SSC CHSL Exam 2025: The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is set to conduct one of its largest examinations - the Combined Higher Secondary Level (CHSL) - on November 12, 2025, with around 30 lakh candidates expected to appear. SSC Chairman S. Gopalakrishnan, in an interview with NDTV, spoke about the new measures introduced to ensure better arrangements, such as proper scribe allocation and preventing candidates from being assigned centres too far from their homes.
Talking about the new rules for differently-abled candidates, the Chairman said the commission has allowed them to bring their own scribes while setting an age limit to curb possible misuse:
"Earlier, we had assigned scribes through Eduquity, but many candidates requested the option to bring their own. We have now revised the rule and issued a notification allowing this. However, since this is a Higher Secondary exam, the scribe must be less qualified than the candidate. Checking each person's degree or marksheet manually isn't practical, so we've introduced a proxy rule - the scribe must be below 20 years of age. In earlier exams, we noticed instances where some people took advantage of the system, writing exams on behalf of disabled candidates for money. This measure will help prevent such misuse. Apart from that, every exam has its own challenges - for example, while CGL was held in only English and Hindi, CHSL will be conducted in 15 languages. Preparing papers in so many languages, including Manipuri and Gujarati, is a major task, but our teams are ready."
He further noted that the multi-tier selection process, followed by document verification and medical examinations, sometimes delays final results. "In the worst case, the process can take around 8-9 months," he said, "but usually we complete everything within 3-4 months from application to result."
The Chairman also highlighted a major change in the exam process - candidates can now select their own exam city and shift, similar to booking a movie seat:
"For the upcoming CHSL exam, we've completely revamped the city and venue allocation system. Candidates can now choose their preferred city, shift, and time slot (morning or evening), much like booking a movie ticket. So far, nearly 60 per cent of candidates have used this option, while the rest will be allotted centres automatically within their chosen city."
He added that this new city allocation system is a major step toward increasing transparency, fairness, and convenience for candidates across India.
