Exam Pattern
SSC CPO Exam Pattern
Staff Selection Commission: Central Police Organisation (Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and CAPFs)
The SSC CPO exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
Paper 1
Official SSC CPO 2025 pattern| Questions | 200 |
| Total marks | 200 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer |
| Sections | General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Knowledge and General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, English Comprehension |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| General Knowledge and General Awareness | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 50 | 50 | 30 |
| English Comprehension | 50 | 50 | 30 |
Timing: Each of the four sections has its own separately timed 30-minute window: there is no shifting unused time between sections, unlike RPF Constable or RRB JE..
Paper 1 is a common screening CBT for Sub-Inspector (Executive) posts in Delhi Police and Sub-Inspector (GD) posts in the CAPFs. Candidates who clear Paper 1 proceed to a Physical Standard Test (PST) and Physical Endurance Test (PET), followed by Paper 2 (English Language and Comprehension) and a Detailed Medical Examination (DME).
Official source · checked 5 August 2026The SSC CPO Paper 1 exam pattern is 200 questions carrying 200 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 36 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 4 sections are General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Knowledge and General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English Comprehension. All 4 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
SSC CPO Paper 1 marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 20% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is clearly worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 160 of the 200 questions and get 120 right and 40 wrong, and you score 110 out of 200.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 36 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free SSC CPO mock test to see where your time actually goes.
Paper 2
Official SSC CPO 2025 pattern| Questions | 200 |
| Total marks | 200 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.25 per wrong answer |
| Sections | English Language and Comprehension |
| Test | Qs | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English Language and Comprehension | 200 | 200 |
Timing: Two hours, divided into four parts with a 30-minute timer on each. It is not one continuous window, despite being a single subject throughout.
Paper 2 is a single, uninterrupted 120-minute Computer Based Examination in English Language and Comprehension (spotting errors, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, idioms and phrases, one word substitution, sentence improvement, para jumbles, cloze test, and reading comprehension), unlike Paper 1's four separately timed 30-minute sections. Paper 2 marks count directly toward the final merit list alongside Paper 1, and are also used as the first tie-breaker when total marks are equal.
Official source · checked 28 August 2026The SSC CPO Paper 2 exam pattern is 200 questions carrying 200 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 36 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. It is a single English Language and Comprehension paper.
SSC CPO Paper 2 marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 1 mark.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 20% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. A blind guess between four options is right 25% of the time, which is already above that line, so an educated guess is clearly worth making rather than leaving the question blank.
- Worked example: attempt 160 of the 200 questions and get 120 right and 40 wrong, and you score 110 out of 200.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 36 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free SSC CPO mock test to see where your time actually goes.
SSC CPO exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in SSC CPO?
SSC CPO Paper 1 deducts 0.25 marks for a wrong answer; SSC CPO Paper 2 deducts 0.25 marks for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in SSC CPO?
SSC CPO Paper 1 has 200 questions, SSC CPO Paper 2 has 200 questions. That leaves about 36 seconds per question in SSC CPO Paper 1 and 36 seconds per question in SSC CPO Paper 2.
What are the total marks in SSC CPO?
SSC CPO Paper 1 is out of 200 marks, SSC CPO Paper 2 is out of 200 marks.
How long is the SSC CPO exam?
SSC CPO Paper 1 runs for 120 minutes, SSC CPO Paper 2 runs for 120 minutes.
Does SSC CPO have a sectional time limit?
Yes. SSC CPO Paper 1 times its sections separately, so time left over in one section cannot be spent on another. Plan a per-section budget before you sit it.
How many stages does SSC CPO have?
This site covers 2 objective stages: Paper 1, Paper 2. Each stage is checked against the official notification separately, because scoring rules routinely differ between stages of the same exam.