SSC CPO Vacancy 2026: Notification, Form Date, Exam Date & Eligibility

SSC CPO 2026 Notification

SSC CPO (Sub-Inspector Examination) is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission for recruitment to the post of Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police, Sub-Inspector in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs: BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB), and Assistant Sub-Inspector in CISF. It is one of the most sought-after central government recruitment examinations in India.

The SSC publishes the annual recruitment calendar on ssc.gov.in. Once the 2026 CPO notification is released, all application dates, vacancy figures, and exam schedule will be available there. This page will be updated immediately upon official release.

SSC CPO 2026 Overview

SSC CPO 2026 Application Form & Form Date

The SSC CPO 2026 application form date has not been announced. The online application will be available on ssc.gov.in once the official notification is released. Candidates should not apply through any third-party website — only ssc.gov.in hosts the official form.

SSC CPO 2026 Application Dates

What to keep ready before the form opens

• Class 10 certificate for date of birth proof
• Graduation degree / provisional certificate from a recognised university
• Valid Light Motor Vehicle driving licence (required specifically for SI Delhi Police)
• Category certificate (OBC/SC/ST/EWS) — if applicable
• Passport-size photograph and signature in the specified format
• Valid email ID and mobile number for registration
• Debit / credit card or net banking for fee payment (if applicable)

SSC CPO 2026 Last Date to Apply

The SSC CPO 2026 last date to apply has not been announced. SSC typically keeps the application window open for 25–30 days from the notification date. The deadline will be specified in the official SSC CPO 2026 advertisement on ssc.gov.in.

For previous cycles: the SSC CPO 2025 notification was published in 2025 with an application window of approximately 30 days. The 2026 cycle timeline will follow similarly after the notification is released.

SSC CPO 2026 Exam Date

The SSC CPO 2026 exam date (Paper I) has not been officially announced. SSC will publish the exam schedule alongside or shortly after the official notification on ssc.gov.in. Do not treat any date circulating on social media as an official exam date until confirmed by SSC.

Previous cycle timeline (for reference only)

SSC CPO Vacancy 2026

The SSC CPO 2026 total vacancy has not been officially announced. SSC determines post-wise and category-wise vacancies each cycle based on organisational requirements and publishes them in the official notification.

SSC CPO 2026 Vacancy Details

The official 2026 vacancy table will include category-wise breakdowns (General / OBC / SC / ST / EWS / PwBD / Ex-SM) and gender-wise details for each force. This section will be updated once the notification is released.

SSC CPO 2026 Eligibility

Educational Qualification

• Bachelor's degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a recognized university
• For SI in Delhi Police: valid Light Motor Vehicle driving licence is an additional requirement
• Candidates who have appeared in the final year examination and are awaiting results may generally not apply — check notification for exact condition

Age Limit

Nationality

• Indian citizen
• Subject of Nepal or Bhutan
• Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 (with certificate of eligibility from the Government of India)
• Person of Indian origin from certain specified countries who has the intention to permanently settle in India

Physical Standards

SSC CPO has mandatory physical standards (height, chest, eyesight) and a Physical Endurance Test (PET). These are qualifying — candidates not meeting the standards are disqualified regardless of their written score. Standards vary slightly by force and by gender:

Height relaxation of 5 cm for SC/ST/Garhwali/Kumaoni/Gorkha/Dogra/Maratha and certain other hill-region candidates. Chest relaxation of 5 cm for the same categories. Verify exact standards from the 2026 notification.

SSC CPO 2026 Selection Process

SSC CPO selection is in five stages. Candidates must clear each stage to proceed to the next:

1. 1
   Paper I (Computer Based Test) — Objective MCQ test of 200 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours. Covers General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Knowledge & Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Comprehension (50 questions each). Negative marking of -0.25 per wrong answer applies. Qualifying cut-offs are declared category-wise after results.
2. 2
   Physical Standard Test (PST) & Physical Endurance Test (PET) — Conducted at regional centres for Paper I qualifiers. PST checks height, chest (for males), and eyesight. PET includes race, long jump, and high jump. These are qualifying only — no marks are added to merit.
3. 3
   Paper II (Computer Based Test) — English Language & Comprehension only. 200 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours. Negative marking of -0.25 per wrong answer. Only candidates who clear PST/PET appear in Paper II.
4. 4
   Document Verification (DV) — Shortlisted candidates based on Paper I + Paper II combined merit are called for document verification. Original documents are checked against the application claims.
5. 5
   Medical Examination — Candidates who clear DV undergo a medical examination. Final selection is based on the combined merit of Paper I + Paper II (200 + 200 = 400 total marks), subject to clearing PST/PET and medical standards.

SSC CPO 2026 Exam Pattern

Paper I — Objective Written Exam

Duration: 2 hours (120 minutes)  |  Mode: Online (Computer Based Test)  |  Negative marking: -0.25 per wrong answer  |  Language: English and Hindi (except English Comprehension section)

Physical Standard Test (PST) & Physical Endurance Test (PET)

Qualifying in nature. No marks added to the merit. Candidates who do not meet the physical standards are disqualified at this stage.

