The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is conducting the computer-based exam from 9th to 15th September 2026 for the Steno Grade ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts. The exam is being conducted in 3 shifts each day. The first shift is now over, and candidates reported the exam difficulty level to be of easy to moderate.
Check complete details here about the SSC Steno 2026 Exam, including difficulty level, expected cut-off marks, and exam-day-based question paper.
SSC Stenographer Exam Analysis 2026
In this article, we have only provided an overall review of the SSC Steno CBT Exam based on the feedback received from those who appeared. Since SSC has explicitly prohibited all social media handles from providing the complete exam analysis or any kind of exam-related information, it is not possible to provide exact questions asked in the exam. Therefore, we have provided a general analysis so that it will help candidates whose exam is in upcoming shifts.
SSC Steno Exam Analysis 2026 – Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
| Conducting Body |
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) |
| Exam Name |
SSC Stenographer Grade C & D Examination 2026 |
| Exam Dates | |
| Exam Mode | |
| Total Vacancies | |
| Exam Duration |
2 hours (with sectional time limits) |
| Negative Marking |
0.25 marks per wrong answer |
| Selection Stages |
CBE, Shorthand Skill Test |
SSC Steno 9th September Exam Analysis 2026: Difficulty Level
Since SSC has not released an official difficulty breakdown for this cycle, the following is based on the feedback received from candidates.
| Section | |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | |
| English Language & Comprehension | |
| General Awareness | |
| Overall |
SSC Steno Exam Day-Based Question Papers 2026
Here, we have provided the exam-day based question paper of 9th September exam. Candidates who are yet to appear for the exam, can download the PDF and practice.
SSC Steno Exam Pattern 2026
The total exam is of 200 marks and there is a negative marking of 0.25 for each incorrect answer marked by the candidate.
| Section | No. of Questions | Marks | Duration |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 30 Mins |
| General Awareness | 50 | 50 | 30 Mins |
| English Language & Comprehension | 100 | 100 | 60 Mins |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 2 Hours |
SSC Stenographer Shift Timings
As we know the computer-based exam is being conducted in 3 shifts each day and here are the timings:
| Shift | Reporting Time | Exam Timing |
| Shift 1 | 7:30 AM | 9 to 11 AM |
| Shift 2 | 11:30 AM | 1 to 3 AM |
| Shift 3 | 3:30 AM | 5 to 7 AM |
SSC Stenographer Expected Cut Off Marks 2026
The expected cut off can be derived from the average good attempts made by candidates in the exam. Since the complete exam analysis is not available, we can not provide the expected marks, but for added convenience, we have provided previous year (2025) cut off marks here.
| Category | Grade C Cut-off Marks | Grade D Cut-off Marks |
| SC | 135.44087 | 117.77426 |
| ST | 120.37748 | 105.75225 |
| OBC | 141.77465 | 129.22305 |
| EWS | 137.83071 | 125.1331 |
| UR | 142.42577 | 132.30789 |
| OH | 119.93641 | 107.44537 |
| HH | 73.62062 | 40.20009 |
| VH | 95.27935 | 80.23427 |
| Others-PWD | – | 51.94828 |
| ESM | – | 40.27012 |