SSC Stenographer Syllabus 2026: Subject-wise Topics

The SSC Stenographer syllabus for Grade C and Grade D covers three written subjects, General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, and English Language and Comprehension, followed by a qualifying stenography skill test. Candidates often search for a long topic list, but the Staff Selection Commission describes each subject only in broad terms.

This page turns that official description into a working checklist, shows where to start, and gives a phased plan. It also explains how the skill test fits in, since it has no written syllabus at all.

Table of Contents

• Syllabus at a glance

• What is official and what is a working checklist

• General Intelligence and Reasoning syllabus

• General Awareness syllabus

• English Language and Comprehension syllabus

• Stenography skill test: what is tested

• Where subjects overlap

• How to cover the syllabus

Syllabus at a glance

What is official and what is a working checklist

The Staff Selection Commission names the three subjects in its 2026 notice and gives a short indicative description of each. It does not publish a topic-wise syllabus. The topic lists below are built from that description and from the kind of questions asked in earlier cycles. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list.

Key changes to know:

• No quantitative aptitude: Unlike several other SSC exams, the Stenographer exam has no maths section. Skip any pages that tell you to prepare it.

• English has the largest share: It carries 100 of 200 marks, as much as the other two subjects combined.

• Sectional time limits: Each part is timed separately, so topic planning should include speed targets.

Older pages may still show a different part-wise structure, so follow the official notice.

General Intelligence and Reasoning syllabus

SSC describes this section as verbal and non-verbal reasoning, covering analogies, classification, series, visual memory, spatial visualisation, arithmetic reasoning and analytical ability. It has 50 questions in 30 minutes, so you have about 36 seconds per question.

Series, analogy, coding-decoding and figure-based questions tend to give the quickest marks. Seating arrangements and puzzles take longer, so attempt them after the quicker types.

General Awareness syllabus

The official description speaks of current events, India and neighbouring countries, sports, history, culture, geography, economy, polity including the Constitution, and scientific research, at the level of an educated person. No specialised study is expected, so breadth matters more than depth.

Static awareness

• History and culture: Ancient, medieval and modern India in outline, freedom struggle, art forms, festivals, literature and important personalities.

• Geography: Physical features of India, rivers, soils, climate, crops, minerals, national parks, and basic world geography.

• Polity: Preamble, fundamental rights and duties, directive principles, Parliament, President, Prime Minister, judiciary, constitutional bodies and important amendments.

• Economy: Banking basics, budget terms, taxes, inflation, five-year plans, government schemes and major institutions.

• General science: Everyday physics, chemistry and biology up to school level, human body, diseases, vitamins and basic technology.

Current affairs

Cover national and international events of roughly the last 6 to 12 months before the exam: appointments, awards, summits, sports events, new schemes, defence exercises, reports and indices, and scientific missions. Keep dated notes so you can revise by month.

English Language and Comprehension syllabus

This is the heaviest section. SSC mentions vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms, correct usage and writing ability. With 100 questions in 60 minutes, you need about 36 seconds per question here too.

Good grammar helps in three places at once: the written exam, your transcription accuracy in the skill test, and later on the job. Treat English as a daily habit, not a final-month topic.

Stenography skill test: what is tested

The skill test has no syllabus of topics. It checks speed and accuracy. You listen to a 10-minute dictation in English or Hindi, as chosen in your application, and then transcribe it on a computer within the time allowed.

Candidates with a scribe provision get extra transcription time as per the notice. Category-wise qualifying standards are set by the Commission, so check the official notice for the current rules.

Where subjects overlap

You can study some areas once and use them in more than one place.

How to cover the syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 6, concepts: Cover English grammar, core reasoning types and static awareness. Practise shorthand and typing every day, even for 30 minutes.

2. From week 3, current affairs: Add 30 to 40 minutes a day and keep monthly notes.

3. From week 6, topic tests: Take short topic-wise tests and 20-minute sectional tests, noting the errors.

4. From week 10, advanced practice: Move to harder sets and dictation passages at or above the target speed.

5. Final phase, full-length mocks: Take full-length tests under exam timing, analyse them the same day and revise your error log.