SSC CPO exam pattern 2026
SSC CPO (Sub-Inspector, Delhi Police & CAPF) has 3 stages: Paper I, PET / PST, Paper II. The Paper I has 100 questions for 100 marks in 60 minutes. Each wrong answer costs 0.25 mark.
SSC CPO (Sub-Inspector, Delhi Police & CAPF) exam pattern
Questions, marks, time and negative marking for each stage.
Marks by section
100 marks in all
- General Intelligence & Reasoning 25
- General Knowledge 25
- Quantitative Aptitude 25
- English Comprehension 25
Time each section gets
At an even 36 seconds a question
60 minutes for 100 questions. A question you get stuck on takes time from the rest of the paper.
Paper I at a glance
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 | 25 |
| General Knowledge | 25 | 25 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 |
| English Comprehension | 25 | 25 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
New in 2026 (was 200 questions in 2 hours). Each section has its own 15-minute clock.
PET / PST at a glance
Physical Endurance Test (PET) and Physical Standard Test (PST) — qualifying. Candidates clearing Paper I are called for PET/PST.
Marks by section
320 marks in all
- General Intelligence & Reasoning 40
- General Knowledge 40
- Quantitative Aptitude 40
- English Comprehension 200
Time each section gets
At an even 45 seconds a question
120 minutes for 160 questions. A question you get stuck on takes time from the rest of the paper.
Paper II at a glance
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 20 | 40 |
| General Knowledge | 20 | 40 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 40 |
| English Comprehension | 100 | 200 |
| Total | 160 | 320 |
New in 2026 (was 200 English questions). 2 marks a question. Most sites give 20 minutes each for the first three sections and 1 hour for English. Check the timing in the notice.
How selection works
- Paper I — CBT (100Q, 1 hr)
- PET / PST
- Paper II — CBT (160Q, 320 marks)
- Medical Examination
More on SSC CPO (Sub-Inspector, Delhi Police & CAPF)
SSC CPO (Sub-Inspector, Delhi Police & CAPF): questions people ask
What is the SSC CPO Paper-I exam pattern?
From 2026, 100 objective questions worth 100 marks in 1 hour: 25 each from General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Knowledge, Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension, with 15 minutes for each section and 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer. Until 2025 it was 200 questions in 2 hours.
What is the SSC CPO Paper-II pattern in 2026?
160 questions for 320 marks: Reasoning, General Knowledge and Quantitative Aptitude 20 questions each, and English Comprehension 100 questions. Each question carries 2 marks and a wrong answer costs 0.5. Until 2025 Paper II was English only.
Is there negative marking in SSC CPO?
Yes. 0.25 marks per wrong answer in Paper I and 0.5 in Paper II. Our mocks apply the same penalty.
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The real pattern on the real clock. Your result shows the sections to fix before the exam.