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SSC CHSL Previous Year Question Papers, Sample Papers, and Mock Tests

SSC CHSL Previous Year Question Papers, Sample Papers, and Mock Tests

Posted On 2025-07-25

The SSC CHSL (Staff Selection Commission Combined Higher Secondary Level) exam is a national-level test for recruiting 10+2 graduates to Group C posts. The official SSC CHSL Notification was released on 23rd June 2025, announcing 3,131 vacancies for positions such as Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC), Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA), and Data Entry Operator (DEO) across various government departments.These roles provide stable and long-term employment opportunities and give an opportunity to serve in important administration and data functions roles under the Government of India.

The examination is challenging because of the large syllabus that must be finished in a certain amount of time and the competitive nature of the examination conditions (a lakh of candidates applying for a few positions). Success in the SSC CHSL exam is determined by how much preparation you undertake and how effective your preparation strategy is. Previous year question papers (PYQ), sample papers, and mock tests provide you intense practice through examples of the types of questions; awareness of what to expect from the type of exams; and, most importantly, confidence, making them critical preparation aids for candidates taking the SSC CHSL exam.

This extended guide provides a complete description of every aspect of the examination pattern, registration key dates, possibilities of practice, effective study strategies, and how to resolve any difficulties you may have in completing free tests on Careerera.com.

Read also - SSC CHSL 2025 Latest Updates

The SSC CHSL Exam Pattern

The exam has two qualifying tiers, both conducted online as Computer-Based Tests (CBT). Key details are as follows:

Tier-1

Part	Subject	Number of questions	Maximum marks
I	English Language	25	50
II	General Intelligence	25	50
III	Quantitative Aptitude (basic Arithmetic)	25	50
IV	General Awareness	25	50

Total Marks: 200
Total time: 60 minutes
Marking: +2 for each correct answer, and 0.5 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer. There will be no negative marking for unattempted questions.
Normalisation: If the CBT is conducted in multiple shifts, candidates' marks will be normalised using the Commission's established approach. The exam's final merit and cut-off marks will be determined using normalised scores.

Tier-2

Candidates who will clear the cut-off for the tier-1 exam will be allowed to take the tier-2. It will be conducted in the following two sessions:

Session	Subject	No. of questions	Maximum marks	Time alloted
Session-1	Section-1 Mathematics Abilities Reasoning and General Intelligence	30 30	180	1 hr for each section
	Section-2 English Language and Comprehension General Awareness	40 20	180	1 hr for each section
	Section-3 Computer Knowledge Test	15	45	15 min
Session-2	Section-4 Skill Test/ Typing Test	Part A: Skill Test for DEOs		15 min
		Part B: Skill Test for DEOs		15 min
		Part C: Typing Test for LDC/ JSA.		10 min

Both sections 1 & 2 will be conducted on the same day.
Candidates will get a break after completion of Session 1.
Time for Session 1: 2 hours and 15 minutes. The sections will get automatically closed after the given time.
Marking: +3 for each correct answer, and 1 mark will be deducted for each incorrect answer. There will be no negative marking for unattempted questions.

Important Dates to Note:

Correction Window: July 25 - 26, 2025. Candidates will have the opportunity to review and amend their CHSLE 2025 application form if necessary.
Admit Cards: Expected to be released in the second week of September.
Tier-1 Exam Dates: Scheduled to take place from September 8 to 18, 2025, across multiple dates and cities.
Tier-2 Exam Dates: February - March 2026.

Importance of SSC CHSL Previous Year Question Papers, Sample Papers, and Mock Tests

Understanding the Exam Pattern: Previous year exam papers, examples, and mock papers assist a candidate in understanding the structure, types of questions, and topic weightage of an examination, allowing them to tailor their preparations to the exam requirements. To pass the tier-1 CBT of SSC CHSL, candidates should maintain proper speed and accuracy.
Similar Question Types: By reviewing the previous year's question papers, candidates can gain insight into the themes and topics that are frequently repeated each year, as well as the difficulty levels. It allows you to focus your preparation effectively.
Performance Measures: Mock and sample test papers create an exam-like environment and allow candidates to measure where they are in the preparation process (their strengths and weaknesses). It highlights the key areas of improvement, such as a weak subject or time management issues.
Time Management: Candidates will see the value of practice under timed conditions to allow improvement of their timed speed and accuracy, skills which are vital for surviving a 60-minute Tier 1 exam and the time-constrained Tier 2 exam.
Increase Confidence: Consistent practice with sample papers and past exam questions leads to a better understanding of the structure, themes, topic areas, and question types, resulting in less anxiety and more confidence.

These points together make these papers essential for passing the SSC CHSL exam. Careerera provides free PYQs, sample papers, and mock examinations to help you prepare efficiently.

Benefits of Attempting Previous Year Papers, Sample Papers, and Mock Tests

Attempting previous year papers, sample papers, and mock tests is not just about ticking off boxes—it is about giving yourself an advantage in preparation and result. Here are some of the benefits of making these an integral part of your preparations:

Clarity of exam pattern: Candidates know the marking distribution, number of questions, and sectional weightage, which gives them a clear roadmap to prepare for the highly competitive exam.
Speed and accuracy: A lot of practice with these papers enhances momentum and accuracy in solving questions. This reduces mistakes and allows candidates to complete portions on time. Accuracy is critical for passing an exam like CHSL, which has negative marking in all areas.
Identifying Weak Areas: Assessing performance in mock tests and past papers highlights specific topics, sections, or subjects that require improvement, enabling candidates to concentrate their revision efforts.
Simulated Real Exam Conditions: Mock test(s) create the actual test interface for applicants to familiarise themselves with in the pressure of the actual test.
Enhanced question-solving abilities: Attempting a mix of different question types enhances analytical reasoning, provides new perspectives, and develops critical thinking, particularly in reasoning and quantitative sections.
Confidence: Solving old papers and practice examinations increases confidence by exposing students to the exam's levels and question styles. Sample papers introduce a variety of innovative test designs to prepare you for future challenges.
Adaptation of the negative marking: Practising the sample papers helps candidates predict the likelihood of success of their guesses and thereby minimise negative marking.

