Assistants Grade Exam is organized by Staff Selection Commission for the selection of eligible candidates for the Assistant posts of Various Central Government Offices. The exam is conducted by SSC in each year consists of two stages. The recruitment is for the Grade IV and Grade V Assistants posts in Indian foreign Services, Railway Board Secretariat Service, and Central Secretariat Service, armed Force etc. It gives an opportunity for a large number of candidates for getting a prestigious job in the Central Government Services. The exams conducted by SSC are quite tough and the competition is also high.

Structure of Assistants Grade Exam

The recruitment for the Assistants Grade posts is on the basis of a written test and a personality test. The written test consists of two stages, Preliminary exam and Main exam. The Preliminary exam consists of 300 multiple choice questions which carries 300 marks. It is mainly for evaluating the reasoning ability, General awareness, mathematics and English or Hindi language. The medium of the Test will be in English and Hindi. Those who qualify the preliminary exam will be only selected for the main examination. It includes two papers of questions. The format of the exam will be of descriptive type. The first paper consists of two parts of questions from General English. The time allotted for the first paper is three hours. Second Paper consists of Questions from Mathematics. The time for the exam will be of two hours. The marks awarded for the exam will be 100 marks. The selection of the candidates for the Assistants Grade Post is on the basis of the written test.

Syllabus for Assistants Grade Exam

The written test consists of two stages of exam. The Preliminary stage consists of questions of two papers. It comprises of questions from the subjects of English. The topics for the exam are described below.

Preliminary Examination

Section 1: Reasoning Ability (75 marks) (75 Questions)

• Verbal Reasoning
• Non Verbal Reasoning
• Analogy and Series
• Letter/Number series
• Letter/Number/Word Analogy
• Number/Letter/Word Classification
• Coding and Decoding
• Problem Solving/Finding the Rule
• Spatial Orientation/Special Visualization
• Statement Conclusion/Syllogistic Reasoning

Section 2: General Awareness (75 marks) (75 Questions)

• General Science
• Social Science
• Sports
• Culture
• History
• Geography
• General Polity

Section 3: Arithmetic (75 marks) (75 Questions)

• Number Systems
• Percentages
• Ratio and Proportion
• Averages
• Estimation
• Use of Tables and Graphs
• Mensuration
• Time and Distance
• Ratio and Time

Section 4: Language Paper English or Hindi (75 marks) (75 Questions)

• Error recognition
• Fill in the blanks (using Verbs, Prepositions, Articles, etc.)
• Vocabulary
• Spellings
• Sequence of sentences in a paragraph
• Sequence of words in a sentence
• Close passage and comprehension passages
• Synonyms and antonyms

Main Examination

Paper I: Language Comprehension

• General English - For 50 Marks
• English Language and its correct usage
• Writing ability
• Paragraph writing/report writing
• Communication/Writing Skill - 150 Marks
• English/Hindi Language
• Comprehension and writing ability
• Questions on Precise
• Short Essay
• Letter Writing

Paper II: Arithmetic

• Simplifications involving Decimal Fractions
• Ratio and Proportion
• Percentages
• Average
• Profit and Loss
• Discount
• Simple and Compound Interest
• Graphical Representation of Data
• Reading of Linear Graphs
• Tabulation of Data

Eligibility Criteria

The candidates who have a Graduate Degree in any subject from a recognized university can apply for the Assistants Grade Exam. The age limit of the candidates must be between 20 and 25 years. The age relaxation is provided for the SC/ST candidates and other reserved category candidates. Those candidates who were working in the Grade D and Grade III posts in any Central Government Office with three years of experience can also apply for the test. They can apply for the test till at the age of 30 years.

How to Apply?

The application form for the Assistants Grade Exam will be published in all leading news papers of India. The candidates can also prepare the application form in an A4 size plain paper. The completed form should be send to the Staff Selection Commission with a Central Recruitment Fee Stamps available from any Post Offices. The SC/ST/PH candidates and the female candidates have no exam fee.

