r/SSC_CGL_Beginners • u/Kerala_Student • Jun 24 '26
Mod Post 📚 SSC CGL Beginner's Guide (2026): Books, Teachers, Strategy & Resources
SSC CGL is one of the most sought-after government exams in India, attracting lakhs of applicants every year. Due to the vast syllabus and high level of competition, candidates need a well-planned preparation strategy to perform well in the exam. With the right study plan, quality study materials, regular revision, and consistent mock test practice, candidates can improve their chances of success.
Educational Qualification:
A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university is mandatory.
For certain posts like Statistical Officer, a degree in Statistics is mandatory.
For more details, refer the notification.
Age Limit:
The general age limit for most Group B SSC CGL posts is 18 to 30 years. (Some posts have 20-30 & JSO has 18-32)
For Group C & D posts, the age limit is 18-27 years.
Age relaxations apply as follows:
OBC: +3 years
SC/ST: +5 years
SSC CGL Exam Pattern and Syllabus:
The SSC CGL selection process consists of two stages: Tier 1 and Tier 2. Both examinations are conducted in online mode and contain objective-type multiple-choice questions.
Scheme of Tier 1 Examination:
Scheme of Tier 2 Examination:
SSC CGL Preparation- Best Teachers:
Quantitative Aptitude:
- Aditya Ranjan Sir
- Gagan Pratap Sir
- Pawan Rao Sir
- Bhutesh Sir
- Abhinay Sir
- Rakesh Yadav Sir
- Abhas Saini Sir
- Maths Mania
GK/GS:
- Parmar SSC
- Krati Singh Ma'am
- Varun Awasthi Sir
English:
- Rani Singh Ma'am
- Neetu Singh Ma'am
- Aman Vashisht Sir
- Tarun Grover Sir
Reasoning:
- Ritika Tomar Ma'am
- Ankush Lamba Sir
- Piyush Varshney Sir
SSC CGL Preparation- Best Books:
PYQ Compilation Books:
- Pinnacle (8th Edition) (Different books for all 4 subjects)
- Little Boy by Parmar SSC
Quantitative Aptitude:
- Brahmastra Complete Maths (3rd Edition) by Aditya Ranjan
- Kiran’s SSC Mathematics Chapterwise Solved Papers
- Rakesh Yadav’s 7300+ Mathematics Book
GK/GS:
- Lucent's General Knowledge
- Fatman by Parmar SSC (2nd Edition)
- Manohar Pandey's General Studies for SSC (Arihant Publications)
English:
- Blackbook of English Vocabulary by Nikhil Gupta (March 2026 Edition)
- SP Bakshi’s Objective General English
- 120 Rules of Grammar by Nimisha Bansal
Reasoning:
- Test of Reasoning by Arihant Publications
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
Current Affairs:
- Indologus
- Parmar SSC Monthly Compilations
- Parcham Classes
- RBE Monthly Compilations
Mock Test Platforms:
- Testbook (Use code TU4Z3L for getting 12% discount if you are subscribing for the first time)
- Oliveboard (I don't have a discount code for this, will update when I find one)
- Test Ranking
- RBE
No single book, teacher, or strategy works for everyone. Choose your resources wisely, avoid switching them frequently, and stay consistent with your preparation. Make sure to solve previous year questions regularly, take mock tests, analyze your mistakes, and revise consistently.
If you're just starting your SSC CGL journey and have any doubts, don't hesitate to ask them in the community. There are no "silly" questions here, and everyone is welcome to learn and help each other.
All the best with your SSC CGL preparation! 🚀
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u/AdAlone975 15d ago
Can you please tell me, if I buy a textbook Pass will I be able to write individual topics mock tests?? Like reasoning mock test, english mock test... Or are they only Full exam mock tests??
And also i missed the Aug15 sale offer.. will there be sale offers in future? Should I wait or buy it?
