SSC CHSL 2026 Form: “12th Science With Maths” for DEO — Yes or No? Age, Fee

SSC CHSL is open to Class 12 pass candidates, and its eligibility rules are short — but three of them moved in the last year and trip up applicants every cycle. The age date shifted from 1 January to 1 August, which pushes some last-cycle candidates out. The Science-with-Maths rule applies to Data Entry Operator posts in only three offices, and the list of offices has changed twice since 2023. And “Class 12 passed” means the result is declared by the closing date. This guide sets out every eligibility rule in the CHSLE 2026 notice, with a checker.

SSC Notice of CHSLE 2026.

The age limit is 18 to 27 years on 1 August 2026: a candidate must be born “not before 02-08-1999 and not later than 01-08-2008”. SSC accepts only the date of birth recorded in the Class 10 (Matriculation or Secondary) certificate, and “no subsequent request for change will be considered”. The reckoning date matters because it moved. CHSLE 2025 counted age on 1 January 2026, so candidates born between 2 January and 1 August 1999 were eligible last time without relaxation but are over-age this time.

In practice the Science-with-Maths rule decides only a small number of posts. In CHSLE 2025, the DEO posts in those offices were a few dozen out of 3,522 vacancies, and SSC ran a separate Tier-I cut-off list for them (614 shortlisted, against 37,520 on the LDC/JSA list). The form asks the question directly: a candidate who ticks “yes” to Class 12 in Science with Mathematics is considered for all posts; one who ticks “no” is simply not considered for those DEO posts.

Candidates who have appeared in Class 12 may apply, but they “must possess Essential qualification on or before the cut-off date i.e. 07-10-2026”. SSC treats the qualification as held only when the result has been declared — a result still being processed on 7 October does not count. Qualifications through open and distance learning are accepted only from institutions recognised for that purpose, with the recognition documents produced at document verification.

A candidate must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or one of the migrant groups the notice lists, who need a certificate of eligibility. The application asks for three exam centres in order of priority, all within one SSC region, and the choice cannot be changed later. One employer has an extra condition: LDC posts in the Border Roads Organisation are for men only and carry physical standards and a physical efficiency test set out in an annexure. In CHSLE 2025 BRO was the largest single employer, with 392 of the 3,522 vacancies — worth knowing before listing it in the preferences.

SSC admits candidates to each stage provisionally, and the real proof comes after the final result, when the user department verifies documents: the Class 10 certificate for the date of birth, the Class 12 marksheet, caste, EWS, PwBD or ex-servicemen certificates where claimed, a no-objection certificate from the current employer for anyone already in Government service, and documents for any change of name. A candidate found ineligible at that stage loses the post even after allocation. The practical advice is to settle any mismatch between the Class 10 certificate and other documents now, and to make sure category certificates are in the format and date-range the notice asks for.