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SSC CGL Exam Analysis 5 October 2026 — Shift 3

SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 · 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM IST · Updated 5 Oct, 7:45 pm IST

Overall difficulty
Moderate to Difficult
Good attempts
77–85 / 100
Shift timing
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM IST

Early reviews — numbers may shift as more candidates report.

The reviewers we found called the evening paper moderate to difficult, with Reasoning and English easy to moderate, General Awareness moderate and Quant moderate to tough. The Quant section had Data Interpretation (pie chart, bar graph and histogram), mensuration and geometry. Good attempts were put at about 77–85, though one candidate survey with a small sample points to an easier paper. These reviews were gathered soon after the shift and may change.

Section-wise difficulty and good attempts

SectionQsDifficultyGood attempts
General Intelligence & Reasoning25Easy to Moderate20–23
General Awareness25Moderate10–17 (reports differ)
Quantitative Aptitude25Moderate to Difficult19–22 (one candidate said 16–18)
English Comprehension25Easy to Moderate20–24

Topics asked, section by section

General Intelligence & Reasoning

Easy to Moderate

Analytical reasoning had 7–8 questions. There were 2 coding-decoding, 2 syllogism and 3 matrix questions, plus 1 series, 1 figure-based and 1 roll-number question. No calendar or clock questions were reported.

General Awareness

Moderate

Reports differ: reviewers said only about 10–17 questions were comfortable, while some candidates called it easy and attempted 20–24. Economy had about 5 questions and polity about 3. Current affairs from 2026 was reportedly not asked, though one question was from 2023–24.

Quantitative Aptitude

Moderate to Difficult

Mensuration (3–4 questions, including pyramid, sphere, hemisphere and cone) and geometry (3–4 questions, 1–2 on circles) had big shares. There were 4 algebra questions, 4 combining algebra and number system, and 1–2 polygon questions. Two time and work questions were lengthy. Data Interpretation had 2–4 questions. One histogram question was reported to have no diagram.

English Comprehension

Easy to Moderate

Voice and narration had about 7–8 questions, which were lengthy rather than tough. There were 2 sentence-rearrangement (PQRS) questions and reading comprehension. Error-spotting was easy, and there was 1 sentence-improvement question. Vocabulary came from previous-year words, and one candidate called the cloze test hard to understand.

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 Awareness

  1. A question on the impeachment of the President (Article 61), as recalled by candidates.
  2. A question on the full form of BIMSTEC.
  3. A match-the-column question on the Schedules of the Constitution.
  4. A question on the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
  5. A question on census years (1991, 2001, 2011).
  6. A question on which body issues the Global Innovation Index.
  7. A question on the Deccan rivers.

Quantitative Aptitude

  1. A histogram question that, according to a candidate, came without the histogram diagram.

What candidates noticed

  • SSC normalises scores across shifts, so a harder shift is expected to be balanced against easier ones.
  • Candidates in a Bareilly centre reported 3–4 system shutdowns during the paper, after which they logged in again and resumed. This is a centre-level report and not confirmed elsewhere.
  • Candidates who claimed 79–99 attempts also claimed about 90% accuracy. These are self-reported and the higher claims are doubtful.

Where reviews disagree

  • Overall difficulty: the reviewers we found said moderate to difficult, while a small candidate survey (121 responses) showed 55% 'same', 41% 'difficult' and only 3% 'easy'. Two of the reviews have near-identical figures and may not be independent.
  • General Awareness attempts: 13–17 in one review and 10–12 in another, while some candidates said they attempted 20–24.
  • Survey averages: about 87 attempts and a score near 144, which sit above the reviewers' good-attempts range. Self-selected survey samples tend to skew high.
  • Technical issues: one centre reported repeated shutdowns, while one review said mouse and keyboard problems were not seen at all.
  • Cut-off predictions on video reviews vary widely and are guesses, so none is reported here.

Other shifts on 5 October

Shift 1
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM IST
Easy to Moderate
Shift 2
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM IST
Moderate

Sources

Compiled and cross-checked from candidate reviews and coaching-institute analyses. Figures are unofficial until SSC releases the answer key.

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FAQs

How was the SSC CGL 5 October 2026 Shift 3 paper?

Candidates rated the 5 October 2026 Shift 3 paper Moderate to Difficult overall. The reviewers we found called the evening paper moderate to difficult, with Reasoning and English easy to moderate, General Awareness moderate and Quant moderate to tough. The Quant section had Data Interpretation (pie chart, bar graph and histogram), mensuration and geometry. Good attempts were put at about 77–85, though one candidate survey with a small sample points to an easier paper. These reviews were gathered soon after the shift and may change.

What are good attempts for SSC CGL 5 October 2026 Shift 3?

Around 77–85 out of 100 questions, going by candidate and coaching-institute reviews. Accuracy matters more than raw attempts because of the 0.50 negative marking.

Which General Intelligence & Reasoning topics were asked in SSC CGL 5 October 2026 Shift 3?

General Intelligence & Reasoning was Easy to Moderate. Topics reported: Analytical reasoning (7–8), Coding-decoding (2), Syllogism (2), Matrix (3), Series (1), Roll-number based question (1).

Which General Awareness topics were asked in SSC CGL 5 October 2026 Shift 3?

General Awareness was Moderate. Topics reported: Polity: Article 61 (impeachment of the President), DPSP, Schedules (3), Economy (~5), Geography: Deccan rivers, Science: biology (glands), physics, chemistry, Current affairs (older than 2026).

Which Quantitative Aptitude topics were asked in SSC CGL 5 October 2026 Shift 3?

Quantitative Aptitude was Moderate to Difficult. Topics reported: Mensuration: prism, pyramid, sphere, hemisphere, cone (3–4), Geometry (circles, polygons) (3–4), Algebra and number system (~4), Data Interpretation: pie chart, bar graph, histogram (2–4), Time and work (2), Compound interest, percentage, speed-distance.

Which English Comprehension topics were asked in SSC CGL 5 October 2026 Shift 3?

English Comprehension was Easy to Moderate. Topics reported: Voice and narration (7–8), Sentence rearrangement (PQRS) (2), Reading comprehension, Error spotting, Cloze test.

What was the difficulty level of SSC CGL 2026 Tier 1 on 5 October?

Shift 1 was reported as easy to moderate or moderate. Shift 2 was reported as easy to moderate or moderate, though a survey leaned difficult. Shift 3 was reported as moderate to difficult by the reviewers we found, but a small survey disagreed. All of this is unofficial.

How many good attempts were there on 5 October 2026?

For Shift 3 reviewers put it at about 77–85 out of 100. For Shifts 1 and 2 there is no reliable estimate, because individual candidates claimed anything from about 70 to 97 attempts. These are unofficial.

Which Quant topics were asked on 5 October?

Circles and other geometry, trigonometry, mensuration (prism, cone, pyramid, sphere, hemisphere), algebra, time and work and percentage-based arithmetic were reported. Data Interpretation was reported in Shift 3 but not in Shift 2.

Is the 15-minute sectional timer still in force?

Yes. Each section locks after 15 minutes and you cannot return to it, so skipping long questions early is important, especially in Quant.

Will a tougher shift lower my final score?

No. SSC normalises scores across shifts, so candidates in a harder shift are not penalised compared with those in an easier one.