This page lists SSC CHSL previous year question papers for 10 years, 2015 to 2024, with labelled mock papers for 10 years with no official question paper. SSC CHSL (SSC Combined Higher Secondary Level) is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and covers English, Quant, Reasoning and GA. Pick a year below for the paper, answer key and a timed practice plan; confirm dates and pattern on ssc.gov.in.
Explore: Question papers by year · Syllabus & pattern · Pattern changes · FAQ
Year-wise question papers
SSC CHSL 2024
The newest Tier I on this hub. Start here to set your target attempts and accuracy.
SSC CHSL 2023
Second cycle with an objective Tier II. Tier I counted only for qualifying.
SSC CHSL 2022
The year the descriptive Tier II was replaced by a computer-based objective test.
SSC CHSL 2021
Last cycle with the essay and letter paper. Tier I is still a close match for today.
SSC CHSL 2020
Tier I was held in 2021 after COVID delays. Good practice for English vocabulary.
SSC CHSL 2019
Tier I was disrupted by the 2020 lockdown. Use it as a timed Tier I attempt.
SSC CHSL 2018
Old three-tier pattern. Solve it for arithmetic and static GK repeats.
SSC CHSL 2017
Useful for reasoning and non-verbal question types, which have changed very little.
SSC CHSL 2016
First cycle with a computer-based Tier I and a descriptive Tier II.
SSC CHSL 2015
From before the 2016 changes. Use it for content and vocabulary, not timing.
Want to practise one topic at a time? SSC CHSL topic-wise practice sorts the 200 questions from our labelled mock papers by section and topic.
About SSC CHSL
SSC CHSL (Combined Higher Secondary Level) is the Staff Selection Commission’s exam for candidates who have passed Class 12. It recruits Lower Division Clerks and Junior Secretariat Assistants, Data Entry Operators and similar posts in central government ministries, departments and offices. For many students it is the first government exam they sit, often alongside college, and it draws a very large number of applicants each year.
The Staff Selection Commission runs every stage. As with CGL, the year in the name is the notification year, and the exam itself has sometimes been held the following year.
CHSL papers are close cousins of SSC CGL papers. The four Tier I sections are the same, and so is SSC’s style of question. The Maths is a little lighter (more arithmetic, less advanced geometry and trigonometry), and the cut-offs depend heavily on speed and accuracy in easy questions. That is exactly what past papers train. You will see the same arithmetic set-ups, the same idioms and the same static GK facts come back across years. The syllabus, eligibility and marking details are on the SSC CHSL syllabus and pattern page.
SSC does not post full shift-wise papers on its website. Candidates see their own questions through the answer key link for a short period after each tier, and most papers you find online are reconstructed from those. The year pages on this site use clearly labelled mock papers built on that reported pattern.
How the paper has changed since 2016
Tier I has hardly changed in ten years. What changed is the second stage, which went from a handwritten essay to a full objective test in 2022.
| Cycle | Stages | Tier I | Second stage | What was different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Older pattern | Four sections | No descriptive paper | Before the 2016 changes; timing differs from today |
| 2016–2021 | Tier I, Tier II, Tier III | 100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes, −0.50 | Tier II: pen-and-paper essay and letter or application, 100 marks, 60 minutes | Tier III was the typing or data entry skill test |
| 2022 onward | Tier I and Tier II | Same 100 questions in 60 minutes; now qualifying only | Tier II computer-based: Maths and Reasoning (30 each), English (40) and General Awareness (20), marked +3 and −1, plus a computer knowledge module and the skill or typing test | Descriptive paper removed; final merit comes from Tier II |
Tier I has 25 questions each from English Language, General Intelligence, Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness. There is one timer for the whole paper, so you choose your section order. Each question carries 2 marks and a wrong answer costs 0.50.
The skill test depends on the post. Data Entry Operators take a data entry speed test, and LDC/JSA candidates take a typing test in English or Hindi. It is qualifying, but many students lose a selection here because they never practised typing.
Shifts and normalisation
Both tiers run over many shifts, and every shift has its own paper. SSC normalises the raw scores across shifts so that candidates who got a harder paper are not at a disadvantage. That means there are many “CHSL 2023 papers”, not one, and a memory-based paper online is just one shift. Do not judge your preparation by whether a reported shift was easy. Track your own accuracy instead.
What the papers show, section by section
English Language
CHSL English rewards a wide vocabulary more than complex grammar. Synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases, one-word substitutions and spelling errors make up a large share of the section, and the same words keep returning. Every time you meet a word or idiom you did not know in a past paper, add it to a list. Revising that list every few days will add more marks than reading a general vocabulary book.
The grammar questions (error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks, voice and narration) test a small set of rules: subject-verb agreement, tenses, articles, prepositions and degrees of comparison. Sentence rearrangement, a cloze passage and a short comprehension complete the section. In Tier II, English carries the most questions in its session, so this is the section where steady work pays twice.
Quantitative Aptitude
Tier I Maths in CHSL is mostly arithmetic: percentages, profit and loss, discount, ratio, averages, simple and compound interest, time and work, time and distance, and mixtures. There are a few questions on algebraic identities, basic geometry, mensuration and trigonometry, and usually a small data interpretation set.
The questions are short, and the difficulty is in doing them fast and without slips. When you review a paper, mark each wrong answer as either a method you did not know or a slip in calculation. Slips are the bigger problem for most CHSL students. Practise writing cleaner working rather than doing everything in your head.
