19 May

SSC CGL 2015 – Your All Queries Answered

SSC aspirants have been seeking clarification on a few issues relating to CGLE 2015 application. I have been trying to reply to them individually but due to my personal problems and lack of time I find it difficult to respond to each and every one of them. I am summarizing the issues raised and my answers to them for the benefit of larger number of candidate.

See Also : Best Books for SSC CGL 2015(Tier 1 & Tier 2) – All Subjects

1. WHETHER MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS CAN BE SUBMITTED?

Yes. In the case of online applications, the last application will be accepted as valid and in case of offline or paper applications, the regional office will have the discretion to accept any application of their choice.

2. WHETHER MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS CAN BE SUBMITTED FOR DIFFERENT REGIONS?
There is no bar. However, I had decided in CGLE 2012 that the least of the marks- in the event of multiple appearances for Tier I- will be taken into account. I hope that the same procedure is being followed now. Therefore, multiple appearances may not be fruitful. Though you can file multiple applications my advice is that you should appear for the examination only once.

3. WHETHER THOSE UR CANDIDATES BORN BETWEEN 1ST January 1988 and 31st July 1988, and OBC, SC AND ST CANDIDATES CORRESPONDINGLY SHOULD OPT FOR ALL POSTS?

Yes. In the event of DoPT deciding not to accept their representation to count age limit as on 1st January 2015, SSC will consider you only for the posts for which you are eligible. The danger of opting for only those three or four posts you may be eligible as of date is that SSC may not allow you to exercise fresh options later.

4. WHETHER SSC WILL SEEK FRESH OPTIONS IN CGLE 2015 TOO AFTER TIER I AND II?
The present policy makers in SSC have consistently followed the policy of allowing fresh options at the time of interview or document verification. As change in the set up is expected- the present Chairman will complete his tenure on 31st Dec 2015- it is difficult to anticipate what his successor will do. It is better, therefore, to exercise due diligence before exercising fresh options.

5, IF THERE IS NO CONFIRMATORY EMAIL FROM SSC AFTER SUBMISSION OF THE ONLINE APPLICATION, WHETHER IT IS ADVISABLE TO SUBMIT FRESH APPLICATION?
The affected candidates should have brought it to the notice of SSC. But, SSC waits for mistakes to be pointed out by me before taking corrective action! I feel that the advantage will lie in submitting fresh applications in such cases at an additional cost of Rs 100 rather than repenting later.

6. HOW ARE 3 CHANCES FOR CSS ASSISTANT COUNTED? WHETHER THE NO OF CAHNCES IS 3 FOR OBC, SC AND ST TOO?
As far as I know the number of chances is three irrespective if the category to which you belong. In my view, appearing for Tier I after opting for the CSS in the application should count as a chance. I do not know, however, whether the SSC intends to cause any verification of the number of chances or have developed any mechanism for such verification.

7. WHETHER JAT CANDIDATES SHOULD APPLY AS BELONGING TO UR OR OBC AS THE GOVERNMENT HAS SOUGHT A REVIEW OF 2 Judges Bench IN JAT OBC CASE?
In my view they should apply as OBC candidates and if the larger bench of Supreme Court decides to uphold the order of the lower bench SSC will redetermine their result as UR. The danger of not claiming OBC status in the application is that if the verdict goes in favour of JAT community, they cannot claim OBC status after the verdict.

8. WHETHER GOVERNMENT SERVANTS CLAIMING AGE RELAXATION AS CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES SHOULD TREAT THE POST OF ITI AS GROUP B OR C, AS THERE ARE DIFFERENT AGE LIMITS FOR THEM FOR Gr B and C POSTS?
They should treat ITI as Gr C for claiming age relaxation, If the CBDT treats the post as Gr B, SSC will not consider them for that post if they are over 35 (38 in case of OBC and 40 in case of SC and ST), but consider them for other Gr C posts.

9. WHETHER BANK AND PSU OFFICIALS REQUIRE NOC?
No. Even Government employees require NOC only if they claim age relaxation as Central Government Civilian Employees. However, Government employees should keep their Head of Office informed when they apply, but need not route the application through proper channel. Without such information they may find it difficult to get relieved after final selection and continuity in service- for pension and gratuity purpose besides pay protection in eligible cases, will be difficult.

