SSC CGL Exam Analysis 21 October 2026 — Shift 1
SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 · 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM IST · Updated 21 Oct, 9:55 pm IST
Partial coverage. Some figures may be withheld; read the source and correction notes below.
The paper was overall rated between moderate and difficult, with one source calling it difficult.
Section overview
General Intelligence & Reasoning
25 questions · 50 marks
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Reported attempts
- 18–22
General Awareness
25 questions · 50 marks
- Difficulty
- Easy to Difficult (reports differ)
- Reported attempts
- 12–15
Quantitative Aptitude
25 questions · 50 marks
- Difficulty
- Easy to Difficult (reports differ)
- Reported attempts
- 15–17
English Comprehension
25 questions · 50 marks
- Difficulty
- Easy to Moderate (reports differ)
- Reported attempts
- 18–20
Topics asked, section by section
General Intelligence & Reasoning
EasyNo syllogism, calendars or clocks were asked, questions were lengthy but manageable within 15 minutes.
- Statement based questions · 10
- Address matching · 2
- Code based question · 1
- Coding‑decoding · 1
- Matrix question · 1
- Blood relation · 1
- Number series · 2
- statements and conclusions
General Awareness
Easy to Difficult (reports differ)GS was tougher than previous years, more questions overall.
- Economics
- History (in‑depth)
- Geography – state border with Bangladesh
- Current affairs 2025
- Awards 2024
- Folk dance
- Space and technology (static GK)
- Appointments (current affairs)
Quantitative Aptitude
Easy to Difficult (reports differ)Advanced trigonometry identity and hard DI questions, few difficulty in time management for advanced questions.
- Mensuration 3D (prisms, pyramids, hollow cylinders, cubes, cube roots)
- Trigonometry (advanced identity)
- Algebra, simplification, surds & indices · 6
- Regular polygons · 1
- Discount · 1
- Data Interpretation · 4
- mensuration
- geometry
English Comprehension
Easy to Moderate (reports differ)RC was lengthy; errors were easy but presented in long sentences, passage was time‑consuming but overall easy.
- Reading comprehension (lengthy passage)
- Jumbled sentences (long)
- Vocabulary (PYQ based)
- Error detection (nouns/pronouns, lengthy)
- Sentence improvement · 1-2
- Voice & narration · 5
- passage reading
Topics with an arrow link to our free notes and practice questions for that topic.
Questions asked (memory-based)
What candidates recalled after the shift, reworded. Exact wording and options may differ from the real paper.
General Intelligence & Reasoning
- 1
Statement based reasoning question
- 2
Number series question
- 3
Coding‑decoding question
- 4
Blood relation question
General Awareness
- 1
Economics question
- 2
In‑depth history question
- 3
Geography state border with Bangladesh
Quantitative Aptitude
- 1
Prisms and pyramids mensuration
- 2
Advanced trigonometry identity
- 3
Discount calculation
- 4
Data Interpretation set of 4 questions
English Comprehension
- 1
Lengthy reading comprehension passage
- 2
Long jumbled sentence
- 3
Error detection involving nouns
What candidates noticed
- Reasoning had no syllogism, calendar or clock questions.
- Mathematics section was reported hard with advanced trigonometry and DI.
- General Awareness difficulty varied between sources.
- Cutoff may be low due to hard math and reasoning.
Where reviews disagree
- General Awareness difficulty was reported Easy by one source and Difficult by another.
- Quantitative difficulty ranged from Easy to Moderate to Difficult across reports.
Other shifts on 21 October
Sources
Automatically compiled from the linked reviews. Source agreement does not guarantee accuracy; this is not a manually verified paper. Difficulty and attempt figures are unofficial.
- The overall attempt estimate conflicted with the section estimates and was withheld; no replacement total was calculated.
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FAQs
How was the SSC CGL 21 October 2026 Shift 1 paper?
Candidates rated the 21 October 2026 Shift 1 paper Moderate to Difficult (reports differ) overall. The paper was overall rated between moderate and difficult, with one source calling it difficult.
Which General Intelligence & Reasoning topics were asked in SSC CGL 21 October 2026 Shift 1?
General Intelligence & Reasoning was Easy. Topics reported: Statement based questions (10), Address matching (2), Code based question (1), Coding‑decoding (1), Matrix question (1), Blood relation (1), Number series (2), statements and conclusions.
Which General Awareness topics were asked in SSC CGL 21 October 2026 Shift 1?
General Awareness was Easy to Difficult (reports differ). Topics reported: Economics, History (in‑depth), Geography – state border with Bangladesh, Current affairs 2025, Awards 2024, Folk dance, Space and technology (static GK), Appointments (current affairs).
Which Quantitative Aptitude topics were asked in SSC CGL 21 October 2026 Shift 1?
Quantitative Aptitude was Easy to Difficult (reports differ). Topics reported: Mensuration 3D (prisms, pyramids, hollow cylinders, cubes, cube roots), Trigonometry (advanced identity), Algebra, simplification, surds & indices (6), Regular polygons (1), Discount (1), Data Interpretation (4), mensuration, geometry.
Which English Comprehension topics were asked in SSC CGL 21 October 2026 Shift 1?
English Comprehension was Easy to Moderate (reports differ). Topics reported: Reading comprehension (lengthy passage), Jumbled sentences (long), Vocabulary (PYQ based), Error detection (nouns/pronouns, lengthy), Sentence improvement (1-2), Voice & narration (5), passage reading.
What overall difficulty level was reported for the SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 exam on 21 October 2026?
Shift 1 was reported as moderate to difficult, with some sources describing it as difficult. Shift 3 did not provide an overall difficulty rating.
How many candidates made good attempts in shift 1 of the SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 exam on 21 October 2026?
The number of good attempts for shift 1 is not reliably reported, so no specific figure can be provided.
Is there any analysis available for shift 2 of the SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 exam on 21 October 2026?
No usable analysis has been published for shift 2 yet, and more candidate evidence is required before a review can be added.
What topics were covered in shift 3 of the SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 exam on 21 October 2026?
Shift 3 focused on English vocabulary and grammar, including synonym, antonym, idiom, one‑word replacement, error correction, and voice conversion questions.
Are the figures reported for the SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 exam on 21 October 2026 official?
The figures are unofficial; SSC normalises scores across shifts.