The SSC Stenographer Syllabus has important parts like General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, and English Language & Comprehension. Candidates should know the topics in each subject clearly. Below is a detailed syllabus for each section.
General Intelligence and Reasoning Syllabus
Space Visualization
Problem-Solving
Similarities & Differences
Analysis, Judgement
Discriminating Observation
Decision Making
Visual Memory
Coding-Decoding
Direction & Distance
Blood Relation
Order & Ranking
Puzzle
Venn Diagram
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Number Series
Verbal Reasoning
General Awareness Syllabus
Static Awareness
Current Affairs
History
Culture
Geography
General polity
Economic scene
Scientific research
Sports
Indian constitution
Science & Technology
English Comprehension Syllabus
Spellings
Phrases & Idiom Meaning
Active & Passive Voice
Reading Comprehension
Synonyms & Antonyms
Fill in the Blanks
Direct & Indirect Speech
Error Spotting
Para Jumble & Sentence Jumble
Phrase Replacement/ Sentence Correction
SSC Stenographer Skill Test Syllabus
The SSC Stenographer Skill Test Syllabus is crucial for candidates preparing for the shorthand skill test, as it outlines the specific areas to focus on. During the test, candidates will transcribe a dictated passage in either English or Hindi. The table below provides a breakdown of the key topics to help guide your preparation.
SSC Stenographer Syllabus for Skill Test
Tier
Syllabus
Syllabus Tier 2
President’s Speech
Topics on Natural Calamities
Speech given in the Parliament
Topics from the Editorial Columns of Newspapers
Railway Speech
Employment/Unemployment in India
Topics of National Interest
Budget Speech
Topics on Science and Technology
Any Topic of National Interest etc.
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SSC Stenographer Eligibility Criteria
There are important criteria that a candidate must fulfil to be eligible for the SSC Stenographer. The parameters are given below:
SSC Stenographer Educational Qualification
The minimum Educational Qualification required by a candidate is to be at least a 12th pass from a recognised Board or University. He/She must be able to produce the required documents when asked for verification after qualifying for the SSC Stenographer Exam.
SSC Stenographer Age Limit
SSC Stenographer Grade C: A candidate must lie in the age domain of 18-30 years to be eligible for the SSC Stenographer Grade C Exam.
SSC Stenographer Grade D: A candidate must lie in the age domain of 18-27 years to be eligible for the SSC Stenographer Grade D Exam.
Category
Upper Age Limit/Age Relaxation
SC/ST
5 years
OBC
3 years
PwD (unreserved)
10 years
PwD (OBC)
13 years
Pwd (SC/ST)
15 years
Ex-Servicemen
03 years after deduction of the military service rendered from the actual age as on closing date of receipt of online application
Defence Personnel disabled in operation during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof
03 years
Defence Personnel disabled in operation during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof (SC/ST)
08 years
Central Govt. Civilian Employees: Who have rendered not less than 3 years regular and continuous service as on closing date for receipt of online applications
Up to 40 years
Central Govt. Civilian Employees: Who have rendered not less than 3 years regular and continuous service as on closing date for receipt of online applications. (SC/ ST)
Up to 45 years
Widows/ Divorced Women/Women judicially separated and who are not remarried.
Up to 35 years
Widows/Divorced Women/ Women judicially separated and who are not remarried (SC/ST )
Up to 40 years
Nationality
A candidate must be either:
(a) a citizen of India, or (b) a subject of Nepal, or (c) a subject of Bhutan, or (d) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania (Formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam to permanently settle in India.
Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) above shall be a person in whose favour the Government of India has issued a certificate of eligibility.
A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary may be admitted to the examination, but the offer of appointment will be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issued to him by the Government of India.
SSC Stenographer Application Fee
The application Fee for SSC Stenographer is Rs. 100/- (for General and OBC). Candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD/Ex-servicemen category as well as female candidates will be exempted from paying the application fee for SSC Stenographer.
SSC Stenographer Application Fee
Category
Application Fee
General and OBC
Rs. 100/-
SC/ST/PWD/Ex-servicemen and female
Nil
How to Apply Online for SSC Stenographer?
Click on the official link for SSC Stenographer, which is provided above on this page or go to the official website of SSC (https://ssc.gov.in/).
The registration link for SSC Stenographer opens up in a new window.
Click on the New User/Register Now link.
To begin with the SSC Stenographer Apply Online, a candidate needs to provide basic details of themselves like name, parents’ name, date of birth, email ID, mobile number etc.
Click on the submit button to submit your online registration form for SSC Stenographer. It is advised that candidates verify their details before submitting the form. All the candidates will be issued a Registration ID for SSC Stenographer Recruitment exam.
