SSC or Staff Selection Commission is one of the biggest government organization in India, which is responsible for filling in the vacancies in many government offices throughout the country. SSC every year conduct Stenographer examination to fill in the vacant post of Stenographer across the various government offices in the country. SSC conducts the stenographer exam for two categories of a stenographer, one is Grade 'C' stenographer and the other is Grade 'D' stenographer.
SSC Stenographer exam comprises of CBT (Computer Based Test) and Skill tests. SSC Stenographer CBT contains General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness and English Language and Comprehension. Only candidates who score qualifying marks in CBT will be called for Skill Test. SSC Stenographer CBT will contain Objective Type MCQ. The test will be of 200 marks with 2 hours time be allotted to attempt the test. Skill Test in SSC Stenographer is basically a typing test which will determine the ability of a chosen candidate from CBT that he/she can perform well in the shoes of a Stenographer.
Eligibility | Syllabus | Exam Pattern | Tips and Tricks | Take Free Mock Test
Important Dates for the SSC Stenographer
SSC Stenographer Selection Process
SSC Stenographer Eligibility Criteria
SSC Stenographer Application Form Filling
SSC Stenographer Application Fee
SSC Stenographer Admit Card
SSC Stenographer Exam Pattern
SSC Stenographer Marking Scheme
SSC Stenographer Syllabus
SSC Stenographer Exam Analysis
SSC Stenographer Pay Scale/Salary
SSC Stenographer Tips and Tricks
SSC Stenographer Notification Release date: October 10, 2020
SSC Stenographer Application form filling (Registration) opening Date: October 10, 2020
SSC Stenographer Application form (Registration) closing Date: November 04, 2020
SSC Stenographer Application fee submission last date: November 06, 2020
SSC Stenographer Admit card releasing date: Before 7-8 days of the Exam
SSC Stenographer Exam Date: March 29 – 31, 2021
Answer key releasing date: To be announced
SSC Stenographer Result date: To be announced soon
Generally, this exam is conducted once in a year.
The selection of SSC Stenographer Grade ‘C’ and ‘D’ Post, the candidates have to go through a proper selection procedure to get recruited. The selection will be entirely based on the score obtained by the candidates in the two stages:
SSC Stenographer Computer-Based Test
Skill-Based Test in Stenography
Document Verification
The candidates will be selected for approximately 1000+ vacancies for both Grade C and D posts through this particular recruitment exam.
The SSC STENOGRAPHER Eligibility Criteria is:
1. Nationality:
The applicant eligible for SSC STENOGRAPHER Test can be of Indian Nationality, Citizen of Nepal, Citizen of Bhutan, Tibetan refugee, only if they come with the intention to stay in India
People born in India but migrated to Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African countries.
2. Educational Qualifications:
The applicant should have passed 10+2 exam from the government recognized Board/ Institute.
The candidates must be proficient in stenography skills.
3. Age Limit:
For SSC Stenographer Grade C Post, the candidates' age limit is 18 – 30 years of age.
For SSC Stenographer Grade D Post, the age limit for the candidates is 18 – 27 years of age
The age relaxation is according to the Government Regulations; 5 years age relaxation in upper age limit for SC/ST applicants and 3 years for OBC applicants.
The applicants have to register on the SSC's official website (Staff Selection Commission) within the registration period.
The applicants have to Register themselves and enter the personal information such as Name, Contact number, Email-ID, Password.
The login credentials will be sent on the verified email-ID and contact number.
The candidate has to login to the registration portal, and enter the mandatory information such as Name, DOB, Gender, Category, Parents name, nationality, and address.
The candidate has to upload the scanned photograph (passport size) and signature.
The academic qualifications are required to be entered at the very next step.
The candidate has to provide the experience details (if any) in the given tabs.
As the last step towards SSC STENOGRAPHER Application Form Filling, the candidate has to enter their test city center and course preference.
The candidates are advised to fill the application form carefully and they should recheck the details filled by them before final submission
The candidates should note down the registration number and password for future use
They should print out the application form copy in a white blank paper to keep all the information with them for further use.
SSC STENOGRAPHER Registration Fee (General/OBC/EWS Category): Rs. 100
SC/ST/PwD/Ex-Servicemen/Women applicants do not have to pay the application fee to apply for SSC Stenographer.
The admit card for the SSC STENOGRAPHER test will be available before 7-8 days of the examination. The applicants can download the authentic admit card from the official website.
