SSC CGL Tier 1 Answer Key 2026: Quick Answer
The SSC CGL Tier 1 answer key 2026 was released on 4 November 2026 (SSC notice HQ-C11018/5/2026-C-1). The Staff Selection Commission has published three things together on its website: the question paper, your response sheet, and the provisional answer key, all behind your candidate login. You can challenge any answer you believe is wrong within the objection window, which runs from 4 November to 7 November 2026, 9:00 PM — it closes today. The objection fee is held on this page because sources disagree: house sources say ₹100 per question and Testbook says ₹50 — check the fee in the 4 November notice itself before paying. Tier 1 is a screening test — its marks do not count toward final merit, which is decided by Tier 2 alone — but the key matters because it tells you your normalised score, and the normalised score decides whether you are shortlisted for Tier 2. Tier 2 is tentatively expected in December 2026; SSC has not announced a date. No Tier 1 cut-off figure for 2026 exists yet, and this page publishes none.
SSC CGL Tier 1 2026: The Examination Window — An Honest Conflict
One fact about this cycle is genuinely unresolved in the sources, and this page does not pretend otherwise. The Tier-1 examination window is reported two ways:
- 30 September to 30 October 2026, per the SSC schedule notice of 12 September 2026.
- 30 September to 28 October 2026, per the SSC answer-key notice of 4 November 2026, which states the examination was conducted in that window.
The examination itself is over either way — what matters is that any page quoting one window as certain without mentioning the other is overstating its sources. For answer-key purposes the window does not change anything: the key is released once for all shifts, after the last shift is over. What does change with the window is nothing at all for candidates — but the conflict is a useful warning about this cycle's coverage in general. Prefer SSC's own notices over aggregator dates throughout.
How to Download the SSC CGL Answer Key and Response Sheet
When the key is live, the process follows SSC's standard candidate-login system:
- Go to ssc.gov.in and click Login (top right). Log in with your registration number and password.
- Open the Answer Key / Response Sheet section for Combined Graduate Level Examination 2026, Tier 1.
- Download three documents: the question paper for your shift, your response sheet (what you actually marked), and the provisional answer key.
- For each question, compare your marked answer with the key. The Tier-1 marking scheme is +2 for a correct answer and −0.50 for a wrong answer, across 100 questions in 60 minutes.
- Work out your raw score — but remember that the score that counts is the normalised score, explained below. Your raw score will differ from it, sometimes by several marks.
SSC usually keeps the answer-key link active for only a few days. Download all three documents on the first day and keep them — the link is not reliably reactivated, and you will need the response sheet if you decide to challenge any answer.
Challenging the Answer Key: Check the Fee in the Notice
If you believe the provisional key is wrong for a question, SSC allows objections online, at a fee per question challenged. The fee is held on this page because sources disagree: house sources say ₹100 per question and Testbook says ₹50 — check the fee in the 4 November notice itself before paying. The practical rules, from SSC's standard process:
- Objections are accepted only online, through the candidate login, within the window SSC announces with the key — typically three to four days. Late objections are not accepted, and objections by post or email are ignored.
- You must state the question, the answer you claim is correct, and the supporting reason or reference (textbook, official document, standard source). A bare "this answer is wrong" is routinely rejected.
- The objection fee is not refunded, even if your objection is accepted — unlike some Railway recruitments, where the fee is refunded for valid objections. Challenge only questions where you have a genuine, citable case.
- SSC publishes a final answer key after considering objections. The final key is not open to further challenge, and the result is computed on it.
Challenge selectively. At the ₹100 fee, candidates who challenge ten questions on hunches spend ₹1,000 and gain nothing; candidates who challenge two questions with solid references sometimes gain the two or three normalised marks that decide shortlisting.
Normalisation: Why Your Raw Score Is Not Your Final Score
CGL Tier 1 is held in many shifts with different papers, so SSC does not compare raw scores directly. Instead it normalises scores using the equipercentile method: your score is adjusted according to how candidates in your shift performed relative to candidates in other shifts, so that an easier shift and a harder shift are put on the same scale. In plain terms:
- If your shift's paper was harder than average, your normalised score will generally be higher than your raw score.
- If your shift's paper was easier than average, your normalised score will generally be lower than your raw score.
- The normalised score is out of 200 marks (100 questions × 2 marks), and the Tier-1 cut-off is published on normalised marks.
