SSC CPO Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Important Dates

Four stages, all compulsory, in this order: Paper I, physical tests, Paper II, medical.

Paper I: 200 marks, 2 hours

One mark a question, 0.25 deducted for a wrong answer.

Physical Standard Test and Physical Endurance Test: qualifying

The PST measures height and, for men, chest. The PET has timed and measured events including a run, long jump, high jump and shot put, different for men and women. The standards vary by gender, post and a long list of relaxations for Scheduled Tribe candidates and hill and north-eastern regions, so take them from the notice for your cycle. No marks; it only eliminates.

Paper II: English Language and Comprehension, 200 marks, 2 hours

200 English questions, 0.25 off for a wrong answer, and nothing else to fall back on. This is where CPO candidates most often fall short.

Detailed Medical Examination

After Paper II, to the force's standards, including vision. If you're declared unfit you can ask for a Review Medical Examination.

General Intelligence & Reasoning

Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation, spatial orientation, problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning and figural classification, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, coding and decoding, statement conclusion, syllogistic reasoning, Venn diagrams, punched hole and pattern folding, figural pattern completion, embedded figures, critical thinking.

General Knowledge & General Awareness

Current events, India and its neighbouring countries, history, culture, geography, economic scene, general polity including the Constitution, scientific research, sport and awards.

Quantitative Aptitude

Number systems, computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions, percentage, ratio and proportion, square roots, averages, interest, profit and loss, discount, partnership, mixture and alligation, time and distance, time and work, algebra, elementary surds, linear equations, triangles, circles and tangents, polygons, mensuration, trigonometry, heights and distances, histogram, frequency polygon, bar diagram and pie chart.

English Comprehension (Paper I) and English Language & Comprehension (Paper II)

Reading comprehension, cloze test, spotting errors, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, spelling detection, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, sentence improvement, active and passive voice, direct and indirect narration, shuffling of sentence parts and of sentences in a passage. Paper II covers the same ground at four times the length.

Educational qualification

A bachelor's degree from a recognised university.

Men applying for Sub-Inspector (Executive) in Delhi Police also need a valid LMV driving licence (motorcycle and car) at the time of the physical tests. There's no waiver and it can't be produced later.

Age

Broadly 20 to 25 years on the date the notice fixes, with the usual relaxations: 5 years for SC and ST, 3 for OBC, and the prescribed relaxations for ex-servicemen and departmental candidates.

Physical and medical

Height, chest and endurance standards eliminate, and vary by gender, post, category and region. The medical after Paper II includes the force's vision standards.

1. Paper I: 200 marks. Shortlists for the physical stage.
2. PST and PET: qualifying.
3. Paper II: 200 marks, English only.
4. Detailed Medical Examination, then document verification and final merit.

Final merit is Paper I plus Paper II, 400 marks. The physical and medical stages add nothing; they only eliminate.

Same pay, different classification: the CAPF post is Group B and the Delhi Police post Group C, which affects service rules and promotion, not starting pay.

That's 7th Pay Commission basic pay. Dearness, house rent and transport allowances are added, plus uniformed-service allowances, varying with the posting.

Fee

Online only: BHIM UPI, net banking, or a Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or RuPay debit card. No challan. PwBD candidates aren't on this notice's exemption list.

How to apply

Create your One Time Registration (OTR) on ssc.gov.in with photo and signature, then apply from it. The same OTR works for every SSC exam. The fee deadline is a day after the form deadline, and the paid correction window afterwards is only for fixing details.

• A working mobile and email. Scribe OTPs and admission certificate alerts go there.
• Photo and signature in the specified size.
• Matriculation certificate for date of birth, and a category certificate if you claim reservation. A false claim gets you debarred.

Declare your NCC certificate in the form

NCC bonus marks are given only if you declared the certificate in the online application. Producing it later gets you nothing.

• Delhi Police, for Sub-Inspector (Executive), male and female.
• The Central Armed Police Forces, for Sub-Inspector (General Duty): BSF (Border Security Force), CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal).

The forces set their own physical standards, so what applies to you depends on the post and force you opt for. Vacancies are in each notice and are called tentative there; the final numbers are in the result write-up.

You choose centres in the application from the notice's list. They're grouped under SSC's nine regional offices, and all your choices must be in one region.

That regional office handles your queries and document verification. The exam city is announced before the admission certificate.

The PST, PET and medical are held at separate centres, announced after Paper I.

The last full cycle, from the 2025 notice:

SSC's form helpline is 1800 309 3063. The physical and medical stages are run by Delhi Police and the CAPFs, and their dates are announced separately. New notices and the yearly exam calendar are on ssc.gov.in.

SSC calls it the Admission Certificate. It's issued by the regional office whose centres you chose, from that office's website, a few days after the exam city is published. Paper I, the PST and PET, Paper II and the medical are each called separately.

• The printed Admission Certificate.
• The original photo ID whose number you gave in the application. No other document, no photocopy.
• Two passport photos, if the certificate asks for them.

With a scribe, enter the scribe's OTR number on the portal once the certificate is live and key in the OTP sent to the scribe's phone. It can't be done at the centre.

Multi-shift papers are normalised under SSC's procedure of 2 June 2025.

A tentative answer key goes up on the answer key page after each paper. Challenges cost ₹50 per question, non-refundable, online only. The final key can differ.

NCC bonus marks are added to your normalised score in each paper:

A "C" certificate is worth 20 marks over the two papers.

Ties on the Paper I plus Paper II total are broken by Paper II marks, then age (older first), then alphabetical order. Results are posted on ssc.gov.in.

The minimum qualifying marks for both papers are fixed in the notice, and are applied before any NCC bonus:

The cut-off, the score of the last candidate selected, is much higher and differs by post, force, category and gender. SSC publishes it with each final result: the CPO 2024 final result write-up lists, for every post and category, the last selected candidate's total, Paper II marks and date of birth.

1. Paper II is half the marks, all English. 200 questions in two hours. Build vocabulary and reading speed over months, not a fortnight of grammar rules.
2. Check the physical standards before you apply. Failing them wastes a cleared Paper I.
3. Delhi Police, men: get the driving licence early.
4. Balance Paper I. Four sections of 50 marks; no single one carries the paper.
5. Train for every PET event, not just the run: there are jumps and shot put too.
6. Guard accuracy. 0.25 off per wrong answer across 400 one-mark questions adds up.
7. Take SSC's mock test once to learn the interface.

No previous year papers are available from SSC as of now; it doesn't publish them.

After each paper, SSC posts the tentative answer key with your own response sheet on its answer key page for a short window. Download yours then and keep it for three years, as the notice advises. A mock test on the real interface is linked on ssc.gov.in before each exam.

Official website: ssc.gov.in

Apply: SSC website (One Time Registration and applications)

CPO 2025 notice (PDF): Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and CAPFs Examination, 2025

Answer keys and response sheets: SSC answer key page

CPO 2024 final result write-up, with cut-offs (PDF): Final result write-up, 20 October 2025

Which posts does SSC CPO recruit for?

Sub-Inspector (Executive) in Delhi Police, male and female, and Sub-Inspector (GD) in BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP and SSB. Both Level 6.

When do the physical tests happen?

Between Paper I and Paper II. Fail them and you don't sit Paper II.

What is in Paper II?

English only: 200 questions, 200 marks, two hours.

Do I need a driving licence?

Men applying for SI (Executive) in Delhi Police do: a valid LMV licence for motorcycle and car, at the physical tests.

How much is deducted for a wrong answer?

0.25, in both papers.

What is the final merit based on?

Paper I plus Paper II, 400 marks, plus any NCC bonus.