SSC CHSL 2026 Tier 1 starts on 30 November, which leaves you about four weeks from today if your slot falls early in the window. That is enough time to make a real difference, as long as you spend it on timed practice and fixing weak areas, not on starting new books. Below: the confirmed dates, the exam pattern, and a week-by-week plan you can follow alongside college or a job.
The dates you need
The Staff Selection Commission's notice of 1 October 2026 (file HQ-EC033/7/2025-EC) schedules CHSL Tier 1 as a computer-based exam from 30 November to 31 December 2026, across multiple days and shifts, according to CareerPower's summary of the notice and Physics Wallah's update. Applications closed on 7 October.
Your own date and shift are not in that notice. They arrive in two steps:
City intimation slip: usually about a week to ten days before your exam. It tells you the city and date.
Admit card: a few days before the exam, with the centre and shift.
Coaching sites have published guessed dates for both. The Commission has not, so trust ssc.gov.in over any article, including this one. Because the window runs a full month, your exam could be on 30 November or in late December. Plan as if yours is early, and treat any extra time as a bonus.
The Tier 1 pattern
As summarised by Adda247:
Four sections: English Language, General Intelligence (reasoning), Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness.
25 questions of 2 marks each per section: 100 questions, 200 marks.
60 minutes in total (80 minutes for candidates eligible for a scribe). Adda247 reports a fixed 15-minute timer for each section; confirm the timing in your admit card instructions.
Negative marking of 0.50 marks per wrong answer.
Tier 1 is qualifying: it shortlists candidates for Tier 2, where the merit is decided.
Two things follow from this. First, if each section has its own clock, you cannot borrow time from English to finish maths, so each section needs its own pace. Second, a wrong answer costs a quarter of what a right one earns. Blind guessing on questions you have not read properly is a losing habit.
A four-week plan
This assumes about two to three hours on weekdays and more on weekends. Adjust the hours, keep the order.
Week 1 (4 to 10 November): find your real starting point
Day 1: take one full mock under exam conditions. No pausing. Note the score per section and how many questions you left.
Days 2 to 7: for each section, list your three weakest topic types from that mock. For example, in quant: percentages, time and work, data interpretation. In reasoning: coding-decoding, series, syllogism.
Spend most of the week on those topics only, with short topic-wise timed sets (10 questions in 6 minutes is a reasonable drill).
General Awareness: start 20 minutes a day of static GK revision (polity, history, geography basics) plus current affairs from the last six months.
Week 2 (11 to 17 November): build speed
Two full mocks this week, three days apart.
After each mock, spend as long analysing it as you spent taking it. For every wrong answer, write one line: concept gap, silly mistake, or time pressure.
English: daily reading of one editorial for comprehension speed, plus 20 vocabulary and grammar questions.
Quant: learn tables to 20, squares to 30 and common fractions as percentages. These shortcuts save seconds on every question.
Week 3 (18 to 24 November): mock rhythm
A mock every other day. Try to sit at the same time of day as a likely shift.
Practise section order and the per-section pace. Aim to attempt the questions you are sure of first, mark the doubtful ones, and return only if time allows.
Watch for your city intimation slip and download it as soon as it appears.
Week 4 (25 November onwards): sharpen, do not cram
Two or three final mocks, then stop taking new full tests two days before your exam.
Revise your error notebook and short GK notes. Do not open a new topic in the last 72 hours.
Prepare documents: admit card printout, an original photo ID matching your application, and any photos the instructions ask for.
Four mistakes that cost marks
Taking mocks without analysing them. Ten unanalysed mocks teach less than four analysed ones.
Guessing to "use" the negative marking. Eliminate options first. If you cannot remove at least two, skip the question.
Ignoring General Awareness until the last week. It needs small daily doses, not a weekend binge.
Burning out in week 3. Sleep and short breaks are part of preparation. If nerves are getting to you, the research summary in what actually helps with exam anxiety is worth ten minutes, and so is the evidence on short breaks during long study days.
Before you start
If you applied using our earlier CHSL application checklist, keep your registration number and password handy; you will need them to download the slip and admit card. Tier 1 decides whether you reach Tier 2, not your final rank, so the goal for the next four weeks is a safe, steady score across all four sections. No plan guarantees selection, but a calm, timed routine gives you the best chance of clearing this stage. Dates and pattern are as reported by 24 October 2026; the SSC website is the final word.