You cannot compute your own exact normalised score — the formula needs every candidate's marks in every shift, which SSC does not publish. What you can do is understand the direction of the adjustment and try the illustration on this site's normalisation calculator tool, which shows how the same raw score maps differently across an easy shift and a tough shift, and states plainly that it cannot reproduce SSC's official figures. For the previous years' cut-offs on normalised marks, including the corrected 2025 figures, see the SSC CGL cut-off note.
SSC CGL Tier 1 Result 2026: What Happens After the Key
Tier 2 admit card and exam-day rules: SSC CGL Admit Card 2026: Tier 1 and Tier 2, How to Download, Exam Day Rules.
After the final key, SSC publishes the Tier-1 result as a list of candidates shortlisted for Tier 2, with category-wise cut-offs on normalised marks. No result date has been announced. The sequence to expect:
- Provisional answer key + response sheet — released 4 November 2026 (SSC notice HQ-C11018/5/2026-C-1).
- Objection window — 4 to 7 November 2026, 9:00 PM; check the objection fee in the 4 November notice (sources disagree: ₹100 vs ₹50 per question).
- Final answer key — published with or just before the result.
- Tier-1 result + cut-off — shortlist for Tier 2, on normalised marks.
- Tier 2 — tentatively December 2026; date not announced.
Tier 2 is where the examination is actually won. Paper 1 (Mathematical Abilities, Reasoning, English, General Awareness, plus the qualifying Computer Knowledge module) is compulsory for all posts; Paper 2 (Statistics) and Paper 3 (Finance and Economics) apply only to specific posts. Tier-1 marks play no part in the final merit list — a candidate who scrapes through Tier 1 and tops Tier 2 is ranked above a candidate who topped Tier 1 and slips in Tier 2. Do not stop studying when the key comes out; the candidates who treat the key as the finish line are the ones Tier 2 overtakes.
What to Do Right Now
Tier 2 plan: SSC CGL Tier 2 preparation strategy 2026.
- Download your response sheet and the provisional key today. The objection window closes 7 November 2026 at 9:00 PM, and SSC usually keeps the answer-key link active for only a few days. Download all three documents (question paper, response sheet, provisional key) and keep them — the link is not reliably reactivated.
- Compare your response sheet with the key now. Write down the questions you are unsure about and your answers; the comparison takes minutes if you prepared while memory was fresh.
- Prepare the objection evidence now. If you already know a question where the key is likely wrong, gather the reference immediately — the objection window closes tonight, and a challenge without evidence is a lost fee.
- Start Tier-2 preparation immediately. The SSC CGL Tier-2 Paper-1 mock, the Computer Knowledge module mock and the SSC CGL PYP hub are the free starting points, and the SSC CGL syllabus note carries the full Tier-2 scheme.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is the SSC CGL Tier 1 answer key 2026 released? Yes — released 4 November 2026 (SSC notice HQ-C11018/5/2026-C-1). The objection window runs from 4 November to 7 November 2026, 9:00 PM. Download your response sheet before it closes.
2. How much does it cost to challenge the CGL answer key? Held: house sources say ₹100 per question and Testbook says ₹50. Check the fee in the 4 November notice itself before paying. The fee is paid online through the candidate login and is not refunded, even if the objection is accepted.
3. What is the SSC CGL Tier 1 marking scheme? 100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes: +2 for a correct answer, −0.50 for a wrong answer. The result uses normalised marks out of 200.
4. When is the SSC CGL Tier 1 result 2026? No date has been announced. It follows the final answer key. Tier 2 is tentatively expected in December 2026.
5. Do Tier 1 marks count for final selection? No. Tier 1 only shortlists candidates for Tier 2. Final merit is decided by Tier 2 (plus the Computer Knowledge module and DEST/typing, which are qualifying).
6. When was the CGL Tier 1 exam held? The window is reported as 30 September to 30 October 2026 (SSC schedule notice) and 30 September to 28 October 2026 (SSC answer-key notice of 4 November 2026). The examination is over either way.
As of 7 November 2026. The answer key was released on 4 November 2026 (SSC notice HQ-C11018/5/2026-C-1); the objection window closes 7 November 2026, 9:00 PM. Verify all dates on ssc.gov.in.
Related Notes and Practice
- Related notes: SSC CGL cut off, SSC CGL syllabus 2026, SSC CGL previous year question paper, SSC CGL exam pattern 2026. Browse all study notes.
- Practice: SSC CGL full-length mock test 13, SSC CGL Tier-2 Paper-1 mock 14, normalisation calculator tool, and the SSC CGL hub with every free mock for this exam.