How to calculate your SSC CHSL 2026 Tier-I score from the answer key

To calculate your SSC CHSL Tier-I score, count your right and wrong answers in each section against SSC's tentative answer key, then work out 2 × right − 0.5 × wrong. Unanswered questions score zero, and the total is out of 200. That gives your raw score. Your official score can differ from it for two reasons: SSC may change answers in the final key after objections, and marks from different shifts are normalised. Below: a worked example, objections under the 2026 notice, and what happens next. For the exam dates, see our SSC CHSL 2026 guide.

When the answer key comes out

SSC CHSL 2026 Tier-I is proposed for 30 November to 31 December 2026 (SSC notice of 1 October 2026), in many shifts. The 2026 notice says only that tentative answer keys "will be placed on the website of the Commission after the Examination" (para 13.3); it gives no date. As of 27 October 2026, SSC has not announced one. Watch ssc.gov.in for the answer-key notice once the exam is over: it will give the login link and the last date for objections.

Step 1: Open your response sheet

Log in through the link in SSC's answer-key notice. You will see each question from your own paper with the option you chose and the option SSC's tentative key gives as correct. Save or print it before the window closes; you will want it again when the final key comes out.

One point to check: on the exam screen, an answer is recorded only after you save it ("Save & Next", or "Mark for Review & Next" with an option selected). An option you clicked but did not save shows as not answered.

Step 2: Count right, wrong and unanswered, section by section

For each of the four sections, count:

• R: questions where your option matches the key;
• W: questions where you chose a different option;
• U: questions you did not answer.

R + W + U must be 25 in each section. If not, recount.

Step 3: Apply the marking

The notice gives 2 marks for each right answer (25 questions for 50 marks per subject, para 13.8) and takes off 0.50 for each wrong answer (para 13.8.2).

Section score = 2 × R − 0.5 × W

Tier-I score = sum of the four section scores, out of 200

A worked example

Check the total another way: 2 × 66 − 0.5 × 15 = 132 − 7.5 = 124.5. Doing both catches adding mistakes.

Two more things are worth reading off the sheet. The 15 wrong answers cost 7.5 marks directly, but each was also a question that did not earn 2 marks, so the gap to a perfect paper on those questions is 37.5 marks. And Quant had six unanswered: if two of those had been reduced to a 50-50 guess, the average gain would have been 1.5 marks. Our article on how many questions to attempt works through these trade-offs.

Step 4: Raise an objection if a key answer is wrong

Para 13.3 of the 2026 notice sets out the procedure:

• Representations against the tentative key are made online only, within the time limit SSC announces.
• The fee is ₹50 per question, and it is not refunded.
• Representations sent any other way (letter, application, email) are not considered.
• SSC examines them before finalising the key, and its decision is final.

Para 13.4 adds that SSC's "Guidelines regarding Challenge/Objection Management System", published in its notice of 10 April 2026, apply to this exam. Read them on ssc.gov.in before you object.

Object only when you are sure, and support it with a clear reason and a standard reference (a textbook, an official source, a worked solution). A hunch costs the fee and changes nothing. Note also para 13.7: there is no re-evaluation or re-checking of scores at any stage, so the objection window is your only chance to question an answer.

Step 5: Understand normalisation

Because Tier-I runs in many shifts, no two candidates see exactly the same paper. Para 13.2 of the notice says that marks of an exam held in multiple shifts will be normalised "by using the procedure published by the Commission vide Notice dated 02-06-2025", and that the normalised scores are used to decide merit and cut-off marks. Para 17.2 repeats that normalised scores are used for merit and selection.

What this means for you:

• The number you calculate is your raw score. Your normalised score can be higher or lower.
• You cannot work out the normalised score yourself, because it depends on the scores of all candidates in all shifts. If you want the method, read SSC's notice of 2 June 2025 on ssc.gov.in.
• The same raw score in two different shifts can give different normalised scores. That is the point of the process, not a mistake.

So treat your raw score as an estimate, not a result.

Step 6: What happens after

1. Final answer key. SSC finalises the key after looking at the objections. The final key is used to process the result and, under para 13.3, is put on the website after the result is declared. If the final key changes the answer to a question you attempted, recalculate your score with the same formula.
2. Result and shortlisting. Candidates are shortlisted for Tier-II on their Tier-I performance (para 17.2). Para 17.1 sets the minimum qualifying marks in Tier-I at 30% for UR, 25% for OBC/EWS and 20% for all other categories, which is 60, 50 and 40 out of 200. The actual shortlisting marks are set separately, and para 17.3 says there may be separate category-wise cut-offs for three groups of posts (DEO/DEO Grade 'A' in the departments named in para 8.1, DEO/DEO Grade 'A' elsewhere, and LDC/JSA). These are known only when the result is out.
3. Tier-II. The final merit list is made from Section-I and Section-II of Tier-II only (para 17.9), so Tier-I marks do not carry into your final rank.

Do not wait for the result

If your raw score looks comfortable, start Tier-II preparation the week you finish your calculation; Tier-II carries the merit, with +3/−1 marking, a qualifying Computer Knowledge section and the Skill or Typing Test. If it looks short, use the response sheet as you would a mock: which sections and topics cost the most? Our guide on how to analyse a mock test works on the real paper too.

Before the exam, you can practise exactly this scoring: our 10 free SSC CHSL Tier-I mocks, in English and Hindi with the 15-minute section timers, score every attempt as 2 × R − 0.5 × W and show the section-wise breakdown.

Useful links

• SSC CHSL 2026 notice (PDF, ssc.gov.in)
• SSC notice of 1 October 2026: Tier-I dates (PDF)
• SSC website: answer keys, objections and results
• Free SSC CHSL mock tests
• SSC CHSL 2026: exam date, pattern and how to apply
• How many questions to attempt in SSC CHSL
• SSC CHSL Tier-II exam pattern

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my SSC CHSL Tier-I marks from the answer key?

Count right (R) and wrong (W) answers against the tentative key and work out 2 × R − 0.5 × W. Unanswered questions score nothing. Do it section by section and add up, out of 200.

When will the SSC CHSL 2026 answer key be released?

The notice says only that tentative keys are put on SSC's website after the exam. No date has been announced as of 27 October 2026; check ssc.gov.in after the last Tier-I shift.

What is the fee to challenge the SSC CHSL answer key?

₹50 per question, paid online and not refunded (notice para 13.3). Representations by letter or email are not accepted.

Will my normalised score be the same as my raw score?

Not necessarily. Para 13.2 says multi-shift marks are normalised by the procedure in SSC's notice of 2 June 2025. Your normalised score can be higher or lower, and you cannot calculate it yourself.

Do SSC CHSL Tier-I marks count in the final merit?

No. Tier-I only shortlists for Tier-II. The final merit list uses Section-I and Section-II of Tier-II (para 17.9).

Can I ask SSC to recheck my CHSL score?

No. Para 13.7 says there is no re-evaluation or re-checking at any stage. The objection window on the tentative key is the only way to question an answer.