SSC CPO Syllabus 2026: Quick Answer
The SSC CPO syllabus 2026 covers General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Knowledge and General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension in both papers. Under the new pattern in SSC's notice dated 10.09.2026, Paper-I has 100 questions for 100 marks in 1 hour, and Paper-II has 160 questions for 320 marks in 2 hours, with 0.25 and 0.50 negative marking respectively.
Key takeaway (official): The 2026 pattern is much shorter than 2025. Paper-I fell from 200 questions in 2 hours to 100 questions in 1 hour, and Paper-II now tests all four subjects, not English alone. Final selection is based on Paper-II marks (Para 16.8).
Official source: SSC notice, Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and CAPFs Examination, 2026 (PDF), Para 12 and 16. The computer based exam is scheduled for 23 to 28 November 2026 (SSC corrigendum dated 26.10.2026; it was earlier 20 to 28 November).
SSC CPO Exam Pattern 2026: Paper-I
| 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 mark for each wrong answer.
- Language: Parts I, II and III in Hindi and English; Part IV in English.
- Paper-I shortlists candidates for PST/PET. SSC may fix different cut-offs in each part of Paper-I (Para 16.3).
SSC CPO Exam Pattern 2026: Paper-II
| Part | Subject | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | General Intelligence and Reasoning | 20 | 40 | 1 hour in total for Parts I-III, with a 20-minute sectional timer for each part |
| II | General Knowledge and General Awareness | 20 | 40 | |
| III | Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 40 | |
| IV | English Comprehension | 100 | 200 | 1 hour |
| Total | 160 | 320 | 2 hours |
- Each Paper-II question carries 2 marks, and 0.50 mark is deducted for each wrong answer.
- Only candidates who qualify PST/PET can sit Paper-II (Para 16.5).
- SSC says the difficulty level of Paper-II will be higher than Paper-I.
- Final merit and allocation of post/force are on Paper-II marks (including NCC bonus) and your preferences.
SSC CPO New Pattern 2026 vs 2025: What Changed
| Item | SSC CPO 2025 notice | SSC CPO 2026 notice |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-I questions and marks | 200 questions, 200 marks (50 per part) | 100 questions, 100 marks (25 per part) |
| Paper-I time | 2 hours, 30-minute sectional timer | 1 hour, 15-minute sectional timer |
| Paper-II subjects | English Language and Comprehension only | Reasoning, GK, Quant and English |
| Paper-II questions and marks | 200 questions, 200 marks | 160 questions, 320 marks |
| Paper-II time | 2 hours | 2 hours (1 hour Parts I-III + 1 hour English) |
| Paper-II negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer | 0.50 per wrong answer (2-mark questions) |
Sources: SSC CPO 2025 notice (PDF), Para 12.1-12.2, and the 2026 notice, Para 12.1-12.2.
What it means for you: English now carries 200 of 320 Paper-II marks (62.5%), so it still decides the final merit, but reasoning, GK and quant also count in the final round. Speed matters more in Paper-I, where you get about 36 seconds per question.
SSC CPO Reasoning Syllabus 2026
The notice says reasoning will have verbal and non-verbal questions. Topics listed in Para 12.9.1.1:
| Group | Topics |
|---|---|
| Analogy and classification | Semantic, symbolic/number and figural analogy; semantic, symbolic/number and figural classification |
| Series | Semantic series, number series, figural series, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series |
| Coding and operations | Coding and decoding, numerical operations, symbolic operations, small and capital letters/numbers coding |
| Logic | Statement conclusion, syllogistic reasoning, drawing inferences, critical thinking, problem solving, analysis, judgment, decision making |
| Visual | Space orientation, space visualization, Venn diagrams, punched hole/pattern folding and unfolding, figural pattern folding and completion, embedded figures |
| Clerical-type | Indexing, address matching, date and city matching, classification of centre codes/roll numbers |
| Others | Word building, trends, emotional intelligence, social intelligence |
Revise with analogy questions, coding-decoding tricks and Venn diagram questions.
SSC CPO GK Syllabus 2026 (General Knowledge and General Awareness)
Questions test awareness of the environment around you, current events, and everyday science. The notice specifically names questions on India and its neighbouring countries in:
- History
- Culture
- Geography
- Economic Scene
- General Polity and the Indian Constitution
- Scientific Research
Build static GK with static GK for SSC CGL and important articles of the Indian Constitution.
