The Staff Selection Commission conducts the Combined Graduate Level (SSC CGL) exam which is a highly competitive exam that requires rigorous preparation to crack. To achieve success in this exam, it is essential to have a good understanding of the syllabus and exam pattern, and to have the right study materials. Toppers of SSC CGL exams have shared their book lists that helped them in their preparation for the exam. These book lists consist of a variety of study materials, including reference books, practice books, and previous year question papers.
SSC CGL Books 2025
The SSC CGL booklist acts as a comprehensive guide for SSC CGL Exam 2025 aspirants who are looking for the best study materials to prepare for the exam. By following the book list provided by the toppers, aspirants can get a clear idea of what to study and how to study for the exam. It is important to note that the book list provided by toppers is not a one-size-fits-all solution, as each aspirant may have different strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, aspirants should carefully analyze their strengths and weaknesses and select the study materials that best suit their needs.
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SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025
The SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2025 consists of two tiers. Tier I consists of objective-type questions having four sections. Tier II consists of subjective-type questions and has separate papers for the posts of JSO and AAO.
Tier I – Computer Based Examination
The total time duration of SSC CGL 2025 is 60 minutes. Merit list will be prepared on the basis of overall performance of candidates in Tier-II Examination only. This means Tier-1 is qualifying in nature now. All sections of paper 1 must be qualified separately.
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|
| General Intelligence Reasoning | 25 | 50 |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
Other important points:
- Negative marking of 0.50 for each wrong answer
- A duration of 60 minutes is given to every candidate for this exam.
- There is a negative marking of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.
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Tier II Exam Pattern
The Tier II exam consists of three papers. Paper I is compulsory for all candidates.
- Paper I consists of two sessions. Session I consists of subjective type questions of English, reasoning, quant, and computer. While Session II consists of a 15-minutes computer test.
- There is no negative marking for wrong answers.
- Only candidates appearing for the post of AAO are eligible for Paper II. Paper II consists of the 100 marks questions of Finance and Economics.
- Only candidates appearing for the post of JSO are eligible for Paper III. Paper III consists of the 100 marks questions of Statistics.
Detailed breakup of all papers of the SSC CGL Tier – 2 New Pattern is as follows :
| Paper | Session | Section | Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|
I
(Common for all posts) | I
(2 hours and 15 minutes) | I (1 hour ) | Module I –
Mathematical abilities
Module II –Reasoning and General Intelligence | 30
30
Total = 60 | 60 x 3= 180 |
| II (1 hour ) | Module I – English Language Comprehension
Module II – General Awareness | 45
25
Total = 70 | 70 x 3 =
210 |
| III (15 minutes) | Module – I – Computer Knowledge module | 20 | 20 x 3 = 60 |
| II (15 minutes) | III | Module – II : Data Entry Speed Test | One data entry task of 2000 key | |
| II (Only for JSO) | 2 hours | | Statistics (Paper I as above) | 100 | 100 x 2
= 200 |
| III – AAO (Assistant Audit Officer) & Assistant Accounts officer | 2 hours | | General Studies (Finance & Economics)
(Paper I as above) | 100 | 100 x 2
= 200 |
| | | | Total | 500 | 850 |
SSC CGL Book List by Topper for Tier I
Tier I of SSC CGL is an objective type test. It includes four sections namely General Awareness, General Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and English. We have given below the book list by topper for each section.
SSC CGL Book List for General Awareness
The General Awareness section of the Tier I exam consists of questions related to history, geography, politics, environment, general science, and basic computer operations. We have provided below the list of books that will give you a better understanding and knowledge of General Awareness.
| Book | Author/Publication |
|---|
| GK Blast | Oliveboard |
| General Knowledge | Lucent's Publication |
| NCERT books | NCERT |
| General Knowledge | Disha Publications |
| Manorama | Yearbook by Manorama |
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SSC CGL Book List for English
The English section of the Tier I exam consists of grammar and passages. The section mostly consists of active/passive voice, synonyms, antonyms, proverbs, articles, etc, We have provided below the list of books that will make you fluent in English grammar.
| Books | Authors/Publications |
|---|
| English Simplified | Oliveboard |
| English for General Competition | Neetu Singh |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
| English | Ajay K Singh |
| From Plinth to Paramount | KD Publication, Neetu Singh |
| A Mirror of Common Errors | Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh |
| Objective General English | Arihant Publication |
SSC CGL Book list for General Reasoning
The General Reasoning section is considered one of the scoring parts of Tier I. This section consists of questions of verbal and non-verbal reasoning, coding-decoding, classification, Venn diagrams, etc, We have provided below the SSC CGL Book list by toppers of General reasoning. These books will help you throughout the examination.
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Puzzle Mania | Oliveboard |
| A modern approach to verbal and non-verbal reasoning | S.Chand and sons |
| Reasoning | Kiran Publications |
| Reasoning | Rakesh Yadav Readers Publication |
| Perfect Verbal Reasoning | Ajay Chauhan |
| Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning | Disha Publication |
SSC Book List for Quantitative Aptitude
Quantitative Aptitude is considered one of the toughest and time-taking sections of the Tier I examination. To ace this section, aspirants need to do regular practice. This section consists of basic mathematics like percentages, probability, compound interest, algebra, etc, We have provided below the list of books that will give you a better knowledge of the quants section.
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Data Interpretation Decoded | Oliveboard |
| Quantum CAT | Arihant Publications |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examination | S.Chand and R.S. Aggarwal |
| Mathematics | Rakesh Yadav Reader |
| Play with Advanced Maths | Abhinay Publication |
| Elementary and Advanced Mathematics | Kiran Publication |
SSC CGL Book List by Topper for Tier II
The SSC CGL Tier II examination consists of three papers. Paper I is mandatory for each candidate while Paper II and III are only for the candidates applying for the posts of Junior Statistical Officer and Assistant Audit Officer/ Assistant Accounts Officer.
SSC CGL Book List for Paper I
Paper I of Tier II also consists of four sections. English, Quantitative Aptitude, and General Intelligence sections are the same for all. Candidates can prepare for these subjects from the books listed for Tier I. Paper I also consists of a Computer. We have provided below the book list for the computer section.
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Computer Knowledge for Competitive Exams | Dr. P.K Pandey
|
| Computer Knowledge | by Lucent |
SSC CGL Book list for Paper II (Finance and Economics)
Paper II of the Tier II examination consists of finance and economics. Paper II is compulsory for the candidates appearing for the post of Assistant Audit Officer/Assistant Accounts Officer . We have listed below some of the best books for the preparation of finance and economics.
| Books | Author/publications |
|---|
| Insurance Assured | Oliveboard |
| Finance and Economics Guide | AAO by R.Gupta |
| Financial Management and Economics for Finance | CA Namit Arora |
SSC CGL Book list for Paper III (Statistics)
Paper III of the Tier II examination consists of statistics. Paper III is compulsory for the candidates appearing for the post of Junior Statistical Officer. We have listed below the SSC CGL book list by topper for the Statistics.
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Statistics Guide for SSC CGL | R. Gupta. |
| Statistics Previous year question papers | Kiran |
| Statistics in short for competitive examination | Nobin Chandra Paul. |
We have listed above the SSC CGL book list by the topper that will help you throughout the preparation journey. Consistent hard work and practice through these books will help you to crack the SSC CGL examination. Along with the book list, aspirants must be aware of the SSC CGL exam pattern.
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