How to apply for SSC Exams for 2024? - SSC CGL PDF Download

What is the SSC CGL Exam?

Candidates are assigned positions in the Central Government based on their performance in the SSC CGL exam, which is administered by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). In terms of the number of applicants who take the exam each year, the SSC CGL exam is currently one of the most popular exams. Every year, between 25 and 30 lakh students attempt the SSC CGL exam in an effort to land a position in the central government. The SSC CGL exam's success in India is also attributable to the fact that it only asks questions relevant to education up to the level of Class 10, excluding any from professional fields like engineering, medical law, etc.

SSC CGL Apply Online Highlights

The key details of SSC CGL registration and application are given below.

SSC CGL 2022 Online Application Dates
SSC CGL Tier 1 exam 2023 will be conducted in December 2023. All the important SSC CGL dates are listed in the table.

Prerequisites for SSC CGL Online Application

Candidates should keep the following documents and details handy before beginning to fill SSC CGL Application Form 2023.

Documents Required During Online Application

1. Scanned image of candidate’s passport-sized photo (specifications given below)
2. Scanned image of candidate’s signature (specifications given below)
3. Aadhaar Card or any other Photo ID Proof Number (also required at later stages)
4. Class 10th Roll Number, Marks, Board, Year of passing details.
5. Marksheet of class 10 and 12
6. Marksheet and certificate of graduation
7. Bank details, in case of online fee payment
8. PwD Certificate details, if applicable

Specifications for Photograph and Signature
The specifications for the scanned files of Photograph and Signature as mentioned in the detailed notification are given below.

• The scanned images must be in JPEG format. 
• The background of the photograph must be white in colour.
• The signature must be on a white paper in black or blue ink.

Details Required During Online Registration

1. Aadhaar Number/ Identity Card Number
2. Your name (exactly as given in Matriculation Certificate)
3. Father’s name (exactly as given in Matriculation Certificate)
4. Mother’s name (exactly as given in Matriculation Certificate)
5. Date of Birth (exactly as given in Matriculation Certificate)
6. Matriculation exam details like name of education board, roll number, year of passing.
7. Gender
8. Highest level of Educational Qualification
9. Your active mobile number, which will be verified through ‘One Time Password’ (OTP). If the Commission wants to relay any information to the candidates, it will be sent on the mobile number. It will also be used for retrieving the password later, if lost. 
10. Your email ID, which will be verified using an OTP. It will also be used as a medium of communication by the Commission. The Commission will send relevant information through the email ID. It is also used to generate and retrieve the registration number and password.
11. Details of the State or Union Territory of your permanent address. 
12. Information about your category
13. Your nationality details
14. Information about any visible identification mark. You may be required to show the mentioned identification mark at various stages of examination.
15. Details about the benchmark disability (if any). If you are suffering from any certain benchmark disability which has been identified as suitable for government jobs, then provide a valid Disability Certification Number. 
16. Information about your Permanent and Present Address. 

Details Required During Online Application

1. Preference of exam centres
2. Details of service if Armed Forces (if applicable)
3. Information about Cerebral Palsy (if applicable)
4. Details related to using a Scribe (if applicable)
5. Indication of the post (if applying for Junior Statistical Officer and Statistical Investigator Grade II in Registrar General of India)
6. Age relaxation category (if applicable)
7. Highest educational qualification
8. Qualifying educational qualification

SSC CGL Online Application 2023

The first step of the SSC CGL application process is registration. The candidates have to register themselves on the official website after which they will be able to fill the form. It must be noted that registration is a one-time process. If a candidate has already registered on the portal of SSC, he/she must not register again.

If you have not registered before, then follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Go to the official website of SSC CGL at ssc.nic.in. 

Step 2: Find the ‘Register Now’ link in the ‘Login’ section. 

Step 3: The registration window asks for some personal information. Fill in all the details and register yourself.

Step 4: Once the personal details are provided and saved, the mobile number and email ID will be verified using OTP.

Step 5: After the verification, all the data will be saved and the registration number will be visible on the screen.

