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Reading the right books and having good study material can make all the difference and help the candidate ace any exam. Candidates preparing for the SSC CG often get confused with a wide variety of books available in the market and they find it challenging to choose the best Staff Selection Commission book for SSC CGL. To make it easier for the aspirants, we’ve prepared the list of best SSC CGL Books for all subjects: English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning, and General awareness.

SSC Syllabus Books for Preparation

To ace the SSC CGL exam it is important to choose exam-oriented, syllabus-optimised, and comprehensive books. Earlier the exam was conducted in four tiers, but now there is a change in the exam pattern. According to the latest SSC CGL Selection Process, Tier III and Tier IV have been removed and there will be only two stages: Tier I and Tier II.  The candidates who crack the CGL Tier I exam will be shortlisted for the Tier II exam. Therefore, it is crucial to be selective about the SSC CGL books and curate a systematic study plan.

Below we have mentioned the best SSC CGL books according to the subjects, such as the best English book for SSC CGL and so on.

English Books for SSC CGL

General Knowledge Books for SSC CGL 

Quantitative Aptitude Books for SSC CGL 

General Intelligence & Reasoning Books for SSC CGL

SSC CGL Preparation Tips 2023

The candidates who are preparing for the SSC exam must have a good study plan and strategy to crack SSC CGL 2022. Some of the hands-on tips for the aspirants are:

• Know the latest SSC CGL syllabus and exam pattern.
• Try to appear for as many mock tests and previous year’s question papers.
• Be consistent with your study routine
• While practising, use a timer to increase efficiency and time management skill.
• Make sure you don’t lose marks in negative marking.
• Read the newspaper daily, and stay up to date with current affairs to strengthen general awareness.
• Most importantly, revise each section.

SSC CGL Books FAQs

Question. Which are the best English book for SSC CGL?
Answer. Generally candidates gets confused to choose the best books for SSC CGL English section. Here we’ve recommended some of the best SSC CGL books for English section:

• Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi
• A Plinth to Paramount by Neetu Singh
• Word Power Made Easy
• A Mirror of Common Errors by A.K Singh

Question. Which are the best books to prepare for the SSC CGL exam?
Answer. Since the SSC CGL exam 2022 is just around the corner, here are some of the best SSC CGL books that we’ve suggested in the article above. But ensure that you pick one book at a time, and solve as many mock tests and question papers.

Question. Which SSC CGL books should I study for General Knowledge?
Answer. There are many books available in the market for SSC CGL GS preparation but Lucent GK by Dr Binay Karna and Manwendra Mukul is the oe you can’t afford to miss. 

Question. How to prepare for SSC CGL exam?

Answer. To prepare for the SSC CGL exam you must select the right books for your preparation and follow a systematic study pattern. Make sure to solve previous years papers and attempt as many mock tests as possible. 

Question. Which is the best Math book for SSC CGL?
Answer.Here are some books for SSC CGL – Maths

• Quicker Maths – M Tyra.
• Elementary and Advanced Maths – Kiran.
• Quantitative Aptitude – Dr. R.S Agarwal.
• Advanced Maths – Rakesh Yadav.
• SSC Mathematics 5800+ by Kiran Publication
• Maths textbooks (Class 6-11) – NCERT.

Question. Which are the best reasoning books for SSC CGL exam?
Answer. Lucent Reasoning by Arihant Publication is the best reasoning book for SSC CGL. Here are a few more books to improve your reasoning skills

• Logical and Analytical Reasoning – A.K. Gupta
• Analytical Reasoning – M.K. Pandey
• Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – Dr R.S. Agarwal

To perform well in reasoning,  you must pay good attention to the exam syllabus.

 Question. What books should I buy for SSC CGL?
Answer. To ace the SSC CGL exams, the aspirants must choose the books that are suggested as well as suited to them. There are various books for each subject like Arihant, RS Aggarwal, Arun Sharma. The candidates can also start with NCERT books and then move to advanced ones.

Written by 

Mr Anubhav Luthra
Career Mentor

He has over 20+ years of experience in teaching, motivating and counselling students to get their dream job, 10,000+ students mentored by him have succeeded in the field analytically chosen by him. He follows the slogan Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached by Swami Vivekananda.

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has announced the revision of the SSC CGL 2023 selection process in the official notification. As per the reviewed SSC CGL selection process, there are three stages in the SSC CGL exam – Tier I, Tier II and Document Verification (DV). 

The candidates must appear for all the stages of the SSC CGL exam. As per the revised SSC CGL selection process, the final selection is made based on marks in Tier I and Tier II. To know more about the SSC CGL selection process in 2022, read the full article below.

