SSC Selection Posts Phase 14 (2026): new 15-minute sectional timing explained

The Staff Selection Commission has rolled out a major change for SSC Selection Posts Phase 14 (2026): the CBT is now administered with a 15-minute sectional timer for each of the four sections, not a single 60-minute composite timer as in previous phases. Once a section's 15 minutes are up, the system auto-locks that section and moves to the next — you cannot return to revise earlier answers.

The pattern itself is unchanged: 100 multiple-choice questions across four sections of 25 questions each (General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, English Language), with +2 per correct answer and −0.50 per wrong answer, for a maximum of 200 marks. The total time stays 60 minutes for general candidates; scribe-eligible candidates receive 20 minutes per section (80 minutes total) per Para 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3 of the official notification.

What makes Selection Posts different from CGL or CHSL is the recruitment cadence: multiple phases run each year covering Matriculation, Higher Secondary (10+2) and Graduation-level posts, all using the same exam pattern with only the syllabus depth varying. Posts requiring a specific skill (Stenographer, Data Entry Operator, Statistical Assistant and similar) include a qualifying-only Skill Test after the CBT.

The practical upshot of sectional timing: you can no longer rescue a weak section with leftover time from a strong one, so you must practise each section against the clock. The Phase 14 notification, vacancy list, application link and admit card are all released exclusively on ssc.gov.in — always verify against the official PDF. Practise the new sectional pattern with a free SSC Selection Posts mock test, and review the syllabus to see what each level tests.