SSC CPO 2026 exam pattern — sections, marks, negative marking
SSC CPO (SSC Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination (CPO)) is conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC). The stages are: Paper 1 CBT → PET/PST → Paper 2 CBT → detailed medical. This page sets out each stage with its sections, questions, marks, duration and negative marking, explains how the final selection is made, and shows how to approach each subject. For dates and the current status of the 2026 cycle, see the SSC CPO guide.
Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening): 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, +1 per correct, −0.25 per wrong. Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding): 160 questions, 320 marks, 120 minutes, +2 per correct, −0.50 per wrong.
✓ Data verified 4 Oct 2026
Stage-wise exam pattern
Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening) Qualifying-in (shortlists for PET/PST)
Online CBT, 4 sections with sectional timing · 60 min · +1 per correct, −0.25 per wrong
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence & Reasoning · 15 min | 25 | 25 |
| General Knowledge & General Awareness · 15 min | 25 | 25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude · 15 min | 25 | 25 |
| English Comprehension · 15 min | 25 | 25 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
New from 2026: 100 questions in 60 minutes with a hard 15-minute sectional timer — till 2025 it was 200 questions in 2 hours with no sectional time. You cannot carry leftover time from one section to another, so speed per section is the scored skill. No sectional cutoff, but minimum qualifying marks apply overall (30% UR, 25% OBC/EWS, 20% other categories). Marks are normalised across shifts. Paper 1 score does not count in the final merit.
PET / PST — Physical Endurance & Physical Standard Tests Qualifying — no marks, but elimination applies
Conducted by the CAPFs after the Paper 1 result
Physical standards (PST): male — height 170 cm (165 cm for hill-area candidates, 162.5 cm for ST), chest 80 cm unexpanded / 85 cm expanded (77/82 for ST); female — height 157 cm (155 cm hill areas, 154 cm ST), weight proportionate to height. Endurance (PET): male — 100 m in 16 seconds, 1.6 km in 6.5 minutes, long jump 3.65 m, high jump 1.2 m, shot put (16 lbs) 4.5 m; female — 100 m in 18 seconds, 800 m in 4 minutes, long jump 2.7 m, high jump 0.9 m. Three chances for each jump and shot put. Male Delhi Police SI candidates additionally face the PE&MT driving test and need a valid LMV (motorcycle and car) licence by that stage. These are qualifying hurdles — you are judged fit or unfit, and unfit means out regardless of written marks.
Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding) Merit-deciding
Online CBT, sectional timing · 120 min · +2 per correct, −0.50 per wrong
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence & Reasoning · 20 min | 20 | 40 |
| General Knowledge & General Awareness · 20 min | 20 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude · 20 min | 20 | 40 |
| English Language & Comprehension · 60 min | 100 | 200 |
| Total | 160 | 320 |
New from 2026: Paper 2 was a single English paper (200Q / 200M) till 2025; it is now a four-section, 160-question / 320-mark paper with English still the giant (100Q / 200M). Negative marking rises from 0.25 to 0.50 per wrong answer. Final merit is drawn from Paper 2 (normalised) plus NCC bonus, followed by merit-cum-preference allocation across post codes A–G (A Delhi Police, B BSF, C CISF, D CRPF, E ITBP, F SSB, G SI Fire CISF). Some reproductions show a shorter total duration for Paper 2 — treat the official notification PDF as canonical.
Medical Examination (DME/RME) & Document Verification Qualifying and mandatory
Conducted by the CAPFs after Paper 2
Eyesight and medical fitness are checked at the Detailed Medical Examination (Review Medical Examination where declared unfit). NCC certificate claims made in the application must be substantiated here with originals. Final selection = Paper 2 marks + NCC bonus, allocated by merit-cum-preference.
Selection process
Paper 1 (screening) → PET/PST (qualifying) → Paper 2 (merit) → DME/RME & Document Verification → final allocation. Paper 1 rank only decides who reaches the physicals. The final merit list is drawn from Paper 2 out of 320 marks (normalised) plus NCC bonus (C certificate 5%, B 3%, A 2% of maximum marks), followed by merit-cum-preference allocation across post codes A–G. PET/PST and the medical are pass/fail hurdles — their result never adds marks. There is no interview for any CPO post.
Normalisation: why your raw score is not your final score
Because Paper 1 (and Paper 2) run in multiple shifts with different question papers, SSC normalises scores across shifts before processing results — the official result notices explicitly state that normalised marks per the Notice of Examination are used. Raw scores are statistically adjusted using the mean and standard deviation of each shift, so a harder shift is not a penalty. Practical consequences: (1) never compare raw marks across shifts or years; (2) in the exam, maximise accurate attempts within each section's fixed timer; (3) don't panic if your raw score looks below the published cutoff — your normalised score is what counts.
How to read this pattern
Each stage carries a tag that tells you what it is for. In this exam: Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening) is “Qualifying-in (shortlists for PET/PST)”; PET / PST — Physical Endurance & Physical Standard Tests is “Qualifying — no marks, but elimination applies”; Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding) is “Merit-deciding”; Medical Examination (DME/RME) & Document Verification is “Qualifying and mandatory”. Read each stage's tag and notes to see whether its marks count towards the final merit or only decide who moves to the next stage, because that changes how much risk is worth taking on a single question.
