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The SSC CHSL Tier 1 Exam Analysis is one of the most practical tools available to candidates preparing for the 2026 cycle. For those who appeared in the 2025 exam (conducted November 12 to 30, 2025), it helps estimate performance and understand the normalisation impact. For those preparing for the 2026 exam scheduled between July and September 2026, it provides the most current and accurate benchmark for difficulty level, question type distribution, section-wise strategy, and safe score targets.
This page covers the complete SSC CHSL Tier 1 2025 exam analysis, including the overall difficulty rating, section-wise breakdown for all four subjects, topic-wise question distribution, good attempt ranges, year-wise comparison from 2021 to 2025, and key preparation lessons for the 2026 cycle.
SSC has officially prohibited discussion of exam questions, including topics or memory-based analysis, to maintain exam integrity. Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, sharing question content from active exam windows is punishable with imprisonment and heavy fines. As a result, individual question reproduction is not permitted.
All analysis on this page is based on:
| Parameter Detail | |
| Exam Dates | November 12 to 30, 2025 |
| Shifts Per Day | 3 shifts daily |
| Total Questions | 100 (25 per section) |
| Total Marks | 200 (50 per section) |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Negative Marking | 0.50 marks per wrong answer |
| Sections | General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, English Language and Comprehension |
| Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Overall Difficulty | Easy to Moderate |
| Total Candidates Shortlisted for Tier 2 | 37,520 |
As per the feedback received from candidates who appeared in various shifts, the overall difficulty level of the paper was Moderate. Some sections were straightforward, while others required deeper conceptual understanding and time management.
Students mentioned that the paper was balanced and predictable, with no unusual or surprising questions. This assessment is consistent with the easy-to-moderate difficulty rating observed in the 2022 and 2024 cycles, confirming a stable difficulty pattern in SSC CHSL Tier 1 over recent years.
The good attempts for the SSC CHSL Tier 1 exam are 77 to 84 questions. This range reflects strong preparation. Candidates who attempted 77 or more questions with accuracy rates above 88 percent had a high probability of clearing the Tier 1 cutoff for LDC/JSA posts.
| Date Shift Overall Difficulty Good Attempts (Approx.) | |||
| November 12, 2025 | Shift 1 | Moderate | 77 to 82 |
| November 12, 2025 | Shift 2 and 3 | Easy to Moderate | 79 to 84 |
| November 18, 2025 | All Shifts | Easy to Moderate | 79 to 84 |
| November 18, 2025 | Shift 3 | Easy to Moderate | 80 to 85 |
| November 20 to 30, 2025 | Various | Easy to Moderate | 78 to 84 |
The SSC CHSL 2025 Tier-1 overall exam analysis shows: Overall Exam: Easy to Moderate; English Language: Easy; Reasoning Ability: Easy; Quantitative Aptitude: Easy to Moderate.
| Observation Detail | |
| Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate |
| Good Attempts | 22 to 24 out of 25 |
| Most Frequent Topics | Number Series, Coding-Decoding, Analogy, Non-verbal Reasoning |
Key topics in the Reasoning section included Number Series, Coding-Decoding, Cube and Dice, Syllogism, Blood Relation, and Mathematical Operator questions.
Reasoning was the most scoring section across all 2025 exam shifts. Most candidates rated it as the easiest section with the fastest question resolution time. Series and Analogy together accounted for approximately 7 to 10 of the 25 questions in most shifts.
Topic-wise distribution observed in 2025 Reasoning section:
| Topic Average Questions per Shift Difficulty | ||
| Number and Alphabetical Series | 3 to 5 | Easy |
| Analogy | 3 to 4 | Easy |
| Coding-Decoding | 2 to 3 | Easy to Moderate |
| Non-verbal (Mirror, Paper Folding, Embedded) | 3 to 5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Classification / Odd One Out | 2 to 3 | Easy |
| Syllogism | 1 to 2 | Easy |
| Blood Relations | 1 to 2 | Easy to Moderate |
| Direction Sense | 1 to 2 | Easy |
| Mathematical Operations | 1 | Easy |
| Miscellaneous | 1 to 2 | Moderate |
Key observation: Reasoning delivered the most consistent scoring across all shifts. Candidates who had practised Series, Analogy, Coding-Decoding, and non-verbal topics thoroughly scored 22 or above out of 25 in this section in most shifts.
| Observation Detail | |
| Difficulty Level | Moderate |
| Good Attempts | 17 to 21 out of 25 |
| Most Frequent Topics | Current Affairs, History, Science |
General Awareness was the most variable and most challenging section across shifts. The difficulty ranged from Moderate in most shifts to slightly above Moderate in a few. Shift 2 had slightly more calculation-based Maths and a few trickier GK questions. Even then, the paper stayed within the Easy to Moderate range.
