SSC JE Civil: Papers, Topics and Practice
Part-A is half of Paper-I and all of Paper-II. Here is what it asks and how to practise it.
If you apply for JE (Civil), your branch questions come from Part-A: General Engineering (Civil and Structural). It is 100 of the 200 marks in Paper-I and the whole of Paper-II, which the 2026 notice sets as a computer-based test of 100 questions for 300 marks.
SSC does not publish a public archive of Civil papers. It shows your own question paper cum response sheet, with answer keys, through a login for a short window after each paper. This page covers what Part-A asks, the material to study it from, and original practice questions in the exam style.
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Where Civil Questions Appear
From the scheme of examination in the 2026 notice:
Paper-I (CBT, 2 hours)
Civil part
Part-A, alongside reasoning and general awareness
Questions / Marks
100 / 100
Wrong answer
minus 0.25
Paper-II (CBT, 2 hours)
Civil part
Part-A only
Questions / Marks
100 / 300
Wrong answer
minus 1
| Paper | Civil part | Questions / Marks | Wrong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I (CBT, 2 hours) | Part-A, alongside reasoning and general awareness | 100 / 100 | minus 0.25 |
| Paper-II (CBT, 2 hours) | Part-A only | 100 / 300 | minus 1 |
Part-A Topics (Paper-I)
The notice lists these subjects, at about diploma level:
- check_circleEngineering mechanics and solid mechanics
- check_circleStructural analysis
- check_circleConstruction materials and management
- check_circleEstimating, costing and valuation
- check_circleConcrete structures and steel structures
- check_circleSurveying
- check_circleSoil mechanics (geotechnical engineering)
- check_circleFluid mechanics and hydraulics
- check_circleHydrology and irrigation engineering
- check_circleEnvironmental engineering
- check_circleTransportation (traffic) engineering
What Paper-II Adds
The Paper-II list goes deeper. A few headings from the notice that Paper-I only names:
- Structural analysis
- Determinate and indeterminate structures, trusses, arches, cables and frames, slope deflection, moment distribution and influence lines.
- Concrete and steel
- Working stress and limit state design; beams, slabs, columns, foundations, retaining walls; bolted and welded connections; plastic analysis.
- Soil mechanics
- Phase relationships, soil classification, permeability and flow nets, effective stress, compaction, consolidation and shear strength with Mohr's circle.
- Environmental
- Water quality and treatment, sewerage design, air pollution and municipal solid waste.
- Transportation
- Highway geometric design, railway track speed and cant, flexible and rigid pavement design using IRC codes, and signal design by Webster's method.
Data interpretation and arithmetic in the exam style. No signup.
How the Exam Tests Civil
Most Part-A questions are one-step: a definition, a code value or a single formula. The trap is units. A load in kN/m with a span in metres gives a moment in kN·m; mixing mm and m gives an answer off by a factor of 1,000, and that wrong answer is usually one of the options.
The notice says the IS 456:2000 code tables are shown on screen when needed, so you do not need to memorise every table. You do need to know where a value sits and what it means. A scientific calculator is also on screen; no physical calculator is allowed.
Practice Questions: Civil (Original, Not From a Past Paper)
- 1
Practice question 1: A simply supported beam of span 6 m carries a uniformly distributed load of 10 kN/m. What is the maximum bending moment?
For a simply supported beam under UDL, maximum moment = wL²/8, at mid-span. 10 × 6² / 8 = 360 / 8 = 45 kN·m. Trap: wL²/2 (the cantilever formula) gives 180 kN·m.
- 2
Practice question 2: A soil has void ratio 0.6 and specific gravity 2.65. Find its dry unit weight (take unit weight of water as 9.81 kN/m³).
Dry unit weight = G × γw / (1 + e) = 2.65 × 9.81 / 1.6 = 25.997 / 1.6 ≈ 16.25 kN/m³. Trap: dividing by e instead of (1 + e) gives about 43.3, which is not physically possible for soil.
- 3
Practice question 3: In a closed traverse, which check confirms angular closure?
The sum of interior angles must equal (2n − 4) × 90°, where n is the number of sides. For a five-sided traverse that is 540°. Trap: using (2n + 4) × 90°, which is the rule for exterior angles.
Study Material for Civil
- checkThe Part-A topic list from the current notice on ssc.gov.in, used as your checklist
- checkYour diploma or degree textbooks for each subject; the notice sets questions at about diploma level
- checkIS 456:2000 (concrete), read for where tables and clauses sit, since the tables appear on screen
- checkYour own JE question paper cum response sheets, saved during each answer-key window
- checkTimed Part-A sets with the Paper-II deduction of 1 mark per wrong answer counted
FAQs
Where can I get SSC JE Civil previous year papers?expand_more
SSC shows each candidate their own question paper cum response sheet with answer keys through a login on ssc.gov.in, only for a limited window. It does not keep a public archive.
Is SSC JE Civil Paper-II objective or descriptive?expand_more
Objective. The 2026 notice sets Paper-II as a computer-based test of 100 multiple-choice questions for 300 marks, with 1 mark deducted per wrong answer.
Which IS code is given in the SSC JE exam?expand_more
The notice says the table of IS 456:2000 Code of Practice is available on the candidate's screen, if required, under the Useful Data option.
What level are SSC JE Civil questions?expand_more
The notice says the engineering questions are approximately at the level of a Diploma in Engineering.
Next steps
Take a full SSC JE mock testThe Paper 1 format in one timed, scored paper.