SSC CGL Expected Cut Off 2026: Quick Answer
SSC has not published any CGL 2026 cut-off yet. The Tier 1 exam is still running (30 September to 30 October 2026), and the cut-off will come only with the Tier 1 result. What we can give you honestly is the official cut-off of the last three years and a trend range built only from those numbers. For the general (UR) category, the List-3 Tier 1 cut-off was 150.04936 in 2023, 152.97275 in 2024 and 136.40215 in 2025, all out of 200 normalised marks.
Read this first: Every "expected" figure on this page is BookOfExams analysis, not an SSC number. It is the lowest-to-highest band of the official 2023, 2024 and 2025 cut-offs, with our reasoning shown. Use it to set a target score, not to predict your result. The real cut-off can fall outside this band.
SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1: Official Facts So Far
| Item | Official position | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 exam window | 30.09.2026 to 30.10.2026 (CBE) | SSC Important Notice, 12.09.2026 |
| Tentative vacancies | 10,731 (UR 4,412, OBC 2,772, EWS 1,028, SC 1,715, ST 804; post-wise list) | Tentative vacancy list, 24.09.2026 |
| Vacancies in the original notice | approx. 12,256 | CGL 2026 notice, Para 3.1 |
| Tier 1 pattern | 100 questions, 200 marks, 1 hour, 0.50 negative mark per wrong answer | CGL 2026 notice, Para 13.8 |
| Normalisation | Procedure published by SSC on 02.06.2025 | CGL 2026 notice, Para 13.2 |
| Minimum qualifying marks | UR 30%, OBC/EWS 25%, others 20% | CGL 2026 notice, Para 16.1 |
| Tier 2 | Tentatively December 2026 (as printed in the notice) | CGL 2026 notice, page 1 |
The minimum qualifying marks are not the cut-off. They are the floor: in Tier 1 they work out to 60 marks for UR, 50 for OBC/EWS and 40 for other categories. The actual cut-off is set by how many candidates SSC decides to call for Tier 2.
SSC CGL Previous Year Tier 1 Cut Off (Official, All Other Posts)
This is the list that covers most posts (ASO, Inspector, Auditor, Tax Assistant, UDC and others). Marks are normalised, out of 200.
| Category | CGL 2025 | CGL 2024 | CGL 2023 | CGL 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UR | 136.40215 | 152.97275 | 150.04936 | 114.27651 |
| OBC | 130.36617 | 146.23244 | 145.93743 | 114.27651 |
| EWS | 127.41630 | 141.82144 | 143.44441 | 102.35275 |
| SC | 115.02843 | 126.42235 | 126.68201 | 89.08864 |
| ST | 106.38576 | 111.85520 | 118.16655 | 77.57858 |
| ESM | 92.82040 | 69.92674 | 100.29326 | 40.00000 |
| OH | 100.87394 | 113.10008 | 115.98466 | 70.69038 |
| HH | 68.79973 | 64.79156 | 77.72754 | 40.00000 |
| VH | 72.05369 | 102.97465 | 121.59662 | 40.00000 |
| Others (PwD) | 40.17527 | 45.74000 | 57.45303 | 40.00000 |
Sources: CGL 2025 corrigendum (14.01.2026), CGL 2024 additional result (17.01.2025) for UR/OBC/EWS/SC/ST and the CGL 2024 Tier 1 write-up for the rest, CGL 2023 Tier 1 write-up, CGL 2022 Tier 1 write-up. For year-wise Tier 2 and post-wise final cut-offs, see our full SSC CGL cut off page.
How SSC CGL Normalisation Works (Old Formula vs Equipercentile)
Tier 1 runs in dozens of shifts. SSC's press release of 3 October 2025 says about 28 lakh candidates applied for CGL 2025 Tier 1 and nearly 13.5 lakh appeared, across 126 cities, 255 centres and 45 shifts (PIB release on ssc.gov.in). Some shifts get an easier paper than others, so SSC converts raw marks into normalised marks before fixing any cut-off.