Paper II — English Language & Comprehension

Duration: 2 hours (120 minutes)  |  Mode: Online (Computer Based Test)  |  Negative marking: -0.25 per wrong answer

SSC CPO 2026 Syllabus

The SSC CPO Paper I syllabus covers four sections. Paper II is entirely English Language & Comprehension. Prepare from the official SSC syllabus — the topics below are based on the 2023–2025 cycle.

General Intelligence & Reasoning

General Knowledge & Current Affairs

• Indian History — Ancient, Medieval, Modern
• Indian Geography — physical and economic
• Indian Polity and Constitution
• Indian Economy
• Science and Technology — Physics, Chemistry, Biology, IT
• Current Affairs — national and international events
• Awards, sports, summits, government schemes and policies
• Books, authors, important days

Quantitative Aptitude

• Number system and HCF/LCM
• Percentage, profit and loss, discount
• Ratio and proportion, averages, mixtures
• Time and work, pipes and cisterns
• Speed, distance, time; boats and streams
• Simple and compound interest
• Data interpretation — tables, bar charts, pie charts, line graphs
• Mensuration — area, volume
• Geometry — triangles, circles, coordinate geometry
• Trigonometry

English Comprehension (Paper I)

• Reading comprehension passages
• Error detection and spotting
• Fill in the blanks
• Sentence improvement and rearrangement
• Synonyms and antonyms
• Idioms and phrases
• Cloze test
• Active and passive voice; direct and indirect speech

Paper II — English Language & Comprehension

Paper II is a dedicated English paper testing more advanced language skills. Topics include extended reading comprehension, grammar-based questions, vocabulary, para jumbles, error correction, and fill-in-the-blank passages. The difficulty level is higher than Paper I English.

SSC CPO 2026 Salary

SSC CPO SI posts in Delhi Police and CAPFs are Level 6 positions in the 7th Central Pay Commission pay matrix. ASI in CISF is a Level 5 position.

Additional benefits include Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA based on city classification), Transport Allowance (TA), medical benefits, and other Central Government perquisites. The actual in-hand salary varies by posting city and force. Verify the applicable pay scale from the official 2026 notification.

SSC CPO 2026 Application Fee

Payment is made online at the time of form submission on ssc.gov.in. Fee once paid is not refunded.

How to Apply for SSC CPO 2026

Applications are accepted online only on ssc.gov.in. The steps below are based on the previous SSC CPO cycle. The form link will be active only after the official notification is released:

1. 1
   Visit ssc.gov.in — Go to the official SSC website and navigate to the Latest News / Recruitment section. Do not apply through any third-party portal.
2. 2
   One-time registration — First-time SSC applicants must register with a valid email ID and mobile number. Existing SSC registered candidates can log in directly.
3. 3
   Fill the SSC CPO 2026 application form — Enter personal details, educational qualification, category, and choice of posts and regions carefully.
4. 4
   Upload photograph and signature — As per the dimensions specified in the notification (typically JPEG, under 40 KB for photo, under 20 KB for signature).
5. 5
   Pay the application fee — Online payment via debit/credit card, net banking, or UPI. SC/ST/Female/PwBD/Ex-SM candidates are typically exempt.
6. 6
   Submit and save the confirmation — Download and save the application form confirmation with registration number for future use.

How to Prepare for SSC CPO 2026

SSC CPO is a highly competitive exam. Lakhs of candidates appear for a few thousand posts. A structured 4–6 month preparation plan covering all four Paper I sections is essential:

1. 1
   Cover Paper I subjects systematically — GK and Current Affairs (50 marks), Reasoning (50 marks), Quant (50 marks), English (50 marks). Assign dedicated weeks to each, starting with your weakest area.
2. 2
   Prioritise English for both papers — English contributes 50 marks in Paper I and a full 200 marks in Paper II. Candidates who neglect Paper II English preparation often fail to convert a good Paper I score into final selection.
3. 3
   Build physical fitness alongside written prep — PST/PET disqualifies candidates who are otherwise written-exam ready. Start running practice (5 km for males, 1.6 km for females) and long/high jump drills months before the exam.
4. 4
   Practise SSC CPO previous year papers — At least 5 years of PYQs reveal recurring topics, difficulty patterns, and frequently tested GK facts. Solve them under timed conditions.
5. 5
   Take full mock tests with negative marking — With -0.25 per wrong answer, random guessing costs marks. Take timed mocks, track accuracy per section, and stop attempting questions where you cannot eliminate at least 2 options.
6. 6
   Follow current affairs for 3–4 months before the exam — GK/Current Affairs is one of the fastest-moving sections. Monthly capsules + daily news for the 3–4 months preceding the exam are high-ROI.

SSC CPO 2026 Free Mock Tests

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SSC CPO 2026 — Frequently Asked Questions