The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will release the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Tier 1 examination answer key for 2025 on October 15 . Candidates who took the exam can download their individual response sheets and the tentative answer key from the official SSC website, ssc.gov.in . The Commission uses a dedicated platform, ssc.gov.in/digialm , for answer key access and objection submissions.
SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam Overview
The SSC CGL Tier 1 examination for 2025 was conducted nationwide as a Computer-Based Examination (CBE) from September 12 to September 26, 2025 . Due to some technical issues, a rescheduled exam was also held on October 14, 2025 . The exam was administered over multiple days and in various shifts to accommodate the large number of participants.
A total of 28.1 lakh (2.81 million) applicants registered for the SSC CGL 2025 exam. This national recruitment drive aims to fill 14,582 tentative vacancies across various government departments. These vacancy numbers are subject to revision by the Commission before the final results.
Accessing Your Answer Key
Once released, candidates can access their SSC CGL 2025 Tier 1 answer key and personal response sheet by following these steps:
- Navigate to the official Staff Selection Commission website: ssc.gov.in .
- Locate and click on the ‘Answer Key’ notification or section, which will typically appear on the homepage.
- Find the specific link for ‘SSC CGL Tier 1 Answer Key 2025’ and click on it.
- You will be directed to a login portal. Click the ‘Submit’ button.
- Enter your User ID, which is your roll number as printed on your admit card.
- Input your Password, also found on your admit card.
- After successful login, your answer key and response sheet will be displayed.
- It is advised to download and print a copy of both the answer key and your response sheet for your records and for calculating your provisional score.
Submitting Objections to Answers
Following the release of the tentative answer key, the SSC will open a window for candidates to raise objections against any perceived incorrect answers. This process is entirely online through the specified platform, ssc.gov.in/digialm .
When submitting an objection, candidates must accurately provide the Question Booklet Number , the relevant section name , and the unique Question ID for each answer they wish to challenge. Each objection requires a payment of INR 50 . This fee is provisionally charged and will be refunded to the candidate if their objection is reviewed and found to be valid by the Commission, leading to a correction in the official answer key.
Understanding the Marking Scheme
Candidates can use the released answer key and their response sheet to estimate their raw score before the final results. The marking scheme for the SSC CGL Tier 1 exam is straightforward:
| Answer Status | Marks Allocation |
|---|---|
| Correct Answer | +2 Marks |
| Incorrect Answer | -0.50 Marks (Negative Marking) |
After the objection period concludes and all valid challenges are addressed, the Commission will finalize the answer key. The final marks for all candidates will then be calculated, incorporating a normalization process. This process adjusts scores to account for differences in difficulty levels across various exam shifts, ensuring fairness for all participants.
Next Steps for Candidates
Candidates are advised to regularly check the official SSC website for updates regarding the final answer key release, the declaration of Tier 1 results, and further stages of the recruitment process. The answer key is a critical tool for understanding performance and planning for subsequent exam tiers or future examinations.