SSC CPO 2026 Syllabus and Exam Pattern: Paper-I from 20 November, 100 Questions, Topic-wise Syllabus for 1,871 SI Posts
SSC will hold Paper-I of the SI in Delhi Police and CAPFs Examination 2026 from 20 to 28 November. Here is the official Paper-I and Paper-II pattern, topic-wise syllabus, negative marking, qualifying marks and PET standards.
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SSC CPO 2026 Syllabus and Exam Pattern: Paper-I from 20 November 2026
The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will hold Paper-I of the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026 (popularly called SSC CPO 2026) from 20 to 28 November 2026, according to the Commission's notice dated 01 October 2026. With the exam only a few weeks away, this article explains the official syllabus and exam pattern for Paper-I and Paper-II, the marking scheme, qualifying marks, PST/PET standards and the selection process, using only the official notice of examination dated 10.09.2026.
The notice lists tentative vacancies for SI (Executive) in Delhi Police, SI (GD) in CAPFs and SI (Fire) in CISF. All posts are in Pay Level-6 (Rs. 35,400 – Rs. 1,12,400).
Overview: SSC CPO 2026
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam name | Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026 |
| Conducting body | Staff Selection Commission |
| Notice date | 10.09.2026 |
| Posts | SI (Exe.) Delhi Police (Male/Female), SI (GD) in CAPFs, SI (Fire) in CISF |
| Pay | Level-6, Rs. 35,400 – Rs. 1,12,400 |
| Paper-I (CBE) | 20 to 28 November 2026 (proposed) |
| Paper-I | 100 questions, 100 marks, 1 hour, 0.25 negative marking |
| Paper-II | Four parts, 0.50 negative marking, higher difficulty than Paper-I |
| Official website | ssc.gov.in |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notice of examination | 10.09.2026 |
| Last date to apply online | 30.09.2026 (23:00 hrs) |
| Last date for online fee payment | 01.10.2026 (23:00 hrs) |
| Correction window | 08.10.2026 to 10.10.2026 (23:00 hrs) |
| Paper-I (Computer Based Examination) | 20.11.2026 to 28.11.2026 (proposed, notice dated 01.10.2026) |
Vacancies (Tentative)
| Post | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| SI (Exe.) in Delhi Police – Male | 205 |
| SI (Exe.) in Delhi Police – Female | 112 |
| SI (GD) in CAPFs (CRPF 254, BSF 457, ITBP 187, CISF 250, SSB 172) | 1,320 (Male 1,173, Female 147) |
| SI (Fire) in CISF – Male | 234 |
| Total (sum of the above) | 1,871 |
SSC CPO 2026 Exam Pattern
Paper-I (Objective, Computer Based)
| Part | Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 25 |
| II | General Knowledge and General Awareness | 25 | 25 |
| III | Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 |
| IV | English Comprehension | 25 | 25 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
- Time: 1 hour, with a sectional timer of 15 minutes for each part.
- Negative marking: 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.
- All questions are objective multiple-choice. Parts I, II and III are set in Hindi and English.
Paper-II (Objective, Computer Based)
| Part | Subject | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | General Intelligence and Reasoning | 20 | 40 | 1 hour (sectional timer of 20 minutes for each part) |
| II | General Knowledge and General Awareness | 20 | 40 | |
| III | Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 40 | |
| IV | English Comprehension | 100 | 200 | 1 hour |
- Negative marking: 0.50 marks for each wrong answer.
- The notice states that the difficulty level of Paper-II will be higher than that of Paper-I.
- Added together, the four parts of Paper-II carry 160 questions and 320 marks.
SSC CPO 2026 Syllabus (Paper-I and Paper-II)
The notice gives one indicative syllabus for both papers. Paper-II covers the same topics at a higher level.
Part I: General Intelligence and Reasoning
Both verbal and non-verbal questions, including analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation and orientation, problem solving, analysis and judgement, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, semantic, symbolic/number and figural analogy, classification and series, word building, coding and decoding, numerical and symbolic operations, trends, space orientation and visualisation, Venn diagrams, drawing inferences, punched hole and pattern folding/unfolding, figural pattern folding and completion, indexing, address matching, date and city matching, classification of centre codes and roll numbers, small and capital letter/number coding, embedded figures, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and social intelligence.
