SSC CHSL eligibility at a glance
The baseline is simple — be an Indian citizen (or another eligible category), have passed Class 12, and be 18–27 years old on 1 August 2026. A few DEO posts need Science with Maths, and LDC in BRO has physical standards.
Nationality
A candidate must be one of the following:
Candidates in the Nepal, Bhutan and Indian-origin categories need an eligibility certificate issued by the Government of India. They may sit the exam, but an appointment offer is made only after the certificate is issued.
Age limit
Unlike graduate-level exams, CHSL has a single age limit for every post, calculated as on 01.08.2026 (the crucial date in the notification).
| Item | As per the CHSL 2026 notice |
|---|---|
| 18 – 27 years | All posts — LDC / JSA, Data Entry Operator and DEO Grade ‘A’ |
| Date of birth window | Born not before 02.08.1999 and not later than 01.08.2008 |
| Crucial date | 01.08.2026 |
| Proof of age | Date of birth as recorded in your Matriculation / Secondary certificate — no change is allowed later |
For comparison, the CHSL 2025 notice used 01.01.2026 as its crucial date (same 18–27 band). Always check the official notice on ssc.gov.in before applying.
Age relaxation
The upper age limit is relaxed for reserved and special categories, over and above 27 years.
| Category | Age relaxation |
|---|---|
| OBC | 3 years |
| SC / ST | 5 years |
| PwBD (Unreserved) | 10 years |
| PwBD + OBC | 13 years |
| PwBD + SC / ST | 15 years |
| Ex-servicemen | 3 years after deduction of military service from actual age as on 01.08.2026 |
| Defence personnel disabled in operations | 3 years (8 years for SC/ST) |
| Central Govt. civilian employees | Up to 40 years of age (45 for SC/ST), with at least 3 years’ regular, continuous service |
| Widows / divorced / judicially separated women (not remarried) | Up to 35 years of age (40 for SC/ST) |
Educational qualification
Class 12 (or equivalent) is the baseline, held on or before the cut-off date of 07.10.2026. Some DEO posts need a specific stream:
Post-wise eligibility, quick view
All CHSL 2026 posts share the 18–27 age limit. Here is what each one specifically needs beyond that.
LDC / JSA
Class 12 pass · Pay Level 2 · typing test at 35 wpm (English) or 30 wpm (Hindi).
Data Entry Operator
Class 12 pass · Pay Level 4 or 5 · skill test at 8,000 key depressions per hour.
DEO / DEO Grade ‘A’ (Science)
Class 12 Science with Maths · Consumer Affairs, SSC & Culture · skill test at 15,000 key depressions per hour.
LDC in BRO
Male candidates only · physical efficiency test, physical and medical standards (Annexure-XVI).
Physical standards
Only the post of Lower Division Clerk in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) adds physical and medical standards on top of the written exam. You must also pass a one-mile run within 10 minutes at the GREF Centre, Pune, before the medical examination. Minimum standards by region:
| Region | Min. height · chest | Min. weight |
|---|---|---|
| Western Himalayan (J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab hills, Uttarakhand) | 158 cm · 75 cm + 5 cm expansion | 47.5 kg |
| Eastern Himalayan (Sikkim, North-East states, hill areas of West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar) | 152 cm · 75 cm + 5 cm expansion | 47.5 kg |
| West Plain (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Western UP) | 162.5 cm · 76 cm + 5 cm expansion | 50 kg |
| Eastern Plain (Eastern UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand) | 157 cm · 75 cm + 5 cm expansion | 50 kg |
| Central (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu) | 157 cm · 75 cm + 5 cm expansion | 50 kg |
| Southern (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana) | 157 cm · 75 cm + 5 cm expansion | 50 kg |
| Gorkhas (Indian domicile) | 152 cm · 75 cm + 5 cm expansion | 47.5 kg |
Sons of serving / ex-GREF personnel get 2 cm (height), 1 cm (chest) and 2 kg (weight) relaxation. Vision must be at least 6/12 in each eye, or 6/6 right and 6/24 left (spectacles allowed). A medical board nominated by BRO checks fitness after selection, and an allotted post is not changed if you fail these standards — so check Annexure-XVI before choosing BRO. No other CHSL post has a physical test.
Crack SSC CHSL with your own daily plan
Daily targets, PYQ practice sets & timed mocks — to the latest CHSL pattern.
Cleared the eligibility check? Start day one
Eligibility gets you to the start line — a plan gets you across it. Once you know you qualify, JobSafal turns the CHSL syllabus into a daily routine built for your target post.
Post-aware daily plan
Tell us your target post; we sequence the syllabus into 30-minute daily targets.
PYQ practice sets
Solved and tagged, so your prep targets exactly what CHSL asks.
Full CBT mocks
Sectional-timer mocks in the real interface, with rank comparison.
English & Hindi
The whole course in both languages.
