Staff Selection Commission successfully conducted the 1st phase of the re-examination for the CGL 2013 candidates on April 27, 2014.

Unlike the last time, the test was conducted on the same day in 2 slots (Morning and Afternoon), with 2 different papers and 8 sets in each slot. The number of sections, question types and the difficulty level broadly remained the same across all test papers.

The pattern of the test was as follows:

Section Total Questions Level of difficulty Good Attempts Good Score Approximate time taken
General Intelligence and Reasoning 50 Easy- Moderate 38-40 32- 35 35-40
General Awareness 50 Moderate-Tough 12-14 8-10 20
Quantitative Aptitude 50 Easy- Moderate 38-40 34- 36 40-45
English Comprehension 50 Easy 39-41 30– 32 20
Total 200 127-135 104- 113 120

Expected Tier I cutoffs (Out of 200)

For posts of Statistical Investigator/Compiler

UR (General) OBC SC ST
90 – 94 78 – 81 71 – 74 66 – 69

For post of Tax Assistant

UR (General) OBC SC ST
94 – 97 79 – 82 74 – 77 68 – 71

For all other posts

UR (General) OBC SC ST
94 – 97 79 – 82 74 – 77 68 – 71

General Intelligence and Reasoning
In this section, questions were from an array of topics and most of them had easy to moderate level of difficulty. A student could have easily attempted over 35 questions in 40 minutes.

All the question types have been covered in the CL study material and CL students would have found the section easy.

Topic-wise details of the section are as given below-

Topic Number of Questions Level of Difficulty
Analogy 6 Easy-Moderate
Series 7 Moderate
Odd One Out 6 Easy
Statement-Conclusion 1 Easy
Assertion-Reason/Statement-Assumption 1 Easy
Visual Reasoning 8 Easy
Maths Based Questions 6 Easy
Coding-Decoding 4 Easy
Directions 2 Easy
Blood Relation 1 Moderate
Analytical Reasoning 2 Easy
Word Formation 2 Easy
Venn Diagrams 3 Easy
Matrix Based 1 Easy-Moderate

General Awareness
This was the toughest section to crack and an attempt of 13 -15 questions with a high level of accuracy would be considered to be a good. This section was dominated by questions from static G.K.

The details of the section are as given below-

Topic Number of Questions Level of Difficulty
Indian History 6 Moderate- Tough
Science & Technology 23-24 Tough
Geography 2 Moderate- Tough
Polity 8 Moderate
Economics 4 Moderate
Current Affairs 1-2 Easy-Moderate
Miscellaneous 5 Moderate- Tough

Quantitative Aptitude
The section comprised questions from a variety of topics. Majority of the questions were from Arithmetic, Algebra and Trigonometry. While Arithmetic questions were easy to attempt, one had to know smart techniques and shortcuts in order to solve Algebra questions efficiently. In Data Interpretation, questions were based on simple calculation.

A couple of questions in this section were seemingly incorrect, the details of which have been provided in the answer key.

The details of the section are as given below-

Topic Number of Questions Level of Difficulty
Simplification 2 Easy
Number Series 2 Easy
Arithmetic 15 Easy
Algebra 6 Moderate
Geometry 11 Easy
Trigonometry 7 Moderate
Data Interpretation 7 Easy

English Comprehension
The section was dominated by Grammar and Vocabulary questions. In Vocabulary, there were questions on Antonyms, Synonyms, One word for many, Idioms and Fill in the Blanks. In Grammar, there were questions of Sentence Correction, Spot the Error and Fill in the Blanks.
There were 2 Reading Comprehension Passages with 5 questions each.

In afternoon session (slot 2) paper, some questions had typographical errors, which could have led to confusion while answering the section.

The details of the section are as given below-

Topic Number of Questions Level of Difficulty
Vocabulary 13 Moderate
Grammar 25 Easy
Reading Comprehension 10 Easy
Spellings 2 Easy

Disclaimer: All information on cut-offs, analysis, answer key and scores are based on independent analysis and evaluation made by Career Launcher. We do not take responsibility for any decision that might be taken, based on this information.

All the Best
Team CL