UP Police Constable 2026 exam pattern — sections, marks, negative marking
UP Police Constable (UP Police Constable — Direct Recruitment of Constable (Civil Police) and equivalent posts, Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB)) is conducted by Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB). The stages are: Written exam (offline OMR) → PET/PST → document verification + 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 UP Police Constable guide.
✓ Data verified 6 Oct 2026
Stage-wise exam pattern
Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding Merit-deciding (PET and PST are qualifying)
Offline, OMR answer sheet · 120 min · 2 marks per correct answer; 0.5 marks were deducted per wrong answer in the previous cycle's exam procedure — the 2025 advertisement does not restate this, so confirm before the exam
The official advertisement fixes the total — 150 questions, 2 marks each, 300 marks, 2 hours, four subjects, OMR mode — and gives the full subject-wise syllabus, but does not print a per-subject question count. The 38/37/38/37 split shown here is the pattern of the previous (2024) cycle's paper, reproduced in dated exam reports; confirm the final split from the board's exam-day notice. No sectional timing. Minimum qualifying marks in the written exam: 30% for Unreserved, 25% for OBC, 20% for SC/ST. Scores are normalised across shifts using the board's published procedure.
Document verification and Physical Standard Test (PST) Qualifying — candidates shortlisted from the written result in a multiple of the vacancies
In person, at designated centres · Not applicable
Original documents are checked (education, age, caste in the prescribed Prakoshtha formats, UP residence certificate for reservation, DigiLocker uploads). Physical standards per the advertisement: male minimum height 168 cm (160 cm for ST), chest 79 cm unexpanded and 84 cm expanded with a minimum 5 cm expansion; female minimum height 152 cm (147 cm for ST), minimum weight 40 kg. Height and chest measured earlier in other recruitments do not count; the measurement at this stage is final.
Physical Efficiency Test (PET) — qualifying race Qualifying (pass or fail); failing candidates are eliminated at this level
Running race at designated centres · Not applicable
Only candidates who clear document verification and the physical standard test appear in the PET. Male candidates must complete a 4.8 km run within 25 minutes; female candidates must complete a 2.4 km run within 14 minutes. Candidates who do not finish within the time do not qualify and are removed at the same level. There is no second chance after the notified last date.
Selection process
Written exam (300 marks, offline OMR) → shortlist in a multiple of the vacancies → Document verification + Physical Standard Test → PET (qualifying race) → Medical examination → Final merit list on written exam marks. The merit list is prepared category-wise from written exam marks only; the PET and the physical standard test are pass-or-fail stages and carry no marks. Ties in marks are resolved in this order: candidates with a preferential qualification (NCC 'B' certificate, DOEACC/NIELIT 'O' level, or two years' regular army service) first, then the older candidate, then the candidate whose name comes earlier in English alphabetical order in the Class 10 certificate. There is no interview. Post allotment follows the merit-cum-preference order you filled in the application.
Normalisation: why your raw score is not your final score
The written exam runs in many shifts across several days with different question papers, so the board applies its published normalisation procedure (notice dated 18 December 2023) to adjust scores across shifts before preparing the merit list. In practice: (1) never compare raw scores with candidates from other shifts; (2) attempt the paper you actually get, at its own pace; (3) a raw score a little below a cutoff you have heard about is not final — only the normalised score is compared. The OMR answer sheet is printed in three copies: the original goes to the board and you keep a copy.
How to read this pattern
Each stage carries a tag that tells you what it is for. In this exam: Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding is “Merit-deciding (PET and PST are qualifying)”; Document verification and Physical Standard Test (PST) is “Qualifying — candidates shortlisted from the written result in a multiple of the vacancies”; Physical Efficiency Test (PET) — qualifying race is “Qualifying (pass or fail); failing candidates are eliminated at this level”. 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. Key topics are the high-importance ones where our topic data flags them (or the ones that matter most for this exam); the question counts come from the pattern above.
General Awareness
All 14 topics →Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding: 38 questions, 76 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
English Comprehension
All 14 topics →Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding: 37 questions, 74 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)
Quantitative Aptitude
All 23 topics →Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding: 38 questions, 76 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
General Intelligence & Reasoning
All 20 topics →Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding: 37 questions, 74 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
Next, check who can apply on the UP Police Constable eligibility page and compare posts and pay on the UP Police Constable salary and posts page.
UP Police Constable exam pattern — overview
Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding: 150 questions, 300 marks, 120 minutes, 2 marks per correct answer; 0.5 marks were deducted per wrong answer in the previous cycle's exam procedure — the 2025 advertisement does not restate this, so confirm before the exam.
UP Police Constable exam pattern — FAQs
What is the selection process for UP Police Constable?
Written exam (offline OMR) → PET/PST → document verification + medical.
What is the Written exam (परीक्षा-1) — merit-deciding pattern in UP Police Constable?
150 questions, 300 marks, 120 minutes, 2 marks per correct answer; 0.5 marks were deducted per wrong answer in the previous cycle's exam procedure — the 2025 advertisement does not restate this, so confirm before the exam. Sections: General Knowledge (सामान्य ज्ञान) (38 questions, 76 marks); General Hindi (हिंदी) (37 questions, 74 marks); Numerical and Mental Ability (संख्यात्मक एवं मानसिक योग्यता) (38 questions, 76 marks); Mental Aptitude, IQ and Reasoning (मानसिक अभिरुचि, बुद्धिलब्धि एवं तार्किक क्षमता) (37 questions, 74 marks).
Is there negative marking in UP Police Constable?
In the previous cycle's exam procedure, 0.5 marks were deducted for every wrong answer (and for marking two options on one question), while each correct answer earned 2 marks. The 2025 advertisement sets 2 marks per correct answer but does not restate the penalty, so confirm it from the official exam instructions before guessing on the OMR sheet.
What is the minimum qualifying marks in the written exam?
30% for Unreserved candidates, 25% for OBC and 20% for SC/ST, applied under the service rules named in the notice. Clearing the minimum alone is not enough — selection depends on your category-wise rank in the normalised written exam marks.