10. FINAL YEAR/SEMESTER APPEARING STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO APPEAR. HOW WILL THEIR ELIGIBILITY BE COMPUTED? WHAT SHOULD THEY FILL IN THE % OF MARKS COLUMN IN THE APPLICATION?
Their result should be published before 1st August 2015 and even if the mark sheets are dated after that if they produce documentary evidence that their results were published on or before 31st july 2015, they will be considered eligible. They can fill in the average marks up to the last semester examination they have passed and update it at the time of interview/ document verification.

11. WHICH ARE THE POSTS FOR WHICH COLOUR BLINDNESS IS A DISQUALIFICATION?
The fact is that nobody knows! The Medical Boards decide in their wisdom and detailed guidelines are not given to them by the individual departments. However, once you are finally selected you lose your selection on the basis of the examination if you are found to be medically unfit for the post and SSC will not reallot you to any other post. Generally speaking, posts under the CBEC, ED, CBI, CBN and NIA require colour discrimination because of the nature of the duties. It is advisable to avoid exercising option for such posts.

12. IN CGL 2014 VH CANDIDATES WERE SELECTED FOR ITI AND CENTRAL EXCISE INSPECTOR THOUGH THE NOTICE OF THE EXAMINATION CLEARLY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT ELIGIBLE. WHETHER VH CANDIDATES SHOULD OPT FOR THESES POSTS IN CGL 2015?
Yes. If they are not suitable SSC will not consider them for these posts at the time of result processing.
DO NOT WAIT TILL THE LAST WEEK TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS. SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION IMMEDIATELY THIS WEEK ITSELF TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT DUE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS.

THIS ABOVE POST IS WRITTEN BY EX SSC CHIEF KANNAN RAGHUPATHY ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE.

SSC aspirants have been seeking clarification on a few issues relating to CGLE 2015 application. I have been trying to…

Posted by Kannan Raghupathy on Monday, May 18, 2015

19 May

Proposal for Age-relaxation for SSC exams

The Centre is considering age-relaxation for candidates appearing in this year’s Combined Graduate Level Examination (CGLE) for recruitment to various Group B and C government jobs.

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has already issued a notification for CGLE, 2015 and mentioned August 1, 2015 as the date of reckoning of age for the purpose of determining eligibility.

“Government has received representations from a large number candidates. In this regard, a proposal to allow the candidates who fulfil the age criteria as on January 1, 2015, to also apply for the posts as a onetime measure, is under the consideration,” a note by Department of Personnel and Training said.

The DoPT has sought comments on this from concerned stake holders .

02 May

Best Books for SSC CGL 2015(Tier 1 & Tier 2) – All Subjects

SSC has finally released the notification and exam dates for SSC CGL 2015. The Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2015 (Tier-I) will be held on 9th August, 2015 & 16th August, 2015.
This time, you can expect huge competition in this exam as lakhs of candidates from all over India will be giving the exam. Various coaching centres through out India are providing complete courses for the preparation of SSC CGL 2015 and charging huge amount of fees but there are thousands of candidates who cannot afford coaching fees and prefer to self study. For all such candidates, it is very crucial to select right books to secure maximum marks possible in the SSC CGL examination.
You can check out official notification of SSC CGL 2015 here.

See Also: Proposal for Age-relaxation for SSC exams

See Also: Best Books for SSC CHSL Exam 2015

First Let’s check out the SSC CGL 2015 Paper Pattern:

SSC CGL 2015 Tier 1 Paper Pattern:

SSC CGL 2015 Tier 1 Paper Pattern

SSC CGL 2015 Tier 2(Mains) Exam Paper Pattern:

1) Numerical/Quantitative Aptitude: 100 Questions, 200 Marks, 2 Hours
2) English Language: 200 Questions, 200 Marks, 2 Hours

Reasoning is fairly easy in SSC exam. General Knowledge is moderate to tough and you can’t score great marks as it is very exhaustive. So, your maximum focus should be more on Mathematics and English language to secure great marks in SSC CGL 2015 exam.

Section A) English Language:

1) General English by Lucent Publications: This is my personal favorite book for English language and by far the best book available in the market for the preparation of all entrance exams. The topics in this books are explained in both English and Hindi language for easy understanding. So, this book is even good for students who come from Hindi medium schools. All the concepts are explained in a step by step manner and properly. There are Hundreds of rules of English grammar that are explained in this book, so you can score really good marks in the English section.