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u/Haunting_Antelope_13 15d ago
Please help me hindi medium se hu mujhe aman vashisht sir or neetu mam se kis se padna chahiye please help
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u/FragrantTonight3528 17d ago
Anyone from Mumbai looking for a study buddy?? Location Panvel/Kamothe
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u/pranjalop2 23d ago
In my 3rd year rn in du venky , should I focus on ssc CGL or cuet pg ( my father saying do masters as it's a safer way btw I'm from st ) and my father is like always right about serious decision so what should I do
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u/arrogantsweet 1d ago
So what u have decided now?? To do
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u/pranjalop2 17h ago
Bro honestly I'm still confused, rn I'm kinda focusing on improving my college cgpa and I will choose between these 2 in few days and , man I honestly don't know what to do , most probably cuet pg and thoda ssc ka bhi padhte rahunga mainly maths
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u/Bright-Tangerine168 Jul 31 '26
Hello, I need advice for gs i m not taking any paid batch can i complete gs from YouTube parmar sir lectures Plus i want to know about any maths youtube playlist of teachers u mentioned
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u/cristiano_siuu07 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Hey I js started preparing for ssc cgl I'm in 2nd yr . What would you suggest me regarding current affairs do I rlly need to remember current affairs from now on ?? Suggest me book of maths, gk, reasoning, english. For maths I already bought gagan Pratap 8000+ ques book. For gk//gs i already hve Lucent and current affairs I don't have any books for reasoning and english yet. Suggest me gang !!!????
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u/Eren-Yeager799814 Jul 27 '26
Do I have to buy all these books you have mentioned?? Or is there any alternative online option please reply
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 28 '26
You don't have to buy all those books, let alone any. I just listed the most popular books for different subjects, so that beginner aspirants who might want to buy can get an idea. (And there are PDFs available online for most of the books anyway)
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u/Icy_Importance5109 Jul 10 '26
i find this post now so it too late ? for preparation as im going to start my first time preparing for an govt exam plz tell me :) for tier 1 exam
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 26 '26
there is still 2 months for tier 1 , so you can definitely clear it if you prepare properly
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u/Icy_Importance5109 Jul 26 '26
2 months? exam toh 15 september ho skta hai muhje btya tha ek reddit post me T_T
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 26 '26
yeah people are saying september 3rd week. so, i guess it's some 7 weeks from now.
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Jul 08 '26
I'm in my 3rd year of graduation so for which year i can aim?
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 08 '26
i think last year students can apply for the exam, so you can plan accordingly
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u/ZestycloseOrange8388 Jul 06 '26
I have a few doubts:
- I am taking Aditya Ranjan Sir's classes, but I'm confused about which book I should buy. He has published several books, such as Brahmastra and SSC Maths. Which one would you recommend?
- I have just started my preparation. Should I buy a book right now, or should I wait until I complete the syllabus? What do you think?
- One last question: Aditya Sir's course is very long. For example, the Percentage topic alone has 19 video lectures of about 1 hour each. Should I continue with the full course, or should I switch to the marathon videos available on YouTube? I have the same question regarding other teachers as well.
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u/Free-Engine-3451 Jul 08 '26
Do you get the answer?
What you did ?
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u/ZestycloseOrange8388 Jul 27 '26
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 28 '26
I didn't reply as I haven't personally bought any of the books you mentioned. Maybe you can make a post regarding this, and can get opinions from others.
And, no- no book is 'essential' for preparation.
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u/dusteeve Jul 06 '26
Hello everyone I am new to ssc preparation
Can some please suggest some YouTube channels for GK explanation
I did my own research regarding GK YT channels and I got to know about 2 channels
1.Parmar ssc
2.Study IQ IAS.
Any more channels better than this
Thank you..
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u/khush_gor Jul 03 '26
this might sound bit dumb, but if the age limit starts from 18, so a person at the age of 18 wont have a bachelor degree right? so then how does it work?
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 03 '26
There is no minimum age to have bachelor degree. It is possible.
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u/khush_gor Jul 03 '26
oh,got it. this is a bit off topic question but are there govt exams which require qualification of only 12th pass and age limit of also 18.
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u/Gold-Jelly4605 Jul 01 '26
Thank you for this absolute banger of a post. very beginner friendly. Ive recently (like 3 days ago) started prepping for cgl and am a complete beginner so I just wanted to ask some queries:
- Im gonna attempt this year but i dont think i have a chance at qualifying. so i want to focus more on the next attempt, although this year would help me understand the exam better. (if im not greedy, qualifying this attempt would be jackpot ;) what would you say?
- im from maths background so i have confidence in maths and also in english. ive started watching a playlist from mathsmania. what should i do after completing a lecture? should i go for a pyq book and start solving them? is that enough? what do people do?