The old SSC normalisation formula (2019 to May 2025)
For CGL 2022, 2023 and 2024, SSC used the formula it published on 07.02.2019 (each of those Tier 1 write-ups says so). In simple words, it adjusted your raw score using the mean and standard deviation of your shift compared with the whole exam, calculated to five decimal places. That is why older cut-offs look like 152.97275.
The equipercentile method (exams notified after 1 June 2025)
SSC's normalisation page lists a new "Normalization procedure for SSC exams notified after 1 June 2025", and the CGL 2025 Tier 1 write-up says marks were normalised under the write-up dated 02.06.2025. The PIB release explains the idea: candidates are compared on their percentile in their own shift rather than raw marks. An SSC regional office notice explaining the change puts it this way: a candidate who scored better than 80% of examinees in one shift is matched to the candidate who scored better than 80% in another shift.
A simple way to picture it:
- In your shift, SSC works out what share of candidates scored the same as or less than you. That is your percentile.
- In every other shift, it finds the raw score that sits at the same percentile.
- Those matched scores put every shift on one common scale, and that common-scale figure is your normalised score.
What this means for you: under equipercentile, what counts is your rank inside your shift. A tough shift does not hurt you if you still beat most people in it. It also means 2025 and later cut-offs are on a slightly different scale from 2024 and earlier.
SSC CGL Expected Cut Off 2026 Tier 1 (Trend Range, Our Analysis)
Method, stated openly: for each category we took the lowest and highest official List-3 cut-off of CGL 2023, 2024 and 2025 (the three years with a broadly similar 200-mark Tier 1 and normal vacancy levels). We did not add or subtract anything. CGL 2022 is shown above for reference but left out of the range, because its cut-offs were far lower (it shortlisted 3,60,432 candidates, more than double any later year).
| Category | Official 2023-2025 low | Official 2023-2025 high | Trend range for 2026 (BookOfExams analysis, not official) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UR | 136.40 (2025) | 152.97 (2024) | about 136 to 153 |
| OBC | 130.37 (2025) | 146.23 (2024) | about 130 to 146 |
| EWS | 127.42 (2025) | 143.44 (2023) | about 127 to 143 |
| SC | 115.03 (2025) | 126.68 (2023) | about 115 to 127 |
| ST | 106.39 (2025) | 118.17 (2023) | about 106 to 118 |
| ESM | 69.93 (2024) | 100.29 (2023) | about 70 to 100 |
| OH | 100.87 (2025) | 115.98 (2023) | about 101 to 116 |
| HH | 64.79 (2024) | 77.73 (2023) | about 65 to 78 |
| VH | 72.05 (2025) | 121.60 (2023) | about 72 to 122 |
| Others (PwD) | 40.18 (2025) | 57.45 (2023) | about 40 to 57 |
Which end of the range is more likely in 2026?
This part is our reasoning from the official figures, not a forecast from SSC.
- Same method as 2025. CGL 2026 uses the 02.06.2025 procedure (notice Para 13.2), the same as CGL 2025. That makes 2025 the closest comparison, and its cut-offs sit at the bottom of the range.
- Fewer vacancies. CGL 2025 ended with 15,118 selections; the CGL 2026 tentative list shows 10,731. SSC shortlisted about 8.7 Tier 2 candidates per final selection in 2025 (1,31,027 for 15,118) and about 9.1 in 2024 (1,65,240 for 18,174). If SSC keeps a similar ratio, fewer vacancies means a smaller Tier 2 list, and a smaller list usually needs a higher score to enter. That points above the 2025 figure, not below it.
- Unknowns. Paper difficulty in each shift, the number of candidates who appear, and any revision of the vacancy list can all move the cut-off. Two of the last three Tier 1 results (2024 and 2025) were revised after publication.
Practical target (our suggestion): if you are UR, a normalised score comfortably above the 2024 high (about 153) is a safe goal; for OBC aim above about 146, and for EWS above about 143. Reserved categories can use the "high" column above as a target. These are study targets, not predictions.
