SSC CGL Normalisation and How Does it Work?

Table of content

Normalization in SSC CGL: Government jobs are always the golden goose for those wanting a stable career. SSC CGL, with its varied posts and countless perks, is one of these. This blog is actually going to tackle one aspect of the marking scheme – the normalization process. Let’s take a look at what that is and why it’s in use.

Attempt SSC CGL Mock Test for Free

What is Normalization in SSC CGL 2025

SSC conducts a number of exams each year. Due to logistical reasons, it is not always possible to administer the exam in a single session or shift. This is why SSC uses normalization to adjust the scores of candidates who took the exam in different sessions or shifts. This makes scores comparable.

The normalization process takes into account the difficulty level of different sessions or shifts and adjusts the scores accordingly. For example, if one session was more difficult than another, they will adjust the scores of candidates who took the more difficult session upwards to ensure fairness.

Normalization in SSC CGL is a crucial process to ensure fairness when exams are conducted in multiple shifts. Since the difficulty level can vary across different sessions, normalization in SSC CGL adjusts candidates’ raw scores to make them comparable. This means candidates who appear in a tougher shift get their scores fairly balanced against those who took easier shifts.

In simple terms, what is normalization in SSC? It’s a statistical method that levels the playing field by correcting score variations caused by differences in exam difficulty.

SSC may vary the method they use to normalize scores from exam to exam. Also, they may not always make the details of the process public. However, SSC generally provides information about the normalization process in the exam notification or information brochure. So candidates are should carefully read these documents to understand the process.

Check the notice by SSC for Normalization

How is Normalization Done in SSC?

Wondering how normalization is done in SSC? SSC applies a well-defined SSC normalization formula to adjust candidates’ marks. This formula takes into account:

The average marks of the top 0.1% candidates across all shifts
The mean and standard deviation of marks in each shift
The actual marks obtained by the candidate in their shift

The core idea behind this formula is to assume that the overall ability distribution of candidates is the same in every shift. Using this, the formula adjusts the marks to ensure fair comparison.

This method is commonly referred to as the SSC normalisation formula, and it helps maintain equity when the exam difficulty fluctuates between sessions.

This works because of the large number of candidates who appear in every shift for the exams SSC conducts. Another point in favor is that the process of shift allocation is random.

This is the normalization formula SSC uses:

𝑴_𝒊𝒋 = Normalized marks of the j^th candidate in the i^th shift.
𝑴_𝒕𝒈= is the average mark of the top 0.1% of the candidates considering all shifts.
𝑴𝒒𝒈= is the sum of the mean and standard deviation marks of the candidates in the examination considering all shifts.
𝑴𝒕𝒊= is the average mark of the top 0.1% of the candidates in the ith shift.
𝑴𝒊𝒒= is the sum of mean marks and standard deviation of the ith shift.
𝑴𝒊𝒋= is the actual marks that the j^th candidate obtained in the i^th shift.
𝑴^gm𝒒= is the sum of the mean marks of candidates in the shift having maximum mean and standard deviation of marks of candidates in the examination considering all shifts.

download SSC CGL Previous Year Papers

Need for Normalization in SSC CGL

The basic aim of normalization is to compare the performance of the exam takers on an unbiased scale. This way, the result will be free of influencing factors like difficulty level. Normalization makes sure that candidates who face a difficult shift will not be at a disadvantage compared to the ones who got an easier shift. It greatly alleviates tension for students to know they will not suffer because of unbalanced difficulty.

Explore all sSC CGL Courses Here

FAQs

Q1. What is normalization in exams?

Ans. Normalization refers to the process of finding the average marks scored in the shifts of a multi-shift exam and determining the difference in difficulty by comparing these marks. A higher average means an easier shift, while a lower average means a difficult shift. Officials then make sure to adjust the marks to equate the difficulty level.

Q2. Is normalization in SSC CGL good or bad?

Ans. Normalization is an essential process for SSC CGL. It makes sure no candidate suffers because of unbalanced difficulty compared to other shifts.

Q3. When was normalization introduced in SSC CGL?

Ans. The process of normalization was introduced in SSC CGL in 2019.