# HP Subordinate Services Selection Board (HPSSSB) (HPSSSB) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for HP Subordinate Services Selection Board (HPSSSB), maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB

## Exam pattern
- Category: STATE_LEVEL · state: HP
- Questions: 200 · Total marks: 200 · Marks per question: 1
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Negative marking: −0.25 per wrong answer
- Languages offered: EN, HI

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Age: 18–45 years (before category relaxation: OBC +3, SC/ST +5)
- Education: Educational qualification varies by post - from 10th/12th to graduation/post-graduation from a recognized university
- Approximate annual vacancies: 1,658
- Note: Himachal Pradesh domicile required; exam focuses heavily on HP-specific General Knowledge and Current Affairs; conducts recruitment for Class-III posts like Clerk, JOA, Stenographer, Computer Operator across state departments
- Official portal: https://www.hpsssb.hp.gov.in (Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPSSSB))

## Key dates
- 2026-07-27 — Anticipated notification release for clerical posts
- 2026-08-03 — Expected notification release window
- 2026-08-10 — New recruitment notification release (expected)
- 2026-08-11 — Expected application window opening
- 2026-08-11 — Skill/typing test for shortlisted candidates (exam day)
- 2026-08-12 — Junior Engineer admit card release expected
- 2026-08-17 — Expected notification release for new recruitment cycle
- 2026-08-22 — Junior Office Assistant (JOA) exam date (tentative) (exam day)

## Syllabus outline
### General Knowledge (National & International) (weight 1)
Books and Authors · International Affairs · National Current Affairs · Environment and Ecology · Geography of India · History of India · Indian Economy · Indian Polity and Constitution · Science and Technology · Social Events related to India · Sports

### Himachal Pradesh General Knowledge (weight 1.4)
HP Administration · Climate of HP · Art, Culture and Heritage · Current Affairs of HP · Economy of Himachal Pradesh · Fairs and Festivals · Flora and Fauna · Formation of Himachal Pradesh · Geography of HP · HP Government Schemes · History of Himachal Pradesh · Lakes of HP · Languages and Dialects · National Parks and Sanctuaries · Passes and Glaciers · Notable Personalities of HP · Rivers of Himachal Pradesh · Tourism of HP

### Hindi and English Language (weight 1)
Cloze Test and Fill in the Blanks · Reading Comprehension · Error Spotting and Correction · English Grammar · English Idioms and Phrases · English Vocabulary · Alankar and Ras · Apathit Gadyansh / Padyansh · Muhavare aur Lokoktiyan · Sandhi and Samas · Shabd Rachna (शब्द रचना) · Vakya Shudhi · Varnamala (वर्णमाला)

### Reasoning and Numerical Ability (weight 1)
Average · Mensuration · Number System · Percentage · Profit and Loss · Ratio and Proportion · Simple and Compound Interest · Simplification · Time and Distance · Time and Work · Analogy and Classification · Blood Relations · Calendar and Clock · Coding-Decoding · Data Interpretation · Direction Sense · Seating Arrangement · Series · Syllogism

### Computer Knowledge (weight 1)
DBMS Basics · Computer Fundamentals · Internet and E-mail · MS Office · Networking Basics · Operating Systems · Programming Basics · Cyber Security

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
| Category | Expected Cutoff (Indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 68-76% (136-152 marks out of 200) |
| EWS | 65-73% (130-146 marks out of 200) |
| OBC | 63-71% (126-142 marks out of 200) |
| SC | 58-66% (116-132 marks out of 200) |
| ST | 55-63% (110-126 marks out of 200) |
| PwD | 50-58% (100-116 marks out of 200) |

**Guidance:**

- **Category differential**: General cutoffs typically run 5-8% higher than OBC and 10-13% higher than SC/ST. EWS cutoffs usually trail General by 3-5 percentage points.

- **Post-specific variation**: Competitive Group B posts push cutoffs toward the 75-85% band for General category, while Group C positions settle in the 65-75% range. Specialist technical posts may see steeper cutoffs (80%+) due to limited vacancies.

- **Year-on-year shifts**: Cutoffs fluctuate with vacancy count, paper difficulty, and applicant strength. High-demand clerical/administrative posts see 3-5% cutoff inflation in competitive years, while reserved category cutoffs remain more stable with lower variance (±2-3%).

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/HP_HPSSSB/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

Everything is free — no paywall, no subscription, no credit card. Platform index for LLMs: https://shishya.in/llms.txt and https://shishya.in/llms-full.txt