WHAT IS THE CAPF (AC) EXAM?

The Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) examination is a premier national-level recruitment drive conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Successful candidates are commissioned directly as Group 'A' Gazetted Officers (Assistant Commandants) across India's armed border security and internal policing organizations.

This exam provides direct entry into:

BSF

Border Security Force

CRPF

Central Reserve Police

CISF

Industrial Security Force

ITBP

Indo-Tibetan Border

SSB

Sashastra Seema Bal

Selection Process At A Glance

Written Exam

Paper I (250M) & Paper II (200M)

PST & PET

Physical Standards & Efficiency Test

Interview

Personality Assessment (150 Marks)

Medical Review

Designated Board Fitness Review

Final Merit

All-India Force Allocation

CAPF (AC) Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Bachelor's Degree in Any Stream

Candidates must possess a graduation degree from a recognized university or deemed institution. There is no minimum aggregate percentage required. Final-year students are also eligible to apply.

Nationality & Gender Criteria

Open to All Indian Citizens (Male & Female)

Both male and female candidates can apply for direct entry as Assistant Commandants, subject to meeting the physical and medical standard requirements prescribed by UPSC.

Age Limits & Relaxations

The baseline age window for general candidates is 20 to 25 Years. Government-stipulated age relaxations apply as follows:

Applicant Category	Permissible Age Relaxation	Effective Upper Age Limit
General / Unreserved	None	25 Years
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)	Up to 3 Years	28 Years
SC / ST Candidates	Up to 5 Years	30 Years
Civilian Central Government Servants	Up to 5 Years	30 Years
Ex-Servicemen Personnel	Up to 5 Years	30 Years

UPSC CAPF Exam Pattern & Marks Distribution

The written evaluation totals 450 Marks conducted on a single day in two distinct testing sessions:

Exam Paper	Subject / Core Domains	Duration & Schedule	Format & Language	Total Marks
Paper I	General Ability and Intelligence	2 Hours (10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon)	Objective (MCQ) Bilingual (English / Hindi)	250 Marks
Paper II	General Studies, Essay & Comprehension	3 Hours (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)	Descriptive Essay (Eng/Hindi), Rest (English)	200 Marks
Total Written Stage Aggregate (Interview: 150 Marks \| Grand Total: 600 Marks)				450 Marks

Negative Marking Rules (Paper I): Each incorrect answer attracts a deduction of one-third (1/3rd) of the marks assigned to that question. Unanswered questions do not incur any penalty.

Comprehensive CAPF (AC) Syllabus

Paper I: General Ability & Intelligence

Reasoning & Mental Ability

Logical Reasoning Coding-Decoding Blood Relations Direction Sense Syllogisms & Venn Diagrams Data Interpretation

Quantitative Aptitude

Number System Percentages & Averages Profit & Loss Simple & Compound Interest Time, Speed & Distance Mensuration & Geometry Basic Algebra & Statistics

General Studies & Current Affairs

Indian Polity & Constitution History of India & Freedom Movement India & World Geography Indian Economy General Science Concepts National & International Current Affairs

Paper II: General Studies, Essay & Comprehension

Essay Themes (English or Hindi)

Internal Security & Border Control Counter-Terrorism & Insurgency Cyber Security & AI Threats Social Justice & Empowerment Environment & Climate Governance E-Governance & Transparency

English Language & Comprehension Skills

Unseen Reading Passages Precis Writing Grammar & Syntax Correction Vocabulary & Idioms Counter-Argument Formulation Report Writing