SSC CHSL 2026: complete exam guide
SSC CHSL 2026: 2,536 LDC, JSA and DEO posts for 12th-pass candidates. Check dates, eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus, salary and cut-off.
Updated 22 October 2026
SSC CHSL at a glance
- Conducting body
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
- Advertisement no.
- HQ-C1102/5/2026-C-1 (released 7 September 2026)
- Posts
- LDC / JSA, DEO, DEO Grade 'A'
- Vacancies
- 2,536 (tentative)
- Qualification
- 12th (10+2) pass from a recognised board
- Age limit
- 18–27 years as on 01-08-2026 (relaxation as per rules)
- Application window
- 7 September – 7 October 2026
- Tier 1 exam
- 30 November – 31 December 2026 (proposed)
- Application fee
- ₹100 (women, SC, ST, PwBD, ESM exempt)
- Pay scale
- Pay Level 2 to 5 (₹19,900 – ₹92,300)
What is SSC CHSL?
SSC CHSL (Combined Higher Secondary Level Examination) is the Staff Selection Commission's national-level recruitment exam for 12th-pass candidates. It fills Group C clerical and data entry posts in central government ministries, departments, constitutional bodies and tribunals. The 2026 notification (Advertisement No. HQ-C1102/5/2026-C-1) was released on 7 September 2026 with 2,536 tentative vacancies.
Posts offered
- Lower Division Clerk (LDC) / Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) – Pay Level 2
- Data Entry Operator (DEO) – Pay Level 4
- Data Entry Operator Grade 'A' – Pay Level 5
Who can apply?
Anyone who has passed Class 12 from a recognised board and is 18 to 27 years old on 1 August 2026, with category-wise age relaxation. A few DEO posts require Science with Mathematics at the 12th level. Full rules are on the SSC CHSL eligibility page.
SSC CHSL 2026 key dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification and application start | 7 September 2026 |
| Last date to apply | 7 October 2026 (11:00 PM) |
| Fee payment deadline | 8 October 2026 (11:00 PM) |
| Correction window | 14–16 October 2026 |
| Tier 1 exam | 30 November–31 December 2026 (proposed) |
Selection process
- Tier 1 – computer-based objective test, qualifying only.
- Tier 2 – computer-based test that decides the merit, plus a qualifying Computer Knowledge module and typing / skill test.
- Document verification and the final list (now published as "FRTA/Result").
There is no interview. Tier 1 has 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes with 0.50 marks deducted per wrong answer; see the SSC CHSL exam pattern for Tier 2.
What changed in 2026
- All three exam-centre choices must be inside a single SSC Region.
- The answer key challenge fee is down from ₹100 to ₹50 per question.
- Mangal font is mandatory for the Hindi typing test for LDC/JSA.
- The sliding mechanism for tier-wise cut-offs has been formally adopted.
Use the tabs above for the syllabus, salary, cut-offs and results.