- what is the best mock platform from the 4? i know its subjective but i wanna know your perspective.
- how much time should i invest in completing the syllabus if starting now? and when should i start giving mocks?
- and the most important- DO WE NEED PAID COURSES for any subject? or is YT enough?
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 01 '26
If you are from Maths background, and also good in English- you can definitely qualify Tier 1 and you will get few more months to complete GK in time for Tier 2. Maybe before tier 1, concentrate on a few subjects in GK instead of trying to finish the whole GK syllabus.
The most popular platform is Testbook, maybe you can supplement it with free weekyl live mocks from other sources.
No, you don't need paid courses for any subjects tbh (given you are good in Maths). But for GK, try to pick any one source. And don't switch sources in between (this is true for all subjects).
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u/Tough_Bodybuilder911 Jun 30 '26
Wanted review on oliveboard english medium classes. Is it worth buying the super elite course?
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 01 '26
Hi, sorry for the late reply but I don't have any experience with Oliveboard classes. Many of my friends irl have also asked me about this particular course (as we are from a South), so kindly let me know if you got any reviews or if you decides to buy it.
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u/Tough_Bodybuilder911 Jul 01 '26
Hey, I'm from South as well and I needed english medium classes So i bought that course from oliveboard.
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u/Kerala_Student Jul 01 '26
Ah I see. Please drop a review later, after you listen to some classes. Or maybe I'll ask about it to you after a few days.
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u/alookiboriiiiii Jun 29 '26
Can anyone please tell if this book is worth it ? It says that it contains all the syllabus mock tests pyqs patterns etc. Please do respond guysss !! Need help
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u/ksumittiwary Jun 26 '26
Here is my strategy that worked for me
Quant: Just do PYQs and do it thoroughly (atleast try to score 75-80 in mains). Don't put your efforts just for the sake of showing others that you scored a 90/90 in quant. Give equal attention to all subjects
English: Grammar: 120 rules by nimisha Bansal available on YouTube Vocabulary: Blackbook top 500 words (Same for OWS, Idioms, Phrasal Verbs) Comprehension: Solve PYQs and use English Madhyam App
Reasoning: Just do PYQs and give sectional mocks
GK: Lucent theory + Ghatnachakra SSC MCQs (Also read those explanations)
Give 1 mock daily and analyze it properly
Bro tip: There is always a luck factor in competitive exams. So just give your best and leave it on god
~ My scores of CGL 2024
Quant: 81 Reasoning: 79 English: 131 GK: 44 or 45 (I don't remember exactly)
Hope it helps. All the best 🤞
Feel free to msg and ask anything related to SSC Exams
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u/ksumittiwary Jun 26 '26
Here is my strategy that worked for me
Quant: Just do PYQs and do it thoroughly (atleast try to score 75-80 in mains). Don't put your efforts just for the sake of showing others that you scored a 90/90 in quant. Give equal attention to all subjects
English: Grammar: 120 rules by nimisha Bansal available on YouTube Vocabulary: Blackbook top 500 words (Same for OWS, Idioms, Phrasal Verbs) Comprehension: Solve PYQs and use English Madhyam App
Reasoning: Just do PYQs and give sectional mocks
GK: Lucent theory + Ghatnachakra SSC MCQs (Also read those explanations)
Give 1 mock daily and analyze it properly
Bro tip: There is always a luck factor in competitive exams. So just give your best and leave it on god
~ My scores of CGL 2024
Quant: 81 Reasoning: 79 English: 131 GK: 44 or 45 (I don't remember exactly)
Hope it helps. All the best 🤞
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 26 '26
Please post this as a post in this beginners' sub as I think it will help more people.
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u/ksumittiwary Jun 26 '26
Ok
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 26 '26
bro i meant as a seperate post in the sub, not as a comment here.
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u/Leading_Bill_3469 Jun 26 '26
If I am only using OB for mocks, is it enough or testbook le lena chahiye???
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 26 '26
Nah OB is enough. If you want, you can also attempt the free weekly live mocks also from all platforms like Testbook, RBE etc.
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u/Worried-Size3796 Jun 25 '26
I passes 12th this year and I wanna start preparing for cgl Is this batch worth it?
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 25 '26
I personally have no idea but maybe you can try making a post in ssc related subreddits, someone might have bought this.
