How the count was made
CGL 2025 Tier 1 ran in 48 shifts from 12 September to 14 October 2025. Each shift had its own paper with 25 Maths questions, which makes 1,200 Maths questions in all. Each question was sorted into one topic, and the table in the next part shows where they came from.
Two things to keep in mind while reading the numbers:
- Some questions mix two topics, like a profit question that also needs ratio. Each one is counted once, under its main topic, so read the figures as close rather than exact.
- These are averages. The real number in your shift can be a little higher or lower. The pattern holds across the whole exam, not shift by shift.
Topic-wise count, CGL 2025 Tier 1
| Topic | Chapter | Questions (out of 1,200) | Average per shift (out of 25) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mensuration (2D and 3D) | 13, 14 | 211 | 4.4 |
| Geometry | 12 | 178 | 3.7 |
| Profit, Loss and Discount | 7 | 104 | 2.2 |
| Ratio, Proportion and Partnership | 4 | 92 | 1.9 |
| Trigonometry | 15 | 86 | 1.8 |
| Simplification | 2 | 80 | 1.7 |
| Simple and Compound Interest | 8 | 70 | 1.5 |
| Average | 5 | 57 | 1.2 |
| Time and Work, Pipes and Cisterns | 9 | 51 | 1.1 |
| Percentage | 3 | 46 | 1.0 |
| Time, Speed and Distance | 10 | 44 | 0.9 |
| Number System and HCF/LCM | 1 | 41 | 0.9 |
| Mixture and Alligation | 6 | 38 | 0.8 |
| Coordinate Geometry | 17 | 38 | 0.8 |
| Algebra | 11 | 32 | 0.7 |
| Height and Distance | 16 | 22 | 0.5 |
| Data Interpretation | 18 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Statistics, Probability | 19, 20 | Not in Tier 1 | Not in Tier 1 |
| Total | 1,200 | 25 |
The per-shift column is rounded, so it adds up to slightly more than 25.
What the numbers tell you
1. Three topics carry about 40% of the paper. Mensuration, geometry and trigonometry together gave 475 of the 1,200 questions. That is about 10 questions in every shift, worth 20 of the 50 Maths marks. If you are weak in any of these three, fix it first.
2. Arithmetic is the other big block. The eight arithmetic chapters (3 to 10) together gave 502 questions, about 42% of the paper. Each topic looks small on its own, but as a group they are bigger than geometry and mensuration put together. They are also the quickest marks in the paper once your basics are strong.
3. Pure calculation is tested on its own. Simplification alone gave 80 questions, close to 2 per shift. The faster you are with fractions, squares and BODMAS, the more of your 15 minutes is left for everything else.
4. Some topics barely showed up. Data interpretation gave 10 questions, about one in every five shifts. Height and distance gave 22, pipes and cisterns only 7, and HCF/LCM came just once in all 48 shifts. Don't skip them, because they are in the syllabus and Tier 2 can ask them, but don't spend weeks on them either.
5. Algebra was lighter than most students expect. Only 32 questions, under one per shift. But algebraic identities keep coming up inside trigonometry and geometry questions, and algebra is in the Tier 2 syllabus too, so it still needs proper practice.
6. Tier 2 has no count yet. Tier 2 covers the same topics plus statistics and probability, but there is no topic-wise count for it here. The CGL 2026 questions will be added to the PYQ practice sets and mock tests once SSC releases the official answer keys.