What Tier-1 actually tests
SSC CGL Tier-1 is 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes, with a −0.5 penalty per wrong answer, across four sections: Quantitative Aptitude, General Intelligence & Reasoning, English Comprehension and General Awareness. At barely 36 seconds per question, speed is everything.
Section-by-section strategy
- Quantitative Aptitude: the biggest differentiator. Master arithmetic, then algebra, geometry and data interpretation; learn calculation shortcuts.
- Reasoning: the fastest to score — practise series, analogy, coding-decoding and puzzles daily.
- English: build vocabulary and drill grammar and cloze tests; high accuracy is achievable.
- General Awareness: static GK plus current affairs — a daily 20-minute habit compounds over months.
The 4-month plan
- Months 1–2: cover fundamentals of all four sections and start a daily current-affairs routine.
- Month 3: timed sectional drills to raise speed without losing accuracy; begin Tier-2 topics in parallel.
- Month 4: full-length Tier-1 mocks in the real CBT interface, plus focused Tier-2 practice for your target posts.
Mocks are the strategy
The candidates who clear SSC CGL are the ones who took the most well-analysed mocks. Start with the free SSC CGL Tier-1 mock and use the section-wise analytics to decide where your next hour of study goes. Browse more in the government exam catalog.