Part II: General Knowledge and General Awareness
Questions test awareness of the environment around the candidate and its application to society: current events, everyday observations and experience in their scientific aspect, and topics relating to India and its neighbouring countries, especially history, culture, geography, economic scene, general polity, the Indian Constitution and scientific research.
Part III: Quantitative Aptitude
- Arithmetic: 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: basic algebraic identities of school algebra, elementary surds, graphs of linear equations.
- Geometry and Mensuration: triangle and its various centres, congruence and similarity of triangles, circle and its chords, tangents, angles subtended by chords, common tangents to two or more circles, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, right prism, right circular cone, right circular cylinder, sphere, hemispheres, rectangular parallelepiped and regular right pyramid with triangular or square base.
- Trigonometry: trigonometric ratio, degree and radian measures, standard identities, complementary angles, heights and distances.
- Data interpretation: histogram, frequency polygon, bar diagram and pie chart.
Part IV: English Comprehension
Error recognition, fill in the blanks (verbs, prepositions, articles), vocabulary, spellings, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion, phrases and idiomatic use of words, and comprehension.
Selection Process
- Paper-I (CBE) – qualifying on minimum marks
- PST/PET – qualifying only, no marks
- Paper-II (CBE) – qualifying on minimum marks
- Detailed/Review Medical Examination
- Document Verification
- Final selection on Paper-II merit and post preference
Minimum qualifying marks in each paper: UR 30%, OBC/EWS 25%, all other categories 20%. NCC certificate holders get bonus marks (C: 5%, B: 3%, A: 2% of maximum marks). Scores of different shifts are normalised as per the Commission's notice dated 02.06.2025.
PET Standards (Qualifying)
| Event | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Race | 100 m in 16 seconds; 1.6 km in 6.5 minutes | 100 m in 18 seconds; 800 m in 4 minutes |
| Long jump (3 chances) | 3.65 m | 2.7 m |
| High jump (3 chances) | 1.2 m | 0.9 m |
| Shot put 16 lbs (3 chances) | 4.5 m | – |
How to Prepare and Check Official Updates
- Download the official notice from ssc.gov.in and read Para 12 (scheme and syllabus).
- Prepare all four parts for Paper-I; practise English Comprehension in depth because it carries 200 marks in Paper-II.
- Practise timed mock tests with 15-minute sections and avoid guesswork because of negative marking.
- Check ssc.gov.in regularly for the admit card and the final exam schedule.
Important Official Links
| Link | Official URL |
|---|---|
| SSC CPO 2026 Notice of Examination | Notice_of_adv_capf_2026.pdf |
| Exam schedule notice (01.10.2026) | Notice_01102026.pdf |
| SSC official website | https://ssc.gov.in/ |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. When is SSC CPO 2026 Paper-I?
SSC has proposed Paper-I from 20 to 28 November 2026 (notice dated 01.10.2026).
2. How many questions are there in Paper-I?
100 questions of 1 mark each, 25 in each of four parts, to be done in 1 hour with 15-minute sectional timers.
3. Is there negative marking?
Yes. 0.25 marks per wrong answer in Paper-I and 0.50 marks per wrong answer in Paper-II.
4. Is the Paper-II syllabus different from Paper-I?
No. The notice gives the same syllabus for both papers, but Paper-II is of a higher difficulty level and English Comprehension in Paper-II has 100 questions for 200 marks.
5. What are the minimum qualifying marks?
UR 30%, OBC/EWS 25% and all other categories 20% in each paper.
6. Does the PET carry marks?
No. PST/PET is qualifying only and carries no marks.
Conclusion
SSC CPO 2026 Paper-I is due from 20 November 2026. It has four equal parts of 25 marks each, a one-hour limit with sectional timers and 0.25 negative marking. Candidates who clear it face the PET and then the tougher Paper-II, where English carries the biggest weightage. Follow the official syllabus above and keep checking ssc.gov.in for the admit card.
References
- https://ssc.gov.in/api/attachment/uploads/masterData/NoticeBoards/Notice_of_adv_capf_2026.pdf – Notice: Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026 (E/37/2026-C-2 Section), dated 10.09.2026
- https://ssc.gov.in/api/attachment/uploads/masterData/NoticeBoards/Notice_01102026.pdf – SSC Important Notice on proposed examination dates (F. No. HQ-EC033/7/2025-EC), dated 01.10.2026