Similar to the previous day's exam, the General Awareness section on 3rd August mainly featured questions from Static GK. Topics such as traditional dances, major awards, and sports were commonly covered.
Topic-wise distribution observed in 2025 General Awareness section:
| Topic Average Questions per Shift Difficulty | ||
| Current Affairs (6-8 months preceding exam) | 8 to 12 | Moderate to Hard |
| History (Modern and Ancient) | 4 to 6 | Easy to Moderate |
| Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) | 3 to 5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Indian Polity | 2 to 3 | Moderate |
| Geography | 2 to 3 | Easy to Moderate |
| Economics and Banking | 1 to 2 | Moderate |
| Sports, Awards, Static GK | 2 to 4 | Easy to Moderate |
| Computer Knowledge | 1 | Easy |
Key observation: Candidates who maintained consistent current affairs revision for 6 to 8 months before the exam scored 20 to 22 in GA. Those who had not followed current affairs regularly scored 12 to 16 in the same section, a gap of 8 to 10 marks that alone determines cutoff clearance for many candidates.
| Observation Detail | |
| Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate |
| Good Attempts | 20 to 23 out of 25 |
| Most Frequent Topics | Arithmetic, Geometry, Mensuration |
Quantitative Aptitude was rated Easy to Moderate across most 2025 shifts. The Quantitative Aptitude paper was found to be of easy to moderate difficulty. Topics like divisibility rules and Algebra were more prominent in some shifts.
Major topics in the Quantitative Aptitude section included arithmetic-based questions on Percentage, Profit and Loss, Time and Work, and basic Geometry.
Topic-wise distribution observed in 2025 QA section:
| Topic Average Questions per Shift Difficulty | ||
| Arithmetic (Percentage, Profit/Loss, SI/CI, TW, TSD, Ratio, Average) | 12 to 16 | Easy to Moderate |
| Geometry and Mensuration | 3 to 5 | Easy to Moderate |
| Number System and Simplification | 2 to 3 | Easy |
| Trigonometry | 1 to 2 | Moderate |
| Algebra | 1 to 2 | Easy to Moderate |
| Data Interpretation | 1 to 2 | Easy |
| Statistics | 1 | Easy |
Key observation: Arithmetic dominated as expected. Candidates who built fast calculation methods for Percentage, Profit/Loss, SI/CI, and Time-Work problems completed the QA section in 16 to 18 minutes, leaving more time for General Awareness review. Those who relied on lengthy methods spent 22+ minutes in QA and rushed through GA.
| Observation Detail | |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Good Attempts | 22 to 24 out of 25 |
| Most Frequent Topics | Vocabulary, Error Spotting, Cloze Test, Reading Comprehension |
English was the easiest section across all 2025 shifts, consistently rated as Easy by candidates from multiple exam centres and cities.
The English section covered Vocabulary, Cloze Test, Antonyms, Idioms, Error Detection, and Voice Change questions.
Observation: Students found the Cloze Test extremely easy; Para Jumble was logical and solvable without confusion. Reasoning was slightly more diverse than Shift 1, but still fully manageable.
Topic-wise distribution observed in 2025 English section:
| Topic Average Questions per Shift Difficulty | ||
| Synonyms and Antonyms | 3 to 5 | Easy |
| Fill in the Blanks | 2 to 4 | Easy |
| Error Spotting | 2 to 4 | Easy to Moderate |
| Cloze Test | 2 to 4 | Easy |
| Idioms and Phrases | 2 to 3 | Easy to Moderate |
| Reading Comprehension | 2 to 4 | Easy to Moderate |
| One-word Substitution | 2 to 3 | Easy |
| Sentence Improvement | 1 to 2 | Easy to Moderate |
| Para Jumbles | 1 to 2 | Easy |
| Active and Passive Voice | 1 | Easy |
| Direct and Indirect Speech | 1 | Easy |
Key observation: English was the fastest and most reliable scoring section in 2025. Candidates who had built a strong vocabulary bank and practised grammar rules consistently scored 22 to 24 out of 25 in this section. No candidate with reasonable English preparation should score below 18 in this section.