How to fill the Form?

The exam notification released in the News paper contains all instructions for filling the application form. The form should be as per the format suggested in the exam notification.  A recent photograph of the candidate must be affixed in the place provided in the form. The data entered in the form should be using a black pen by the candidate himself. The signature of the candidates and their guardian must be clear and should be there in the appropriate column for that. The Central recruitment Fee Stamp should be send with the form. The filled form should be reached before the last date.

Important Dates (Tentative)

Blank application forms and other particulars are published in the Employment News: In the month of September, 2012

Last date for submission of applications: On the first week of October, 2012

The Assistants’ Grade Main Examination: On the month of July, 2012

List of Assistants Grade Exam Centers

• Delhi
• Jaipur
• Dehradun
• Hyderabad
• Vishakhapatnam
• Chennai
• Madurai
• Kolkata
• Port Blair
• Gangatok
• Bhubaneswar
• Ranchi
• Mumbai
• Nagpur
• Panji
• Ahmadabad
• Allahabad
• Patna
• Lucknow
• Guwahati (Dispur)
• Itanagar
• Imphal
• Shillong
• Aizwal
• Kohima
• Agartala
• Bangalore
• Thiruvananthapuram
• Kochi
• Raipur
• Bhopal
• Chandigarh
• Shimla
• Jammu
• Srinagar

Contact Address for the Assistants Grade Exam

• Staff Selection Commission , Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Block No. 12, Kendriya Karyalay Parisar, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110003
• Ph: +91-11- 24360619
• Website: www.ssc.nic.in

Government Offices accepting the Assistants Grade Exam Score

• Indian Foreign Service
• Railway Board Secretariat Service
• Central Secretariat Service
• Armed Force Service
• Other departments of Indian Government

Reference Books for Assistants Grade Exam

• Business English and Communication by Clark
• A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by Aggarwal R. S
• A Communicative Grammar of English by Geoffrey Leech
• Higher Algebra by Bernard & Child, Algebra Made Easy by K.P. Basu
• SSC Junior Translators Exam Guide by Ramesh Publishing House
• Senior/Junior Hindi Translators Exam by Upkar Prakashan
• Alexander Dictionary of English Idioms
• ESIC Junior Hindi Translator Recruitment Exam by Dr.Lal and Jain
• SSC (Junior Translator/Junior Hindi Translator Examination) by Arihant Publishing House
• A Modern Approach to Non Verbal Reasoning by R. S. Aggarwal

Coaching Centers for Assistants Grade Exam

• Prism Center for Education
• Dhaliwal Institute of Competition
• DAMS
• Pratham
• Brilliant Tutorials Private Limited
• Sahil Study Circle
• Arpan Institute
• Career Launcher
• S.S.B. Interviews Coaching
• Institute of Career Management
• Rachna A.C.A. of Career Education
• DISSA
• Rachna A.C.A. of Career Education
• Mr.Madhava Janarthanan K.P.
• APEX Academy
• Ascent Education
• Brain Strom Academy
• New Career Academy
• Paramount Coaching Centre
• CAT Guroo
• Vedic Academy
• Institute of Career Management

Study Plan

The exam conducted by SSC is very difficult exam. So the candidates have to prepare well for the exam. The preparation must be started at least two months before the exam. There are several reference books are preferred for the exam. The candidates can refer those text books and prepare notes with the help of those books. The interested candidates can download the previous question papers and study materials from the website and practice with the help of those question papers. Revise each topic before the exam. Do not be tensed at the time of the exam. It makes them forget all the studied portions. Try to attempt almost all the questions within the time allotted for the exam.

How and Where To Get the Results?

The exam score is published in the official website www.ssc.org.in. Candidates can use the website for availing the results/.

Score Validity

The exam score is valid for one year by the completely filling the available vacancies for the particular posts.