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The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts Combined Graduate Level (SSC CGL) Exam, and cracking it requires a clear understanding of the syllabus, exam pattern, and the right study resources. Toppers often emphasize the importance of choosing trusted books that cover concepts thoroughly and provide ample practice. This article contains SSC CGL book list by topper that have helped successful candidates in their preparation journey.
Which book is best for SSC CGL 2026?
There is no single best book for SSC CGL Exam 2026; toppers recommend using a combination of Lucent GK, Word Power Made Easy, R.S. Aggarwal Quantitative Aptitude, and Kiran/Oliveboard practice books for complete preparation.
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Which books are best for SSC CGL Tier 1?
Tier I SSC CGL preparation requires standard books for General Awareness, English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude, with the SSC CGL book list by toppers including Lucent, NCERTs, Norman Lewis, R.S. Aggarwal, and Oliveboard resources. We have given below the book list of best books for SSC CGL Preparation.
Which is the best book for General Awareness SSC CGL?
The best books for SSC CGL General Awareness include GK Blast (Oliveboard), Lucent's General Knowledge, NCERT books, Disha Publications General Knowledge, and Manorama Yearbook.
| Book | Author/Publication |
|---|
| GK Blast | Oliveboard |
| General Knowledge | Lucent's Publication |
| NCERT books | NCERT |
| General Knowledge | Disha Publications |
| Manorama | Yearbook by Manorama |
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Which English book is best for SSC CGL?
The best books for SSC CGL English are English Simplified (Oliveboard), English for General Competition (Neetu Singh), Word Power Made Easy (Norman Lewis), English (Ajay K Singh), From Plinth to Paramount (KD Publication, Neetu Singh), A Mirror of Common Errors (Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh), and Objective General English (Arihant). We have provided below the list of books that will make you fluent in English grammar.
| Books | Authors/Publications |
|---|
| English Simplified | Oliveboard |
| English for General Competition | Neetu Singh |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
| English | Ajay K Singh |
| From Plinth to Paramount | KD Publication, Neetu Singh |
| A Mirror of Common Errors | Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh |
| Objective General English | Arihant Publication |
Which book is best for SSC CGL reasoning?
The best books for SSC CGL reasoning are Puzzle Mania (Oliveboard), A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning (S.Chand and Sons), Reasoning (Kiran Publications), Reasoning (Rakesh Yadav Readers Publication), Perfect Verbal Reasoning (Ajay Chauhan), and Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning (Disha Publication).
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Puzzle Mania | Oliveboard |
| A modern approach to verbal and non-verbal reasoning | S.Chand and sons |
| Reasoning | Kiran Publications |
| Reasoning | Rakesh Yadav Readers Publication |
| Perfect Verbal Reasoning | Ajay Chauhan |
| Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning | Disha Publication |
Which book is best for quantitative aptitude for SSC CGL?
The best books for SSC CGL Quantitative Aptitude are Data Interpretation Decoded (Oliveboard), Quantum CAT (Arihant Publications), Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examination (S.Chand & R.S. Aggarwal), Mathematics (Rakesh Yadav Reader), Play with Advanced Maths (Abhinay Publication), and Elementary and Advanced Mathematics (Kiran Publication).
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Data Interpretation Decoded | Oliveboard |
| Quantum CAT | Arihant Publications |
| Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examination | S.Chand and R.S. Aggarwal |
| Mathematics | Rakesh Yadav Reader |
| Play with Advanced Maths | Abhinay Publication |
| Elementary and Advanced Mathematics | Kiran Publication |
Which book is best for SSC CGL Tier 2?
Best books for SSC CGL Tier 2 are: Paper I – Computer Knowledge (Dr. P.K. Pandey, Lucent), Paper II – Finance & Economics (Oliveboard, R. Gupta, CA Namit Arora), Paper III – Statistics (R. Gupta, Kiran, Nobin Chandra Paul).
SSC CGL Book List for Paper I
Paper I of Tier II also consists of four sections. English, Quantitative Aptitude, and General Intelligence sections are the same for all. Candidates can prepare for these subjects from the books listed for Tier I. Paper I also consists of a Computer. We have provided below the book list for the computer section.
