SSC CPO cut off: past Paper I marks and how selection is decided

What the SSC CPO cut off really measures

SSC does not decide a pass mark in advance and then see who crosses it. It first fixes how many candidates it wants for the next stage, usually several times the vacancies, and then reads down the merit list of each category until that number is reached. Whoever is taken last in a category sets that category's bar.

Three lists are prepared at Paper I: men, women, and male departmental candidates of Delhi Police. Women compete for a separate share of posts, which is why their bar is often higher than the male bar even in the same year. Candidates from reserved categories who score above the UR bar are counted in their own category, so the UR list is not only general category candidates.

Because the paper runs over several shifts, raw marks are normalised before any comparison. Both your marks notice and SSC's write up quote that adjusted figure.

SSC CPO tier 1 cut off in the two latest cycles

The tables below give the Paper I (often called tier 1 or paper 1) cut offs that shortlisted candidates for the physical round. We have trimmed each figure to two decimal places; SSC itself prints five.

In the 2025 cycle, Paper I was held from 9 to 12 December 2025 and 48,615 candidates were shortlisted for PST and PET across the three lists.

In the 2024 cycle, Paper I was held from 27 to 29 June 2024. The notice listed 76,278 men, 7,335 women and 188 departmental candidates as available for the next stage, a much wider net than in 2025.

SSC CPO previous year cut off for Paper I

Looking past the SSC CPO last year cut off, older cycles show how sharply this bar can swing. The 2023 paper produced unusually high marks, while 2022 sat lower.

Two reports we checked disagreed on the 2023 female EWS figure, so we have left that cell for you to read from the official notice. ESM cut offs in these cycles stayed at or near the 40 mark floor.

Qualifying marks compared with the shortlist score

The result notice states a minimum that every candidate must reach before the category cut off is even considered. In the 2024 and 2025 Paper I results, UR candidates needed 60 of 200 (30 percent), OBC and EWS candidates 50 (25 percent), and everyone else 40 (20 percent), calculated without NCC bonus marks.

Crossing the minimum alone does not take you forward. You also need to be above your category's shortlist score, which in recent years has been roughly double the minimum for UR men. The exception is the ESM list, where the cut off has often landed right on the 40 mark floor because fewer ex-servicemen compete.

Tier 2 and the SSC CPO final cut off

Under the older pattern, candidates who cleared the physical round sat Paper II in English, and rank in the final list came from adding the two papers together, with NCC bonus where claimed. The final cut off is therefore the added score of the final selected person, force by force and category by category, published with the date of birth of that candidate.

For the 2024 cycle, SSC reported 4,841 men and 455 women selected, with final cut offs released post wise and category wise in the result PDF. Those final numbers are not copied onto this page, since we were unable to tally every row against the SSC PDF; read them directly from the SSC result page.

From the newest notice onward, Paper II carries 320 marks across four parts and Paper I only shortlists, and rank rests on Paper II with NCC bonus added where it applies. Our SSC CPO syllabus page has the full new pattern.

Forces that shift the next SSC CPO bar

• The new marking scheme: Paper I is now a 100 mark test, so any old figure out of 200 has to be read as a share, not copied as a target.
• Vacancies and the shortlist ratio: a bigger shortlist pulls the bar down, as the much larger 2024 list shows.
• Difficulty and normalisation: an easy set of shifts lifts every category together, as happened in the 2023 cycle.
• Number of applicants and the share of women: the female list is small, so a few hundred extra strong candidates can move it by several marks.

Nobody can promise a figure for the coming cycle. Aim instead to finish well clear of the recent bar for your category as a share of total marks, and to make sure you are fit enough for the 1.6 km run, since the physical round knocks out plenty of people who did well on paper.

Finding SSC CPO marks lists yourself

1. Open the Staff Selection Commission website and open its Result tab.
2. Pick the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and CAPFs examination of the right year and stage.
3. Download the write up PDF; the category table normally comes first, followed by the roll number lists.
4. Your own marks appear later in a separate marks notice, using your registration details.

For age limits, degree rules and height norms, read SSC CPO eligibility. Aiming at other uniformed posts as well? Compare with the SSC GD cut off and marks for Delhi Police constables, or go back to all SSC exams.