How SSC scoring actually punishes guessing

Most SSC papers deduct 0.50 marks for every wrong answer (0.25 in some GD/MTS papers), so a blind guess with less than a 1-in-4 chance of being right costs you more than skipping the question. Tier 1 also runs all four sections — Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, English, and General Awareness — inside one 60-minute, 100-question window with no per-section timer, so the real skill is deciding in the first few seconds whether a question is worth attempting at all.

Practising with a timer set close to your target pace — roughly 36 seconds per question at Tier 1 pace — trains that decision alongside the actual solving.

Syllabus-Aligned SSC Model Practice Set

Ready to gauge your speed? Launch an authentic, timed multi-section practice exam based on this past-year sample.

1. In a certain code language, 'APPLE' is written as 'BQQMF'. How is 'MANGO' written in that code?
2. A can complete a work in 12 days and B can complete the same work in 18 days. In how many days can both A and B together complete the work?
3. Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: "Burning the midnight oil"
   A) Working late into the night  B) Wasting electricity  C) Being reckless  D) Starting a fire
4. Which Article of the Indian Constitution deals with the Right to Equality?
5. The ratio of the ages of father and son is 4:1. After 5 years, the ratio will be 3:1. What is the present age of the father?
6. A shopkeeper marks an article 25% above the cost price and gives a discount of 10%. Find his profit percentage.
7. The average of 5 numbers is 27. If one number is excluded, the average becomes 25. Find the excluded number.
8. Choose the synonym of 'BENEVOLENT': A) Cruel  B) Kind  C) Stingy  D) Lazy
9. If 'BOOK' is coded as 'CPPL', how is 'PAGE' coded?
10. Who is the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of India? (As of the latest appointment)
11. Find the simple interest on ₹5000 at 8% per annum for 3 years.
12. A train 200 m long is running at 72 km/h. How long will it take to cross a pole?
13. The Indian National Congress was founded in which year, and by whom?
14. Identify the spelling error: A) Accommodate  B) Embarass  C) Necessary  D) Recommend
15. What comes next in the series: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
16. Choose the antonym of 'ABUNDANT': A) Scarce  B) Plentiful  C) Huge  D) Generous
17. If the day before yesterday was Wednesday, what day will it be tomorrow?
18. A sum of ₹15,000 becomes ₹18,000 in 3 years at simple interest. Find the rate of interest per annum.
19. Which fundamental right is described as the 'heart and soul' of the Indian Constitution, according to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar?
20. In a row of children, Raj is 7th from the left and 12th from the right. How many children are there in the row?
21. Find the odd one out: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Sirius, Mars
22. A vendor sells an item at a loss of 15%. If he had sold it for ₹85 more, he would have gained 10%. Find the cost price.
23. Choose the correctly spelt word: A) Recieve  B) Achieve  C) Beleive  D) Freind
24. Which committee recommended the constitution of the GST Council in India?
25. If 'x' means '+', '÷' means '−', '+' means '×', and '−' means '÷', evaluate: 8 + 4 x 2 ÷ 3
26. A sum of money doubles itself in 8 years at simple interest. Find the rate of interest per annum.
27. Choose the correct one-word substitute for 'one who cannot be defeated'.
   A) Invincible  B) Invisible  C) Immortal  D) Incurable
28. The Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens were added by which Constitutional Amendment?
29. Find the missing number in the series: 5, 11, 23, 47, ?
30. Two numbers are in the ratio 3:5. If their sum is 96, find the numbers.

Coach's Tip: Paste 10-15 questions specifically from Quantitative Aptitude or Reasoning to drill dynamic problem types.

Answer key with exam-hall shortcuts

Reference answers with tactical shortcuts and logical rules, mimicking classroom coaching methods to save you valuable seconds on exam day.