SSC CPO Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus 2026
| Area | Topics in Para 12.9.1.3 |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Whole numbers, decimals, fractions and relationships between numbers, percentage, ratio and proportion, square roots, averages, interest, profit and loss, discount, partnership business, mixture and alligation, time and distance, time and work |
| Algebra | Basic algebraic identities of school algebra, elementary surds, graphs of linear equations |
| Geometry | Triangle and its centres, congruence and similarity of triangles, circle and its chords, tangents, angles subtended by chords, common tangents to two or more circles |
| Mensuration | Triangle, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, circle, right prism, right circular cone and cylinder, sphere, hemisphere, rectangular parallelepiped, regular right pyramid with triangular or square base |
| Trigonometry | Trigonometric ratios, degree and radian measures, standard identities, complementary angles, heights and distances |
| Data | Histogram, frequency polygon, bar diagram and pie chart |
Formula sheets: geometry formulas, trigonometry formulas, mensuration formulas and algebra formulas.
SSC CPO English Syllabus 2026
English Comprehension tests your understanding of the English language through:
- Error recognition
- Filling in the blanks (verbs, prepositions, articles, etc.)
- Vocabulary and spellings
- Grammar and sentence structure
- Synonyms and antonyms
- Sentence completion
- Phrases and idiomatic use of words
- Comprehension
With 100 questions in Paper-II, English is the biggest block in the whole exam. Use one word substitution, idioms asked in SSC CGL, synonyms and antonyms and spelling errors for daily practice.
SSC CPO Qualifying Marks, NCC Bonus and Selection Stages
| Rule | As per the 2026 notice |
|---|---|
| Minimum qualifying marks (Paper-I and Paper-II) | UR 30%, OBC/EWS 25%, all other categories 20% (without NCC bonus) |
| NCC bonus in each paper | 'C' certificate 5%, 'B' certificate 3%, 'A' certificate 2% of maximum marks |
| Stages | Paper-I → PST/PET (qualifying) → Paper-II → Detailed Medical Examination and document verification |
| Final merit | Paper-II marks (including NCC bonus) and post/force preference |
| Answer key challenge | ₹50 per question, online only |
In marks, the minimum works out to 30, 25 or 20 out of 100 in Paper-I and 96, 80 or 64 out of 320 in Paper-II. Height, chest, PET and age rules are in our SSC CPO eligibility and age limit 2026 note.
SSC CPO 2026 vacancies at a glance
| Post | Tentative vacancies |
|---|---|
| SI (Exe.) in Delhi Police – Male | 205 |
| SI (Exe.) in Delhi Police – Female | 112 |
| SI (GD) in CAPFs (CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB) | 1,320 |
| SI (Fire) in CISF – Male | 234 |
| Total | 1,871 |
The total is our sum of the post-wise tables in Para 2 of the notice. All posts are in Pay Level 6 (₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400); see SSC CPO salary 2026.
SSC CPO Syllabus FAQs
What is the new SSC CPO exam pattern 2026?
Paper-I: 100 questions, 100 marks, 1 hour (25 each from Reasoning, GK, Quant and English). Paper-II: 20 questions each (40 marks each) in Reasoning, GK and Quant in 1 hour, plus 100 English questions for 200 marks in 1 hour.
SSC CPO ka naya exam pattern kya hai?
2026 se Paper-I me 100 sawal (100 marks, 1 ghanta) aur Paper-II me 160 sawal (320 marks, 2 ghante) hain. Paper-II me ab English ke saath Reasoning, GK aur Quant bhi pooche jayenge.
Is there negative marking in SSC CPO 2026?
Yes. 0.25 mark per wrong answer in Paper-I and 0.50 mark per wrong answer in Paper-II.
Is the SSC CPO syllabus the same for Paper-I and Paper-II?
Yes, the same indicative syllabus (Para 12.9.1) applies to both papers, but SSC says Paper-II will be of a higher difficulty level.
Are Paper-I marks counted in the SSC CPO final merit?
No. Paper-I is for shortlisting. Final selection and post allocation are based on Paper-II marks (including NCC bonus) and your preferences.
SSC CPO exam kab hoga 2026 me?
SSC ke 26.10.2026 ke corrigendum ke anusaar SI in Delhi Police and CAPFs Examination, 2026 ka CBE ab 23 se 28 November 2026 tak prastavit hai (pehle 20 se 28 November tha).
Practice Next for SSC CPO
- Paper-I practice: SSC CPO Reasoning Mock Test 01 and SSC CPO Quant Mock Test 01. Full Paper-I mocks on the 2026 pattern (100 questions, 1 hour, 15-minute sectional timers): SSC CPO Paper 1 Full Mock Test 01, SSC CPO Paper 1 Full Mock Test 02 and SSC CPO Paper 1 Full Mock Test 03.
- Related SSC syllabus pages: SSC CGL syllabus 2026 and SSC CHSL syllabus 2026.
- SSC hub: SSC exams page and free SSC mock tests.
- Calculator: SSC answer key marks calculator.
- SSC CPO next steps: SSC CPO cut off previous year and SSC CPO physical test 2026.
- Browse all study notes.