2) English for General Competitions from Plinth to Paramount: Paramount Coaching Centre is a well known coaching centre in Delhi. Now, you can buy its books online.

If this is not available on Flipkart, buy it on Amazon:

3) SSC English Language Chapterwise Solved Papers 1997-Till Date: All the English language questions asked in the last 17 years in all SSC exams. This is a really helpful book as SSC repeats many questions from its previous years’ papers.

Section B) General Intelligence and Reasoning:

1) A Modern Approach To Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal: It is an exhaustive book that covers all topics of reasoning in detail. This book is enough to prepare for reasoning section.

2) SSC Reasoning Chapterwise Solved Papers 1999 Till Date: It contains Chapter wise Compilation of reasoning questions of Previous Years’ Papers of all Exams Conducted by SSC (CGL, CHSL ,FCI ,Delhi Police,SI etc.).

3) Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey (BSC Publication): If you want to prepare more for reasoning section, this is also a great book.

Section C) General Awareness: General Awareness is a tricky section. No matter how much you prepare for this, still it is difficult to score very good marks. So my advice to all the candidates would be to focus on current affairs more, there would be around 10-15 questions of current affairs only and for the rest of the part, read one of the books given below.
Also, don’t waste your time preparing much for this section. First you need to focus on other three sections, then only come to preparation of this section.

1) Lucent’s General Knowledge 4th Edition: A comprehensive book that covers an exhaustive range of topics such as History, Geography, Economy, Polity, Science, etc.

2) General Knowledge 2014: Essential ‘Knowledge Capsule’ in General Awareness and Current Affairs by Manohar Pandey(Arihant Publications) I strongly recommend this book as you can do it within a week and it covers the entire General awareness in a concise manner.

3) SSC General Awareness Chapterwise Solved Papers (1997 – till date): Chapter wise solved previous years’ questions of general awareness section of all SSC exams.

D) Numerical Aptitude/Maths: For mathematics, I would suggest you to prepare from 3-4 books. The more you practice, the more you would be solve difficult questions in quick time.
In SSC CGL exam, it is very important that you solve maths’ questions quickly to score good marks.

1) Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations by R. S. Aggarwal One of the best book for basic Quantitative/Numerical Aptitude. It will help you learn all the basics of mathematics.

2) Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Arihant: This is another great book for basic Mathematics to improve your speed and efficiency with thousands of shortcuts. It covers all the topics with so many formulas, concepts, shortcuts, examples and thousands of questions to practice. Between RS Aggarwal and this book, I would suggest to go for this book.

If book is not available on Flipkart, buy it on Amazon:

3) SSC All Graduate Level Exams Solved Papers 1997 Upto Date: Chapter wise solved questions from all SSC exams(CGL, CHSL, etc.) from 1997 up to now.

4) Quantum CAT: Quantitative Aptitude Common Admission Test for Admission Into IIMs by Sarvesh K Verma(Arihant): If you don’t want to leave anything, this is another great book for high level mathematics.

6) Mathematics (Class 10) 7th Edition by R D Sharma: Let’s go back to school. As SSC questions are class 10th level, this book is really useful and it can also help you to clear your basics about Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Algebra, etc.

7) Arithmetic for General Competitions – By Paramount: Amazing Book for arithmetic by Paramount Coaching Centre.

If this book is not available on Flipkart, buy it on Amazon:

8) Advance maths for General Competitions (English) (Paramount Maths for General Competitions): For topics such as Trigonometry, Geometry, Mensuration, Algebra, etc. – this is the my favorite book. As Paramount coaching centre is a famous name for SSC exams coaching, they have compiled this great book for advanced mathematic.

If this book is not available on Flipkart, buy it on Amazon:

Section E) SSC Statistics Practice Work Book, Tier – II (Paper – III):

Apart from books given above, we would also recommend SSC aspirants to buy previous years’ question papers as you can get a basic idea about the SSC CGL paper pattern and questions.

SSC Combined Graduate Level Tier-I and Tier-II Exam: Solved Papers 2010, 2011 and 2012 by Kiran Prakashan

Paramount Study Material for SSC Exams (English)

Paramount Test Series of English Language & Comprehension for SSC CGL (Tier-II) Mock Tests 1 to 20

PARAMOUNT TEST SERIES (CGL Tier 1) Test # 1-20

You can also download question papers of SSC CGL 2014 Tier 1 & 2 here.