It is an essential document for the day of test, the applicant has to carry it along with the valid ID proof
The candidates should print the admit card on a white blank paper
The text and information printed on admit card should be clearly visible
The candidates are advised to save a copy of the admit card for future use
The candidates should have clear information about the exam pattern and marking process before attempting the real exam.
The admit card will be available to download from date to till exam
Address and photograph of identity proof should be match to the uploaded records.
The candidates will be selected for approximately 1000+ vacancies for both Grade C and D posts through this particular recruitment exam. Staff Selection Commission reserves all the rights to alter the exam pattern, schedule for the examination. The exam is conducted once in a year in the English and Hindi language.
The exam will have 200 Objective questions asked from 3 subjects, General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness and English Language and Comprehension. The time frame provided for the problems to be solved in 120 Minutes.
A glance at the complete Exam Pattern of SSC Stenographer Recruitment Exam:
Examination Name |
SSC Stenographer |
Mode of Examination |
Online |
Type of Examination |
Computer-Based Test |
Medium of Examination |
English and Hindi |
Type of Questions asked in Exam |
Objective-type |
Total Number of Questions |
200 Marks |
Sectional Description of Exam |
1. General Intelligence and Reasoning 2. General Awareness 3. English Language and Comprehension |
Duration of Examination |
120 Minutes (2 Hours) 160 Minutes (2 Hours 40 Minutes) for the applicants who are provided with the Scribe |
Total Marks for Examination |
200 Marks |
Exam Conducting Organization |
SSC (Staff Selection Commission) |
The Computer-Based Test will shortlist the candidates for the Skill-Based Test in Stenography; the latter exam is qualifying in nature.
The candidates who successfully clear the Computer-based Test with the qualifying marks will be shortlisted for the further Skill Test. the candidates are advised to prepare for the exam with the SSC Stenographer Online Mock Tests to shine in the selection list. The key specifications of the Skill-Based test are given here, check it out:
Grade |
Language of Skill Test |
Test Duration |
Test Duration for the candidates with scribe |
Stenographer Grade ‘C’ |
English or Hindi |
English: 40 Minutes Hindi: 55 Minutes |
English: 55 Minutes Hindi: 75 Minutes |
Stenographer Grade ‘D’ |
English or Hindi |
English: 50 Minutes Hindi: 65 Minutes |
English: 70 Minutes Hindi: 90 Minutes |
The candidates are required to be well-versed with the other language that they have not opted in the application form such as candidates who have opted English must be proficient in Hindi Stenography after the final selection.
As the candidates who will fail to be proficient in the other language can lead to the non-clearance of the Probation Period.
The marking scheme for SSC Stenographer Recruitment Exam in each section is the same. The candidates will get 1 Mark for each right answer. The negative marking is a factor here, and there will be 1/4 mark deducted for each wrong answer. The candidate's score will not be deducted for any mark for the question left unanswered.
It is a computer-based test, and marking two answers simultaneously of a question is not possible. On every four incorrect answers, the candidates lose 1 Mark or the marks of one right answer the question. The candidates should focus on the accuracy of answers to score good marks in the exam.
Sections in Exam |
Number of Questions |
Marks for the Section |
Marks allotted for Each Question |
50 |
50 |
01 |
|
50 |
50 |
01 |
|
100 |
100 |
01 |
Key Specifications of the negative marking for the SSC Stenographer Recruitment Exam is here:
1 mark will be awarded for every correct marked answer.
0.25 Marks will be subtracted from the overall score for every incorrect answer. It makes every 4 incorrect answers will take up the score of a correct answer.
The candidate's score won’t be deducted for any mark if they leave the question unattempted.
The best preparations for any examination start when you have complete knowledge about the Exam Pattern and the exam syllabus. It will enhance the chances of clearing the examination; the syllabus will clear what topics will be covered in the SSC Stenographer Recruitment Examination.
The Computer-Based Test will have in total of 200 questions from three subjects to be solved in 120 minutes:
General Intelligence and Reasoning (50 Questions)
General Awareness (50 Questions)
English Language and Comprehension (100 Questions)
The complete syllabi Of SSC Stenographer for the subjects are mentioned here:
1. General Intelligence and Reasoning:
Analogies, Similarities, and Differences, Space visualization, Problem-solving, Analysis, Judgment, Decision Making, Visual memory, Discriminating Observation, Relationship Concepts, Arithmetical Reasoning, Verbal and Figure classification, Arithmetical Number Series, Non-Verbal Series, Abstract Ideas and Symbols, Arithmetic Computation, Analytical functions of abstract ideas and symbols.
