SSC CHSL 2026: 12th-Pass Recruitment for LDC, JSA, DEO, PA/SA — Notification PDF + Vacancy

SSC CHSL 2026: 12th-Pass Recruitment for LDC, JSA, DEO, PA/SA — Notification PDF + Vacancy — Highlights

Important Dates

Application Fee

Eligibility & Age Limit

Age Limit: 18–27 years as on Typically 1 January 2026 or 1 August 2026 per SSC CHSL annual notification cut-off

OBC: +3 years (up to 30); SC/ST: +5 years (up to 32); Ex-Servicemen: standard MoP rules; PwBD: +10 years (Gen), +13 (OBC), +15 (SC/ST); Departmental candidates per SSC rules.

Educational Qualification:

• LDC / JSA (Lower Division Clerk / Junior Secretariat Assistant): Class 12 (Higher Secondary or equivalent) pass from a recognised board. No minimum percentage requirement. Candidates appearing in Class 12 in 2026 can apply provisionally.
• DEO (Data Entry Operator): Class 12 pass with Mathematics, Statistics, or Commerce as a subject (varies per post; refer to notification). DEO-specific Data Entry Skill Test (DEST) at 8,000 key depressions per hour (typing speed in English) is required at Tier-II.
• PA / SA (Postal Assistant / Sorting Assistant — Department of Posts): Class 12 pass plus typing-speed requirement — 35 wpm English or 30 wpm Hindi computer-based skill test at Tier-II. Posts under India Post; postings across 23 postal circles.

Nationality: Indian citizens. Subjects of Nepal and Bhutan, and Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1 January 1962, are eligible per Government of India norms. Departmental candidates and Ex-Servicemen also eligible.

Selection Process

1. Online Application — Register on ssc.gov.in (One-Time Registration if first-time SSC applicant). Fill the CHSL 2026 application with personal, educational, category and post-preference details. Upload photo, signature, Class 10 + Class 12 certificate. Pay fee where applicable.
2. Tier-I (Computer-Based Test) — Qualifying — Single-shift 1-hour CBT of 100 multiple-choice questions across General Intelligence (25), General Awareness (25), Quantitative Aptitude (25) and English Language (25). Marking +2 correct, -0.5 wrong. Maximum marks 200. Tier-I is qualifying — marks NOT added to final merit. Cut-off varies by category and region.
3. Tier-II (Computer-Based Test) — Merit-Deciding — 3-session CBT spread across 2 days. Session-1 (3 modules — Maths/English/General Intelligence + Reasoning, 270 marks). Session-2 (Statistics for JSO posts or General Studies for other posts, 200 marks). Session-3 (Skill Test — typing for DEO/PA/SA, Computer Proficiency for LDC). Marking +3 correct, -1 wrong on objective sections.
4. Data Entry Skill Test (DEST) / Typing Test — For DEO posts: 8,000 key depressions per hour on a 2,000-word English passage at 15 minutes. For PA/SA: 35 wpm English or 30 wpm Hindi computer-based typing test. Qualifying only — no marks added to final merit. Failure here disqualifies the candidate from DEO/PA/SA posts but they may still be considered for LDC/JSA based on Tier-II ranking.
5. Final Result + Post Allocation — Final merit list published based on Tier-II scores. Post + zone allocation is by All-India merit within category, candidate preference list, and ministry/department vacancy matrix. Final reporting at the allotted office with original documents (Class 10/12 marksheets, category certificate, identity proof) confirms the joining.

Negative marking: Tier-I: -0.5 per wrong answer. Tier-II: -1 per wrong answer on objective sections. Typing and DEST are qualifying only — no marks contribute to merit beyond pass/fail.

How to Apply Online

1. Visit the official portal of SSC (linked in Important Links below).
2. Register with a valid email and mobile number to generate login credentials.
3. Fill the application form with personal, educational, and contact details exactly as on official documents.
4. Upload a recent passport-size photograph and signature in the prescribed format and size.
5. Pay the application fee through the prescribed payment mode (see Application Fee table above).
6. Review all entries carefully, then submit the form.
7. Download and print a copy of the submitted application for your records.

Resultpedia is independent and not affiliated with Staff Selection Commission. The official application link is in the Important Links section at the bottom of this page — verify all details on the official portal before applying.

SSC CHSL 2026: 12th-Pass Recruitment for LDC, JSA, DEO, PA/SA — Notification PDF + Vacancy — Analysis & Trends

What is SSC CHSL and what posts does it recruit for?

