Are you preparing for the SSC CGL 2020 Exam? That’s great, because if so, you’ve probably noticed that the eligibility criteria have changed! The eligibility criteria are important because it affects who can apply to take the exam in 2020-01. So… what kind of criteria will be used this year? Let’s find out!

Table of contents

• SSC CGL Age Group 2021
• SSC CGL Age Relaxation Criteria
• SSC CGL Nationality/ Citizenship
• SSC CGL Educational qualification
• SSC CGL Physical Fitness
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Staff Selection Commission holds the Combined Graduate Level Examination every year to fill various Group-B and Group-C posts across different ministries, departments, and organizations. The CGL exam is conducted in four stages called tiers.

The SSC CGL aspirants must abide by the 4 eligibility criteria that are set by the Staff Selection Commission. These criteria are:

1. Age group
2. Nationality
3. Educational qualification
4. Physical fitness

SSC CGL Age Group 2021

In the following table, we will break down the age criteria that are acceptable for different posts across various ministries and departments.

S. No	Name of Post	Ministry/Department	Age Limit
1.	Assistant Audit Officer	Indian Audit & Accounts Department under C&AG	Not exceeding 30 years
2.	Assistant Accounts Officer	Indian Audit & Accounts Department under C&AG	Not exceeding 30 years
3.	Assistant Section Officer	Central Secretariat Service	20-30 years
4.	Assistant Section Officer	Intelligence Bureau	Not exceeding 30 years
5.	Assistant Section Officer	Ministry of Railway	20-30 years
6.	Assistant Section Officer	Ministry of External Affairs	20-30 years
7.	Assistant Section Officer	AFHQ	20-30 years
8.	Assistant	Other Ministries/Departments/Organizations	18-30 years
9.	Assistant	Other Ministries/Departments/Organizations	20-30 years
10.	Assistant Section Officer	Other Ministries/Departments/Organizations	Not exceeding 30 years
11.	Inspector of Income Tax	CBDT	Not exceeding 30 years
12.	Inspector (Preventive Officer)	CBIC	Not exceeding 30 years
13.	Inspector (Examiner)
14.	Inspector (Central Excise)
15.	Assistant Enforcement Officer	Directorate of Enforcement, Department of Revenue	Up to 30 years
16.	Sub Inspector	Central Bureau of Investigation	20-30 years
17.	Inspector Posts	Department of Post	18-30 years
18.	Inspector	Central Bureau of Narcotics	Not exceeding 30 years
19.	Assistant	Other Ministries/Departments/Organizations	Not exceeding 30 years
20.	Assistant/ Superintendent	Other Ministries/Departments/Organizations	Not exceeding 30 years
21.	Divisional Accountant	Offices under C&AG	Not exceeding 30 years
22.	Sub Inspector	National Investigation Agency (NIA)	Up to 30 years
23.	Junior Statistical Officer	M/o Statistics & Programme Implementation.	Up to 32 years
24.	Auditor	Offices under C&AG	18-27 years
25.	Auditor	Other Ministry/ Departments	18-27 years
26.	Auditor	Offices under CGDA	18-27 years
27.	Accountant	Offices under C&AG	18-27 years
28.	Accountant/ Junior Accountant	Other Ministry/ Departments	18-27 years
29.	Senior Secretariat Assistant/ Upper Division Clerks	Central Govt. Offices/ Ministries other than CSCS cadres	18-27 years
30.	Tax Assistant	CBDT	18-27 years
31.	Tax Assistant	CBIC	18-27 years
32.	Sub-Inspector	Central Bureau of Narcotics	18-27 years

Age Limit Criteria

S. No	Age Limit	Remarks
1.	For the posts for which the age limit is 18-27 years	Candidate must have been born not earlier than 02-01-1994 and not later than 01-01-2003
2.	For the posts for which the age limit is 20-27 years	Candidate must have been born not earlier than 02-01-1994 and not later than 01-01-2001
3.	For the posts for which the age limit is 20-30 years	Candidate must have been born not earlier than 02-01-1991 and not later than 01-01-2001
4.	For the posts for which the age limit is up to 30 years	Candidate must have been born not earlier than 02-01-1991 and not later than 01-01-2003
5.	For the post for which the age limit is up to 32 years	Candidate must have been born not earlier than 02-01-1989 and not later than 01-01-2003

SSC CGL Age Relaxation criteria

As of 01-01-2021, the Permissible relaxation in upper age limit and category-codes for claiming age relaxation are as follows:

S. No.	Category	Age relaxation permissible
1.	SC/ST	5 years
2.	OBC	3 years
3.	PwD (Unreserved)	10 years
4.	PwD (SC/ST)	15 years
5.	PwD (OBC)	13 years
6.	Ex-servicemen (ESM)	3 years after deduction of the military service rendered from the actual age as on the closing date
7.	Defense Personnel disabled in operation during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof	3 years
8.	Defense Personnel disabled in operation during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof (SC/ST)	8 years

Permissible relaxation for Group C posts only:

S. No.	Category	Age relaxation permissible
9.	Central Govt. Civilian Employees who have rendered not less than 3 years regular and continuous service as on closing date for receipt of application	Up to 40 years of age
10.	Central Govt. Civilian Employees (SC/ST) who have rendered not less than 3 years regular and continuous service as on closing date for receipt of application	Up to 45 years of age
11.	Widows/ Divorced Women/ Women judicially separated and who are not remarried	Up to 35 years of age
12.	Widows/ Divorced Women/ Women judicially separated and who are not remarried (SC/ST)	Up to 40 years of age

SSC CGL Nationality/ Citizenship

A candidate must be either:

1. A citizen of India, or
2. A subject of Nepal, or
3. A subject of Bhutan, or
4. A Tibetan refugee who came over to India, before the 1st January 1962 to permanently settle in India, or
5. A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (Formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam intending to permanently settle in India.

