Out: The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released the official notification for the Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination, 2026, inviting applications for various Group C posts in Central Government ministries, departments, offices, and other government organisations.

According to the official notification, the SSC CHSL 2026 application process will remain open from 7 September 2026 to 7 October 2026. The Commission has announced approximately 2,536 tentative vacancies for posts including Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC), Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA), Data Entry Operator (DEO), and Data Entry Operator Grade ‘A’.

The official notice clearly states that the vacancy figure is tentative. Final post-wise and category-wise vacancies will be published later after the Commission receives and scrutinises vacancy details from the concerned user departments.

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SSC CHSL Notification 2026: Key Highlights

The official SSC notice gives 7 September 2026 to 7 October 2026 as the application period, with the final application deadline at 11:00 PM on 7 October. The Tier-I and Tier-II examination dates have not been announced in the notification and will be communicated separately.

Download SSC CHSL Notification Official PDF

SSC CHSL Vacancy 2026

SSC has announced approximately 2,536 tentative vacancies for the 2026 CHSL examination.

The recruitment covers the following Group C posts:

• Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC)
• Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA)
• Data Entry Operator (DEO)
• Data Entry Operator Grade ‘A’

The final number of vacancies may change. SSC will publish updated vacancy information, including post-wise and category-wise details, on its website after receiving the final vacancy position from the concerned departments.

Candidates should therefore treat 2,536 as a tentative figure, rather than the final vacancy count.

SSC CHSL Posts and Salary

The pay levels mentioned in the official notification are as follows:

LDC/JSA

Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC)/Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) comes under Pay Level-2, with a pay scale of: 19,900 to 63,200

Data Entry Operator

DEO posts are available at two pay levels:

• Pay Level-4: 25,500 to 81,100
• Pay Level-5: 29,200 to 92,300

Data Entry Operator Grade ‘A’

DEO Grade ‘A’ carries: Pay Level-4: 25,500 to 81,100

These are the pay scales specified in the SSC CHSL 2026 notification.

SSC CHSL 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

The educational qualification depends on the post.

For LDC/JSA

Candidates must have passed the 12th Standard or equivalent examination from a recognised Board or University.

For most DEO posts

Candidates must have passed 12th Standard or equivalent from a recognised Board or University.

Special qualification for certain DEO/DEO Grade ‘A’ posts

For DEO/DEO Grade ‘A’ posts in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Staff Selection Commission and Ministry of Culture, candidates must have passed:

12th Standard in the Science stream with Mathematics as a subject. This distinction is important because a general 12th-pass qualification is not sufficient for these specific DEO positions.

Candidates appearing for their Class 12 examination can apply, but they must have acquired the required qualification on or before 7 October 2026.

The notice further states that the result of the qualifying examination must have been declared by the Board or University by the cut-off date. Merely having the result under processing is not sufficient.

SSC CHSL Age Limit 2026

The age limit is 18 to 27 years as on 1 August 2026.

Candidates must have been born: Not before 2 August 1999 and not later than 1 August 2008.

Age relaxation is available to eligible categories according to Government of India rules.

Major age relaxations

Additional provisions apply to eligible Central Government civilian employees and certain widows, divorced women and judicially separated women as specified in the notification.

SSC CHSL 2026 Application Form

Candidates have to submit their applications online through the new SSC website: SSC Official Website

Applications can also be submitted through the mySSC mobile application.

Candidates who have not generated a One-Time Registration (OTR) on the new SSC website must first complete OTR. An OTR created on the old SSC website, ssc.nic.in will not work on the new website.

The Commission has advised candidates to use Aadhaar-based authentication while completing OTR, although the notification provides provisions for candidates who do not undergo Aadhaar authentication.

SSC CHSL Application Fee

The application fee is: 100

However, the following candidates are exempted from paying the examination fee:

• Women candidates
• SC candidates
• ST candidates
• Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)
• Eligible Ex-Servicemen (ESM)

The fee can be paid online through BHIM UPI, Net Banking, and specified debit card/payment methods. The last date for online fee payment is 8 October 2026, 11:00 PM.

