SSC CPO Syllabus 2026: New Paper 1 and Paper 2 Exam Pattern, Physical Test and Salary

SSC CPO exam pattern 2026: stages, papers and marking

Selection runs in four stages, and the notice makes every one of them compulsory:

1. Paper 1, a computer-based test.
2. Physical Standard Test (PST) and Physical Endurance Test (PET). These carry no marks; you either qualify or you are out.
3. Paper 2, a second computer-based test, open only to those who clear PST and PET.
4. Detailed Medical Examination (DME), with a review medical for anyone declared unfit, followed by document verification.

SSC CPO Paper 1 pattern

SSC CPO Paper 2 pattern

Paper 1 questions carry 1 mark each and a wrong answer costs 0.25. In Paper 2 every question is worth 2 marks and a wrong answer costs 0.50. In both papers, then, a wrong answer wipes out a quarter of what a right answer earns. The notice provides Hindi and English versions for the reasoning, GK and quant parts of both papers. Scores from different shifts are normalised.

The minimum qualifying marks in each paper, counted without NCC bonus, are 30% for UR candidates, 25% for OBC and EWS, and 20% for all other categories. These are floors, not cut-offs. SSC fixes the real cut-offs after each stage, and for Paper 1 it may set a separate cut-off for each part.

NCC certificate holders get a bonus added to their normalised score in each paper: 5% of that paper's maximum marks for a C certificate, 3% for B and 2% for A. On Paper 1's 100 marks, that works out to 5, 3 or 2 marks.

Merit now comes from Paper 2. Para 16.8 of the 2026 notice says final selection and the allotment of post and force depend on Paper 2 performance (with any NCC bonus) and the preferences you give. Paper 1 decides who is called for PST and PET. In the 2025 notice, both papers counted.

What changed from the SSC CPO 2025 pattern

Many pages that rank for this search still describe the 2025 exam. Put the two notices side by side and the differences are hard to miss:

What this means for preparation: reasoning, GK and quant no longer end with Paper 1. You will face them again, at a harder level, after the physical stage. English in Paper 2 now has half as many questions as before but still carries 200 marks, which is well over half of the paper that decides your rank.

SSC CPO syllabus 2026: subject-wise topics

The notice gives a single syllabus for both papers and adds that Paper 2 will be harder than Paper 1. It does not give topic-wise weightage. The only official split is the number of questions in each part, shown in the tables above.

General Intelligence and Reasoning

Expect both verbal and non-verbal questions. The topics the notice names fall into these groups:

• Analogy and classification: semantic, symbolic or number, and figural analogies and classification.
• Series: semantic, number and figural series, and non-verbal series.
• Coding and operations: coding and decoding, numerical and symbolic operations, coding with small and capital letters or numbers, word building.
• Spatial ability: space orientation and visualisation, embedded figures, punched holes, pattern folding and unfolding, figural pattern completion.
• Logic: statement and conclusion, syllogistic reasoning, Venn diagrams, drawing inferences, critical thinking.
• Matching and sorting: indexing, address matching, date and city matching, classifying centre codes and roll numbers.
• Also named: trends, problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making, visual memory, observation, arithmetical reasoning, emotional intelligence and social intelligence.

General Knowledge and General Awareness

This part checks how aware you are of the world around you and of current events, along with the everyday science any educated person picks up. The notice names India and its neighbouring countries, with history, culture, geography, the economic scene, general polity, the Indian Constitution and scientific research. It is a broad syllabus, so steady daily reading of current affairs plus revision of static GK works better than last-minute cramming.

Quantitative Aptitude

This is the same topic list SSC gives for CGL Tier 1 quant, so any CGL quant material you already have fits CPO as well.

English Comprehension

The English part tests how well you understand and use the language. Topics named: error spotting, fill in the blanks (verbs, prepositions, articles and so on), vocabulary, spellings, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion, phrases and idioms, and reading comprehension.

English is light in Paper 1, with 25 of 100 marks, and heavy in Paper 2, with 200 of 320 marks. Since Paper 2 decides your rank, English deserves the largest share of your study time.