JSO and Statistical Investigator: separate cut-offs
If you applied for JSO or SI Grade-II, your Tier 1 cut-off is a different, higher list. UR JSO was 153.46108 (2025), 167.02061 (2024) and 168.53975 (2023); UR SI Grade-II was 152.47231, 170.65672 and 172.36025 in the same years. Full category tables are on our SSC CGL cut off page.
How to Estimate Your Own SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 Score
- Wait for SSC's tentative answer key and your response sheet (SSC uploads these after the exam; the 2026 notice, Para 13.3, sets the challenge fee at ₹100 per question).
- Count correct answers (C) and wrong answers (W). Raw score = 2 × C − 0.5 × W. Example: 70 correct and 16 wrong gives 140 − 8 = 132.
- Remember that this is a raw score. Your normalised score can be higher or lower depending on how your shift compared with others.
- Compare with the official previous-year cut-offs, not with a figure someone quotes on social media.
SSC CGL Expected Cut Off 2026 Tier 2 and Final
Tier 2 is tentatively planned for December 2026 as per the notice. For context only: in CGL 2025 SSC's section-wise Tier 2 cut-offs were simply the minimum qualifying marks (Section-I 54, Section-II 63 for UR), while in CGL 2024 the combined UR line was 322.77352 out of 390 (CGL 2025 FRTA write-up, CGL 2024 final write-up). The post-wise final cut-off is what matters for your job; for CGL 2025, UR closed at 331 for ASO (CSS), 342 for Income Tax Inspector and 309 for Tax Assistant (CBDT) (CGL 2025 final write-up). We do not give an "expected" Tier 2 or final cut-off for 2026 because the post-wise vacancies can still change.
SSC CGL Expected Cut Off 2026 FAQs
What is the expected SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 cut off for general category?
SSC has not released it. Based only on the official 2023-2025 figures, the UR List-3 cut-off has ranged from about 136 to 153 normalised marks. This is our analysis, not an official figure.
Will the SSC CGL 2026 cut off be higher than 2025?
It might be. 2026 uses the same normalisation method as 2025, but the tentative vacancies (10,731) are lower than the 15,118 final selections of 2025. Fewer seats has usually meant a smaller Tier 2 list. Paper difficulty can still change the result, so treat this as a likelihood, not a fact.
When will the SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 result and cut off come?
SSC has not announced a date. For reference, the CGL 2025 Tier 1 exam ended with a re-exam on 14.10.2025 and the result came on 18.12.2025.
Is 130 a safe score in SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1?
For UR, 130 would have been below the cut-off in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For OBC it was below 2023 and 2024 but just under the 2025 line (130.36617). For SC and ST it was above the cut-off in all three years.
Does normalisation increase or decrease my marks?
Either. Under the equipercentile method, if your shift was harder than average, the same rank earns a higher normalised score; if it was easier, it can come down.
Is the minimum qualifying mark the same as the cut-off?
No. The minimum (60 marks for UR in Tier 1) only makes you eligible. The cut-off is the score of the last candidate SSC shortlists, and it has been far higher.
Practice Next for SSC CGL Tier 2
- Full mocks: SSC CGL Full Length Mock Test 12 and SSC CGL Full Length Mock Test 13.
- Sectional speed work: SSC CGL General Intelligence and Reasoning Sectional Mock Test 10 and SSC CGL English Comprehension Sectional Mock Test 10.
- Real papers: SSC CGL 2025 Tier 1 Question Paper, 12 September Shift 2.
- Answer key: SSC CGL answer key 2026 Tier 1: expected date, response sheet, objection fee and the SSC CGL 2026 marks calculator.
- Exam details: SSC CGL 2026 recruitment notice and dates.
- Related notes: SSC CGL cut off (year-wise official), SSC CGL salary 2026 and SSC CGL eligibility and age limit 2026.
- Official year-wise hub: SSC CGL cut off year-wise (Tier 1, Tier 2, final); exam choice: SSC CGL vs CHSL.
- Browse all study notes.