SSC Stenographer Cut Off for Grade C and Grade D

What the SSC stenographer cut off decides

The stenographer exam has a 200 mark computer based test on reasoning, English and current affairs, then shorthand dictation. The full pattern is on our SSC stenographer syllabus page.

Because the CBT runs over several days and shifts, the Commission adjusts raw marks across sittings through normalisation. That is why published cut offs carry long decimals. For each grade and each category, it then records where the skill test call list ended. That number is the cut off people search for.

The skill test itself does not add marks. You either qualify in it or you do not. Final selection is then made from CBT scores among those who passed shorthand, so a candidate just above the cut off can still be selected if many higher scorers fail dictation.

SSC steno cut off in the 2025 exam

The 2025 CBT was held in August, and the result came out at the end of November. Vacancies stood at 1,590: 230 for Grade C and 1,360 for Grade D. The Commission called 8,624 candidates to the Grade C skill test and 22,456 to the Grade D test. OH, HH and VH are the orthopaedic, hearing and visual disability categories; ESM means ex servicemen.

Previous cut offs: 2024 and 2023

In 2024 the UR, OBC and EWS figures for Grade C were identical, which can happen when the last candidates reached on those lists sit at the same normalised score. For PwD and ESM rows from these years, check the Commission's own result file, since reports we checked did not agree on every one of them.

Reading the trend

Line up the three cycles and a few things jump out.

• Grade C UR closed in the 140s every year. It went from 147.45 to 148.58 and then dropped to 142.43 in 2025.
• Grade D UR has been steady near 131. The 2025 figure of 132.31 is barely a mark above the year before.
• The SC and ST lists for Grade D moved the most. ST rose from about 85 in 2024 to almost 106 in 2025, which shows how much those lists depend on the posts in each cycle.

For planning, scoring 150 plus in the CBT gives Grade C candidates a cushion in most years, and 135 plus does the same for Grade D UR. Use these as targets, not promises.

Minimum qualifying marks and the cut off

Before any cut off is drawn, you must reach the minimum marks in the CBT. Recent SSC notices fix the floor at 30 percent for UR, 25 percent if you are OBC or EWS and 20 percent for everyone else; reconfirm these in your own advertisement. Clearing the minimum makes you eligible; it does not get you a skill test call. Only the cut off does that.

The skill test has its own standard. You take 10 minutes of dictation, at 100 words per minute for Grade C and 80 for Grade D, and type it out within the transcription time. The allowed error limit and transcription time are stated in the notice and differ by language and by category.

Factors behind the next steno cut off

• Vacancies. Grade C has only a few hundred posts a year, so a small change in seats shifts its cut off sharply.
• How hard the shifts were. Difficult sittings drag every score lower, while easy ones crowd candidates near the top.
• Number of candidates. More applicants with strong English push the general list up.
• Category share. Where reserved seats are many and candidates few, the cut off for that list can fall well below UR.

Compare this with related exams on the SSC CGL cut off and SSC CHSL cut off pages if you are sitting more than one Commission exam.

Finding the official list and your own score

Visit ssc.gov.in and head to its results tab. Choose the stenographer Grade C and D exam for your year. Inside the result notice you get the cut off grid by category, the number of candidates called and the list of roll numbers. Your personal marks follow some weeks later through your login.

If you are below the cut off, note your gap section by section. Our SSC stenographer eligibility page explains the age limits, in case you are wondering how many more chances you have.