SSC CPO physical test: PST and PET standards

Candidates shortlisted on Paper 1 are called for the physical stage. Ex-servicemen do not have to run the PET but still go through the PST.

Height and chest (PST) for SI in Delhi Police and CAPFs

Weight has to be in proportion to height. The lower height or chest standard for hill-area and tribal candidates is given only if you bring the certificate in the format the notice prescribes, issued by the competent authority of your home district. If you are measured short, you can appeal to the appellate authority at the ground, and its decision is final.

Physical Endurance Test (PET)

Men who want Delhi Police must hold a valid driving licence for both motorcycle and car (LMV) on the date of the physical test. A man without it is considered only for CAPF posts.

SSC CPO medical standards

Only candidates who qualify in Paper 2 are sent for the medical. The notice sets these standards for all posts:

• Eyesight without glasses or corrective surgery of any kind: near vision N6 in the better eye and N9 in the worse eye; distant vision 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the worse eye. For a right-handed person, the right eye counts as the better eye.
• No knock knees, flat feet, varicose veins or squint, and high colour vision.
• Good mental and physical health, with no defect likely to get in the way of duty.

Anyone found unfit at the DME gets a review medical, normally the next day, and that board's decision cannot be appealed. Two more rules are worth knowing early. Tattoos are allowed only within limits: religious symbols or names, on the inner left forearm or the back of the hand, and smaller than a quarter of that part of the body. And once selected, SIs must pass seven obstacle events in training, among them the Tarzan swing, monkey crawl and vertical rope, or they may not be kept in the force.

SSC CPO salary: pay level and basic pay

All three posts in the 2026 notice are in Level 6 of the 7th Pay Commission pay matrix, Rs 35,400 to Rs 1,12,400. A new Sub-Inspector therefore starts on a basic pay of Rs 35,400.

On top of basic pay come Dearness Allowance (DA), which is 60% of basic from 1 January 2026 under the Finance Ministry's order of 22 April 2026; House Rent Allowance (HRA), 30%, 20% or 10% of basic in X, Y and Z class cities; and Transport Allowance (TA), Rs 3,600 plus DA in the listed bigger cities such as Delhi and Rs 1,800 plus DA elsewhere.

This is our own approximate calculation, not an SSC figure, and it is before deductions such as pension contribution and income tax. Allowances linked to police and armed police duty, and the effect of government housing on HRA, are left out because the SSC notice does not set them. The DA increase due from July 2026 had not been announced when we checked in early October 2026.

The 8th Central Pay Commission received its terms of reference in October 2025 and has 18 months from its constitution to report. Until its recommendations are accepted and notified, the 7th Pay Commission figures above are the ones that apply.

Who can apply: age and qualification in brief

The upper age limit goes up by 5 years for SC and ST candidates and by 3 years for OBC candidates. The notice lists further relaxations for ex-servicemen and some other groups. Final-year students could apply if they hold the degree by the closing date of applications.

SSC CPO 2026 vacancies

SSC does not divide these vacancies by state or zone, and SIs selected for the CAPFs can be posted anywhere in India. Vacancy numbers in a notice are tentative and can change before the final result.

How to prepare for the new SSC CPO pattern

• Train for speed in Paper 1. Each part gives you 25 questions in 15 minutes, and the timer moves you on. Practise in timed 15-minute blocks, one subject at a time.
• Start running now, not after the Paper 1 result. PET sits between the two papers, so your physical training has to run alongside your written preparation.
• Give English the biggest share of time. It is 200 of Paper 2's 320 marks, and Paper 2 decides your rank.
• Respect the negative marking. A wrong answer costs a quarter of a right one, so guess only when you can rule out at least two options.
• Keep GK going all the way to Paper 2. It is tested again there at a harder level.

Practising with others helps with the speed this pattern demands. On Sikhami you can play quick quiz battles in reasoning, GK and English against other aspirants, read free notes shared by learners, and join live voice study rooms to keep a fixed daily routine.