The SSC CGL marks calculator scores Tier 1 as 2 x correct minus 0.5 x wrong, so 74 right and 16 wrong answers give 140 out of 200. Questions you skip cost nothing. Tier 2 Paper I is heavier: 3 marks per right answer and minus 1 per wrong one.
Tier 1 only decides who moves to Tier 2. It is qualifying, and the final merit list is drawn from Tier 2 alone. So use this page twice: once after the Tier 1 answer key to see if you are safely above the cut off, and again after the Tier 2 key to estimate your merit marks. The Staff Selection Commission decides your final normalised score, so treat any figure here as your raw estimate.
At a glance
Tier 1 rule
+2 per right answer, -0.5 per wrong answerTier 1 paper
100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes, 15 minute timer per sectionTier 2 Paper I
+3 per right answer, -1 per wrong answer, merit out of 390Tier 1 role
Qualifying only, not added to the final meritQualifying marks
UR 30 percent, OBC and EWS 25 percent, others 20 percentOfficial source
SSC CGL notice on ssc.gov.in
Tier 1 score = 2 x correct - 0.5 x wrong (max 200)
Correct and wrong are counts from your response sheet. A skipped question is neither, so it adds and removes nothing.
How to use this SSC CGL marks calculator
The calculator above lists the four Tier 1 sections, each with 25 questions: Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English. For each one, type how many answers were right and how many were wrong. Leave out the questions you did not mark. The result panel shows marks per section and the total out of 200.
Both numbers come from your response sheet. Each question there shows the option you chose and the option in the answer key, so a quick count with a pen works well. If the key changes after objections, run the counts again with the final key.
- Open your response sheet from the SSC login after the tentative answer key is out.
- For each of the four sections, count the answers that match the key and the ones that do not.
- Type the two counts per section into the calculator above.
- Read the total out of 200 and compare it with the qualifying marks for your category.
- After Tier 2, repeat with 3 marks and minus 1 for Sections I and II of Paper I.
CGL Tier 1 marks calculator: the paper and the scheme
| Section | Questions | Max marks | Wrong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 50 | -0.5 |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 | -0.5 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 | -0.5 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 50 | -0.5 |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
Many students call Tier 1 the pre, so a cgl pre marks calculator is the same thing as this one. The full paper runs 60 minutes, but each section now has its own 15 minute timer, so you cannot carry spare time from English into Quant. Scribe eligible candidates get 80 minutes, which works out to 20 minutes per section. Older guides that talk of one open hour describe the previous pattern.
Worked example from a Tier 1 answer key
Section counts: Reasoning 21 right, 3 wrong. General Awareness 15 right, 6 wrong. Quant 18 right, 4 wrong. English 20 right, 3 wrong.
Reasoning: 42 - 1.5 = 40.5
General Awareness: 30 - 3 = 27
Quant: 36 - 2 = 34
English: 40 - 1.5 = 38.5
Total: 40.5 + 27 + 34 + 38.5 = 140 out of 200. Check it another way: 74 right x 2 = 148, and 16 wrong x 0.5 = 8, so 148 - 8 = 140.
This candidate attempted 90 questions and left 10 blank. The 16 wrong answers cost 8 marks, which is the same as four right answers lost. That is the real price of guessing at minus 0.5.
CGL Tier 2 marks calculator: Paper I, II and III
The mains, which SSC calls Tier 2, has a different scheme, so an ssc cgl mains marks calculator must use 3 marks and minus 1. Paper I is compulsory for every post. Sections I and II count for merit, and the Computer Knowledge Test is qualifying only.
| Part | Questions | Marks each | Wrong | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I Section I: Maths 30 + Reasoning 30 | 60 | 3 | -1 | 180 |
| Paper I Section II: English 45 + General Awareness 25 | 70 | 3 | -1 | 210 |
| Paper I Section III: Computer Knowledge (qualifying) | 20 | 3 | -1 | 60 |
| Paper II Statistics (JSO, Statistical Investigator) | 100 | 2 | -0.5 | 200 |
| Paper III General Studies, Finance and Economics (AAO) | 100 | 2 | -0.5 | 200 |
Session II of Paper I is the Data Entry Speed Test, which is also qualifying. Every section of Paper I must be cleared separately, and high marks in Section II cannot make up for a low Computer Knowledge score.
Tier 2 worked example with 3 marks and minus 1
Section I: 48 right, 7 wrong. 48 x 3 = 144, minus 7 = 137 out of 180.
Section II: 52 right, 10 wrong. 52 x 3 = 156, minus 10 = 146 out of 210.