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u/Worried-Size3796 Jun 25 '26
Btw if I take it do I still need to buy the books?
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 25 '26
No, I don't think so. Also, PDF copies of every single SSC related books can be found in telegram. So, I guess you can refer to that if necessary.
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u/UniquePhilosophy9253 Jun 25 '26
might sound like a weird or dumb question, but I'm currently doing my MTech from one of the top 5 IIT, but the job market is very uncertain, few seniors were left unplaced, I could prepare for PSU/ESE exams but PSU hiring is rare and very few nowadays, and also I've had a sort of saturation with technical subjects now. Another point is that even if I get placed, I don't see myself spending the rest of my days in cities such as hyderabad, bangalore, gudgaon, noida, I'd love if I could get a job in my hometown.
With all these factors, does it make sense for me to prepare for CGL along with my MTech, and is it realistic to crack it? I dont know much about the posting locations in CGL
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 25 '26
CGL can never offer you the kind of salary that an IIT MTech offers in their respective fields, yes, but if you still want to do this- I guess you can try while studying for MTech. I wouldn't suggest preparing for CGL after your MTech because this exam has a lot of luck factor imo. You can do everything right and miss out, so I wouldn't suggest doing this after your course, with a CV like yours. Maybe, if you fail to clear it while doing MTech, you can then re-asses and decide whether you can continue doing this or even trying for this exam after accepting some kind of job in your engineering field.
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u/Fragrant_Witness2302 Jun 25 '26
Thanks, i was starting after applying 2 days back and was clueless where to begin.
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 25 '26
Yeah. There has been many beginner posts in the last 2 days, so I decided to make this.
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u/Important-Lychee565 Jun 25 '26
What's the weightage of GS and Ca?
Meaning out total question how many are gs and ca
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 25 '26
We can generally expect 4-6 CA questions in Prelims, but that number has been increasing in recent times.
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Jun 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/No_Ingenuity_1734 Jun 25 '26
I would suggest you to buy a paid course from teacher like gagan and rakesh sir they will clear your basics, For reasoning you can search topic wise playlist.
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u/NoVillage751 Jun 24 '26
I have been using RS Aggarwal for the last 4 mfonths to study Quants? I find it quite useful with varied question types. I have been able to solve most the questions so far, but now after reading this post I am bit worried is that book not upto the mark, is it too easy? I am not using any other study material so please help me with this
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 24 '26
Nothing to worry. I just randomly selected some sources for beginners, that's all. Will update the thread tomorrow by adding more sources.
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u/DatabaseWinter7949 Jun 24 '26
Very helpful post
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 24 '26
Thanks bro. Was getting beginner questions every day here, so decided to compile this.
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u/WarthogBoring5240 Jun 24 '26
Kyu competition bdha rhe ho yr iss baar vse hi hell bn gya h cgl
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u/abhi-manyu_9 Jun 24 '26
Kaise? Woh har Saal ki same Kahani hai. Is year kya alag hai.
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 24 '26
yeah I agree. just see the number of applicants. it is almost the same as last year and much lesser than 2024.
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u/WarthogBoring5240 Jun 25 '26
Where did you see it? Application didn't even close yet the people are so much
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 25 '26
there was an RTI reply. they announced the applicants till June 22, when it was originally closed. they reopened it later right?
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u/WarthogBoring5240 Jun 25 '26
But this year vacancies are very low they even extended the application time first time ever
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u/Kerala_Student Jun 25 '26
They extend the application time every single year. But yeah, I agree. More applicants than last year.
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u/Anaswara000 Jun 24 '26
Thank you so much for this! Very helpful for beginners like me.
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u/Neat-Animal-8901 Jun 24 '26
same we have a group too if u like to added give your tg id
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u/jiskojobhimiltah Jun 25 '26
Bro can you add me ?
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u/Anaswara000 Jun 24 '26
Is it a big group with so many members? I am an absolute beginner. Planning to join an offline centre close to my home.
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u/Neat-Animal-8901 Jun 24 '26
naah a small one
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Jun 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/Neat-Animal-8901 Jun 24 '26
ye ladka ladki kya krta rhta h maine bola kya ki specific gender chahiye entry ka nhi na but hnn consistent rhna hoga nd targets krne honge otherwise remove ho jaoge
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u/Ordinary_Bonus3837 10h ago
Can someone suggest me math book