RojgarAvsar
SSC CPO SI 2026 Exam Pattern & Syllabus — Paper-I, PST/PET, Paper-II and Medical
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) · Post Date: · Updated:
Short Information
Selection for Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and the CAPFs runs through four mandatory stages, and you have to clear every one of them. Paper-I and Paper-II look similar on paper but are not: Paper-II puts 100 of its 180 questions into English Comprehension alone, and its negative marking is double that of Paper-I. NCC certificate holders get bonus marks in both papers, which is worth knowing before you write off a certificate you already hold.
Important Dates
| Paper-I Duration | 1 hour, with a sectional timer of 15 minutes per part |
|---|---|
| Paper-II Duration | 1 hour for Parts I–III (20 min sectional each), plus 1 hour for English Comprehension |
| Negative Marking — Paper-I | 0.25 marks per wrong answer |
| Negative Marking — Paper-II | 0.50 marks per wrong answer |
| Answer Key Objection Fee | ₹50/- per question, non-refundable |
Vacancy Details
| Post Name | Total Posts | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-I · Part I — General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 Q / 25 | Verbal and non-verbal: analogies, series, coding-decoding, Venn diagrams, embedded figures, critical thinking |
| Paper-I · Part II — General Knowledge and General Awareness | 25 Q / 25 | History, culture, geography, economy, polity, Constitution, scientific research, current events |
| Paper-I · Part III — Quantitative Aptitude | 25 Q / 25 | Number system, percentage, ratio, profit and loss, time and work, geometry, mensuration, trigonometry, data interpretation |
| Paper-I · Part IV — English Comprehension | 25 Q / 25 | Error recognition, fill in the blanks, vocabulary, spellings, grammar, sentence structure, idioms, comprehension |
| Paper-II · Part I — General Intelligence and Reasoning | 20 Q / 40 | Same scope as Paper-I but at a higher difficulty level |
| Paper-II · Part II — General Knowledge and General Awareness | 20 Q / 40 | Same scope as Paper-I but at a higher difficulty level |
| Paper-II · Part III — Quantitative Aptitude | 20 Q / 40 | Same scope as Paper-I but at a higher difficulty level |
| Paper-II · Part IV — English Comprehension | 100 Q / 200 | The single heaviest section in the whole examination, given its own full hour |
Eligibility
- The examination has four stages and all of them are mandatory: Paper-I, the Physical Standard Test and Physical Endurance Test, Paper-II, and the Detailed Medical Examination.
- Both papers are objective multiple choice. Parts I, II and III are set in Hindi and English; English Comprehension is not.
- The notice states plainly that the difficulty level of Paper-II will be higher than that of Paper-I.
- Paper-II is weighted very differently from Paper-I — 200 of its 320 marks come from English Comprehension alone.
- NCC certificate holders as on the closing date get bonus marks added to their normalised scores in both papers: 5% of maximum marks for an NCC 'C' certificate, 3% for 'B' and 2% for 'A'.
- Height for SI in Delhi Police is 170 cm for general male candidates, 165 cm for candidates from listed hill areas and communities, and 162.5 cm for Scheduled Tribe male candidates.
- Where an exam runs in multiple shifts, scores are normalised using the Commission's procedure of 2 June 2025, and the normalised score determines merit and cut-off.
- Tentative answer keys are published after the exam, with objections accepted online only at ₹50 per question. There is no re-evaluation or re-checking of scores at any stage.
- You may choose three centre preferences within one region, in order of priority. The choice cannot be changed later.
How to Apply
- Respect the sectional timer. Each part of Paper-I locks after 15 minutes, so you cannot carry unused time from an easy section into a hard one.
- Treat Paper-II as an English paper with three short supporting sections. Preparing it like a second Paper-I misreads where the marks are.
- Negative marking doubles in Paper-II, from 0.25 to 0.50 a question. Guessing costs more there than it does in Paper-I.
- If you hold an NCC certificate, make sure it is valid as on the closing date — the bonus is a percentage of maximum marks in both papers, which is a real margin.
- Start physical preparation alongside the written one. The PST and PET are not a formality; they are a mandatory stage.
- Pick your three centre preferences carefully at application time. No change is considered later under any circumstances.
Important Links
| Official Notice with Full Syllabus (PDF, 69 pages) | Click Here |
|---|---|
| Objection Management Guidelines, 10 April 2026 (PDF) | Click Here |
| Related: SSC CPO SI 2026 Notification | Click Here |
| Apply Online (SSC portal) | Click Here |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much negative marking is there in SSC CPO?
0.25 marks per wrong answer in Paper-I and 0.50 in Paper-II. It doubles, so the cost of guessing in Paper-II is higher.
Is Paper-II just a harder version of Paper-I?
Not in structure. Paper-II carries 100 questions of English Comprehension worth 200 marks, given a full hour of their own, against 60 questions across the other three sections. It is largely an English paper.
Do NCC certificates help?
Yes, materially. Bonus marks are added to the normalised score in both papers — 5% of maximum marks for an NCC 'C' certificate, 3% for 'B', 2% for 'A' — provided the certificate is held as on the closing date for applications.
Can I skip the PST/PET if my written score is high?
No. The notice states that all four stages — Paper-I, PST/PET, Paper-II and the Detailed Medical Examination — are mandatory.
Can I ask for re-checking if I miss the cut-off by a mark?
No. There is no provision for re-evaluation or re-checking of scores at any stage, and no correspondence on it is entertained.
Disclaimer: This page is an independent summary prepared by RojgarAvsar. Figures and dates are transcribed from the department's public notice and may be revised by corrigendum. Confirm every detail on the official website before paying a fee or submitting your form.