Tips for Effectively Using Previous Year Papers, Sample Papers, and Mock Tests

If you have access to prior years' papers, sample papers, and mock tests. Here are some tips for making the most of them:

1. First, understand the exam pattern: Prior to all the papers, study the latest syllabus and exam pattern of SSC CHSL to only target the relevant topics.

2. Start with Last Year's Papers: Look at the years 2016-2024 to see if there are any consistent topics that have repeated in terms of question frequency. Careerera provides real-time live test papers for all PYQs from the previous five years, as well as an exam-like environment in which you can test and analyse your preparation.

3. Maintain Exam-like Conditions: Begin with a 60-minute timer for the Tier 1 exam. To retain concentration, work on the paper in a distraction-free setting. You can practise both tier 1 and tier 2 sessions. Maintain a stringent 15-minute typing test time limit on a proper computer system.

4. Evaluate all of your answers: Once you've finished them, browse over them and compare them to the solutions provided in the PDFs. Understand the proper solutions and review your weaker earlier themes. For example, if you're taking a live test at Careerera.com, it will give you an analysis of your current preparation and the scope of your improvement. The report includes your score, the time taken per question, etc. This feedback allows you to make adjustments to your preparation.

5. Prioritise high-weightage topics: First, identify sub-topics with a higher frequency of questions (for example, Quantitative Aptitude simplifications, English comprehension cloze exams, or analogy in reasoning). Create a table outlining the weightage of recurring subjects based on the statistics from previous articles.

6. Avoid Guessing: The SSC CHSL exam's negative marking system (0.50 marks deducted for each wrong answer in Tier 1 and 1 mark in Tier 2) makes guessing a risky strategy. With lakhs of candidates competing for just thousands of posts, even a small difference, like 0.5 marks, can significantly impact your ranking and chances of making the merit list.

7. Revise: Creating concise, targeted revision materials like short notes or flashcards. These techniques are critical for retaining formulas, vocabulary, and current affairs. These tools help you master challenging topics and reduce response time during the exam.

8. Practice the Skill Test: The Tier 2 skill test (typing or data entry) is a qualifying stage for certain posts. With enogh preparetion one can meet the key requiring standards (35 words per minute for English typing, 30 words per minute for Hindi typing, or 8000 key depressions per hour for data entry). Use free online platforms like TypingMaster, Keybr, or 10FastFingers to improve typing speed and accuracy. Set daily goals (e.g., 15 minutes of practice) and track your weekly progress. Initially, prioritize error-free typing over speed. Gradually increase speed while maintaining at least 95% accuracy in typing.

9. Use Mix Tests Wisely: Mock tests are essential for tracking progress, building exam temperament, and identifying strengths and weaknesses. During early preparetion, start with sectional tests (e.g., only Quantitative Aptitude) , then shift to full-length mocks 4-6 weeks before the exam. Aim for 10-15 full mocks before the exam date. Taking a full-length SSC CHSL mock test weekly, it will help you to simulate the real exam environment.

10. Time-Bound Practice: Stick to the exam’s time limits (60 minutes for Tier 1, 135 minutes for Tier 2) during mocks to develop pacing skills. For example, aim to complete 25 questions in General Intelligence within 15 minutes in Tier 1. Start with your strongest section (e.g., English if you’re good at vocabulary, or Reasoning if you like puzzles) to build momentum and confidence. Then move to weaker sections to allocate more time to challenging questions.

To take a free test, simply visit Careerera's website, register there for FREE, and select the SSC CHSL Test Selection. You can download PYQ PDFs or take the live tests directly on their platform. Using these practice tests regularly can have a big impact on your preparation and confidence.

Conlusions

The SSC CHSL exam, with 3,131 posts available for roles such as LDC, JSA and DEO, is a competitive chance for a 10+2 graduate. The challenging syllabus of the exam due to the time limit and negative marking (0.50 in Tier 1 and 1 in Tier 2) makes it necessary to think strategically about your preparation. Combining previous year questions (PYQs), sample papers, and mock tests is essential to achieving success in the exam, as you will learn a lot by analysing the previous years, like things such as the pattern of questions asked, types of questions, working out the timing required, etc.

The PYQs are available on websites like Careerera for a previous period starting from 2016 to 2024, which will help candidates to find high-weightage topics which are likely to be given priority in the exam. The sample papers aim to teach you various ways in question wording, which means they will help to develop analytical ability. Mock tests are intended to recreate the real exam under timed conditions, where for Tier 1 it is 60 minutes long and for Tier 2 it is 135 minutes long. This exercise is primarily used to increase your speed and accuracy for this particular exam, but it also highlights any other weaknesses, such as time management or a particular subject.

Through sustained patterns of engaging with these resources and disciplined practice of skills, aspirants will be empowered to approach the SSC CHSL exam with a purpose to be strategic, confident and competitive, to increase their chances of obtaining their desired government job.