2. General Awareness:
Indian History – Indian Independence Movement, Mughal Empire, Indian Polity, Indian Geography – Soil in India, Indian Crops, Farming and Irrigation in India, Indian Rivers, etc., Indian Constitution & Scientific Research, Art and Culture, India and World Economics Scenes, Awards and Honours, Countries, Currencies, and Capitals, Indian Economy, Government Policies and Schemes, Events and affairs of National and International Importance, Days and Events, Indian Neighboring countries Sports, Books, and Authors, Science and Technology
3. English Language and Comprehension:
Direct and Indirect Speech |
Cloze Test |
Phrases and Idioms |
|
sentence structure |
vocabulary |
Parts of Speech |
Active and Passive Voice |
The last year's exam of recruitment for the SSC Stenographer post was rescheduled for February 08, 2019, after the cancellation of the earlier conducted exam on February 05, 2020. The exam was canceled due to inadvertent enabling of E-Calculator on candidate’s console. The level of difficulty for the examination was easy to moderate for every single shift the exam conducted.
The candidates must ensure that they practice with the questions asked in the previous year; the questions are embedded in the Online SSC Stenographer Mock Tests. The time frame is stringent, like 200 questions for 120 minutes. The negative marking is applicable on this exam. The candidates are required to be accurate as well as fast while attempting the questions.
The level of difficulty of the General Intelligence and Reasoning Section overall seems to be Easy. The topics covered by the General Intelligence and Reasoning section are:
Non-Verbal Reasoning (Image-Based): About 10-12 questions were asked on this topic.
Series: 7-8 questions
Miscellaneous: 10-12 questions
Analogy: 4-5 questions
Odd One Out: 3-4 questions
Blood Relation: 2-3 questions
Matrix: 2-3 questions
Syllogism: 2-3 questions
For the second part of the examination, General Awareness is the most crucial section to be solved as the candidate’s awareness about the daily happenings. The candidate’s capability of testing the environment around him or her is required in this section. The complete section-wise questions covered from the General Awareness are:
Current Affairs: About 12-15 questions were asked from this topic
Awards and Honours, Committees, etc.: 7-8 questions
Biology: 7-8 questions
Physics: 5-6 questions
Chemistry: 5-6 questions
Economic Scene: 4-5 questions
Geography: 4-5 questions
History: 3-4 questions
Polity: 2-3 questions
The maximum coverage of the Computer-based Test will be from the English subject as 100 questions are asked. The topics covered from the English in last year SSC Stenographer Recruitment Exam are:
Cloze Test (2): 15 Questions
Reading Comprehension (3): 15 Questions
Spotting Error: 10 Questions
Sentence Structure: 10 Questions
Synonyms and Antonyms: 10 Questions
Active and Passive Voice: 10 Questions
Direct and Indirect Speech: 10 Questions
Fill in the Blanks: 10 Questions
Idioms and Phrases: 5 Questions
Para Jumbles: 5 Questions
The English section was appeared to be of moderate difficulty level.
SSC Stenographer Grade |
Pay Scale |
Pay Band |
Basic Pay |
Salary |
Grade C Post |
Rs. 9300-34800 |
Rs. 4200-4600 |
Rs. 5200 |
Rs. 14500 |
Grade D Post |
Rs. 5200-20200 |
Rs. 2400 |
Rs. 5200 |
Rs. 7600 |
The exam is a Computer-Based Test, so the applicants must ensure that they have practiced enough with the online test series. Try the dedicated mock test series for SSC Stenographer Online Tests for the best preparation.
The candidate should ensure that they attain a good typing speed before the skill-based test in Stenography. There is a dictation for 10 minutes at the speed of about 80-100 words per minute.
The candidate should ensure that they have prepared best for the English Section as a maximum of the questions will be covered.
There is a time frame of 2 hours provided for 200 Multiple-choice Questions; time-management is a big task. Accuracy and speed both are the features that are required to be kept.
You cannot attempt all the questions blindly as there is a negative marking of ¼ marks, and the right answers will fetch you 1 mark.
Prepare from starting; Don’t leave it for the last day, as hurriedness kills everything.
Read all the instructions before going for examinations.