| Conducting body | Staff Selection Commission (SSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Sub-Inspector (GD) in CAPFs: BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP and SSB, Sub-Inspector (Executive) in Delhi Police, male and female, Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF, men only |
| Qualification | Bachelor's degree from a recognised university by the closing date of applications. SI (Fire) in CISF needs a B.Sc. with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, or Class 10 plus a three-year engineering diploma in one of the branches listed in the notice. |
| Age limit | 20–25 years on 1 August 2026 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Paper-I computer based exam → Physical Standard Test and Physical Endurance Test → Paper-II computer based exam → Detailed medical examination |
| Latest notification | Notice of Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026 |
Last checked . Sources
About SSC CPO
SSC CPO recruits Sub-Inspectors for Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Forces. All posts are at Pay Level 6. SI (GD) in the CAPFs and SI (Fire) in CISF are Group B non-gazetted posts, while Delhi Police treats its SI (Executive) post as Group C. The 2026 notice set the online application window from 10 to 30 September 2026.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 20–25 years, counted on 1 August 2026.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- SI (Fire) in CISF has a separate limit of 18 to 30 years.
- Ex-servicemen get 3 years after deducting their military service from their actual age.
- For Delhi Police SI, widows, divorced women and judicially separated women who have not remarried can apply up to 35 years.
- Delhi Police Constables, Head Constables and ASIs with 3 years of service can apply for the open Delhi Police SI (male) vacancies up to 30 years (33 for OBC, 35 for SC/ST).
Qualification
Bachelor's degree from a recognised university by the closing date of applications. SI (Fire) in CISF needs a B.Sc. with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, or Class 10 plus a three-year engineering diploma in one of the branches listed in the notice.
Other conditions
- Men must hold a valid driving licence for motorcycle and car (LMV) on the date of the physical test to be considered for Delhi Police SI. Without it, they are considered only for CAPF posts.
Selection process
- Paper-I computer based exam
- Physical Standard Test and Physical Endurance Test
- Paper-II computer based exam
- Detailed medical examination
Exam pattern
Paper-I
Mode: Computer based, objective multiple choice · Duration: 1 hour, with a 15-minute timer for each part · Negative marking: 0.25 mark per wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 25 |
| General Knowledge and General Awareness | 25 | 25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 25 |
Paper-II
Mode: Computer based, objective multiple choice · Duration: 1 hour for Parts I to III (20-minute timer each) and 1 hour for English · Negative marking: 0.50 mark per wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 20 | 40 |
| General Knowledge and General Awareness | 20 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 40 |
| English Comprehension | 100 | 200 |
SSC CPO syllabus
General Intelligence and Reasoning
- Verbal and non-verbal analogy, classification and series
- Coding and decoding
- Statement and conclusion, syllogism
- Venn diagrams, space visualisation
- Paper folding and embedded figures
- Indexing, address matching, critical thinking
General Knowledge and General Awareness
- Current events
- History, culture and geography of India and its neighbours
- Economic scene
- General polity and the Indian Constitution
- Scientific research
Quantitative Aptitude
- Arithmetic: percentage, ratio, averages, interest, profit and loss, discount
- Partnership, mixture and alligation, time and distance, time and work
- School algebra and graphs of linear equations
- Geometry of triangles and circles
- Mensuration of 2D and 3D figures
- Trigonometry, heights and distances
- Histogram, frequency polygon, bar and pie charts
English Comprehension
- Error recognition
- Fill in the blanks with verbs, prepositions and articles
- Vocabulary, spellings, synonyms and antonyms
- Grammar and sentence structure, sentence completion
- Phrases and idioms
- Comprehension
What they ask
Paper-I is a one-hour screening paper with 100 one-mark questions in four parts of 25, each on a 15-minute timer, and a 0.25 mark cut for wrong answers. Paper-II comes after the physical tests. Its first three parts carry 2 marks per question, and English alone has 100 questions worth 200 marks in a separate hour, which is more than half of Paper-II. The notice says Paper-II is set at a higher difficulty than Paper-I.
How to prepare
- Give English the most time. In Paper-II it has 100 questions and 200 marks, more than the other three parts put together.
- Paper-II cuts 0.50 mark per wrong answer, double the Paper-I penalty, so guess less there.
- If you want Delhi Police SI, get your LMV driving licence for both motorcycle and car before the physical test date.
- Build running stamina alongside Paper-I preparation, because the physical tests come before Paper-II.
- Practise quant and reasoning with daily topic-wise practice quizzes on the free Improvam app.
SSC CPO is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.
Open in the Improvam appSSC CPO FAQs
20 to 25 years as on 1 August 2026 for SI in Delhi Police and SI (GD) in CAPFs, and 18 to 30 years for SI (Fire) in CISF. OBC candidates get 3 extra years and SC/ST candidates get 5.
Sources
- SSC notice: Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026 ↗ (official, checked )
- Staff Selection Commission home page ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
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