Step 6: The registration number and password will be sent on the mobile number and email Id. Once you have your credentials, log in using the same. 

Step 7: A prompt to change the password will appear on the screen, change your password then.

Step 8: After changing the password, log in again using the registration number and new password.

Step 9: Once you have successfully logged in, the basic details entered during the registration process will be displayed on the screen. 

Step 10: Go through the information and edit it, if required. After confirming the details are correct, click on the ‘Next’ button at the bottom of the page. 

Step 11: At this point, some more details have to be entered. Once done, save all the data.

Step 12: Review all the information entered in the form very carefully and click on ‘Final Submit’. You can take a printout of the draft before the submission if you want.

Step 13: Read the declaration thoroughly and click on the ‘I agree’ checkbox.

Step 14: After final submission, two different OTPs will be sent on your mobile number and email ID. Enter both of them at their designated places. 

Note: It must be noted that the Registration Process, once started, must be finished within 14 days or the details saved so far will be deleted. 

Steps to Apply Online for SSC CGL 2023 Exam

The second step of the application process is filling out the application form. The application form is only available on the official website of SSC and must be submitted online. No hard copies of the application form will be accepted under any circumstances.

Candidates who have already registered for SSC CGL may follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Log in to the official website using your registration number and password. 

Step 2: Find the application form link under the ‘Latest Notifications’ tab and click on the ‘Apply’ button. 

Step 3: The information entered during the registration will be displayed, go through it.

Step 4: If you want to change the information, click on the ‘Modify Registration’ button given at the left-hand top corner of the dashboard and make the changes. 

Step 5: Once you are satisfied with the details of registration, proceed to the application. 

Step 6: Choose three exam centres within the same region. Mention all three of them in the order of preference.

Step 7: If you are serving or have served in the Armed Forces, enter the required details about the same. It must be noted that wards of servicemen/ ex-servicemen are not treated as ex-servicemen and must select the option ‘No’ in the required column.

Step 8: Mention if you are suffering from Cerebral Palsy or not.

Step 9: Indicate the requirement of a scribe for writing on your behalf in case of physical limitation for writing. 

Step 10: Select ‘Yes’ in the designated place if you are applying for the posts of Junior Statistical Officer or Statistical Investigator Grade II in the Registrar General of India. Please ensure that you possess the required educational qualification for the applying post.

Step 11: Mention the valid age-relaxation category if you are seeking the same.

Step 12: Provide details about your highest educational qualification and qualifying educational qualification.

Step 13: Upload your recent photograph and signature as per the specifications given in the notification. Those applications which contain blurred photographs or signatures will be rejected. There are some specimens of acceptable and not acceptable photographs given by the Commission. You can refer to them here. 

Step 14: Select the option ‘Yes’ if the photograph uploaded above is not more than three months old from the date of publication of the Notice of Examination. 

Step 15: Check the declaration carefully and click on the ‘I agree’ checkbox if you agree. Next, enter the captcha code. 

Step 16: Preview the application form and verify the information entered by you. If you want to correct/ change any detail, click on the button for ‘Edit/Modify’ and make the required corrections before proceeding further. 

Step 17: After verifying and editing, submit the application form. Make sure that every information is correct as you will not be able to make changes after the application is submitted. 

Step 18: Move on to the payment of fees if you are not exempted from paying the fees. 

Step 19: Fees can be paid online through BHIM UPI, Net Banking, by using Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, RuPay Credit or Debit cards or in cash at SBI Branches by generating SBI Challan.

Step 20: You should take a printout of the application form for their own records. Printout of the ‘Application Form’ is normally not required to be submitted to the Commission at any stage. However, you may be required to provide a printout of the online application form to address grievances related to online application, if any.

Note: When an application is successfully submitted, it will be accepted ‘Provisionally’.

SSC CGL Application Fee

The last step in the application process is to pay the SSC CGL application fee. The details about the same are listed below.

