SSC MTS & Havaldar 2026: pattern, syllabus and free practice
The Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (CBIC & CBN) Examination is SSC's 10th-pass exam. This page sets out what SSC itself has published: the tentative 2026 months, the two-session computer-based test, the marking and the syllabus. Below that are free practice questions in English and Hindi.
Where things stand (checked 18 October 2026)
- MTS 2026 in SSC's calendar
- Advertisement June 2026 · closing July 2026 · exam September – November 2026 (computer-based; SSC marks it tentative).
- MTS 2026 notice
- Not on SSC's notice board when we checked on 18 Oct 2026. The newest MTS notice there (7 Oct 2026) is about the 2025 exam. Until the 2026 notice appears, the pattern below is from the 2025 notice and may change.
- Last cycle (2025)
- Applications 26 June – 24 July 2025; computer-based exam 20 September – 24 October 2025.
Exam pattern
| Session | Part | Questions / marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session-I | Numerical and Mathematical Ability | 20 / 60 | 45 min for Session-I |
| Session-I | Reasoning Ability and Problem Solving | 20 / 60 | |
| Session-II | General Awareness | 25 / 75 | 45 min for Session-II |
| Session-II | English Language and Comprehension | 25 / 75 |
From para 14.5 of the MTS 2025 notice. Both sessions are on the same day and both are compulsory (60 minutes each for candidates eligible for a scribe). No negative marking in Session-I; in Session-II, one mark is deducted for each wrong answer (3 marks per question, so a wrong answer costs a third of a question's marks). Session-I is evaluated first and is qualifying; merit is decided on Session-II (para 18). Havaldar candidates also take a PET/PST: walking 1,600 m in 15 min (men) or 1 km in 20 min (women).
Eligibility in the latest notice
- Education
- Matriculation (10th) or equivalent, passed by the cut-off date (para 9 of the 2025 notice).
- Age (2025 notice)
- 18–25 years for MTS posts, 18–27 years for Havaldar and some MTS posts, as on 01-08-2025, with the usual category relaxations (para 6).
- Languages
- The test is set in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages for Session-I and the General Awareness part of Session-II (para 14.5.4).
Syllabus, in SSC's words
- Maths
- Whole numbers, LCM/HCF, decimals and fractions, BODMAS, percentage, ratio and proportion, time and work, averages, simple interest, profit and loss, discount, area and perimeter, distance and time, lines and angles, simple graphs, squares and square roots.
- Reasoning
- Alpha-numeric series, coding-decoding, analogy, directions, similarities and differences, jumbling, problem solving, non-verbal reasoning, age, calendar and clock.
- General Awareness
- Social studies (history, geography, art and culture, civics, economics), general science and environmental studies up to 10th standard.
- English
- Vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms, correct usage and a simple comprehension passage.
Practise for MTS in SSC Saathi
451 of SSC Saathi's questions are tagged as suitable for MTS (Matriculation-level maths, reasoning, English and GK), in English and Hindi. All are original practice questions written for SSC Saathi, not past papers. Open a topic:
Try four sample questions
Which vitamin is produced in the human body on exposure to sunlight?
धूप के संपर्क में आने पर मानव शरीर में कौन-सा विटामिन बनता है?
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin K
Show answer
Answer: C. Vitamin D
Sunlight helps the skin synthesise Vitamin D.
सूर्य के प्रकाश से त्वचा में विटामिन D बनता है।
The compound interest on ₹1,000 at 10% per annum for 2 years is:
₹1,000 पर 10% वार्षिक दर से 2 वर्ष का चक्रवृद्धि ब्याज है:
- ₹200
- ₹210
- ₹220
- ₹240
Show answer
Answer: B. ₹210
A = 1000(1.1)² = 1210; CI = 1210 − 1000 = ₹210.
मिश्रधन = 1000(1.1)² = 1210; चक्रवृद्धि ब्याज = 1210 − 1000 = ₹210।
Find the missing term: 5, 11, 23, 47, ?
लुप्त पद ज्ञात करें: 5, 11, 23, 47, ?
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
Show answer
Answer: C. 95
Each term = previous × 2 + 1 → 47 × 2 + 1 = 95.
हर पद = पिछला × 2 + 1 → 47 × 2 + 1 = 95।
One word substitution: A person who loves books
एक शब्द में: वह व्यक्ति जो किताबों से प्रेम करता है
- Bibliophile
- Bibliography
- Philanthropist
- Biographer
Show answer
Answer: A. Bibliophile
A 'bibliophile' is a lover or collector of books.
'Bibliophile' वह है जो किताबों से प्रेम करता है या उन्हें जमा करता है।
More: SSC exam calendar 2026-27 · SSC GD Constable · About SSC Saathi · How to use SSC Saathi
Questions
When is the SSC MTS exam 2026?
SSC's tentative calendar for 2026-27 lists the MTS (Non-Technical) Staff & Havaldar Examination, 2026 for September – November 2026, with the advertisement in June 2026 and the closing date in July 2026. When we checked on 18 October 2026, the 2026 notice was not yet on SSC's notice board, so watch ssc.gov.in for the firm dates.
Is there negative marking in SSC MTS?
In the 2025 notice there is no negative marking in Session-I (maths and reasoning). In Session-II (general awareness and English), one mark is deducted for each wrong answer.
How many questions are in the SSC MTS exam?
The 2025 notice sets 90 questions in two sessions of 45 minutes: Session-I has 20 maths and 20 reasoning questions (60 marks each), and Session-II has 25 general awareness and 25 English questions (75 marks each).
Are these questions from past MTS papers?
No. SSC Saathi's questions are original practice questions in the style of the syllabus, with explanations in English and Hindi. They are not copied from past papers.