Always check the negative marking line before you decide how freely to guess. Where there is a penalty, a wrong answer costs marks; where the data says there is none, leaving a question blank only loses the chance to score.
Question counts per section are the best guide to how much time and practice each subject deserves. Use the tables above to split your preparation in proportion to the marks on offer, and revisit the split after each mock or topic test.
How to approach each section
Each subject below links to the full notes on ExamShortcut. Topics are listed as high importance where our topic data flags them; the question counts come from the pattern above.
General Intelligence & Reasoning
All 20 topics →Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening): 25 questions, 25 marks · Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding): 20 questions, 40 marks
Reasoning rewards pattern recognition, so practise each question type until you recognise it on sight: series, coding-decoding, analogy, classification, syllogism, direction and blood-relation questions, and non-verbal figures. Work in rough on paper rather than in your head, and skip any puzzle that is not settling within a minute or so.
High-importance topics: Analogy, Classification (Odd One Out), Series (Number & Letter), Coding - Decoding, Blood Relations, Seating Arrangement
General Awareness
All 14 topics →Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening): 25 questions, 25 marks · Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding): 20 questions, 40 marks
General awareness is memory work, so revise in short, regular rounds instead of cramming. Combine static GK tables with the last several months of current affairs, and use the daily quiz to keep facts fresh. Decide in advance how much time you will give it.
High-importance topics: Modern Indian History, Indian Polity & Constitution, Indian Geography, Indian Economy, Biology, Static GK
Quantitative Aptitude
All 23 topics →Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening): 25 questions, 25 marks · Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding): 20 questions, 40 marks
Learn the formula and the shortcut for each topic first, then drill timed sets so that routine calculation questions take seconds. In the exam, take the questions you can do quickly and leave the long, multi-step ones for the end. Topic tests after every chapter show which topics still cost you time.
High-importance topics: Number System, Percentage, Ratio, Proportion, Partnership & Ages, Average, Interest (SI & CI), Profit, Loss & Discount
English Comprehension
All 14 topics →Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening): 25 questions, 25 marks · Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding): 100 questions, 200 marks
Build the basics in grammar (error spotting, fill in the blanks, sentence improvement) and add a little vocabulary every day: idioms, one-word substitutions, synonyms and spellings. For comprehension, read the questions before the passage and answer from the text, not from outside knowledge.
High-importance topics: Reading Comprehension, Cloze Test, Error Spotting, Sentence Improvement, Fill in the Blanks, Grammar Essentials (Handbook)
Next, check who can apply on the SSC CPO eligibility page and compare posts and pay on the SSC CPO salary and posts page.
SSC CPO exam pattern — FAQs
What is the selection process for SSC CPO?
Paper 1 CBT → PET/PST → Paper 2 CBT → detailed medical.
What is the Paper 1 — Computer Based Examination (screening) pattern in SSC CPO?
100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, +1 per correct, −0.25 per wrong. Sections: General Intelligence & Reasoning · 15 min (25 questions, 25 marks); General Knowledge & General Awareness · 15 min (25 questions, 25 marks); Quantitative Aptitude · 15 min (25 questions, 25 marks); English Comprehension · 15 min (25 questions, 25 marks).
What is the Paper 2 — Computer Based Examination (merit-deciding) pattern in SSC CPO?
160 questions, 320 marks, 120 minutes, +2 per correct, −0.50 per wrong. Sections: General Intelligence & Reasoning · 20 min (20 questions, 40 marks); General Knowledge & General Awareness · 20 min (20 questions, 40 marks); Quantitative Aptitude · 20 min (20 questions, 40 marks); English Language & Comprehension · 60 min (100 questions, 200 marks).
Are Paper 1 marks counted in the final selection?
No. Paper 1 is only a screening stage — its normalised score decides who is called for PET/PST. The final merit list is drawn from Paper 2 (out of 320) plus NCC bonus. A Paper 1 score barely above the cutoff is as good as a topper's once you qualify.
What is the negative marking in SSC CPO?
Paper 1: −0.25 per wrong answer (each correct carries +1). Paper 2: −0.50 per wrong answer (each correct carries +2). Unanswered questions cost nothing, so never blind-guess across a whole section — but educated elimination between two options is still worth it.
How does the sectional timer work now?
Paper 1 gives each of the four sections a hard 15 minutes — 25 questions each. When a section's timer ends it locks; unused time from Reasoning cannot rescue a slow Quant section. Paper 2 runs 20-minute timers on Reasoning, GK and Quant and 60 minutes on English. Practise with section-wise clocks from day one.
How does normalisation work across shifts?
SSC statistically adjusts raw scores using each shift's mean and standard deviation so candidates in harder shifts aren't disadvantaged. The official result notices confirm normalised marks are used for the result. This is why cutoffs refer to normalised scores and why raw marks across shifts aren't comparable.