The Staff Selection Commission Central Police Organisations (SSC CPO) examination recruits Sub-Inspectors for Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) — BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB. It is the only SSC exam that directly recruits to police and paramilitary officer-level posts at Level 6 pay (₹35,400–₹1,12,400).
SSC CPO is distinct from other SSC exams in two ways — physical standards are mandatory stages, and the posting is to operational police and paramilitary roles rather than office-based work.
SSC CPO 2026 — Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | Staff Selection Commission (SSC) |
| Posts | Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police, BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB |
| Pay Level | Level 6 (₹35,400–₹1,12,400) |
| Qualification | Graduation from any recognised university |
| Age Limit | 20–25 years (General) |
| Selection | Paper I → PET/PST → Paper II → Medical |
| Official Website | ssc.nic.in |
Exam Pattern
Paper I (200 marks, 120 minutes)
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 50 | 50 |
| General Knowledge & Awareness | 50 | 50 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 |
| English Comprehension | 50 | 50 |
Negative marking: 0.25 per wrong answer.
Physical Endurance Test (PET) — Qualifying
| Test | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6 km race | 6.5 minutes | 8 minutes |
| 100 metre race | 16 seconds | 18 seconds |
| Long jump | 3.65 metres | 2.7 metres |
| High jump | 1.2 metres | 0.9 metres |
| Height | 170 cm | 157 cm |
| Chest (male) | 80–85 cm | N/A |
Paper II (200 marks, 120 minutes)
Entirely English Language & Comprehension — error spotting, fill in the blanks, synonyms, antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, comprehension passages, para jumbles, voice and narration.
Paper II carries 200 marks — equal to all four subjects of Paper I combined. Strong English is essential.
Medical Examination
Comprehensive medical including vision standards — 6/6 in better eye, 6/9 in worse eye (without glasses) for Delhi Police SI.
Syllabus Highlights
Reasoning
Analogies, classification, series, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, Venn diagrams, syllogisms, statement and conclusion.
General Knowledge
Current events, Indian history, geography, polity, economy, science at Class 10 level, sports, awards.
Quantitative Aptitude
Percentages, profit/loss, ratio, SI/CI, time and work, mensuration, trigonometry, basic statistics.
English (Paper I + Paper II)
Paper I: comprehension, synonyms/antonyms, error spotting, idioms, one-word substitution. Paper II: All of the above at higher difficulty + 3–5 longer comprehension passages.
Eligibility
Qualification: Graduation in any subject.
Age: 20–25 years (General), 20–28 (OBC), 20–30 (SC/ST).
Warning: Upper age limit of 25 for general category is the most commonly missed eligibility condition. Check before applying.
Preparation Strategy
Physical Preparation — Start Now
PET is where many written exam qualifiers fail. The 1.6 km in 6.5 minutes requires consistent training over months. Start running daily from Day 1 of preparation — not after Paper I results.
Training progression:
- Months 1–2: 30 minutes jogging daily, build base
- Months 3–4: Target pace running — 1.6 km under 6.5 minutes
- Months 5–6: Sprint training + jump practice
Paper I Strategy
200 questions in 120 minutes — 36 seconds per question. Cover high-frequency topics:
- Reasoning: analogies, series, coding-decoding (40% of questions)
- Maths: percentages, profit/loss, ratio (40% of questions)
- GK: current affairs (last 4 months) + static GK
- English: vocabulary and error spotting
Paper II — English Is Non-Negotiable
200 marks of English — treat this as a completely separate subject. Daily practice:
- Read one English editorial daily
- Practice one comprehension passage (8 minutes)
- 20 vocabulary/grammar questions daily
Start Paper II preparation from Day 1 — not after clearing Paper I.
Official Link
SSC Official Website: ssc.nic.in
Published by ExamzPrep — free government exam preparation for serious aspirants. Last updated June 2026.
Zahid Bhat is the founder of ExamzPrep. He has spent the last 4 years following JKSSB, SSC, Banking, Railway, UPSC, and State PSC recruitment cycles closely — tracking syllabus changes, question paper trends, and notification updates — and has qualified a JKSSB examination himself. ExamzPrep is built on that firsthand preparation experience: honest, free content for self-studying aspirants, with no courses to sell and no coaching to promote.