Staff Selection Commission conducts recruitment test for the selection of Stenographers in Grade C and Grade D in different ministries and departments of the Central Government. Several aspirants fill the online application for this post every year, for which selection is done through Written Test and Skill Test. In this, we are discussing the eligibility criteria, examination pattern and recruitment procedure for this post. This will help the aspirants in preparing well for the competition.

The Staff Selection Commission organizes the examination for the recruitment of Stenographers Grade 'C' and 'D' for the departments and ministries of the Central Government every year. This year the commission is going to conduct the test on 31st July, 2016, Sunday through several examination centers. Lakhs of aspirants apply for this post in the commission as the job offers them with stability, good salary and job-security. The recruitment of the candidates will depend upon their performance or score in the written examination and skill test. Aspirants, who clear the written test are called for skill test. As the date for the test is approaching, candidates should start revising the syllabus they have prepared.

First step towards preparation of any competitive test is to understand its syllabus and examination pattern. In this article we are discussing in detail the syllabus and pattern for the test.

Written Examination: This test contains 200 multiple choice questions of one mark each and the general candidates are given 2 hours and visually handicapped candidates are given 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the test. The paper is divided into three sections General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, and English Language and Comprehension. These sections comprise 50, 50 and 100 questions respectively. The paper is set in both Hindi and English Language. There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for the wrong answers given by the candidates. So, candidates should avoid guessing the answers.

Eligibility Criteria:

Education: Candidates, who are willing to apply for this post, must have completed 12th from a recognized school/ board. They should also possess good knowledge of Stenography in English and Hindi and should be able to type 100 w.p.m. and 80 w.p.m. for Grade D.

Age Limit: To fit in the eligibility criteria, candidates must lie in the age group 18-27 years.

Recruitment Process:

1. Written Test

2. Skill Test/ Stenography Test

SSC Stenographer 2020 Exam Pattern

SSC Stenographer 2020 Syllabus

Written Test, which is conducted for the post contains 200 multiple choice questions of one mark each, which the candidates have to attempt in 2 hours. 0.25 marks deducted for every wrong answer made by the candidates. This paper consists of three subjects General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, and English Language and Comprehension.

Skill Test: Candidates, who qualify the written examination, can appear for the skill test of stenography. In this test, candidates have to qualify the Dictation test of duration of 10 minutes in Hindi or English. Candidates have to write these words with the speed of 100 w.p.m for Grade C and 80 w.pm. for Grade D. After completing the test, candidates have to write the same on computer with in the below given stipulated time.

Grade C: 55 Minutes for Hindi and 40 Minutes for English

Grade D: 65 Minutes for Hindi and 50 Minutes for English

Skill Test: Aspirants, who score the qualifying marks set by the commission are called to appear for the Stenography Skill Test. The commission may set the sectional cut-off as well for the written test. The skill test is qualifying in nature and the organization has some fixed qualifying standards for the test. Candidates, who clear the written test have to appear for the skill test in order to get recruited. In this test, the candidates will be provided with dictation for 10 minutes in Hindi and English and they have to transcribe it on computer with the speed of 100 w.p.m for Stenographer Grade 'D' post and 80 w.p.m. for Stenographer Grade 'C'. Aspirants belonging to VH category have to transcribe the matter in 75 minutes in English and in 100 minutes in Hindi for Stenographer Grade 'D' and in 70 minutes in English and in 95 minutes in Hindi for Stenographer Grade 'C'. The test is held at the Commission's Regional/Sub Regional Offices or the center's as decided by the commission.

Syllabus for the Written Examination:

Below we are discussing the section-wise syllabus in detail for the written test.

SSC Stenographer Syllabus - General Intelligence & Reasoning: This section is there in the test just to examine the logic, presence of mind and observation power of the aspirants. It comprises questions both of verbal and non-verbal type. The questions in this section are designed from the topics like: Analogies, Space Visualization, Problem-solving, similarities and differences, Analysis, Judgement, Decision Making, Relationship Concepts, Arithmetical Reasoning, Verbal and Figure Classification, Visual Memory, Discriminating Observation, Arithmetical Number Series and Non-Verbal Series etc.

SSC Stenographer Syllabus - General Awareness: The section is included in the examination to check the awareness of the candidates about the events happening across the globe and their implications on the human life. This section also includes questions on general science and current affairs. Other topics from which the questions are framed are: Environment and its application to society: Current events, Sports, General Polity including Indian Constitution, Economic scene, Culture, History, Scientific Research, Geography, etc.

SSC Stenographer Syllabus - English Language & Comprehension: This section is included in test pattern to test the knowledge of the candidates of the language. Through this section the vocabulary, grammar, sentence formation, antonyms, synonyms, etc. are analysed. To score good marks in the section, the candidates need to prepare the topics like active and passive voice, Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms, Fill in the blanks, Direct and Indirect Conversion, Comprehension passage, Spellings, Miss-spelt words detection and Cloze passage.