SSC CHSL 2026 Application Correction Window

SSC will provide a three-day correction window after the application deadline.

Correction dates

14 October 2026 to 16 October 2026, up to 11:00 PM

A candidate can submit a corrected application up to two times during the correction window.

Correction charges

• First correction: 200
• Second correction: 500

The correction charges apply to all candidates irrespective of category or gender.

Candidates should carefully check their application before submitting it because no further correction will be allowed after the correction window closes.

SSC CHSL 2026 Selection Process

The examination will be conducted in two computer-based tiers:

Tier-I

Computer Based Examination

Tier-II

Computer-based examination followed by the applicable Skill Test/Typing Test.

Document Verification will be conducted by the concerned User Ministries/Departments/Organizations after declaration of the final result.

There is no interview stage mentioned in the notification.

SSC CHSL Tier-I Exam Pattern 2026

Tier-I consists of four subjects:

The examination is objective-type and multiple-choice.

The official notification provides a sectional timer of 15 minutes for each subject. The normal examination duration is 60 minutes.

Candidates eligible for the prescribed scribe facility receive additional time according to the notification.

Negative marking in Tier-I

There will be a deduction of 0.50 marks for every wrong answer in Tier-I.

SSC CHSL Tier-II Exam Pattern 2026

Tier-II is conducted in two sessions on the same day.

Session-I

Session-I contains:

Section-I

• Mathematical Abilities
• Reasoning and General Intelligence

Section-II

• English Language and Comprehension
• General Awareness

Section-III

• Computer Knowledge Test

The first two sections carry 180 marks each, while the Computer Knowledge Test carries 45 marks.

The official scheme provides sectional timing within the sections.

Session-II

Session-II contains:

Section-IV: Skill Test/Typing Test

This depends on the post for which the candidate is being considered.

The Tier-II examination is mandatory for candidates shortlisted from Tier-I, and candidates must qualify all applicable sections.

SSC CHSL Tier-II Negative Marking

The official notification provides 1 mark negative marking for each wrong answer in:

• Section-I
• Section-II
• Section-III

Section-IV is the Skill Test/Typing Test and is qualifying in nature.

SSC CHSL Qualifying Marks

The minimum qualifying percentage specified in the notification is:

These qualifying requirements apply to the relevant Tier-II sections as specified by SSC.

SSC CHSL DEO Skill Test 2026

The Skill Test is mandatory for candidates applying for Data Entry Operator posts.

For certain DEO/DEO Grade ‘A’ posts covered under the special educational qualification requirement, the required speed is:

15,000 key depressions per hour

The test duration is 15 minutes, with approximately 3,700 to 4,000 key depressions in the given passage.

For other DEO/DEO Grade ‘A’ posts, the required data-entry speed is: 8,000 key depressions per hour

The test duration is again 15 minutes, with approximately 2,000 to 2,200 key depressions in the passage.

SSC CHSL LDC/JSA Typing Test

Candidates appearing for LDC/JSA posts have to take the Typing Test.

Candidates can choose either:

• English
• Hindi

English typing

Required speed: 35 words per minute

This corresponds to approximately 10,500 key depressions per hour.

Hindi typing

Required speed: 30 words per minute

This corresponds to approximately 9,000 key depressions per hour.

The typing test is conducted for 10 minutes under normal conditions.

Candidates opting for Hindi typing for LDC/JSA are required to use Mangal Font according to the notification.

Is Tier-II Used for Final Merit?

Yes.

According to the selection provisions, the final merit/First Round of Tentative Allocation is based on the candidate’s performance in Tier-II Section-I and Section-II, subject to qualifying the required sections and applicable Skill/Typing Test.

Tier-I is used for shortlisting candidates for Tier-II.

The Computer Knowledge Test and Skill/Typing Test are qualifying components and candidates must clear them, but the merit calculation is based on the prescribed Tier-II marks.

SSC CHSL 2026 Examination Centres

Candidates have to provide three examination-centre preferences within the same SSC Region, in order of priority.

