SSC CPO 2026 Paper-I Exam Date and 1,871 SI Vacancies

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has announced the Paper-I schedule for its 2026 Sub-Inspector recruitment examination. The recruitment is intended for eligible graduates seeking Sub-Inspector roles in Delhi Police, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), or the Sub-Inspector (Fire) post in CISF.

There are 1,871 posts in the detailed vacancy distribution. Applications were accepted online from September 10 to September 30, 2026, and the application window is now closed. Paper-I is scheduled as a computer-based examination from November 20 to 28, 2026; candidates who registered should follow SSC’s official website for updates and their examination details.

Important Dates

Vacancy Details

The detailed post-wise tables add up to 1,871 vacancies: 205 for Delhi Police male Sub-Inspectors, 112 for Delhi Police female Sub-Inspectors, 1,320 in the CAPFs and 234 for CISF Sub-Inspector (Fire). The supplied notice text also contains narrative references to 3,035 vacancies, which conflict with its title and detailed vacancy tables. The figures below reproduce the detailed breakdown, which totals 1,871.

Sub-Inspector (Executive) in Delhi Police — Male

Sub-Inspector (Executive) in Delhi Police — Female

Sub-Inspector (GD) in CAPFs

Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF — Male

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

For Sub-Inspector posts in Delhi Police and SI (GD) in the CAPFs, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised university. For SI (Fire) in CISF, the required qualification is either a bachelor’s degree in Science with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, or matriculation followed by a three-year diploma in Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Automobile, Chemical, Mining, Aeronautical or Telecommunication Engineering. Candidates who had appeared for their bachelor’s degree examination were permitted to apply, provided they obtained the required qualification by the application closing date.

Male candidates seeking the Delhi Police SI post must have a valid driving licence for both a motorcycle and a car. Without this licence, the supplied eligibility information says they may be eligible for SI posts in the CAPFs, but not the Delhi Police male post.

Age Limit

Age is calculated as of August 1, 2026. For SI posts in Delhi Police and the CAPFs, other than SI (Fire), the age range is 20–25 years. Candidates must have been born no earlier than August 2, 2001, and no later than August 1, 2006. For SI (Fire) in CISF, the age range is 18–30 years, with date of birth from August 2, 1996, through August 1, 2008.

Relaxation is five years for SC/ST candidates and three years for OBC candidates. Eligible ex-servicemen receive three years’ relaxation after deduction of military service rendered. Widows, divorced women and women judicially separated from their husbands who have not remarried may be eligible up to age 35; the corresponding limit is 40 for SC/ST candidates in these groups. Delhi Police departmental candidates with at least three years of service may be eligible up to age 30 for UR/EWS, 33 for OBC and 35 for SC/ST.

Physical Standards

The physical measurements vary by post and category. The following figures are given in centimetres; chest measurements apply to male candidates only.

For Delhi Police, the listed male hill-area and regional groups include Gorkhas, Dogras, Marathas, residents of the Kashmir Valley, Leh and Ladakh, North-Eastern States and Sikkim.

The CAPF regional groups listed for the reduced 165 cm male height include residents of hill areas, Dogras, Marathas, Kashmir Valley, Leh and Ladakh, North-Eastern States and Sikkim.

For the SI (Fire) height concession, the listed groups include hill-area residents, Gorkhas, Dogras, Marathas, Sikkimese, residents of Leh and Ladakh and the Kashmir Valley, and people from North-Eastern States.

Physical Endurance Test

The PET tasks specified for male candidates are a 100-metre race in 16 seconds, a 1.6-kilometre race in 6.5 minutes, a 3.65-metre long jump in three chances, a 1.2-metre high jump in three chances, and a 4.5-metre shot put using a 16-pound shot in three chances.

Female candidates must complete a 100-metre race in 18 seconds and an 800-metre race in four minutes, and achieve a 2.7-metre long jump and a 0.9-metre high jump, with three chances for each jump. Ex-servicemen are exempt from the PET, but must pass the written examinations and meet the prescribed physical standards.

Application Fee

The fee was payable online through BHIM UPI, net banking, or a Visa, MasterCard, Maestro or RuPay debit card. The application fee is non-refundable. The supplied notice also states that the correction window ran from October 8 to 10, 2026, with a charge of INR 200 for the first correction and INR 500 for a second correction.

How to Apply

1. Applications were to be submitted online through the official SSC website at ssc.gov.in. The application period ran from September 10 to September 30, 2026, and is now closed.
2. Before applying, candidates were advised to read Notice No. E/37/2026-C-2 and check the qualification, age, physical standards and post-specific requirements.
3. Applicants were asked to prepare a recent photograph captured live, a signature in JPEG format of 10–20 KB, Aadhaar details for Aadhaar-based authentication, the matriculation/secondary certificate and educational qualification certificates.
4. Where relevant, candidates also needed category or caste documentation, ex-servicemen documents, a government employee’s No Objection Certificate, and a valid motorcycle-and-car driving licence for male applicants to the Delhi Police SI post.
5. Applicants had to complete the online form accurately and pay the applicable fee using one of the accepted online methods by the relevant deadline. The last date for fee payment was October 1, 2026, at 23:00.
6. Registered candidates should use the official SSC website for examination updates and follow the instructions associated with their application and admit-card information.

Salary & Pay Scale

All three post groups listed carry Pay Level 6, with a scale of INR 35,400 to INR 1,12,400. The supplied notification identifies SI (GD) in CAPFs and SI (Fire) in CISF as Group B, non-gazetted and non-ministerial posts. SI (Executive) in Delhi Police is classified as Group C by Delhi Police.

Selection Process

Selection comprises four mandatory stages: Paper-I, the Physical Standard Test (PST) and Physical Endurance Test (PET), Paper-II, and the Detailed Medical Examination (DME). Paper-I and Paper-II are computer-based examinations.

Paper-I pattern

Paper-II pattern

For Parts I, II and III of both papers, questions are set in Hindi and English. Wrong answers attract negative marking of 0.25 marks in Paper-I and 0.50 marks in Paper-II. The minimum qualifying marks are 30% for UR candidates, 25% for OBC/EWS candidates and 20% for candidates in all other categories. The supplied notification information also describes NCC bonus marks, calculated against maximum marks in each paper: 5% for an NCC ‘C’ certificate, 3% for an NCC ‘B’ certificate and 2% for an NCC ‘A’ certificate.

Eligible candidates who completed an application should keep their details available and check SSC’s official updates ahead of the scheduled Paper-I examination. The application period has ended, so new applicants cannot submit a form for this recruitment through the closed window.