All the best to all the SSC aspiring candidates. If you have any query, please leave it in comments.

02 May

SSC CGL 2015 NOTIFICATION, SYLLABUS, POSTS, PAPER PATTERN

SSC has finally released the official notification for SSC CGL 2015. The Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2015 (Tier-I) will be held on SUNDAY the 9th August, 2015 & 16th August, 2015.

Exam Dates: Tier 1 Tentative dates: 9th and 16th August, 2015. Online Application form: http://ssconline.nic.in OR http://ssconline2.gov.in Last date to apply for part-i is 28th May.

See Also: Best Books for SSC CGL 2015(Tier 1 & Tier 2) – All Subjects

Total Vacancies: Yet to be announced. I will update the post soon about number of vacancies in SSC CGL 2015.

Official Notification: Click here

Age Limit: Its different for different posts. But Age limit will be reckoned as on 1st August, 2015 which has disappointed many candidates whose birthday falls between january and july.

New post added: SSC has added a new post – Sub inspector in National investigation agency (NIA). Its a Group “B” post. You can salary of different posts here.

Educational Qualification: Candidate must have completed their education on or before 1st August 2015.

ABOUT SSC CGL 2015:

SSC CGL is an open competitive examination for recruitment to the following posts in various Ministries/Departments by selecting/ screening the candidates for the Main Examination. :

Posts for which Interview cum Personality Test :
Inspectors of Income Tax / Inspector (Central Excise) / Inspector (Preventive Officer) / Inspector (Examiner) in Custom Houses (Group B Non-Gazetted) in the pay scale of Rs. 9300 – 34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4600/-

Assistants (Central Secretariat Service CSS) in the pay scale of Rs. 9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4600/- for Central Govt. Ministries/ Departments

Assistants in CVC/ Intelligence Bureau / Ministry of Railway / Ministry of External
Affairs / AFHQ / Other Ministries/ Departments/ Organisations etc. other than CSS cadre in the pay scale of Rs.9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4600/-

Assistants (Cypher) in Ministry of External Affairs in the pay scale of Rs.9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4600/-

Assistants in Other Ministries/ Departments/ Organisations etc. other than CSS cadre in the pay scale of Rs.9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4200/-

Inspector of Posts (Group B Non-Gazetted) in pay scales of Rs. 9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4200/-

Inspector of Central Bureau of Narcotics (Group B Non-Gazetted) in pay scales of Rs. 9300 – 34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4200/-

Sub-Inspectors in CBI in the pay scale of Rs.9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs.4200/-

Assistant Enforcement Officers in Directorate of Enforcement in the pay scale of Rs. 9300 – 34800 Grade Pay Rs.4600/-

Divisional Accountants in CAG Offices in the pay scale of Rs.9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4200/-

Statistical Investigators Gr.II in M/o Statistics & Programme Implementation the pay scale of Rs. 9300-34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4200/-

Inspector of National Investigation Agency (NIA) in pay scales of Rs. 9300 – 34800 Grade Pay Rs. 4200/-

Posts for which Interview is not required :

Auditors/ Junior Accountants / Accountants in various CAG Offices in the pay scale of Rs. 5200 – 20200 grade pay Rs. 2800

UDCs (Upper Division Clerk) in various Central Government Offices/ Departments in the pay scale Rs. 5200 – 20200 grade pay Rs. 2400

Tax Assistants in various CBDT/ CBEC in the pay scale Rs.5200 -20200 grade pay Rs. 2400

Compiler in Registrar General of India in the pay scale Rs.5200 – 20200 grade pay Rs. 2400

Sub-Inspector in Central Bureau of Narcotics (Group-C) in the pay scale Rs.5200-20200 grade pay Rs.2400

SSC CGL 2015 Paper Pattern:

SSC CGL 2015 Tier 1 Paper Pattern:

SSC CGL 2015 Tier 1 Paper Pattern

SSC CGL Tier 2(Mains) Exam 2015:

1) Numerical/Quantitative Aptitude: 100 Questions, 200 Marks, 2 Hours
2) English Language: 200 Questions, 200 Marks, 2 Hours

Syllabus of SSC CGL 2015:

Syllabus Tier 1 of the SSC CGL 2015:

