SSC CHSL 2026 - 2,536 Posts for 12th Pass, Exam Centres in Srinagar, Jammu, Samba and Leh

About this job

Staff Selection Commission has opened the Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination 2026 - approximately 2,536 posts, and 12TH PASS IS THE ONLY QUALIFICATION YOU NEED. Notice F. No. HQ-C1102/5/2026-C-1, uploaded 7 September 2026. Applications close 7 OCTOBER 2026 at 23:00. FOUR EXAMINATION CENTRES IN JAMMU & KASHMIR AND LADAKH. Srinagar (code 1007), Jammu (1004), Samba (1010) and LEH (1005). All four sit in SSC's North Western Region at Chandigarh. That is one more than the SSC Junior Engineer examination carries, and it means candidates from Ladakh can sit this without crossing into the Valley. AND IF YOU ARE STILL IN CLASS 12 RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN STILL APPLY. Paragraph 8.3 is explicit: candidates who have appeared in their 12th Standard examination may apply, provided they hold the qualification on or before 7 October 2026. Students awaiting results should not wait another year. THE FEE IS Rs 100 - AND WOMEN PAY NOTHING. Women candidates, and SC, ST, PwBD and Ex-Servicemen candidates eligible for reservation, are all fully exempt. WHAT THE POSTS ARE Lower Division Clerk / Junior Secretariat Assistant - Pay Level-2, Rs 19,900 to 63,200. Data Entry Operator - Pay Level-4, Rs 25,500 to 81,100, and Level-5, Rs 29,200 to 92,300. Data Entry Operator Grade 'A' - Pay Level-4, Rs 25,500 to 81,100. These are Group C posts across Ministries, Departments and Offices of the Government of India and various constitutional bodies, statutory bodies and tribunals. ONE QUALIFICATION TRAP WORTH KNOWING. For LDC/JSA and for most DEO posts, a plain 12th pass in any stream is enough. But for Data Entry Operator posts in the MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION, in the STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION itself, and in the MINISTRY OF CULTURE, you need 12th in the SCIENCE STREAM WITH MATHEMATICS as a subject. If you took arts or commerce, those particular DEO posts are closed to you. AGE IS 18 TO 27 as on 1 August 2026 - born not before 02.08.1999 and not later than 01.08.2008. Relaxations apply for reserved categories. THERE IS NO J&K QUOTA, AND SSC SAYS SO ITSELF. Paragraph 2.1 records that state-wise and zone-wise vacancies are NOT collected by the Commission. The 2,536 is tentative and all-India, and the post-wise and category-wise split will appear later at ssc.gov.in under Candidate's Corner, then Tentative Vacancy. THE EXAMINATION. Tier-I is 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes - English Language 25, General Intelligence 25, Quantitative Aptitude 25 and General Awareness 25, each worth 50 marks, with a SECTIONAL TIMER of 15 minutes per subject. NEGATIVE MARKING IS 0.50 MARKS PER WRONG ANSWER, which is heavier than most SSC papers - do not guess. Tier-II runs in two sessions on the same day and has four sections: Mathematical Abilities and Reasoning; English and General Awareness; a Computer Knowledge Test; and a Skill Test or Typing Test. YOU MUST QUALIFY EVERY SECTION OF TIER-II. AND THE THING THAT WILL COST PEOPLE THEIR APPLICATION: your old One-Time Registration from ssc.nic.in DOES NOT WORK on the new ssc.gov.in site. Paragraph 9 is explicit. Register again from scratch, and do it now rather than on 7 October. Apply at ssc.gov.in. Helpline 18003093063.

What you'll do

• Serve as a Lower Division Clerk or Junior Secretariat Assistant in Pay Level-2, or as a Data Entry Operator in Pay Level-4 or Level-5, in a Group C post of the Government of India
• Work in the Ministry, Department, Office, constitutional body, statutory body or tribunal to which you are allotted
• Accept the post allotted on merit-cum-preference - once a post is allotted, the Commission makes no change, and failing that post's physical, medical or educational standards means rejection
• For Data Entry Operator posts, meet the typing and computer proficiency standards tested at Tier-II

What we're looking for

• QUALIFICATION - 12TH PASS, WITH ONE IMPORTANT EXCEPTION
• For LDC/JSA, and for Data Entry Operator and DEO Grade 'A' posts generally: a pass in 12th Standard or an equivalent examination from a recognised Board or University, in ANY stream.
• BUT for Data Entry Operator and DEO Grade 'A' posts in the MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION, in the STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION, and in the MINISTRY OF CULTURE: 12th Standard pass in the SCIENCE STREAM WITH MATHEMATICS as a subject. Arts and commerce students are not eligible for those specific posts.
• Qualification is reckoned as on 07-10-2026.
• STILL APPEARING IN CLASS 12? YOU CAN APPLY.
• Paragraph 8.3 states that candidates who have appeared in their 12th Standard or equivalent examination may also apply, provided they possess the essential qualification on or before the cut-off date of 07-10-2026.
• Degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded through Open and Distance Learning by universities established by an Act of Parliament or State Legislature, and by Institutions Deemed to be Universities, are recognised.
• AGE
• 18 to 27 years as on 01-08-2026. Born not before 02-08-1999 and not later than 01-08-2008. Permissible relaxations in the upper age limit apply for reserved categories under extant Government orders.
• THE POSTS AND PAY
• Lower Division Clerk / Junior Secretariat Assistant - Pay Level-2, Rs 19,900 to 63,200.
• Data Entry Operator - Pay Level-4, Rs 25,500 to 81,100, and Pay Level-5, Rs 29,200 to 92,300.
• Data Entry Operator Grade 'A' - Pay Level-4, Rs 25,500 to 81,100.
• VACANCIES
• Approximately 2,536, described by the Commission as tentative. Final vacancies are determined after scrutiny of documents from User Departments, and the post-wise and category-wise split will be published at ssc.gov.in under Candidate's Corner, then Tentative Vacancy.
• SSC states in paragraph 2.1 that STATE-WISE AND ZONE-WISE VACANCIES ARE NOT COLLECTED by the Commission. Any J&K-specific seat count quoted for this examination is invented.
• TIER-I EXAMINATION
• 100 questions for 200 marks in 60 minutes: English Language (Basic Knowledge) 25 questions/50 marks; General Intelligence 25/50; Quantitative Aptitude (Basic Arithmetic Skill) 25/50; General Awareness 25/50.
• A SECTIONAL TIMER OF 15 MINUTES applies to each subject - you cannot carry unused time between sections. Candidates eligible for a scribe get 80 minutes with a 20-minute sectional timer.
• NEGATIVE MARKING IS 0.50 MARKS FOR EACH WRONG ANSWER. That is double the 0.25 used in many other SSC papers, so blind guessing is expensive.
• Questions in Parts II, III and IV are set in English, Hindi and any language the candidate opts for in the application form.
• TIER-II EXAMINATION
• Conducted in TWO SESSIONS ON THE SAME DAY.
• Session-I: Section-I (Mathematical Abilities; Reasoning and General Intelligence), Section-II (English Language and Comprehension; General Awareness), Section-III (Computer Knowledge Test).
• Session-II: Section-IV (Skill Test / Typing Test).
• IT IS MANDATORY TO QUALIFY ALL SECTIONS OF TIER-II.
• POST ALLOTMENT
• Final allotment is on merit-cum-preference. Once a post is allotted no change is made, and if you fail that post's medical, physical or educational standards your candidature is rejected - so give your preferences carefully.