The SSC CHSL syllabus looks enormous the first time you open it, and that is mostly a formatting problem rather than a real one. Tier-1 asks 25 questions each from General Intelligence, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English Language, and the arithmetic is described in the official syllabus as basic arithmetic skill - not the advanced algebra some coaching material implies. Tier-2 takes the same four subjects, makes the modules longer and adds a computer knowledge module and a typing test. This page sets out what is actually named in the syllabus for each section, how much each is worth, and which parts are qualifying rather than merit-bearing, so you can stop preparing topics that are not being asked.
Tier-1 is 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes, two marks a question with 0.50 deducted for a wrong answer, and recent notifications lock each of the four sections into a separate 15-minute window. Topic-wise, General Intelligence covers analogies, classification, series, coding-decoding, problem solving, Venn diagrams, space orientation, figure folding and completion, embedded figures and non-verbal reasoning. General Awareness spans India and its neighbours, history, culture, geography, the economic scene, general polity and scientific research. Quantitative Aptitude is stated as basic arithmetic skill - number systems, percentage, ratio and proportion, averages, interest, profit and loss, discount, mixture and alligation, time and work, time and distance - together with elementary algebra, geometry, mensuration, trigonometry and statistical charts. English Language covers error spotting, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, spellings, idioms and phrases, one word substitution, sentence improvement, active and passive voice, narration, sentence and passage rearrangement, cloze and comprehension. In Tier-2 each multiple-choice question carries three marks with one mark deducted for a wrong answer; Section-I and Section-II run for an hour each and the computer module for 15 minutes, with the skill or typing test held in a separate session. The computer module and the typing test are qualifying in nature - the merit is built from Section-I and Section-II. Always take the definitive topic list from the syllabus annexure in the notification for your own cycle.
The question bank of about 31,000 questions is organised the way the syllabus is, so you can sit down to do only mixture and alligation, or only one word substitution, and see how SSC has actually asked it across past papers instead of guessing the depth required.
Roughly 29,000 of the questions are genuine previous-year SSC questions carrying the Commission's own official answer keys. The bank is organised by subject and topic rather than by exam, so it is not filtered down to CHSL papers - but CHSL and CGL Tier-1 name the same four subjects, and reading twenty real SSC General Awareness questions teaches you where the syllabus boundary actually sits faster than reading the annexure twice.
After a mock, mistakes are sorted into conceptual, calculation, careless and time-pressure, and a seven-day plan is built from them. If your losses are clustered in geometry and idioms, the plan says so - rather than leaving you to re-read the entire syllabus again in panic.
Subject tutors for Quant, Reasoning, English and General Awareness answer in either language, which matters when a syllabus line like 'mixture and alligation' means nothing until somebody works one example with you. The free tier allows eight tutor messages a day and one AI mock analysis a week.
The topic lists overlap heavily - both cover the same four subjects and largely the same chapters - but the depth and the weight differ. CHSL's quantitative section is officially described as basic arithmetic skill and its English as basic knowledge of the language, while CGL's Tier-2 goes considerably deeper. The Tier-2 module sizes differ too: CHSL Tier-2 has 40 English questions and 20 General Awareness, against 45 and 25 in CGL. If you are preparing for both, prepare to the CGL depth and CHSL is comfortably covered.
It is a 15-question module of 45 marks written in a 15-minute slot, covering computer fundamentals - organisation of a computer, input and output devices, memory - along with basic software and the MS Office suite, working with the internet and email, and elementary networking and cyber security awareness. It is a qualifying module, so its marks do not add to your merit score, but you must clear it. A few focused hours are usually enough; it is not a section that rewards deep study.
No. The skill or typing test in Session-II of Tier-2 is qualifying only - you cannot be selected without clearing it, but the marks are not added to your final score. The final merit for CHSL is prepared from Section-I and Section-II of Tier-2. The required typing speed and the permitted error percentage are stated in the notification, and differ for English and Hindi typing and for PwBD candidates, so read that clause carefully rather than relying on what a senior told you.
General Awareness is a quarter of Tier-1 - 25 questions for 50 marks - and 20 questions for 60 marks in Tier-2 Section-II. The named areas are history, culture, geography, the economic scene, general polity, scientific research and India's neighbourhood. Because the syllabus is broad and the questions are short, it rewards a small daily habit rather than a study block: ten questions a day, reviewed, will cover more ground over three months than a week of frantic revision before the exam.
It is the foundation, but not the whole of it. Tier-2 keeps the same subjects and adds a computer module and a typing test, and it lengthens the modules - 30 questions of Mathematical Abilities and 40 of English, with three marks each and a full mark deducted for a wrong answer. The harder marking scheme is the real difference: the same accuracy that carries you through Tier-1 will cost you noticeably more in Tier-2. Start typing practice early, since speed there is built over weeks.
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