Exams

SSC CPO vs SSC CHSL: Which One is Better?

February 29, 2024

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Staff Selection Commission or as usually called SSC is an organization under the Government of India that conducts examinations every year to recruit eligible candidates for various posts in the ministries and departments of the Government of India. Apart from the major SSC CGL Examination, SSC also conducts an examination for the post of SSC CPO and SSC CHSL. Both examinations are equally important and popular among job aspirants. SSC recruitment gives a golden opportunity to the aspirants who are willing to work in the government sector and who fancy the government office jobs and the comfort and facilities that come along with them. Though the scope of both jobs may be similar, before you choose to apply for any one of these, you should be well aware of some differences between SSC CHSL and SSC CPO. We have tried to list down some main points on the basis of which you can compare both the examinations and choose the one that seems better for you.

SSC CPO or SSC CHSL? Which one is better?

SSC CPO vs SSC CHSL: Name of the Examinations

CPO	Central Police Organization
CHSL	Combined Higher Secondary Level Examination

SSC CPO vs SSC CHSL: Eligibility Criteria

While filling any application form, you should be eligible according to the criteria mentioned in the official notification, in order to avoid cancellation of your application in the near future. SSC CPO & SSC CHSL being two different examinations, their eligibility criteria is also different as mentioned below-

	SSC CPO	SSC CHSL
Educational Qualification	Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognized board or university.	Must have passed 12th Standard or an equivalent examination from a recognized board or university.
Age Criteria	Candidate should not be less than 18 years and not more than 32 years (depending on various posts)	Candidate should not be less than 18 years and not more than 27 years.

SSC CPO vs SSC CHSL: Job Posts

The SSC CPO examination is held to recruit candidates to the posts of Sub Inspector in Delhi Police, Sub Inspector in CAPFs, Assistant Sub Inspector in CISF, Inspector posts and Sub Inspector Posts.
Whereas SSC CHSL examination is generally held for the Group C and clerical posts, that is the reason why it has the qualification as 12th pass.

SSC CPO vs SSC CHSL: Exam Pattern

Both the examinations of SSC CPO and SSC CHSL are conducted in certain stages. A candidate needs to qualify one stage to move to the next stage.

SSC CPO Exam Pattern

SSC CPO Examination is conducted in three phases, wherein it will consist of Paper I, Paper 2 and one Physical Efficiency Test (PET), PST and Medical Test.
Both Paper I and Paper II are online objective type tests in both Hindi and English medium.
Paper I consists of 4 subjects/tests – General Knowledge, General Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude & English Comprehension.
Paper II consists of an objective test on English Language and Comprehension worth 200 marks with a time duration of 2 hours.
Tier III is a descriptive English paper.
Negative marking of 0.25 marks is also there in the SSC CPO Paper I & Paper II.
Paper II is only for those candidates who clear Paper I and PET/PST/Medical Test.

SSC CHSL Exam Pattern

SSC CHSL examination is conducted in three stages: Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III.
Tier I of the SSC CHSL exam is an online objective (multiple choice) test that contains the same subjects as in SSC CGL, i.e., General Awareness, General Intelligence & Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude & English Comprehension.
Tier II consists of a descriptive paper to test the written skills of the candidates in English/Hindi. The Paper would comprise an ‘Essay’ writing of 200-250 words and Letter/Application writing of approximately 150-200 words.
Tier III of the SSC CHSL Exam comprises certain skill tests that are required for selected government posts.
There is also a typing test for some jobs.

SSC CPO vs SSC CHSL: Career & Benefits

SSC CPO

As CPO Examination is held for various posts, therefore the tasks and responsibilities vary a bit depending on the post.

In BSF, you will be responsible for the protection of the border between India & Pakistan, maintaining a sense of security for Indian citizens and preventing crimes across the border.
In CRPF, you will be responsible for controlling riots and Naxalites.
In ITBP, you will be responsible for protecting the border between India & China, providing security at northern borders, and restraining anti-national and illegal activities.
Talking about benefits, you will be entitled to receive several benefits such as House Rent Allowance and Travelling Allowance, which may vary according to the job position and it varies according to the various classes of cities – Class X, Class Y, and Class Z that are based on different factors.

SSC CHSL

Being group ‘C’ posts, the jobs under CHSL are mostly clerical level jobs. Two main jobs under SSC CHSL are LDC (Lower-Divisional CLerk) & DEO (Data Entry Operator) . Both jobs offer comfortable working conditions, and if you stick to the job, you may be promoted to a higher post as well.

As a DEO, you will be responsible for maintaining documents and updating, creating & entering all the relevant and important data in the computer database.
You need to write letters and do chores at the office in the absence of LDCs.
DEOs scan all the pertinent information, figures and data of the department thoroughly and compile them together to stack and make a proper database for future reference.
An LDC is responsible for clerical work, which includes documentation and coordination with the seniors. You are expected to undertake the official responsibilities smoothly and efficiently for the day to day operations in the office.
There are promotion opportunities in both these jobs as well, depending on the departments.

SSC CPO vs SSC CHSL: Salary

SSC CPO Salary

SSC CPO: The Sub-Inspectors in Delhi Police and CAPF receive the same pay scale, whereas Assistant Sub-Inspectors in CISF have different salaries.

Sub Inspectors in Delhi Police and CAPF: Level 6 – Rs.35,400 – 1,12,400/- per month + Grade pay of Rs.4200.

Assistant Sub Inspectors in CISF: Level 5 – Rs.29,200 – 92,300/- per month + Grade pay of Rs.2800.

SSC CHSL

SSC CHSL: The two major posts under SSC CHSL are LDC and DEO as discussed above. The in-hand salary of both the posts will be:

Lower Division Clerk – 18,777 – 22,411

Data Entry Operator – 25,165 – 31,045

Conclusion

Depending on the above discussed points, we can make sure that both the SSC CPO and SSC CHSL jobs are worth aiming for. Both these jobs, being under the Central Government, provide suitable work profiles, opportunities, and growth. Not any one of them can be considered as better than the other. It depends on your personal goals and ambitions. SSC CPO is a physically challenging and demanding job, whereas SSC CHSL is more of an office job, which may be better and more convenient for some of you. Therefore, depending on the work profiles and job responsibilities, you can choose what suits your interests and capabilities. Whatever you choose, put in your hard work and dedication, and you will be able to achieve your goal very soon.

Practice your way to success by attempting free mock tests for SSC CPO & SSC CHSL.