Merit marks of Paper I: 137 + 146 = 283 out of 390.
Computer Knowledge: 12 right, 4 wrong. 36 - 4 = 32 out of 60. This is above 18, the UR qualifying mark (30 percent of 60), so it clears.
To score Tier 2 here, change the questions and marks per question in the calculator above to match each section, or use the negative marking calculator, where you set the scheme yourself.
Qualifying marks for each category
| Category | Percent | Marks out of 200 |
|---|---|---|
| UR | 30 | 60 |
| OBC and EWS | 25 | 50 |
| Others | 20 | 40 |
These are only the floor. The real Tier 1 cut off for each post group and category is set by the number of vacancies and the scores in that cycle, and it is usually well above the floor. To compare your score with a past cut off, the cut off calculator helps you see the gap in marks.
Normalised marks and why your score may shift
CGL runs over many days and shifts, and some shifts get harder questions. SSC therefore converts raw marks into normalised marks. The current method is equipercentile: your position within your own shift is found first, and then you get the mark that holds the same position on a common scale for all shifts. A score of 140 in a hard shift can therefore become more than 140, and in an easy shift it can become less.
No ssc cgl normalized marks calculator can give the exact figure in advance, because it needs the scores of every candidate. Use your raw score from this page, and wait for the marks that SSC publishes after the result.
SSC CPO marks calculator: the new Paper I
Many students ask for a cpo marks calculator on the same page, because CPO (Sub Inspector in Delhi Police and CAPFs) follows a similar layout. Its pattern has changed recently, so read the current CPO notice before you trust any older table.
| Paper | Questions | Marks each | Wrong | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I (four parts of 25) | 100 | 1 | -0.25 | 100 |
| Paper II Reasoning, GK and Quant (20 each) | 60 | 2 | -0.5 | 120 |
| Paper II English Comprehension | 100 | 2 | -0.5 | 200 |
CPO answer key marks calculator example for Paper I: 70 right, 18 wrong. 70 x 1 = 70, and 18 x 0.25 = 4.5, so the score is 65.5 out of 100.
Earlier CPO papers had 200 questions of 1 mark in Paper I, so do not mix the two schemes. The SSC CPO notice has the official table.
Common answer key counting mistakes
| Error | The problem | Correct approach |
|---|---|---|
| Using minus 0.25 for Tier 1 | That is the GD and CPO Paper I rule, not CGL | Use minus 0.5 for every wrong Tier 1 answer |
| Counting skipped questions as wrong | Only marked answers can lose marks | Count wrong as marked but not matching the key |
| Adding Tier 1 to Tier 2 | Tier 1 is qualifying only | Rank yourself on Tier 2 Paper I merit marks |
| Adding Computer Knowledge to merit | Section III of Paper I is qualifying | Add only Sections I and II, out of 390 |
| Using the tentative key as final | Some answers change after objections | Recount with the final key |
Other SSC and railway calculators
The SSC marks calculator page sets the schemes of all major SSC papers side by side. For the twelfth level exam, use the SSC CHSL marks calculator, which shares the Tier 1 scheme but has a smaller Tier 2. Constable aspirants can use the SSC GD marks calculator, and those also sitting railway papers can score NTPC on our NTPC CBT page. The official pattern for CGL is in the SSC CGL notice.
Questions students ask
How do I use a CGL answer key marks calculator?
Open your response sheet, tally the right and wrong answers section by section, and type them into the calculator above. A right answer is worth 2 and a wrong one costs half a mark. Add the four section scores for a figure out of 200.
Does CGL Tier 1 have negative marking?
Yes. Each wrong answer costs 0.5 marks, which is a quarter of the 2 marks a right answer earns. Unattempted questions carry no penalty.
How is the CGL mains marks calculator different?
In Tier 2 Paper I a right answer is worth 3 and a wrong one costs a full mark. Merit is the sum of Sections I and II, with 390 as the maximum. Papers II and III use 2 marks and minus 0.5.
Does the Tier 1 score count in the final merit?
No. Tier 1 is qualifying and is used for shortlisting candidates for Tier 2. The final merit list is based on Tier 2 only.
Can a marks calculator give my normalised CGL score?
Not exactly. SSC uses the equipercentile method across shifts, which needs everyone's scores. The calculator gives your raw score, and SSC releases the normalised marks later.
What is the marking scheme in the SSC CPO marks calculator?
Under the latest notice, CPO Paper I has 100 questions of 1 mark each with minus 0.25 for a wrong answer. Paper II uses 2 marks and minus 0.5. This changed recently, so confirm with the current notice.