• Q1: Each letter is shifted by +1 in the alphabet (A→B, P→Q, P→Q, L→M, E→F). Applying the same shift to MANGO gives N, B, O, H, P → NBOHP.
• Q2: Combined one-day work = 1/12 + 1/18 = (3 + 2)/36 = 5/36. Time taken together = 36/5 = 7.2 days (≈ 7 days 4 hours 48 minutes).
• Q3: Option A — Working late into the night. The idiom 'burning the midnight oil' means studying or working late into the night.
• Q4: Articles 14 to 18 of the Indian Constitution deal with the Right to Equality. Article 14 specifically guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws.
• Q5: Let father = 4x, son = x. After 5 years: (4x + 5)/(x + 5) = 3/1 ⇒ 4x + 5 = 3x + 15 ⇒ x = 10. Father's present age = 4 × 10 = 40 years.
• Q6: Let CP = 100. MP = 125. SP after 10% discount = 125 × 0.9 = 112.5. Profit % = (112.5 − 100)/100 × 100 = 12.5%.
• Q7: Total of 5 numbers = 5 × 27 = 135. Total of remaining 4 numbers = 4 × 25 = 100. Excluded number = 135 − 100 = 35.
• Q8: Option B — Kind. 'Benevolent' means well-meaning and kindly.
• Q9: Each letter is shifted by +1 in the alphabet (B→C, O→P, O→P, K→L). Applying the same shift to PAGE gives Q, B, H, F → QBHF.
• Q10: Sanjay Malhotra is the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (took charge in December 2024). Always cross-check with the latest RBI announcement on exam day.
• Q11: SI = (P × R × T) / 100 = (5000 × 8 × 3) / 100 = ₹1,200.
• Q12: Speed = 72 km/h = 72 × 5/18 = 20 m/s. To cross a pole, distance = length of train = 200 m. Time = 200 / 20 = 10 seconds.
• Q13: The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, along with Indian leaders such as Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Wacha.
• Q14: Option B — 'Embarass' is misspelt. Correct spelling: 'Embarrass' (two r's, two s's).
• Q15: 42. The series is n(n+1) for n = 1, 2, 3, … : 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, 4×5, 5×6, 6×7 = 42.
• Q16: Option A — Scarce. 'Abundant' means existing in large quantities; 'scarce' means the opposite — insufficient or rare.
• Q17: If the day before yesterday was Wednesday, then yesterday was Thursday and today is Friday, so tomorrow will be Saturday.
• Q18: SI = 18000 − 15000 = ₹3000. Using SI = (P×R×T)/100: 3000 = (15000×R×3)/100 ⇒ R = 3000×100/(15000×3) = 6.67% per annum (approx).
• Q19: The Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32), which allows citizens to directly approach the Supreme Court to enforce their Fundamental Rights.
• Q20: Total children = (position from left) + (position from right) − 1 = 7 + 12 − 1 = 18.
• Q21: Sirius — all the others (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are planets in our solar system, while Sirius is a star.
• Q22: Let CP = x. SP at 15% loss = 0.85x. SP at 10% gain = 1.10x. Difference = 1.10x − 0.85x = 0.25x = 85 ⇒ x = ₹340.
• Q23: Option B — 'Achieve' is spelt correctly. Correct spellings for the others: Receive, Believe, Friend.
• Q24: The GST Council was constituted following the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016, under Article 279A, chaired by the Union Finance Minister.
• Q25: Substitute the coded symbols: x→+, ÷→−, +→×, −→÷. So 8 + 4 x 2 ÷ 3 becomes 8×4 + 2 − 3 = 32 + 2 − 3 = 31.
• Q26: If a sum doubles in 8 years, SI earned = principal (P). Using SI = (P×R×T)/100: P = (P×R×8)/100 ⇒ R = 100/8 = 12.5% per annum.
• Q27: Option A — Invincible. It describes someone or something too powerful to be defeated or overcome.
• Q28: The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976, added Part IV-A (Article 51A) listing the Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens.
• Q29: Each term follows the pattern ×2 + 1: 5×2+1=11, 11×2+1=23, 23×2+1=47, 47×2+1=95. The missing number is 95.
• Q30: Let the numbers be 3x and 5x. 3x + 5x = 96 ⇒ 8x = 96 ⇒ x = 12. The numbers are 36 and 60.

Tips for SSC Preparation with AI

• ✓Paste 10–15 previous-year questions from a specific section (e.g. Reasoning) for targeted practice.
• ✓Use Mixed difficulty to replicate the unpredictable nature of actual SSC papers.
• ✓Set a 15-minute timer to simulate Tier 1 exam conditions (60 questions / 60 minutes).
• ✓After each test, use the retry feature on incorrect answers to close knowledge gaps quickly.
• ✓Upload a photo of your printed previous-year paper if you don't want to type it all out.

Practice by SSC CGL section

Skip the sample above and drill one Tier 1 section at a time with a dedicated 30-question set.

• SSC CGL Reasoning Practice Test— SSC CGL
• SSC CGL Quantitative Aptitude Practice Test— SSC CGL
• SSC CGL English Language Practice Test— SSC CGL
• SSC CGL General Awareness Practice Test— SSC CGL

Frequently Asked Questions