Candidates are required to log in with the provided Registration ID, date of birth and password to complete registration for SSC Stenographer.
In the next step, candidates are required to upload photographs and signatures by following the requisites mentioned by the Staff Selection Commission of India.
Log in with a registered ID and password to complete Part II of the application form for SSC Stenographer.
After filling out the application form, candidates must preview the entire application of SSC Stenographer once to look for any glitches in the form, if any as the application form once submitted cannot be edited again.
Click on the Final Submit button after previewing the complete online SSC Stenographer application form and pay the required application fee.
It is advised that Candidates download and get print copies of the submitted application form for SSC Stenographer.
Photograph – The photograph of a candidate must be clicked in front of a white color or light-colored background. The size of the photograph must be more than 4 kb and less than 12 kb in size. The resolution of the photograph must be 100*120 pixels in width and height.
Signature – The signature provided by the candidate must be in black or blue ink on the white sheet. The scanned copy of the signature that needs to be submitted must be in jpg format and it should be more than 1 kb and less than 12 kb in size . The resolution of the image should be 40*60 pixels in width and height.
SSC Stenographer Selection Process
The SSC Stenographer examination will be conducted at 2 different levels. The first level is the Grade C and D exam which comprises MCQs and is conducted online. After this exam has been conducted, an exam to test your skill sets in various domains is conducted by SSC.
Computer-Based Exam
Skill Test (Stenography)
SSC Stenographer Exam Pattern
The SSC Stenographer examination will be conducted in 2 different levels. The first level is Grade C and D exam which comprises of MCQs and is conducted online. After this exam has been conducted, an exam to test your skill sets in various domains is conducted by SSC. a) The details of the Computer Based Examination for SSC Stenographer Grade C and D are mentioned below:
SSC Stenographer Exam Pattern
Section Asked
No. of Questions
Maximum Marks
Time Allotted
General Awareness
50
50
2 Hours
General Intelligence and Reasoning
50
50
English Language and Comprehension
100
100
Total Marks
200
200
Important Points:
a) Question paper will be of Objective Type Multiple Choice. Questions will be set in Hindi and English except for Part III.
There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. Candidates are, therefore, advised to keep this in mind while answering the question.
SSC Stenographer Minimum Qualifying Marks
The minimum percentage of marks for qualifying in the SSC Stenographer Computer-Based Examination will be as under:
Unreserved Category: 30%
OBC/EWS: 25%
All Other Categories: 20%
Skill Test in Stenography
Candidates who obtain the qualifying marks in the Examination as may be prescribed by the Commission will be called for the Skill Test. The commission may also prescribe qualifying marks in each part of the Examination. The Skill Test will be of a qualifying nature, and the Commission will fix the qualifying standards in the Skill Test for different categories of candidates.
The candidates will have to appear for the Skill Test in Stenography. The candidates will be given one dictation for 10 minutes in English/ Hindi at the speed of 100 words per minute (w.p.m) for the post of Stenographer Grade ‘C’ and 80 w.p.m. for the post of Stenographer Grade ‘D’. The matter will have to be transcribed on a computer. The transcription time is as follows:
SSC Stenographer Skill Test
Post
Language of Skill Test
Time Duration (in minutes)
Time Duration (in minutes) for the candidates who are allowed use of scribe in the CBE (Para-7)
Stenographer Grade ‘D’
English
50
70
Stenographer Grade ‘D’
English
65
90
Stenographer Grade ‘C’
English
40
55
Stenographer Grade ‘C’
Hindi
55
75
Important Points:
Candidates who opt to take the Stenography Test in Hindi will be required to learn English Stenography and vice versa after their appointment, failing which their probation may not be cleared by the appointing departments. Candidates have to work as English/ Hindi stenographers as per the functional requirement of the User Office, irrespective of the medium of the Skill Test of the candidate during the examination.
The skill test will be held at the Commission’s Regional/Sub-Regional Offices or at other Centres (s) as may be decided by the Commission.
Detailed instructions regarding the Skill Test will be sent by the concerned Regional/Sub-Regional Offices of the Commission to the candidates called for the Skill Test.
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SSC Stenographer Salary Structure
The SSC Stenographer salary depends on the Grade – Grade C or Grade D. Candidates selected for Grade C receive a higher Npay than those in Grade D. The in-hand salary is the actual amount a candidate receives after deductions like income tax and provident fund from the gross salary. Below is a table showing the basic salary for both Grades, giving a clear idea of the pay structure for this government job.
