Odisha Police Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE) for Sub-Inspector and equivalent posts: syllabus and eligibility

Last checked 24 September 2026. Sources

About Odisha Police SI

OPRB runs one combined exam for Sub-Inspector rank posts under the Home Department. CPSE-2024 (Advertisement No. 02-CPSE-2024/OPRB dated 17.01.2025) covered 933 posts: 609 SI of Police, 253 SI (Armed), 47 Station Officer (Fire Service) and 24 Assistant Jailor, at Level 9 of the ORSP 2017 pay matrix. In July 2025 OPRB reopened applications after the Orissa High Court and the state government allowed a one-time 3-year age relaxation for this cycle. A police press note of 30 September 2025 postponed the written exam, so watch the Odisha Police recruitment page for the new schedule.

Eligibility

Age limit

General category: 21–28 years, counted on 1 January 2024.

Age relaxation

• OBC: 5 years
• SC: 5 years
• ST: 5 years
• The usual limit in the advertisement is 21 to 25 years; the corrigendum of 31.07.2025 added 3 years for all categories for CPSE-2024, making the upper limit 28 for UR and 33 for SEBC, SC, ST and women
• Ex-servicemen: the whole period of defence service
• Only one relaxation applies if you fall in more than one group

Qualification

A bachelor's degree in any discipline for SI of Police, SI (Armed) and Assistant Jailor. Station Officer (Fire Service) needs a Science or Engineering degree.

Other conditions

• Minimum height and weight: 168 cm and 55 kg for UR and SEBC men (chest 79 cm, 84 cm expanded); 163 cm and 50 kg for SC and ST men (chest 76 cm, 81 cm expanded); 155 cm and 47.5 kg for UR and SEBC women; 150 cm and 45 kg for SC and ST women.
• Physical efficiency test for SI of Police: 1.6 km run in 8 minutes for men and 10 minutes for women, and a long jump of 3.66 m (men) or 2.77 m (women) in 3 attempts. Other posts have their own events, such as a 5 km cross-country run for SI (Armed).
• Women and transgender candidates can apply only for SI of Police and Assistant Jailor, not SI (Armed) or Station Officer (Fire Service). Persons with disability are not eligible for any of the four posts.
• You must speak, read and write Odia and hold proof such as M.E. School or higher with Odia as a subject, HSC with Odia as the medium in a non-language subject, or the BSE M.E. standard Odia test.

Selection process

1. Written exam (OMR, objective)
2. Physical standards measurement for about 7 times the vacancies (qualifying)
3. Physical efficiency test (qualifying)
4. Certificate verification; final merit on written marks plus NCC certificate weightage

Exam pattern

Odisha Police SI syllabus

What they ask

The written exam is fully objective on OMR, one mark per question, with 0.25 marks cut for each wrong answer. Paper I mixes graduate-level English comprehension, vocabulary and grammar with Odia comprehension and English-to-Odia translation. Paper II is a 200-question general studies paper that also includes reasoning, HSC-level arithmetic and basic computer questions. The physical tests carry no marks but you must clear every event.

How to prepare

• Paper II is 200 questions in 180 minutes, so practise full-length GS mocks to build the pace of under a minute per question.
• Prepare Odia comprehension and English-to-Odia translation as seriously as English grammar, since both sit inside the 100-mark Paper I.
• Start running and long-jump practice early; the SI test asks for 1.6 km in 8 minutes (men) or 10 minutes (women).
• Measure your height, weight and chest against the table in the advertisement before you apply, as the physical standards are not relaxed at the ground.
• Use the free Improvam app for daily topic-wise quizzes on reasoning, arithmetic and current events.

Odisha Police SI FAQs

Sources

• OPRB detailed advertisement for Sub-Inspector of Police and equivalent ranks, CPSE-2024 ↗ (official, checked 24 September 2026)
• OPRB corrigendum (No. 05/OPRB, 31.07.2025): fresh applications for CPSE-2024 with 3 years' age relaxation ↗ (official, checked 24 September 2026)
• Odisha Police recruitment notices page (includes the 30.09.2025 press note postponing the CPSE-2024 written exam) ↗ (official, checked 24 September 2026)

Checked against official sources on 24 September 2026. Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.

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