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Computer Knowledge for Competitive Exams | Dr. P.K Pandey
|
| Computer Knowledge | by Lucent |
SSC CGL Book list for Paper II (Finance and Economics)
Paper II of the Tier II examination consists of finance and economics. Paper II is compulsory for the candidates appearing for the post of Assistant Audit Officer/Assistant Accounts Officer . We have listed below some of the best books for the preparation of finance and economics.
| Books | Author/publications |
|---|
| Insurance Assured | Oliveboard |
| Finance and Economics Guide | AAO by R.Gupta |
| Financial Management and Economics for Finance | CA Namit Arora |
SSC CGL Book list for Paper III (Statistics)
Paper III of the Tier II examination consists of statistics. Paper III is compulsory for the candidates appearing for the post of Junior Statistical Officer. We have listed below the SSC CGL book list by topper for the Statistics.
| Books | Author/Publications |
|---|
| Statistics Guide for SSC CGL | R. Gupta. |
| Statistics Previous year question papers | Kiran |
| Statistics in short for competitive examination | Nobin Chandra Paul. |
We have listed above the SSC CGL book list by the topper that will help you throughout the preparation journey. Consistent hard work and practice through these books will help you to crack the SSC CGL examination. Along with the book list, aspirants must be aware of the SSC CGL exam pattern.
What is SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2026?
The SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2026 consists of two tiers. Tier I consists of objective-type questions having four sections. Tier II consists of subjective-type questions and has separate papers for the posts of JSO and AAO.
Tier I – Computer Based Examination
The total time duration of SSC CGL 2026 is 60 minutes. Merit list will be prepared on the basis of overall performance of candidates in Tier-II Examination only. This means Tier-1 is qualifying in nature now. All sections of paper 1 must be qualified separately.
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|
| General Intelligence Reasoning | 25 | 50 |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
Other important points:
- Negative marking of 0.50 for each wrong answer
- A duration of 60 minutes is given to every candidate for this exam.
- There is a negative marking of 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.
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Tier II Exam Pattern
The Tier II exam consists of three papers. Paper I is compulsory for all candidates.
- Paper I consists of two sessions. Session I consists of subjective type questions of English, reasoning, quant, and computer. While Session II consists of a 15-minutes computer test.
- There is no negative marking for wrong answers.
- Only candidates appearing for the post of AAO are eligible for Paper II. Paper II consists of the 100 marks questions of Finance and Economics.
- Only candidates appearing for the post of JSO are eligible for Paper III. Paper III consists of the 100 marks questions of Statistics.
Detailed breakup of all papers of the SSC CGL Tier – 2 New Pattern is as follows :
| Paper | Session | Section | Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|
I
(Common for all posts) | I
(2 hours and 15 minutes) | I (1 hour ) | Module I –
Mathematical abilities
Module II –Reasoning and General Intelligence | 30
30
Total = 60 | 60 x 3= 180 |
| II (1 hour ) | Module I – English Language Comprehension
Module II – General Awareness | 45
25
Total = 70 | 70 x 3 =
210 |
| III (15 minutes) | Module – I – Computer Knowledge module | 20 | 20 x 3 = 60 |
| II (15 minutes) | III | Module – II : Data Entry Speed Test | One data entry task of 2000 key | |
| II (Only for JSO) | 2 hours | | Statistics (Paper I as above) | 100 | 100 x 2
= 200 |
| III – AAO (Assistant Audit Officer) & Assistant Accounts officer | 2 hours | | General Studies (Finance & Economics)
(Paper I as above) | 100 | 100 x 2
= 200 |
| | | | Total | 500 | 850 |
What are the key takeaways?
Below are the key takeaways:
- Use Lucent, NCERT, R.S. Aggarwal, Oliveboard, and Kiran books for SSC CGL prep.
- Tier I: GA, Reasoning, Quant, English; 100 Qs, 60 mins, 0.5 negative marking.
- Tier II: Papers for Computer, Finance & Economics (AAO), Statistics (JSO).
- Practice previous papers and mocks to improve speed and accuracy.
- Consistent study and proper book selection by toppers is key to success.
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