| Section Questions Good Attempts (2025) Equivalent Marks | |||
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 22 to 24 | 44 to 48 |
| General Awareness | 25 | 17 to 21 | 34 to 42 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 20 to 23 | 40 to 46 |
| English Language | 25 | 22 to 24 | 44 to 48 |
| Total | 100 | 77 to 84 | 154 to 168 |
With 88 percent accuracy on 80 attempts, a candidate scores approximately 160 marks (80 correct × 2 = 160, minus 0 wrong-answer deductions at 88% = ~10 wrong × 0.5 = 5 deduction = 155 net). This comfortably exceeds the 2024 cutoff of 157.36 for LDC/JSA UR category.
| Exam Year Overall Difficulty Good Attempts UR Cutoff LDC/JSA | |||
| 2025 | Easy to Moderate | 77 to 84 | 156 (approx.) |
| 2024 | Easy to Moderate | 78 to 85 | 157.36 |
| 2022-23 | Easy to Moderate | 75 to 83 | 155.31 |
| 2021-22 | Moderate | 72 to 80 | 157.65 |
| 2023 | Easy | 80 to 88 | 133.11 (low vacancy year) |
The consistent Easy to Moderate difficulty from 2021 to 2025 confirms that the CHSL Tier 1 difficulty band is stable. The 2023 cycle saw an unusually low cutoff (133.11) because of a very small vacancy count (1,369), not because the exam was easier. In fact, 2023 was rated slightly easier than 2024, which pushed attempts higher but the low vacancies pulled the required score down.
The 2025 analysis generates four clear strategic insights for the 2026 exam.
English being consistently Easy makes it a "protect and maximise" section. A candidate who drops below 20 in English on exam day has underperformed relative to the section's difficulty. No preparation effort should be diverted away from English during the final 4 weeks.
Reasoning is Easy to Moderate with predictable question types. Series, Analogy, and Non-verbal together account for 10 to 12 of the 25 questions. Practising these three topic groups daily builds the speed to complete Reasoning in 12 to 14 minutes, freeing up time for GA.
GA is the section that separates candidates who score 155 from those who score 170. Current affairs from 6 to 8 months before the exam is the highest-return preparation activity. In the 2026 exam (July-September 2026), current affairs from approximately November 2025 to September 2026 will be relevant.
QA is Easy to Moderate. The challenge is time, not concepts. Fast calculation in Arithmetic topics (20 to 25 seconds per question using approximation methods) is what allows candidates to complete QA in 16 minutes and use the remaining 4 minutes reviewing flagged questions.
| Category Exam History Cutoff Range Mock Test Target Safe Mock Score | |||
| UR (LDC/JSA) | 133 to 157 | 162 to 168 | 165 to 170 |
| OBC | 130 to 157 | 159 to 165 | 163 to 168 |
| SC | 118 to 140 | 147 to 154 | 152 to 158 |
| ST | 110 to 130 | 137 to 144 | 142 to 148 |
| UR (DEO) | 174 to 176 | 180 to 184 | 182 to 186 |
Consistently hitting these scores in the SSC CHSL Tier 1 Test Series under strict 60-minute conditions provides a strong safety buffer above historical cutoffs, accounting for difficulty variation and normalisation.
The SSC CHSL Tier 1 2026 exam is scheduled for July to September 2026. Once the exam is conducted, this page will be updated with:
Bookmark this page and check back after July 2026.
What was the difficulty level of SSC CHSL Tier 1 2025? The overall difficulty level of the SSC CHSL Tier 1 exam was easy to moderate.
How many good attempts are enough for SSC CHSL Tier 1? The good attempts for the SSC CHSL Tier 1 exam are 77 to 84 questions. With 88 percent accuracy on 80 attempts, the expected raw score is approximately 155 to 160, which is at or above the historical cutoff for LDC/JSA posts.
Which section was the easiest in SSC CHSL Tier 1 2025? English Language was rated Easy across all three shifts. Reasoning was a close second, also rated Easy to Easy-Moderate across most shifts.
Which section was most challenging in 2025? General Awareness was the most variable and challenging section, particularly for candidates who had not maintained consistent current affairs preparation over 6 to 8 months.
Can questions from the exam be discussed? SSC has officially prohibited discussion of exam questions, including topics or memory-based analysis, to maintain exam integrity. SSC has stated that anyone who breaks this rule could face heavy fines and even jail time.