SSC CHSL 2026 Notification Out: 2536 LDC, JSA and DEO Vacancies, Apply by 7 October

The Staff Selection Commission has opened its Combined Higher Secondary Level (10+2) Examination for 2026, which is the main route for Class 12 pass candidates into clerical and data entry jobs in central government offices. Around 2,536 tentative vacancies are planned for Lower Division Clerk (LDC), Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA), Data Entry Operator (DEO) and DEO Grade 'A'. Applications are accepted online only, on the SSC website or the mySSC mobile app, until 7 October 2026. This page explains the official notice (F. No. HQ-C1102/5/2026-C-1, dated 07.09.2026) section by section: dates, fee, age rules, qualification, the two-tier exam, typing and skill tests, and the application steps.

SSC CHSL 2026 Notification: Overview

CHSL fills Group C posts across Ministries, Departments and Offices of the Government of India, and also in Constitutional Bodies, Statutory Bodies and Tribunals. SSC runs the exam and publishes the results. The indenting user departments decide the vacancies and reservation, and they also verify documents after the final result.

Final posts are allotted on merit and on the preferences you give. If you rank a post high and get it, but then fail its physical, medical or educational standard, the notice says your candidature will be rejected. You will not be moved to another post. Fill in post preferences only after checking each post's conditions.

SSC CHSL 2026 Important Links

SSC CHSL 2026 Important Dates

Note: The notice says the Tier-I and Tier-II schedules will be announced separately on the SSC website. Watch the "Latest News" area of ssc.gov.in and the website of your Regional Office.

SSC CHSL 2026 Application Fee

Pay online only, through BHIM UPI, net banking, or Visa, MasterCard, Maestro or RuPay debit cards, by 08.10.2026 (11:00 PM). The fee cannot be refunded. If you make changes in the correction window, there is a separate charge: Rs 200 for the first correction and Rs 500 for the second. These charges apply to every candidate, including those exempt from the exam fee. Only two correction attempts are allowed.

SSC CHSL 2026 Age Limit and Age Relaxation

You must be 18 to 27 years old on 01.08.2026. That means you were born on or after 02.08.1999 and on or before 01.08.2008. SSC uses only the date of birth in your Matriculation (Class 10) or equivalent certificate. It will not accept later requests to change it.

Wards of Ex-Servicemen get no age relaxation. Serving defence personnel can apply as Ex-Servicemen only if their engagement ends within one year of the closing date (07.10.2026). If you claim any relaxation, the user department will ask for the supporting certificate at document verification.

SSC CHSL 2026 Vacancy Details

The notice gives about 2,536 tentative vacancies for all the CHSL posts together. It does not yet give the split by post or category. SSC will publish that later on its website under Candidate's Corner > Tentative Vacancy. SSC does not collect state-wise or zone-wise figures, so ask the user departments for those.

Reservation for SC, ST, OBC, EWS, Ex-Servicemen and PwBD is set by each indenting ministry or department under government orders. SSC only selects candidates against the vacancies the departments report. Vacancies under the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are for male candidates only.

PwBD suitability by post

SSC CHSL 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Nationality

You must be an Indian citizen, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from one of the countries listed in the notice to settle permanently in India. Candidates in the non-citizen categories need an eligibility certificate from the Government of India.

Educational qualification (as on 07.10.2026)

If you are appearing in Class 12, you can apply, but you must hold the qualification on or before 07.10.2026. Distance and open learning degrees, diplomas and certificates count only under the conditions in the notice. Keep the equivalence order ready if your board is not a regular one.

SSC CHSL 2026 Selection Process

1. Tier-I: A computer-based objective test that shortlists candidates for Tier-II.
2. Tier-II, Session-I: Section-I (Mathematical Abilities and Reasoning), Section-II (English and General Awareness) and Section-III (Computer Knowledge Test, qualifying only), all on the same day.
3. Tier-II, Session-II: Section-IV, the skill test for DEO posts or the typing test for LDC/JSA. It is qualifying only.
4. Document verification: Done by the user departments after the final result, against the certificates listed in the notice.

The final merit list uses your total in Tier-II Sections I and II, provided you clear Sections III and IV. SSC may set separate cut-offs for three groups: DEO/DEO Grade 'A' in the Para 8.1 departments, DEO/DEO Grade 'A' in other departments, and LDC/JSA. Minimum qualifying marks in Tier-I and in each of Tier-II Sections I to III are:

Ties are broken in this order: higher marks in Tier-II Section-I, then higher marks in Tier-I, then the older candidate. Scores from multiple shifts are normalised using the method in SSC's notice of 02.06.2025.

SSC CHSL 2026 Exam Pattern

Tier-I (Computer Based Examination)

Questions are multiple choice. Parts II to IV are set in English, Hindi and the other languages listed in the notice. Each wrong answer in Tier-I costs 0.50 marks.

Tier-II, Session-I

Sections I, II and III deduct 1 mark for each wrong answer. You must qualify every section. The English part of Section-II is set in English only.

Tier-II, Session-II: Section-IV (Skill / Typing Test, qualifying)

Scribe-eligible candidates get 5 extra minutes in the skill or typing test. The Hindi typing test uses the Mangal font only. PwBD candidates who cannot type may be exempted under the conditions in Annexure-XIII of the notice.