A candidate who requires a certificate of eligibility may be admitted to the Examination, but the offer of appointment will be made only after the Government of India has issued him/her the necessary eligibility certificate.

SSC CGL Educational qualification

In 2020-21, only candidates with qualifications from a deemed university* may be eligible for the SSC CGL Exam. In simple terms, this means that candidates must have either completed an undergraduate degree or graduate degree recognized by an accreditation body before they can take the exam.

* The ‘Deemed University’ is an institution established and designated by the government of India, defined as a university in existence on June 1, 2011.

S. No.	Post	Educational Qualification
1.	Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer	Essential qualification- Bachelor's Degree from a recognized University or Institute. Desired qualification- Chartered Accountant or Cost & Management Accountant or Company Secretary or Masters in Commerce or Masters in Business Studies or Masters in Business Administration (Finance) or Masters in Business Economics.
2.	Junior Statistical Officer	Bachelor's Degree in any subject from a recognized University or Institute with at least 60% Marks in Mathematics at 12th standard level Or Bachelor's Degree in any subject with Statistics as one of the subjects at degree level.
3.	All other Posts	Bachelor's Degree from a recognized University or equivalent.

NOTE- The candidates appearing in the final year of their graduation can also apply, however they must possess Essential qualification on or before 01-01-2021.

SSC CGL Physical Fitness

This criterion is only applicable to candidates who are appearing for selected posts. The SSC CGL physical fitness tests cover muscular strength in both the upper body and lower body, as well as cardiorespiratory endurance and reaction time. Let’s take a closer look at these criteria concerning their particular posts.

1. Inspector (Central Excise/ Preventative Officer/ Examiner), Inspector and Sub-Inspector in CBN

Sex	Walking	Cycling	Height
Male	1600 m in 15 min	8 km in 30 min	157.5 cm
Female	1000 m in 20 min	3 km in 25 min	152 cm

For male candidates

• Height is relaxable by 5 cm in the case of Garhwali, Assamese, Gorkhas, and members of Scheduled Tribes.
• Chest 81 cm (fully expanded with a minimum expansion of 5 cm)

For female candidates

• Height is relaxable by 2.5 cm
• Weight: 48 kg (Weight relaxable by 2 Kg. for Gorkhas, Garhwali, Assamese, and members of Scheduled Tribes)

Note: the above mentioned physical fitness do not apply to:

• The test of “Walking” shall not be insisted in the case of OL and OAL categories.
• The test of “Cycling” shall not be insisted in the case of OA, OL, and OAL categories.

(OL - One Leg affected, OAL - One Arm and One Leg affected)

2. Sub-Inspector in Central Bureau of Investigation

Sex	Height	Chest	Vision
Male	165cm	76 cm with expansion	Distant vision- 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other eye Near vision- 0.6 in one eye and 0.8 in the other eye
Female	150 cm	-

*Height relaxation of 5 cm for hillsmen and tribals.

3. Sub-Inspector in National Investigation Agency

Sex	Height	Chest	Vision
Male	170cm	76 cm with expansion	Distant vision- 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other eye Near vision- 0.6 in one eye and 0.8 in the other eye
Female	150 cm	-

*Height relaxation of 5 cm for hillsmen and tribals.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the eligibility criteria to apply for the SSC CGL exam?

The SSC has carefully set eligibility criteria for candidates who wish to appear for the CGL exam. These criteria are based on age limit, educational qualification, nationality/citizenship, and physical standards.
2. What is the maximum number of attempts for the SSC CGL exam?

There is no limit to the number of times a candidate can appear for the SSC CGL exam. You can appear for the exam if you are within the required age limit.
3. Are the candidates appearing for their final year exams of graduation eligible to apply for the SSC CGL exam?

No, if you are in your final year then you can only appear for SSC CGL once you have graduated. You must have all the necessary documents and certificates that prove you are graduated before you sit for the exam.
4. What are the SSC CGL age limit criteria?

Every person appearing for the exam must be aged between 18-32 years. The SSC CGL age limit criteria vary for different posts.
5. Are 12th pass students eligible to appear for the SSC CGL exam?

No, only the students who have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or institution are eligible to appear for the SSC CGL exam.
6. For which posts are the physical tests applicable?

Physical tests are applicable for the following posts:
• Sub-Inspector in National Investigation Agency
• Sub-Inspector in Central Bureau of Investigation
• Inspector (Central Excise/ Preventative Officer/ Examiner)
• Inspector and Sub-Inspector in CBN
7. Does your graduation percentage matter in the SSC CGL?

No, your graduation percentage does not matter in SSC CGL. Only a graduation degree is mandatory for the SSC CGL exam.
8. Who can apply for the SSC CGL 2020?

Any person who has a graduate degree and is within the age limit can apply for SSC CGL 2020. Read more about the eligibility criteria for the SSC CGL above!
9. For how many posts is a candidate eligible to apply for the SSC CGL exam?

A candidate can apply for as many posts as he/she wants as long as they are within the age limit.
10. Can diploma holders appear for the SSC CGL exam?

No, a diploma is not one of the educational qualifications required for the SSC CGL exam. A student must have a graduate degree from a recognized university, institution, or deemed university.