How Many Attempts Are Allowed for SSC CGL Exam?

The Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Exam is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) on an annual basis to recruit suitable candidates in various Group B and C Level posts across multiple government departments and ministries. The candidates preparing for the SSC CGL Exam generally are curious regarding the number of times they are allowed to attempt the exam. In this article, let’s take a look at the answer to this question in detail.

How Many Attempts are Allowed for the SSC CGL Exam?

The government exam aspirants willing to appear for various recruitment exams have to be aware of the number of attempts allowed in each exam along with the eligibility criteria. Some recruiting agencies provide a clear answer to this question in their official notifications. However, in the case of SSC, there is no mention of the number of attempts anywhere in its official notifications. So, it is safe to say that:

“There is no limit on the number of attempts allowed for the SSC CGL Exam”.

The candidates willing to appear for the SSC CGL Exam should not worry about the number of attempts. However, what they should be aware of is the eligibility criteria. The number of attempts for each candidate depends only on the year of graduation and the maximum age limit applicable to them. Let us try to understand both these aspects in detail.

Factors Deciding the Number of Attempts

Even though the commission does not put a defined limit on the number of attempts, it sets some boundaries in the form of eligibility criteria. The notification clearly states that the candidates will be eligible for SSC CGL only after completing their graduation on or before the given date. Moreover, it provides the lower and upper age limit applicable to each post.

Educational Qualification

The educational qualification for all the posts offered via SSC CGL has one factor in common i.e. the candidates should possess a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university. However, some posts require them have some special qualifications.

Age Limit

The Combined Graduate Level Eam is conducted to select suitable candidates for different posts so the range of age limit differs according to the requirements of each post. The post wise age limit is mentioned in the table below.

Relaxation in the Upper Age Limit

One of the important factors that have a big impact on the number of attempts is the relaxation allowed in the upper age limit of the candidates belonging to different categories. The commission mentions the following category-wise relaxations to the candidates appearing for the SSC CGL Exam.

To sum up, there is no limit to the number of times a candidate can appear for the SSC CGL Exam. However, the commission provides the educational qualification and age limit as the factors determining the number of attempts.