(A) General Intelligence & Reasoning : It would include questions of both verbal and non-verbaltype. This component may include questions on analogies, similarities and differences, spacevisualization, spatial orientation, problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making, visualmemory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning and figuralclassification, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, coding and decoding, statementconclusion, syllogistic reasoning etc. The topics are, Semantic Analogy, Symbolic/NumberAnalogy, Figural Analogy, Semantic Classification, Symbolic/Number Classification, FiguralClassification, Semantic Series, Number Series, Figural Series, Problem Solving, Word Building,Coding & de-coding, Numerical Operations, symbolic Operations, Trends, Space Orientation,Space Visualization, Venn Diagrams, Drawing inferences, Punched hole/pattern –folding & un-folding, Figural Pattern – folding and completion, Indexing, Address matching, Date & citymatching, Classification of centre codes/roll numbers, Small & Capital letters/numbers coding,decoding and classification, Embedded Figures, Critical thinking, Emotional Intelligence, SocialIntelligence, Other sub-topics, if any.

(B): General Awareness: Questions in this component will be aimed at testing the candidates generalawareness of the environment around him and its application to society. Questions will also bedesigned to test knowledge of current events and of such matters of every day observations andexperience in their scientific aspect as may be expected of any educated person. The test willalso include questions relating to India and its neighbouring countries especially pertaining History,Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Policy & Scientific Research.

(C) Quantitative Aptitude: The questions will be designed to test the ability of appropriate use ofnumbers and number sense of the candidate. The scope of the test will be computation of wholenumbers, decimals ,fractions and relationships between numbers, Percentage. Ratio &Proportion,Square roots, Averages, Interest, Profit and Loss, Discount, Partnership Business,Mixture and Alligation, Time and distance, Time & Work, Basic algebraic identities of SchoolAlgebra & Elementary surds, Graphs of Linear Equations, Triangle and its various kinds of centres,Congruence and similarity of triangles, Circle and its chords, tangents, angles subtended by chordsof a circle, common tangents to two or more circles, Triangle, Quadrilaterals, Regular Polygons ,Circle, Right Prism, Right Circular Cone, Right Circular Cylinder, Sphere, Hemispheres,Rectangular Parallelepiped, Regular Right Pyramid with triangular or square base, Trigonometricratio, Degree and Radian Measures, Standard Identities, Complementary angles, Heights andDistances, Histogram, Frequency polygon, Bar diagram & Pie chart

(D): English Comprehension: Candidates’ ability to understand correct English, his basiccomprehension and writing ability, etc. would be tested.

The questions in Parts A, B, & D will be of a level commensurate with the essentialqualification viz. Graduation and questions in Part C will be of 10thstandard level.

Syllabus Tier 2 of the SSC CGL 2015:

Indicative Syllabus for Tier-II of the Examination:

Paper-I : Quantitative Ability : The questions will be designed to test the ability of appropriate use ofnumbers and number sense of the candidate. The scope of the test will be the computation ofwhole numbers, decimals ,fractions and relationships between numbers, Percentage. Ratio &Proportion,Square roots, Averages, Interest, Profit and Loss, Discount, Partnership Business,Mixture and Alligation, Time and distance, Time & Work, Basic algebraic identities of SchoolAlgebra & Elementary surds, Graphs of Linear Equations, Triangle and its various kinds ofcentres, Congruence and similarity of triangles, Circle and its chords, tangents, anglessubtended by chords of a circle, common tangents to two or more circles, Triangle,Quadrilaterals, Regular Polygons , Circle, Right Prism, Right Circular Cone, Right CircularCylinder, Sphere, Hemispheres, Rectangular Parallelepiped, Regular Right Pyramid withtriangular or square base, Trigonometric ratio, Degree and Radian Measures, StandardIdentities, Complementary angles, Heights and Distances, Histogram, Frequency polygon, Bardiagram & Pie chart.

Paper-II : English Language & Comprehsion: Questions in this components will be designed totest the candidate’s understanding and knowledge of English Language and will be based onspot the error, fill in the blanks, synonyms, antonyms, spelling/detecting mis-spelt words,idioms & phrases, one word substitution, improvement of sentences, active/passive voice ofverbs, conversion into direct/indirect narration, shuffling of sentence parts, shuffling ofsentences in a passage, cloze passage & comprehension passage.

Paper-III : Statistics for Investigator Grade-II, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation &Compiler in RGI.

Online Application form: http://ssconline.nic.in OR http://ssconline2.gov.in Last date to apply for part-i is 28th May.

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