SSC CGL Selection Procedure: Overview

SSC CGL Selection Process – Tier I

After filling the SSC examination form, the candidates are called for the SSC CGL Tier I exam of the SSC CGL selection process. As per the SSC CGL exam pattern, the Tier I exam has 100 questions for 200 marks. For every correct answer, the aspirants get 2 marks each and a 0.50 mark is deducted for every wrong answer. For more details, the aspirants can also take a look at the table below to understand the weightage of each section for each tier. 

SSC CGL Selection Process – Tier II

According to the SSC CGL exam pattern, the candidates who qualify for the CGL Tier I exam are eligible to appear for the Tier II and Tier III exam of the SSC CGL recruitment process. The Tier II exam comprises three papers – Paper I, Paper II, and Paper III. 

The questions will be set both in English & Hindi except for the English Language & Comprehension module in Section II of Paper I. There will be a negative marking of 1 mark for each incorrect answer in Section I, Section II and Module I of Section III of Paper I. However, in Paper II and Paper III, 0.50 marks for each wrong answer will be deducted. 

All three papers: Paper I, Paper II and Paper III will be conducted in separate shifts, and days. Some of the points to know before you appear for the SSC CGL Tier II exam are: 

• Paper I is compulsory for all the posts, and it has three sections.
• In the SSC CGL Tier II exam, all the candidates will be required to appear in all three sections of Paper I
• Based on the aggregate performance in Section I and Section II of Paper I, candidates will be shortlisted for evaluation of Section III of Paper I.
• The candidates who qualify Section I and Section II are required to appear for Section III i.e. Computer Knowledge and Data Entry Speed Test (DEST).
• Candidates who apply for the posts of Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation will have to qualify for Tier 1 and appear for Paper II. 
• Paper III will be for only those candidates who apply for the posts of Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer.

For more details about the SSC CGL Tier II selection process, check the table below.

SSC CGL Selection Process – Document Verification

Once the candidate qualifies Tier I and II examination, they are required to appear for Document Verification (DV) along with the photocopies and original documents. For Document Verification, candidates must bring along:

1. Two passport-size recent colour photographs
2. Original Photo ID Proof  (Aadhaar Card/ Printout of E-Aadhaar, Voter’s ID Card, Driving License, PAN Card, Passport, ID Card issued by a University/ College/ School, Employer ID Card (Govt./ PSU), Ex-Serviceman Discharge Book issued by Ministry of Defence, Any other photo-bearing ID Card issued by the Central/ State Government).

Note: Before the declaration of the SSC CGL final result, the candidates must select their preference for various posts and departments through the Online Option Form on the official website. 

Please know that if the candidate fails to select the preference for various posts, they will not be considered for a Post. Also, once the selected options are submitted successfully, they shall be treated as final and will not be changed subsequently under any circumstances. 

SSC CGL Selection Process FAQs

Question. Is there any interview in the SSC CGL Selection Process?
Answer: As per the latest SSC CGL selection process, there is no SSC CGL interview conducted at any stage of the examination. 

Question: How long does it take to complete all stages of the SSC CGL Recruitment Process?

Answer: As per the previous years’ SSC CGL selection process trend, it takes around 1.5 to 2 years to complete the selection process from the date of notification. 

Question. What is the selection process for the MEA post in SSC CGL Exam?

Answer. The selection process for all the posts under Staff Selection Commission remains the same as discussed above in the article. However, to be eligible for the post of Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in MEA, the candidate must rank amongst the top 200 of the All India Ranking. Here are a few tips to qualify for an ASO post in MEA:

• Set a target to achieve a 165+ score in Tier 1
• Try to score at least 370+ in Tier 2 of the SSC CGL Exam

Question. How many tiers are there in the SSC CGL selection process in 2023?
Answer. As per the revised SSC CGL selection process, the candidate must appear for Tier 1, and Tier 2 exams. Both Tier 1 & Tier 2 are online computer-based tests. To learn more about the selection process, you can read the article.

Question: What is the resolution of tie in the SSC CGL exam?
Answer. If two candidates obtain the same marks in Tier I and Tier II, then the SSC selection committee will follow the process mentioned below:

• The candidate with more marks in Tier II will be given priority
• If both the candidates score the same marks in Tier II exam, then the older candidate between the two will be given priority.

Question. What is the SSC CGL recruitment process for 2022?

Answer: SSC CGL selection process in 2022 comprises three stages: Tier I, Tier II, and Document Verification (DV).

