OSSC Combined Graduate Level Recruitment Examination (CGLRE)

The Combined Graduate Level Recruitment Examination (CGLRE), usually called OSSC CGL, is how the Odisha Staff Selection Commission fills Group-B and Group-C posts in many state departments through one exam for graduates. The posts include Assistant CT & GST Officer, Gram Panchayat Development Officer (GPDO), Block Social Security Officer (BSSO), Inspector of Supplies, Inspector and Auditor of Co-operative Societies, Local Fund Auditor, Junior Correctional Officer, Junior Assistant and Junior Clerk.

The latest cycle is CGLRE-2025 (Advertisement No. 5751/OSSC, 12 Dec 2025) for 1,576 posts, 504 of them for women. By category: 680 unreserved, 206 SEBC, 274 SC and 416 ST. The two biggest groups are Junior Assistant in Water Resources district offices (374) and Junior Clerk under Rural Works (255).

There are three stages: a preliminary exam, a main written exam (with a Mathematics test for Auditor posts and a Computer Skill Test for several posts), and certificate verification. You list your post preferences in the application form, and OSSC allots the post by merit and that preference. Once a post is allotted, it is not changed.

Qualification

A Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university, plus computer knowledge (internet, e-mail, word processing, data analysis and presentation). For Common Cadre Auditor, Auditor under the State Transport Authority and Auditor under the Director of Industries you also need a computer course. OSSC Notice No. 5813 (19 Dec 2025) accepts "computer proficiency like PGDCA": a PGDCA, NIELIT O level, OS-CIT from OKCL, or any other computer course from a recognised board, council, university or institution.

Age

21 to 42 years on 1 Jan 2025, that is, born between 2 Jan 1983 and 1 Jan 2004. The upper limit is relaxed by 5 years for SEBC, SC, ST and all women, 10 years for PwD candidates, and by the length of defence service for ex-servicemen. SC and ST candidates with a disability get 10 more years on top of their category relaxation. If you fall under more than one category, you get only the one relaxation that helps you most. OSSC accepts only the date of birth on your HSC (Class 10) certificate.

Odia

You must read, write and speak Odia, and have one of these:

• passed the Middle School exam with Odia as a language subject;

• passed HSC or equivalent with Odia as the medium in a non-language subject;

• passed Odia as a language subject in Class 7 or above from a school recognised by the Odisha or Central government;

• passed the Odia test of Middle English School standard held by the School and Mass Education Department.

Fee and other points

• Fee ₹500, paid online through the Odisha Treasury portal. SC, ST and PwD candidates pay nothing. The fee is refunded to everyone who sits the preliminary exam, so enter your bank account details correctly in the form.

• PwD candidates need a permanent disability of at least 40% and must upload the online UDID certificate. Each post accepts only certain disability types; check the table in the advertisement before choosing posts.

• Government and PSU employees upload a No Objection Certificate with the form.

• Transgender candidates can apply.

Negative marking: for each wrong answer you lose 1/4 of that question's marks when there are four options (1/3 when there are three). In the CGLRE-2025 prelims that was 0.25 marks per wrong answer. Blank answers lose nothing.

• The prelims and mains are set in both Odia and English, except Paper I (language). You choose the medium in the application form and cannot change it later.

• If an exam runs in several shifts with different question papers, OSSC normalises the scores (Notice No. 2444/OSSC, 2 Sep 2021).

• There is no re-evaluation or re-checking. Missing any stage ends your candidature.

• If you don't want to take the Mathematics test, don't choose Auditor posts. If you don't want the Computer Skill Test, don't choose the six posts listed above.

This is the indicative syllabus from Annexure-C of the CGLRE-2025 advertisement. The level is given in brackets.

Preliminary exam

• Arithmetic (Class 10)

• Data interpretation: charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency (Class 10)

• Logical reasoning and analytical ability, general mental ability

• Current events of national and international importance

• Computer and internet awareness

• Odisha economy, history, geography, heritage and culture (Class 10)

Main exam, Paper I: Language

• Odia comprehension (Class 10)

• English comprehension (+2)

• Grammar, usage and vocabulary in Odia and English (Class 10)

Main exam, Paper II: General Studies (+2)

Indian Constitution, Indian economy, Odisha economy and budget, Indian and world geography, history of India, history of Odisha, arts and culture with special reference to Odisha, and general issues of environment and climate change.

Mathematics test (Auditor posts, Class 10)

Arithmetic, algebra, statistics and probability, mensuration.

Computer Skill Test

Computer fundamentals, MS Windows, office software, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, using the internet and its services, basic networking and communication technology.

The full advertisement and later notices are on the OSSC website under Advertisements.

These are the official CGLRE-2025 last selection marks. The prelims cut-off decided who sat the mains (result of 19 May 2026, out of 150). The mains cut-off, from Paper I and Paper II together, decided who was called for certificate verification (result of 19 Aug 2026).

Candidates with disabilities (PwD)

A dash means no woman candidate was shortlisted in that category. The cut-off changes every year with the number of posts and candidates, so use them only as a rough guide for the next cycle.

All posts are regular appointments under the Odisha Revised Scales of Pay (ORSP) Rules, 2017:

• Group-B posts (Assistant CT & GST Officer, GPDO, BSSO, Inspectors, Auditors, Junior Correctional Officer, Estate Supervisor, Sub-divisional Financial Service and Savings Officer): Level-9, Cell-1.

• Group-C posts (Junior Assistant, Junior Clerk): Level-4, Cell-1.

The OSSC advertisement gives only the pay level, not the rupee amount; the starting basic pay is Cell-1 of that level in the Odisha pay matrix. Dearness allowance and other allowances are paid on top under Odisha government rules.