SSC CPO SI 2026 Exam Date (Tentative) – Paper-I from 23 Nov

About SSC

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) works under the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. Its headquarters sits in the CGO Complex on Lodhi Road, New Delhi.

This exam is often called SSC CPO. It fills Sub-Inspector posts in Delhi Police and in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) of the Home Ministry. SSC only runs the selection. The vacancy numbers come from the forces and Delhi Police (para 3.2).

Exam date and next steps

Applications closed on 30 September 2026. On 26 October 2026, SSC moved the Paper-I computer based exam (CBE) to 23 to 28 November 2026. The corrigendum calls these “revised proposed dates”. Its notice of 1 October had listed 20 to 28 November.

SSC’s notice of 2 November 2026 also lists 28 November. That date belongs to Paper-II of the 2025 exam, for candidates already through its PET/PST. The headline on the SSC site says 2026, but the table inside names the 2025 exam.

Vacancies by force

All 1,871 vacancies are tentative. CAPF figures by gender:

Delhi Police has 205 posts for men and 112 for women. Of the 205, 12 go to ex-servicemen and 9 to special-category ex-servicemen, such as former NSG or commando-trained personnel. CISF also has 234 SI (Fire) posts, for men only, with 18 for ex-servicemen.

Eligibility and age

You needed a bachelor’s degree by 30 September 2026. The university must have declared its result by then (para 7.6). SI (Fire) instead asks for a B.Sc. with Physics, Chemistry and Maths. A Class 10 pass with a three-year diploma in a listed engineering branch also works.

Men who want Delhi Police need a valid LMV licence for motorcycle and car. It must be valid on the PE&MT date (para 7.8). Without it, they can only be selected for the CAPFs.

The age limit is 20 to 25 years on 1 August 2026. You must be born between 2 August 2001 and 1 August 2006. SI (Fire) allows 18 to 30 years, so birth dates from 2 August 1996 to 1 August 2008.

OBC candidates get 3 extra years and SC/ST candidates 5. Ex-servicemen get 3 years after deducting their military service. Delhi Police also relaxes the limit for widows and for divorced or judicially separated women who have not remarried. They can apply up to 35 (SC/ST: 40).

Delhi Police constables, head constables and ASIs with three years of service had a separate route. They could apply for the male open vacancies. Their limit is 30 years (OBC 33, SC/ST 35). Our age calculator checks your age on the cut-off date.

For the general rules on OBC, SC/ST and ex-servicemen, see our central age relaxation guide.

Physical standards

The CAPF table adds two lower limits. Gorkha men and North-East ST men need 157 cm. SI (Fire) asks for a chest of 81/86 cm, or 77/82 cm for ST men. Claiming a relaxation needs a district certificate in the Annexure-VIII format.

The PET is pass or fail. Men run 100 metres in 16 seconds and 1.6 km in 6.5 minutes. They also need a 3.65-metre long jump, a 1.2-metre high jump and a 4.5-metre shot put (16 lbs).

Women run 100 metres in 18 seconds and 800 metres in 4 minutes. They need a 2.7-metre long jump and a 0.9-metre high jump. Each jump and the shot put get three chances. Ex-servicemen skip the PET but still take the PST.

Exam pattern

The stages are Paper-I, PST/PET, Paper-II and the detailed medical exam (DME). The 2026 notice (page 16) sets Paper-I at 100 marks.

You must score 30% (UR), 25% (OBC/EWS) or 20% (others) in each paper, before any NCC bonus. Paper-I only shortlists you for PST/PET. Your final rank comes from Paper-II, plus any NCC bonus (para 16.8).

The tie rule (para 17.1) instead starts from the Paper-I plus Paper-II total. It then uses Paper-II marks, Paper-II English marks and age. SSC adds the NCC bonus in each paper. It is 5% of the maximum marks for a ‘C’ certificate, 3% for ‘B’ and 2% for ‘A’. You must have held it by 30 September 2026.

The medical asks for 6/6 and 6/9 distant vision and N6/N9 near vision. You must reach them without glasses or eye surgery. You must not have knock knee, flat foot, varicose veins or a squint, and you need high colour vision.

Admit card steps

1. About 10 days before the exam, check your SSC Regional Office website for the exam city and time table.
2. If your details are missing one week before, contact that Regional Office with proof that you applied.
3. Two or three days before the exam, log in at ssc.gov.in and download the Admission Certificate.
4. Print it and match your name, date of birth and photo with your ID.

Candidates who skipped Aadhaar authentication report two hours early. They bring two recent colour photos and an original photo ID. Its date of birth must match the admit card.

The notice lists the voter ID, driving licence, PAN, passport, and a university, college or school ID. It also accepts a Govt/PSU employer ID or the ESM Discharge Book. Any other Central or State Government photo ID works too. The list does not name Aadhaar.

If your ID shows no date of birth, carry an original proof too (para 13.8). A Class 10 certificate works.

A far-off centre is a common worry. A CGL aspirant from Prayagraj told Careers360 in August 2025 about his CGL centre:

"Despite filling up centre preferences for Prayagraj, Kanpur and Lucknow, I was allocated a centre in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh" (Careers360 News, 8 August 2025)

The SI notice (para 11.2) lets you pick three centres within one region. SSC will not consider a later request to change them.

After Paper-I

The process after Paper-I takes months. In the same report, a CPO aspirant spoke about the earlier CPO recruitment, still unfinished then:

"The recruitment of SSC CPO for 5,300 vacant seats has been going on since February 2024" (Careers360 News, 8 August 2025)

The 2025 cycle shows the pace. SSC declared its Paper-I result on 30 March 2026, with 48,387 candidates qualified. The forces held PET/PST from 21 to 30 July 2026. Of those candidates, 26,949 stayed absent and 10,676 passed.

After the Paper-II result, you fill an online option form ranking the seven posts. SSC treats that choice as final. SSC will not offer you a post you leave out. Every post except Delhi Police SI can send you anywhere in India. Probation lasts two years.

For other open exams, see the central government jobs list, or compare the SSC CHSL 2026 exam schedule.

Latest updates

• 3 November 2026: SSC’s notice board showed no SI 2026 city slip notice yet.
• 26 October 2026: SSC revised the Paper-I dates to 23 to 28 November 2026 (SSC notice).
• 1 October 2026: SSC first proposed 20 to 28 November 2026 (SSC notice).
• 10 September 2026: SSC published the notice with 1,871 tentative vacancies (SSC notice).