SSC CHSL (Combined Higher Secondary Level) is the Staff Selection Commission's annual recruitment examination for entry-level central government clerical and data-entry posts that require Class 12 pass eligibility. The four post categories filled are: Lower Division Clerk (LDC) and Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA) across central government ministries and departments, Data Entry Operator (DEO) in ministries like Finance, Statistics, and Programme Implementation, and Postal Assistant (PA) / Sorting Assistant (SA) in the Department of Posts. CHSL is the largest 12th-pass central government recruitment by volume — filling 5,000 to 7,500 posts each cycle.

SSC CHSL 2026 — what we know so far

As of 12 May 2026, SSC has not yet released the CHSL 2026 notification. Per the SSC annual exam calendar, the notification is expected on ssc.gov.in in April-May 2026 with Tier-I Computer-Based Test scheduled in June-July 2026 and Tier-II in October-November. The previous cycle (CHSL 2024) filled approximately 5,369 posts with around 30 lakh applications received. The 2026 vacancy count will be confirmed in the notification. Until then, all dates on this page are marked tentative.

Exam pattern — Tier-I qualifying, Tier-II merit-deciding

SSC CHSL has a two-tier objective examination structure followed by a qualifying skill test. Tier-I is a single-shift 1-hour CBT with 100 questions (25 each from General Intelligence, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, English Language) for 200 marks total. Marking is +2 correct, -0.5 wrong. Tier-I is qualifying only — marks do NOT contribute to the final merit list; it simply filters candidates for Tier-II. Tier-II is the merit-deciding stage: a 3-session CBT spread across 2 days with separate papers on Maths + English + Reasoning (Session 1, 270 marks), Statistics or General Studies (Session 2, 200 marks per post stream), and a qualifying Skill Test (Session 3). Marking on objective sections is +3 correct, -1 wrong. Skill Test is pass/fail.

Eligibility — Class 12 plus 18-27 age band

Educational eligibility is simply Class 12 (Higher Secondary or equivalent) pass from a recognised board — no minimum percentage required. Candidates appearing in Class 12 in 2026 can apply provisionally. Age band: 18-27 years on the cut-off date specified in the notification (typically 1 January or 1 August of the recruitment year). Standard category-wise relaxations apply: OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10 (Gen) / +13 (OBC) / +15 (SC/ST), Ex-Servicemen per MoP rules. DEO posts may require Mathematics, Statistics or Commerce as a Class 12 subject (per notification). PA/SA posts require demonstrable typing skill (verified at Tier-II skill test).

Pay scale and post-wise career progression

SSC CHSL recruits at Pay Level 4 of the 7th CPC matrix for LDC/JSA/PA/SA (basic pay ₹25,500 per month) and Pay Level 4 with grade-specific allowances for DEO. Gross in-hand pay reaches ₹32,000 to ₹42,000 after DA, HRA, TA and Department of Posts allowances. Career progression happens via departmental promotion examinations — LDC → UDC (Pay Level 6) → Assistant Section Officer (Pay Level 7) → Section Officer (Pay Level 8) over 10-15 years. PA/SA → Postmaster Grade I/II/III progression via Department of Posts internal exams. Central government benefits include pension, gratuity, free medical cover (CGHS), housing allowance and 8.33% Bonus.

Preparation strategy

SSC CHSL rewards basic-level conceptual clarity plus speed. Tier-I covers Class 10 NCERT Maths and basic English grammar — solve every section of NCERT Class 8-10 Quantitative Aptitude plus build core English vocabulary (Wren & Martin or equivalent). General Awareness uses the previous 6-12 months of current affairs plus static GK from a Lucent's base — newspaper habit plus one monthly compilation suffices. Use the syllabus hub and ten years of previous papers from earlier CHSL cycles for topic-wise drills. The single highest-ROI prep activity in the final 60 days is mock-test discipline at exact CBT timing — solve at least 20 full-length Tier-I mocks plus 10 Tier-II Maths sessions to build pace.

Parallel opportunities for 12th-pass aspirants

SSC CHSL is one of several major 12th-pass central government openings — see our 12th pass jobs hub for the full feeder list including RRB NTPC undergraduate, SSC GD Constable, Indian Army Agniveer GD/Tradesman, Indian Navy Agniveer MR, NDA via UPSC, and state-level recruitments like UP Lekhpal and Bihar SSC Inter Level. Most aspirants apply to 3-4 of these in the same year — preparation overlap is high (Quant, Reasoning, GK overlap 60-80% across SSC CHSL, RRB NTPC undergraduate and SSC GD Constable). Track admit card windows, answer keys and result hubs through the cycle.