SSC CHSL 2026 Syllabus (Brief)

The notice includes an indicative syllabus for both tiers. In brief:

English Language (Tier-I) / English Language and Comprehension (Tier-II)

• Spotting errors, fill in the blanks, synonyms, homonyms and antonyms, misspelt words, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, sentence improvement, active and passive voice, and direct and indirect speech.
• Rearranging sentence parts and sentences, cloze passages and comprehension. In Tier-II, at least one passage is simple (from a book or story) and another is based on a current-affairs editorial or report.

General Intelligence / Reasoning

• Verbal and non-verbal questions: semantic, symbolic, number and figural analogy, classification and series, Venn diagrams, space orientation, pattern folding and punched holes, embedded figures, coding-decoding, numerical operations, critical thinking, problem solving, and emotional and social intelligence.

Quantitative Aptitude (Tier-I) / Mathematical Abilities (Tier-II)

• Number systems, percentages, ratio and proportion, square roots, averages, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, discount, partnership, mixture and alligation, time and distance, and time and work.
• Basic algebra and graphs of linear equations, elementary geometry, mensuration, and trigonometry including heights and distances.
• Tier-I covers statistical charts. Tier-II goes further, into mean, median, mode, standard deviation and simple probability.

General Awareness

• Current events, everyday science, and India and its neighbouring countries, especially history, culture, geography, the economy, general policy and scientific research.

Computer Knowledge (Tier-II, Section-III)

• Computer organisation, CPU, memory and input/output devices, Windows and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), browsing, e-mail and e-banking, networking basics, and cyber-security threats and how to prevent them.

Visually handicapped candidates with 40% or more visual disability get no questions on maps, graphs, diagrams or statistical data in General Intelligence and Quantitative Aptitude.

SSC CHSL 2026 Salary / Pay Scale

The notice does not list allowances or in-hand salary: Check official notification. Selected candidates serve a two-year probation. All posts carry All India Service Liability, so you may be posted anywhere in the country. You may also need to learn the local language of the state you are posted to.

How to Apply for SSC CHSL 2026

1. Open https://ssc.gov.in or the mySSC app. If you have no One-Time Registration (OTR) on the new website, create one. OTRs made on the old ssc.nic.in website do not work.
2. Aadhaar authentication is optional but advised. If you skip it, upload proof of name, date of birth, address and gender, plus a photograph, to complete OTR.
3. Log in with your OTR and open the CHSL 2026 application form.
4. Enter your personal and educational details exactly as in your Matriculation certificate (name, father's name, mother's name, date of birth).
5. Pick three examination centres, in order of preference, within one SSC region. You cannot change them later.
6. Capture a live photograph through the application module. Use good light and a plain background, keep the camera at eye level, and do not wear a cap, mask or glasses. Do not photograph an existing photo.
7. Upload your scanned signature as a JPEG of 10–20 KB, about 6.0 cm wide and 2.0 cm high. PwBD candidates must also upload their disability certificate.
8. Preview the form, correct any mistakes, and submit it by 07.10.2026 (11:00 PM).
9. Pay the Rs 100 fee online by 08.10.2026 (11:00 PM), if applicable.
10. Print or save the submitted form and keep your records for future stages.

Important: Submit only one application during the normal period. If SSC finds more than one application from you with different registration numbers, it will reject all of them. In the correction window, the latest corrected application counts.

Documents Required for SSC CHSL 2026

• Matriculation (Class 10) certificate as proof of date of birth
• 12th Standard (or equivalent) mark sheet and certificate
• Equivalence order, if your qualification is declared equivalent
• Caste / category certificate for SC, ST, OBC (non-creamy layer, in the Annexure-X format) or EWS (Income and Asset certificate for 2026-27 based on 2025-26 income)
• Disability certificate for PwBD candidates, naming the specific type of disability
• Ex-Servicemen documents: undertaking (Annexure VIII), certificate (Annexure VII) and discharge certificate
• Certificate supporting any age relaxation claimed
• No Objection Certificate from your employer, if you are in government service
• Name-change documents, if applicable
• Two recent passport-size colour photographs and an original photo ID, for the exam day (needed only if you did not use Aadhaar authentication)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Applying with an OTR from the old ssc.nic.in site instead of creating one on ssc.gov.in.
• Entering a name or date of birth that differs from the Class 10 certificate.
• Photographing an existing photo instead of taking a live one, or wearing a cap or glasses in the live photo.
• Uploading a blurred, tiny or wrongly sized signature.
• Leaving the fee payment until the last hour and missing the deadline.
• Choosing the wrong post group when your 12th subjects do not include Mathematics (needed for DEO in the Para 8.1 departments).
• Submitting more than one application.

Preparation Tips

• Practise all four Tier-I parts under the 15-minute sectional timer. Time is split by section, so you cannot borrow minutes from one part for another.
• Avoid guessing. Tier-I deducts 0.50 marks and Tier-II deducts 1 mark for each wrong answer.
• Tier-II Sections I and II decide your rank, so give extra time to Mathematical Abilities, Reasoning, English and General Awareness.
• Start typing practice early. Section-IV is pass or fail, and every candidate must clear it.
• Revise MS Office, internet and cyber-security basics for the Computer Knowledge Test.

Frequently Asked Questions