SSC CPO Exam Pattern & Syllabus 2026: Delhi Police & CAPF SI Revised Pattern, Marks & PET Norms

Official Notification Summary: The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has officially issued the notification for the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) Examination, 2026. This recruitment drive aims to fill 1,871 Vacancies across Delhi Police (Executive – Male & Female), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF / CISF Fire), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Pay Level-6 (Rs. 35,400 – Rs. 1,12,400/-). SSC has introduced major structural changes to the Computer Based Examination (CBE) pattern, including mandatory sectional timers in both Paper-I (15 minutes per section) and Paper-II (20 minutes per section), along with revised question distributions. Below is a comprehensive, subject-wise breakdown of the revised exam pattern, detailed syllabus, Physical Standard Test (PST), Physical Endurance Test (PET), medical standards, and strategic preparation guidelines.

Paper-I Marking & Negative Marks: Each question carries 1 Mark. There is a negative marking deduction of 0.25 marks (one-fourth) for every incorrect answer. Unattempted questions carry zero marks. Questions in Parts I, II, and III are bilingual (Hindi & English).

Paper-II Negative Marking Rule: Each question in Paper-II carries 2 Marks. A deduction of 0.50 marks is enforced for every wrong answer. SSC specifically notes that the difficulty level in Paper-II will be significantly higher than that of Paper-I.

A. General Intelligence and Reasoning

Includes questions of both verbal and non-verbal reasoning types. Designed to assess logical clarity, pattern identification, and spatial aptitude:

• Analogies: Semantic Analogy, Symbolic/Number Analogy, and Figural Analogy.
• Classifications: Semantic, Number/Symbolic, and Figural Classifications (Odd-One-Out).
• Series Completion: Number Series, Semantic Word Series, and Figural Pattern Series.
• Coding & Decoding: Letter coding, Number operations, Symbolic operations, and Small & Capital letter classification.
• Spatial Reasoning & Visual Logic: Space Visualization, Spatial Orientation, Venn Diagrams, Drawing Inferences, Punched Hole/Pattern Folding & Unfolding, Figural Pattern Completion, and Embedded Figures.
• Judgment & Administrative Skills: Decision Making, Problem Solving, Relationship Concepts, Statement & Conclusions, Syllogistic Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, and Social Intelligence.
• Clerical Verification: Indexing, Address Matching, Date & City Matching, and Roll Number/Centre Code Classification.

B. General Knowledge and General Awareness

Aimed at testing the candidate's awareness of the environment around them and its practical application to modern society:

• Current Events: National and international major events, summits, appointments, defence exercises, awards, and sports tournaments.
• Indian History & Freedom Movement: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Indian history, with special focus on national freedom movements.
• Geography: Physical, economic, and social geography of India, river systems, climate patterns, and India's neighboring countries.
• Polity & Constitution: Preamble, Fundamental Rights & Duties, Directive Principles, Parliamentary system, Judiciary, and Constitutional Amendments.
• Economy: Key economic indicators, Union Budget concepts, banking fundamentals, and national development schemes.
• General & Applied Science: Everyday scientific observations in Physics, Chemistry, and Life Sciences expected of any educated graduate.

C. Quantitative Aptitude

Tests number sense, arithmetic computation, advanced algebraic structures, and geometric visualization:

• Arithmetic Core: Number Systems, Fractions, Decimals, Percentages, Ratio and Proportion, Square Roots, Averages, Simple and Compound Interest, Profit & Loss, Discount, Partnership, Mixture and Alligation, Time & Distance, and Time & Work.
• Algebra: Basic algebraic identities of school algebra, Elementary surds, and Graphs of Linear Equations.
• Geometry: Triangle and its various centres (Centroid, Incentre, Orthocentre, Circumcentre), Congruence and similarity of triangles, Circle and its chords, Tangents, and Angles subtended by chords of a circle.
• Mensuration: Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Regular Polygons, Circles, Right Prism, Right Circular Cone, Right Circular Cylinder, Sphere, Hemispheres, Rectangular Parallelepiped, and Right Pyramid with triangular or square base.
• Trigonometry: Trigonometric ratios, Degree and Radian measures, Standard identities, Complementary angles, and Heights & Distances.
• Statistical Charts: Histograms, Frequency Polygons, Bar Diagrams, and Pie Charts.

D. English Comprehension

Focuses on grammatical correctness, lexical command, and contextual reading comprehension:

• Grammar & Usage: Error recognition, Sentence improvement, Active and Passive voice, Direct and Indirect speech.
• Sentence Completion: Fill in the blanks (verbs, prepositions, articles, conjunctions, and collocations).
• Vocabulary & Idioms: Synonyms, Antonyms, Spellings, One-word substitutions, and Idiomatic expressions.
• Reading Comprehension: Cloze tests, Parajumbles (Sentence rearrangement), and Narrative/Analytical reading passages.

• Visual Acuity: Minimum distant vision must be 6/6 in better eye and 6/9 in worse eye without wearing glasses or undergoing any surgical correction (such as LASIK). Minimum near vision must be N6 in better eye and N9 in worse eye.
• Colour Vision: High colour vision is mandatory. Colour blindness leads to immediate disqualification.
• Physical Deformities: Candidates must not have knock-knees, flat feet, varicose veins, or squint in eyes.
• Tattoo Policy: Tattoos depicting religious symbols or figures and name are permitted as per armed forces traditions, restricted to inner aspect of forearms or dorsum of hands, not exceeding 1/4th of the particular body part.

1. No Time Borrowing Across Sections: In previous years, candidates saved time on General Awareness to spend on Quantitative Aptitude. With sectional locks, unutilized time in one section is permanently lost. You must practice finishing each 25-question section within exactly 15 minutes.
2. Target Speed in Quant: For Quantitative Aptitude, 15 minutes for 25 questions means having approximately 36 seconds per question. Memorize table values, squares up to 50, cubes up to 30, and Pythagorean triplets to minimize calculation latency.
3. Focus on Paper-II High-Weightage English: Paper-II allocates 100 questions (200 marks) to English Comprehension alone. Reading editorials daily, mastering 1,500 core vocabulary words, and solving comprehension passages with timer constraints will be decisive for merit.
4. Simulated Mock Tests: Take computer-based mock tests that replicate the new sectional timer format to develop an internal biological clock for pacing.

Official SSC CPO / CAPF 2026 Recruitment Notice

Access the complete 69-page official notification document for Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police & CAPFs.