General Intelligence
Analogies, classification, number and letter series, coding and decoding, blood relations, directions, order and ranking, syllogisms and Venn diagrams make up the verbal part. The non-verbal part (mirror and water images, paper folding and cutting, embedded figures, figure series, counting figures) is very predictable across years. A few sessions of past paper questions can make it close to full marks.
Watch out for long seating or coding puzzles in a timed paper. They can eat several minutes. Mark them and return if you have time.
General Awareness
GA is where past papers save the most effort. A large part of each paper is static: Indian history, the Constitution, geography, basic economics, general science, art and culture, awards, books and authors, sports and important days. The same facts recur across years and across SSC exams.
Sort each miss into static or current affairs. Static misses go on a short list that you revise weekly. Current affairs from an old paper is not worth learning, but it shows you what kind of news SSC likes to ask about.
Tier II computer module
The computer knowledge questions are basic: hardware and software terms, MS Word and Excel features, keyboard shortcuts, internet, email and simple cyber security. It is a qualifying module. Give it a few practice sessions so it does not catch you out.
Notes on recent years
2023 and 2024 used the two-tier pattern with Tier I as a qualifying stage. These are the papers to use for setting your target number of attempts. Sit at least two full Tier I mocks from these years with a strict 60-minute timer before you go back to older years.
2022 brought the objective Tier II. If you can find Tier II papers from 2022 onward, use them to practise the session timing. There is no reason to practise essay writing for CHSL any more.
2016 to 2021 had the same Tier I as today, so these papers are full practice for Tier I. The 2019 and 2020 cycles were delayed by COVID, and some 2019 sessions were held months after the others, which is why the papers from those years vary in difficulty more than usual.
2015 is from the older pattern. Use its questions for vocabulary and arithmetic, not for timing.
Using old papers at different stages of preparation
With a year or more to go
If you are still in Class 12 or in your first year of college, work topic by topic. After you finish percentages, solve every percentage question from a few years of CHSL papers. Do the same for each grammar rule and each GK area. Start typing practice now, fifteen minutes a day. It takes months to build steady speed and it costs nothing to start early.
With about six months to go
Sit one full Tier I paper a week. Keep one notebook for wrong and skipped questions, split by section, and spend your weekday study on that notebook. Add one Tier II-style session a fortnight once your Tier I accuracy is steady.
In the last two or three months
Move to two or three full papers a week, and sit them at the same time of day as your exam slot if you know it. Keep track of attempts and accuracy for every paper. Save the 2023 and 2024 papers for the last month. In the final fortnight, revise your vocabulary list and static GK list daily and do a typing test every other day.
Mistakes students make with past papers
The most common mistake is attempting every question. CHSL papers look easy, which tempts students to guess the ones they are unsure of. With 0.50 off per wrong answer in Tier I and a full mark off in Tier II, that habit quietly costs a lot. Look at your mock data and find out how often your guesses are right. In Tier I a guess has to be right one time in five just to break even, and in Tier II one time in four. Below that, guessing is losing you marks.
Another is ignoring the skill test until the result is out. By then there are only a few weeks, and typing speed does not improve that fast.
Students also spend too long on current affairs from old papers. Those events will not be asked again. The static facts will, so that is where your revision time should go.
Last, do not treat a memory-based paper as exact. A few questions may be misremembered, and an answer that looks wrong may well be wrong. Check doubtful ones in a textbook or against SSC’s official key while it is available.
FAQ
Where can I find SSC CHSL previous year question papers?
SSC does not publish full shift-wise papers on ssc.gov.in. Candidates can view their own questions and responses through the answer key link for a short time after each tier. The year pages here give labelled mock papers built on the reported pattern, with notes on each year.
What is the current SSC CHSL exam pattern?
Since the 2022 cycle there are two tiers. Tier I has 100 questions in 60 minutes from English, Reasoning, Quant and General Awareness, at 2 marks each with 0.50 off for a wrong answer, and it is qualifying. Tier II is a computer-based objective test marked +3 and −1, with a computer module and a skill or typing test. Check the current notice before your exam.
Is the SSC CHSL descriptive paper still held?
No. The essay and letter paper was part of Tier II from 2016 to 2021. From the 2022 cycle SSC replaced it with an objective computer-based Tier II, so you do not need to practise descriptive writing for CHSL.
How many years of SSC CHSL papers should I solve?
Tier I has barely changed since 2016, so every paper from 2016 to 2024 is useful. If time is short, do 2019 to 2024 first, and as many shifts from the newest two cycles as you can find. Use 2015 only for extra topic practice.
How different are CHSL papers from CGL papers?
Tier I has the same four sections and the same style. CHSL Maths is lighter, with more arithmetic and fewer hard geometry and trigonometry questions. English and GA are very similar. Many students preparing for both use CGL Tier I papers as extra CHSL practice.
How does normalisation affect my CHSL score?
Each tier runs in many shifts, and SSC normalises raw scores across them, so your final score may be slightly higher or lower than your raw marks. You cannot control which shift you get. Focus on keeping your accuracy steady.
When should I start practising for the CHSL typing test?
As early as you can. The typing and data entry tests are qualifying, but speed builds slowly. Fifteen to twenty minutes a day for a few months is far better than a rush after the Tier II result.
Should I learn current affairs from old CHSL papers?
No. Old current affairs will not be asked again. Use those questions to see what kind of news SSC asks about, and spend your revision time on the static GK facts that recur across years.
Where to get the official papers
The Staff Selection Commission publishes CHSL notices, answer keys and results on ssc.gov.in. Download your response sheet while the answer key link is open, because it is removed after a few weeks. We add practice papers and notes on each year, but the current notice is the final word on dates, pattern and eligibility.