Exam Pattern
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D Exam Pattern
Staff Selection Commission: Stenographer Grade 'C' and 'D'
Computer Based Examination
Official Stenographer Grade 'C' & 'D' Examination 2026 pattern| Questions | 200 |
| Total marks | 200 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer |
| Sections | General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, English Language and Comprehension |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| English Language and Comprehension | 100 | 100 | 60 |
Timing: Each part is separately timed: 30 minutes for General Intelligence and Reasoning, 30 for General Awareness, and 60 for English Language and Comprehension. The notice sets those three windows itself, as "2 Hours (with sectional timer of 30 Minutes each for Part I & Part II and 60 Minutes for Part III)".
Candidates who qualify the Computer Based Examination are shortlisted for a Skill Test in Stenography (a dictation and transcription test: 10 minutes at 100 WPM for Grade C, 80 WPM for Grade D), which is qualifying in nature and not modeled on this site since it is not a multiple-choice format. Marks scored in this Computer Based Examination, normalized across shifts, decide the Skill Test shortlist and the final merit.
Official source · checked 11 September 2026The SSC Stenographer Grade C & D Computer Based Examination exam pattern is 200 questions carrying 200 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 36 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness and English Language and Comprehension. English Language and Comprehension carries the most, 100 marks of the 200 or about 50%, against 50 marks for General Awareness. All 3 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D Computer Based Examination marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 20% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 160 of the 200 questions and get 120 right and 40 wrong, and you score 110 out of 200.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 36 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free SSC Stenographer Grade C & D mock test to see where your time actually goes.
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in SSC Stenographer Grade C & D?
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D deducts 0.25 marks for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in SSC Stenographer Grade C & D?
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D has 200 questions. That leaves about 36 seconds per question in SSC Stenographer Grade C & D.
What are the total marks in SSC Stenographer Grade C & D?
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D is out of 200 marks, which works out at 1 mark a question.
How long is the SSC Stenographer Grade C & D exam?
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D runs for 120 minutes.
Does SSC Stenographer Grade C & D have a sectional time limit?
Yes. SSC Stenographer Grade C & D times its sections separately, so time left over in one section cannot be spent on another. Plan a per-section budget before you sit it.