SSC GD Constable CBT: Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Fee Details

The  SSC GD Constable CBT is the written stage of the Staff Selection Commission's annual recruitment drive for Constable (General Duty) posts in India's Central Armed Police Forces, the Secretariat Security Force, and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles. It targets Class 10 pass candidates aged 18 to 23 who want a career in paramilitary or internal security forces. Clearing the CBT is the first and most heavily weighted hurdle before physical and medical rounds decide final selection.

SSC GD Constable CBT Exam Overview and Purpose

This exam exists to fill entry-level combat and support roles across forces such as the Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, and Assam Rifles. Rather than testing advanced subject knowledge, the CBT checks whether a candidate has the basic reasoning, awareness, numeracy, and language skills expected of a Matriculation-level recruit, since the physical and medical rounds that follow are what actually determine fitness for the job. The Commission runs this recruitment once a year, though the exact vacancy count and force-wise distribution change annually based on requisitions from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must be Indian citizens between 18 and 23 years of age, with the age calculated against a reference date fixed in that year's official notification. Reserved categories get standard age relaxation: 5 years for SC/ST candidates and 3 years for OBC candidates, in line with government norms. On education, a pass in Class 10 (Matriculation) or its equivalent from a recognized board is the only academic requirement — there is no minimum percentage threshold specified. Candidates also need to meet physical standards (height and chest measurements, which differ by gender and category) and medical fitness criteria, though these are assessed at the PST and medical stages rather than at the CBT itself. Since exact age-relaxation figures and physical standards can shift slightly between recruitment cycles, always cross-check the current notification on ssc.gov.in before applying.

SSC GD Constable CBT Exam Structure and Format

The CBT is a 60-minute, computer-based objective test with 80 multiple-choice questions carrying 160 total marks (2 marks per question). There's no sectional time limit, so candidates can allocate their hour across sections as they see fit. Each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks, while unattempted questions carry no penalty. The paper is split evenly across four sections of 20 questions each:

• General Intelligence & Reasoning — 20 questions, 40 marks

• General Knowledge & General Awareness — 20 questions, 40 marks

• Elementary Mathematics — 20 questions, 40 marks

• English/Hindi — 20 questions, 40 marks

The test is available in English, Hindi, and 13 regional languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, so candidates aren't disadvantaged by language background. To move forward to the Physical Efficiency Test, candidates typically need to clear a minimum qualifying mark that varies by category — this cutoff is announced with each year's results rather than fixed permanently, so check the current notification rather than relying on a past year's figure.

Syllabus / Domain Breakdown

The paper is pitched at Class 10 level across four domains:

General Intelligence & Reasoning covers analogies, classification, number and alphabet series, coding-decoding, blood relations, and both verbal and non-verbal reasoning patterns.

General Knowledge & General Awareness draws from current affairs, history, geography, Indian polity and the Constitution, culture, sports, and general science, with a stated emphasis on India and its neighboring countries.

Elementary Mathematics includes number systems, percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, discounts, mensuration, time and distance, time and work, and basic geometry.

English/Hindi tests grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and sentence-level correctness at a level appropriate for a Class 10 graduate; candidates choose either language for this section.

Registration Process

Applications open through the official SSC portal, ssc.gov.in, and candidates need a fresh One-Time Registration (OTR) on the new site — old registrations from the earlier ssc.nic.in portal aren't valid anymore. Broadly, the process involves completing OTR, filling in personal, educational, and category details, uploading a photograph and signature per the prescribed specifications, paying the fee if applicable, and submitting the form. Because exact screen-by-screen steps, document formats, and windows for form correction change slightly each cycle, treat this as general orientation only and follow the step-by-step instructions in that year's official notification PDF rather than a third-party guide.

Career Value

Clearing the SSC GD Constable exam leads directly into a government job in one of India's paramilitary forces, with pay under Level 3 of the pay matrix (roughly ₹21,700 to ₹69,100 basic, before allowances like dearness, transport, and house rent). Beyond the salary, the posting carries job security, a defined promotion ladder within the force, pension and medical benefits under central government service rules, and eligibility for further departmental exams later in a candidate's career. For many candidates from Class 10 educational backgrounds, it's one of the more accessible entry points into a stable, pensionable government career without needing a degree.

How AllExamQuestions.com Can Help

Since the CBT rewards speed and accuracy over deep subject expertise, familiarity with the question style and negative-marking pressure matters more than for many other exams. AllExamQuestions.com offers free practice tests covering all four SSC GD CBT sections, section-wise mock papers, and previous-year-style questions, so you can get a feel for pacing within the 60-minute window and identify which of the four sections needs more attention before exam day.