Written by 

Mr Anubhav Luthra
Career Mentor

He has over 20+ years of experience in teaching, motivating and counselling students to get their dream job, 10,000+ students mentored by him have succeeded in the field analytically chosen by him. He follows the slogan Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached by Swami Vivekananda.

The SSC exams conducted by the Staff Selection Commission require a lot of hard work and an efficient study plan to start the preparation. There are multiple posts for which the SSC exam is conducted. Each exam differs slightly from the other, and so does their preparation. Since the SSC CGL exam is just around the corner, we shall discuss the preparation tips for candidates who are starting the preparation for the Combined Graduate Level exam conducted by the Staff Selection Commission.

5 Tips For SSC CGL Preparation

SSC CGL preparation strategy for beginners should be comprehensive and detailed. If you are unsure of how to start SSC CGL preparation, we’ve given some tips below that may prove to be beneficial:

1. Understand the Exam Pattern & Syllabus Carefully

Get acquainted with the pattern and syllabus of the SSC CGL exam, keeping the weightage of each subject in mind. The candidates must make a note of subject-wise cut-offs to create a strategy that will help boost their SSC CGL preparation.

Earlier the SSC CGL exam was conducted in four stages: Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III, Tier IV, however from this year onwards the exam conducting authorities have revised this year’s exam pattern and selection process. Below we are going to talk about how you can prepare for the SSC CGL exam 2023:

How to Prepare for SSC CGL Tier I?

This is the first and the most crucial stage of the SSC CGL exam as most of the candidates are filtered at this stage. This is the reason, candidates must give maximum time for their preparation. If the candidate scores even one mark less than the cutoff, he or she gets rejected. For Tier-I preparation, the candidate must focus equally on General Awareness, General Intelligence & Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and English. To know the best books for SSC CGL Tier I preparation, you can check the linked article. 

How to prepare for General Intelligence and Reasoning?

1. Practice General Intelligence and Reasoning questions, every day to see a considerable improvement in your accuracy level within a few weeks.
2. Work more on high-scoring topics like Puzzles, figure-based problems, analogies, coding-decoding, and series.
3. Usually Nonverbal reasoning questions are time-consuming, but regular practice can help reduce solving time. Try to solve at least 15-20 questions in 20 minutes with reasonable accuracy. 
4. Don’t waste your valuable time answering a single question. Try to attempt the next question, and if time allows, return and answer the left-out question.

How to Prepare For General Awareness? 

1. Concentrate on static GK (Culture, Indian History, Economy, Geography (India and the World), Politics, and the Environment) while remaining updated with current events.
2. Try to answer a minimum of 75 GA questions in 30 minutes per day.
3. Read newspapers, blogs, and periodicals daily. Instead of cramming, make notes and mind maps to learn facts, figures and a timeline of historical events.

How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude?

1. Prepare a list of all formulas and concepts. Try to memorise all key formulas by heart and solve a variety of questions.
2.  In Quantitative Aptitude, the shortcut tactic is key to helping you save a lot of time. So focus more on the fundamentals and acquire shortcut approaches to boost calculating speed for effective time management.
3. Start with percentages, profit & loss questions, speed, time & distance, boat and stream problems, ratio and proportion, and then cover the data interpretation, and so on.
4. Practice Quantitative Aptitude at least two hours a day.
5. On exam day, do not spend more than 25 minutes on this section. 

How to Prepare English for SSC CGL ? 

1. If you master vocabulary and grammar, you have won half the battle.
2. Improve comprehension skills by reading articles and opinion pieces in editorials and periodicals etc. Also, try and solve at least two comprehension pieces per day. 
3. Get the best books for SSC CGL English preparation.
4. Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this section during the exam.
5. Every day, read the newspaper and look up any new words you come across to ace antonyms and synonyms. 

How to Prepare for SSC CGL Tier II?

Let’s talk about the paper-wise SSC CGL preparation tips for Tier II below:

Paper-I (Quantitative Aptitude) and Paper II (English Language and Comprehension)  

The topics for tier-I (Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension) and tier-II (paper-I and -II) are similar, however, the difficulty level of the questions asked in the tier-II exam increases. But the candidate can follow the same preparation strategy for Tier-II paper I as discussed above for Tier-I. 

Paper-III (Statistics) 

SSC CGL Tier-II paper-III exam includes questions on topics such as Collection, Classification and Presentation of Statistical Data; Measures of Central Tendency; Measures of Dispersion Moments, Skewness and Kurtosis; Correlation and Regression; Probability Theory; Random Variable and Probability Distributions; Sampling Theory; Statistical Inference; Analysis of Variance; Time Series Analysis and Index Numbers.