• The application fee for SSC CGL is INR 100 and it must be paid by every applicant, except those who are exempted from the same.
• The candidates who are exempted from paying the SSC CGL application fee are the Women candidates, Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, Person with Disabilities (PwD) candidates, and Ex-servicemen (ESM) candidates eligible for reservation. 
• SSC CGL application fees can be paid in both online and offline mode.
• The candidates opting the online payment of application fees can use BHIM UPI, Net Banking or Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, RuPay Credit/ Debit Cards. 
• While those candidates, who opt for the offline payment can download the SBI Challan after filling the application form and pay the cash at the nearest SBI branch. 
• After the closing date of filling the application form, the Commission provides an extra day to download the offline challan and then again an extra day for the payment of the same during the banking hours. However, online fees can be paid only till 23:30 hours of the last day of the filling of the application form.
• The candidates who are not exempted from fee payment have to ensure that they have paid their application fees to SSC. Until the fee is received by SSC, the status will be shown as ‘Incomplete’ at the top of the printed application form. To check the status of fee payment, the candidates can go to ‘Payment Status’ link in the login screen and verify the same. After the closing dates of fee payment (for both online and offline payment) the applications, which will remain incomplete due to non-payment of fees, will be rejected. 
• Once the payment of the application fees is done, it will not be refunded in any case. Nor will it be adjusted against any other exam or selection process.

Note: Save a copy of the filled-in SSC CGL application form and fee payment receipt.

How to Check SSC CGL Application Status?

SSC CGL application status window has been opened. The links for checking the status are released separately for each region. 

Step 1: Go to the official website of SSC CGL at ssc.nic.in.

Step 2: Find the ‘Admit Card’ icon at the top of the homepage and click on it.

Step 3: A new page with the list of links for regional websites will be displayed. 

Step 4: Click on the link for your regional website and it will open. 

Step 5: Select the link for the SSC CGL Application Status. 

Step 6: Log in by entering your unique registration number and date of birth. 

Step 7: The status of your application will be displayed. 

SSC CGL Registration Number and Password Retrieval

The registration credentials are required for downloading the filled-in application form, admit card and subsequent results. Thus, the candidates must keep them secured. In case they lose those credentials, they can follow the given steps to retrieve their SSC CGL registration password. 

Step 1: Open the login window of the application form.

Step 2: Now click the ‘Forgot Password’ option, available on the login window

Step 3: Next, a window will appear, containing the details like ‘Permanent State” and ‘Email ID or Mobile Number’

Step 4: The aspirants should fill in the details and then they will get an SMS to the mobile number and email id they provided.

SSC CGL Application Form: Points to Remember

There are some important points that the candidates must remember before and during the application process. 

• SSC CGL application forms must be submitted online only at the official website of SSC at ssc.nic.in. 
• While filling out the application form, the candidates are required to upload a scanned copy of their colored passport size in JPEG format. The file size must be between 20 and 50 KB. The photograph must not be more than 3 months old from the date of publication of the notice of examination. The dimension of the image must be about 3.5 cm (width) and 4.5 cm (height). 
• A scanned signature is also needed in JPEG format. The size of the file must be from 10 to 20 KB. It must not be illegible or blurred. The dimensions of the signature should be about 4.0 cm (width) x 2.0 cm (height).
• The candidate must not be wearing any cap or spectacles in the image and both of their ears must be visible.
• The candidate who does not upload a proper photograph will not be allowed to appear for the exam. His/ her candidature will be canceled.
• The applying candidates are advised to submit their online application forms much before the last date of the application process. They must not wait till the last date in order to avoid the possibility of disconnection/ inability/ failure in logging into the official website of SSC due to the heavy load on the website during the closing days. 
• If the candidates are not able to submit their applications before the last date because of the above-mentioned or any other reason which is beyond the control of the Commission, it will not be the responsibility of the Commission. 
• Before the final submission of the online applications, the candidates must check that they have filled correct information in all the fields of the form. If any information entered in the application form is found to be incorrect/ false/ misleading, the candidature of the applicant will be immediately cancelled.