The official notice includes centres such as:

• Kolkata
• Burdwan
• Malda
• Siliguri
• Suri
• Kalyani
• Durgapur
• Ranchi
• Bhubaneswar
• Patna
• Lucknow
• Delhi
• Mumbai
• Bengaluru
• Chennai
• Hyderabad and others.

For candidates applying from West Bengal, the Eastern Region includes examination centres such as Burdwan, Kolkata, Malda, Siliguri, Suri, Kalyani and Durgapur.

SSC has clearly stated that all three centre choices must be from the same region, and requests for changing the examination centre later will not ordinarily be entertained.

Important Documents for SSC CHSL Application

Candidates should keep the necessary information and documents ready while completing the application.

The application process includes:

• One-Time Registration
• Personal details
• Educational qualification
• Category information
• Address details
• Examination-centre preferences
• Live photograph
• Signature
• Applicable disability/certificate details
• Fee payment, where applicable

SSC has specified that the photograph must be captured according to the instructions in the application module. Candidates should not wear a cap, mask or spectacles while capturing the photograph.

Aadhaar Authentication and Photograph

The 2026 notification contains provisions relating to Aadhaar-based authentication.

Candidates opting for Aadhaar authentication receive certain benefits regarding photograph/signature compliance and examination-entry requirements.

Candidates who do not undergo Aadhaar authentication may be required to report earlier to the examination centre and carry the prescribed original photo identity document and other required items.

SSC CHSL 2026 Syllabus

The Tier-I syllabus covers four major areas:

English Language

Topics include:

• Spotting errors
• Fill in the blanks
• Synonyms and antonyms
• Spellings
• Idioms and phrases
• One-word substitution
• Sentence improvement
• Active and passive voice
• Direct and indirect narration
• Cloze test
• Comprehension

General Intelligence

The syllabus includes verbal and non-verbal reasoning, analogy, classification, series, coding-decoding, Venn diagrams, space orientation, problem solving, critical thinking, and other related topics.

Quantitative Aptitude

Important areas include:

• Number system
• Percentage
• Ratio and proportion
• Average
• Interest
• Profit and loss
• Discount
• Time and distance
• Time and work
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Mensuration
• Trigonometry
• Statistical charts

General Awareness

Questions are designed around general awareness, current events, everyday observations, and areas related to India and neighbouring countries, including history, culture, geography, economic developments, general policy, and scientific research.

Important Dates for SSC CHSL 2026

Important: The official notification does not provide a confirmed Tier-I or Tier-II examination date. Candidates should rely on SSC’s official website for subsequent examination schedules.

Important Things Candidates Should Remember

Candidates applying for SSC CHSL 2026 should pay particular attention to the following:

1. Complete the application before 7 October 2026, 11 PM.
2. Complete the OTR process on the new SSC website if not already registered there.
3. Check the exact educational qualification applicable to the post.
4. Candidates applying for specific DEO posts must have Science with Mathematics in Class 12.
5. Select examination centres carefully because all three choices must be within the same SSC Region.
6. Select the typing medium carefully. The choice cannot subsequently be changed.
7. Keep category and disability certificates ready wherever applicable.
8. Check all details before final submission.
9. Complete fee payment within the prescribed deadline if applicable.
10. Use the correction window if an eligible correction is required.
11. Remember that final post allocation depends on merit and post preference.
12. Candidates should not assume that the tentative 2,536 vacancies are final.

SSC CHSL 2026: Final Takeaway

The SSC CHSL 2026 recruitment offers Central Government Group C opportunities to eligible 12th-pass candidates through posts such as LDC, JSA and DEO. The notification currently puts the tentative vacancy count at 2,536, while the final vacancy count will be updated later.

The application window is already open from 7 September 2026, and eligible candidates have until 7 October 2026 at 11 PM to submit their applications. The examination dates for Tier-I and Tier-II are yet to be announced by SSC.

Candidates should read the complete official notification carefully before applying because post-specific educational, typing, skill, physical, and medical requirements can affect final eligibility and post allocation.