Paper-IV (General Studies – Finance & Accounts and Economics & Governance):

The paper-IV is divided into two parts: Part-A (General Studies – Finance & Accounts) and Part-B (General Studies – Economics & Governance). 

These papers are usually of 80 and 120 marks each respectively. Part A includes questions on fundamental principles and concepts of accounting. Some of the important topics are 

• Rectification of Errors, 
• Profit & Loss Appropriation Accounts, 
• Non-profit Organisations Accounts, 
• Valuation of Inventories, 
• Income & Expenditure Accounts, 
• Trading, 
• Depreciation Accounting, 
• Receipts and Payments and Bills of Exchange,
•  Self-Balancing Ledgers, etc.

Part B includes questions on topics such as

• Constitutional Provisions of Comptroller & Auditor General of India; 
• Role and Functions of Finance Commission; 
• Introduction to Microeconomics; 
• Theory of Demand and Supply; 
• Theory of Production and Cost; 
• Forms of Market and Price Determination; 
• Indian Economy; Economic Reforms in India; 
• Money and Banking;
• Role of Information Technology in Governance; etc.

2. Prepare a Systematic Study Plan

Once the candidate gets a clear idea about the SSC CGL exam pattern and syllabus, he or she must figure out a proper study plan. Before that, the most crucial step is to know the SSC CGL exam difficulty as this analysis will help you make an informed decision. Make sure you plot to get the maximum output in the minimum time. 

3. Choose the Right Study Material

The next step is to collect the best study material and books to prepare for the SSC CGL exam. We’ve compiled a list of a few books for SSC CGL. Please take a look at the table below:

Tier-I Preparation Books 

Tier-II Preparation Books 

For more details on the books, aspirants can check the linked article. 

4. Solve SSC CGL Exam Previous Year Question Papers & Mock Tests

Refer to the previous year’s question papers to apprehend the difficulty level of the exam which in return will help an aspirant attempt more questions and be more confident with the questions. It’s also recommended to attempt as many Mock Tests to increase your speed and accuracy.

5. Look For Coaching

Candidates who can rely on self-study need not look for any coaching or Institute for help and can consider getting free online help. But if the candidate is not confident enough to prepare for the exam on their own, they should look for a reputed coaching centre. To pick the right coaching for yourself, you must look at online reviews, past results etc.

In a nutshell, a candidate should keep in mind the time left for the SSC CGL exam so they don’t end up making unachievable plans. Remember that at the end of the day, if you run out of time, even the best-laid plans will come to waste.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – 

Question 1: How many attempts are there in SSC CGL Exam 2022?

Ans: The SSC CGL exam allows multiple attempts. But there are certain age limit restrictions based on which the candidates can appear for the exam. SSC CGL aspirants must not be less than 18 years and cannot be more than 32 years of age (as of 1st January 2022).

Question 2: How many stages are there in the SSC CGL 2023 exam?
Ans: Earlier the SSC CGL exam was conducted in four stages, commonly known as Tiers, but the exam conducting authorities have revised this year’s exam pattern and selection process. 

The SSC CGL selection process 2023 is divided into two stages i.e. Tier I, and Tier II. Based on the marks scored in Tier 1 i.e. Computer Based Examination, candidates will be shortlisted category-wise, to appear in the Tier 2 exam. This means candidates who will clear SSC CGL Tier 1 2022 will be eligible to appear for Tier 2 as well.

Question 3: When will SSC release the CGL admit card for 2023?
Ans: The Staff Selection Commission will release the CGL admit card 2023 online mode on the regional websites in March/April 2023 three weeks before the exam.

Question 4: Is there a negative marking in the SSC Combined Graduate Level Exam?
Ans. Yes, there is a negative marking of 0.50 for every wrong answer in the SSC CGL Tier I exam and Tier II exam.

Question 5:  What is the highest post in SSC through CGL – Combined Graduate Level Exam?
Ans. The highest post is Assistant Accounts Officer or Assistant Audit Officer. SSC CGL AAO is a Group “B” Gazetted (Non-Ministerial) post offering the grade pay of 4800. An aspirant who qualifies for this post gets to work in the Indian Audit & Accounts Department under CAG.

Written by 

Mr Anubhav Luthra
Career Mentor

He has over 20+ years of experience in teaching, motivating and counselling students to get their dream job, 10,000+ students mentored by him have succeeded in the field analytically chosen by him. He follows the slogan Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached by Swami Vivekananda.