SSC Stenographer Salary Structure (Grade C and Grade D Posts)
SSC Stenographer Salary Grade C
Pay Scale
Rs. 9,300 to 34,800
Pay Band
4,200 or 4,600 (Pay Grade 2)
Initial Salary
5,200
Basic Salary
Rs. 14,500
SSC Stenographer Salary Grade D
Pay Scale
Rs. 5,200 to 20,200
Pay Band
2,400 (Pay Grade 1)
Initial Salary
5,200
Basic Salary
Rs. 7,600
SSC Stenographer Grade Pay
The SSC Stenographer in-hand salary depends on the Grade – Grade C or Grade D. It is the money a candidate gets after deductions like income tax and provident fund from the gross salary. Below is the approximate in-hand salary for SSC Stenographers. This shows how much candidates can expect to receive each month.
Grade C Stenographer:
Basic Salary: Rs. 14,500
Approximate In-Hand Salary: After deductions, the in-hand salary may be around Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000 per month.
Grade D Stenographer:
Basic Salary: Rs. 7,600
Approximate In-Hand Salary: After deductions, the in-hand salary may be around Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 22,000 per month.
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General Intelligence & Reasoning
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning — R.S. Aggarwal
Analytical Reasoning — M.K. Pandey
How to Crack Test of Reasoning — Arihant Publications
General Awareness
Lucent’s General Knowledge — Lucent Publications
Manorama Year Book — latest edition
General Knowledge — Dr. Binary Karn
English Language & Comprehension
Objective General English — S.P. Bakshi
Word Power Made Easy — Norman Lewis
High School English Grammar & Composition — Wren & Martin
Objective English — Hari Mohan Prasad
Stenography
Sir Isaac Pitman’s Shorthand Instructor — Isaac Pitman (English Steno)
Pitman’s Shorthand Dictionary — Isaac Pitman
Hindi Shorthand — Kailash Chandra (Hindi Steno)
SSC Combined Practice
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D Guide — Arihant Publications
SSC Previous Year Papers — Youth Competition Times
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1. What is SSC Stenographer Exam?
The SSC Stenographer Exam is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission to recruit candidates for Grade C (Group B) and Grade D (Group C) stenographer posts in various government departments.
2. What is the eligibility for SSC Stenographer?
Must have passed 12th (Intermediate) from a recognized board
Age Limit:
Grade C: 18–30 years
Grade D: 18–27 years
Age relaxation applies for reserved categories
3. What is the selection process?
The selection process has two stages:
Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Skill Test (Stenography Test)
4. What subjects are included in the CBT?
General Intelligence & Reasoning
General Awareness
English Language & Comprehension
5. What is the exam pattern?
Total Questions: 200
Total Marks: 200
Duration: 2 hours
Negative Marking: 0.25 marks per wrong answer
6. What is the skill test in stenography?
Candidates must:
Dictation:
Grade C: 100 words per minute (wpm)
Grade D: 80 words per minute (wpm)
Transcription:
English/Hindi on computer within a fixed time
7. Is the skill test qualifying?
Yes, the skill test is nqualifying in nature, but it is mandatory to pass.
8. What is the syllabus for SSC Stenographer?
Reasoning: Coding-decoding, analogy, puzzles
General Awareness: History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Current Affairs
English: Grammar, vocabulary, comprehension
9. What is the salary of SSC Stenographer?
Grade C: ₹35,000–₹50,000 (approx.)
Grade D: ₹25,000–₹35,000 (approx.)
10. What is the job role of a stenographer?
Taking dictation in shorthand
Transcribing into text
Assisting officers with documentation
11. How to prepare for SSC Stenographer?
Practice daily shorthand dictation
Improve typing speed
Read newspapers for English & current affairs
Solve previous year papers
12. Which books are best for preparation?
General Intelligence: R.S. Aggarwal
English: Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi
General Awareness: Lucent GK
13. Is there any interview?
No, there is no interview in SSC Stenographer recruitment.
14. Can I choose Hindi or English for stenography?
Yes, you can choose either Hindi or English for the skill test.
15. What is the difficulty level of the exam?
The exam is generally easy to moderate, but English section can be slightly tricky.
16. How many attempts are allowed?
There is no fixed attempt limit, but you must fall within the age criteria.
17. Is typing required for SSC Stenographer?
Typing is not separately tested, but transcription speed is important.
18. What is the work location?
You may be posted in:
Central Government Ministries
Departments
Offices across India
19. Is SSC Stenographer a good career?
Yes, it offers:
Job security
Good salary
Government benefits
Work-life balance
20. What is the key to success in SSC Stenographer?
