CAPF Syllabus: UPSC CAPF AC Paper I, Paper II and Pattern

The CAPF syllabus for the UPSC Assistant Commandant exam has two written papers: Paper I, General Ability and Intelligence (250 marks, objective), and Paper II, General Studies, Essay and Comprehension (200 marks, written answers). Those shortlisted from the written round then face physical and medical tests and a 150 mark interview.

The exam fills Assistant Commandant posts in the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. Paper II is what sets CAPF AC apart from other graduate level tests, because it asks you to write essays, a précis and arguments under time pressure. Before you start, confirm your age and degree on the UPSC CAPF eligibility page.

Exam at a glance

Conducted by
Union Public Service Commission, once a year
Paper I
125 objective questions, 250 marks, 2 hours
Paper II
Descriptive, 200 marks, 3 hours
Negative marking
One third of the marks of a question, in Paper I only
Physical tests
Physical standards, efficiency test and medical, all qualifying
Interview
150 marks, final merit out of 600
Official website
upsc.gov.in

Three stages from written paper to force allotment

Written examination: both papers are written in a single day, the objective one in the morning session and the descriptive one after lunch.
Physical standards, physical efficiency test and medical standards: run by a nodal authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs for written stage qualifiers. These are qualifying only.
Interview or personality test: 150 marks, conducted by UPSC.

Your final rank uses written marks (450) plus interview marks (150). Force allotment then depends on rank and the preferences you give in the detailed application form.

UPSC CAPF AC exam pattern

CAPF AC written exam
Paper	Type	Questions	Marks	Time	Medium
Paper I: General Ability and Intelligence	Objective	125	250	2 hours	Hindi and English
Paper II: General Studies, Essay and Comprehension	Descriptive	Varies	200	3 hours	Part A in Hindi or English, Part B in English only
Interview	Personality test	150 marks		Not applicable	Hindi or English

Paper I gives 2 marks per item, and a wrong mark on the OMR sheet removes a third of those 2. UPSC sets a minimum qualifying mark for each paper, and it checks Paper II answer books only of people who clear the Paper I minimum. That makes Paper I a gate, even though Paper II carries real weight in the final total.

UPSC prints the scheme and syllabus as an appendix to each year's notification. Read it before the exam, since question numbers and qualifying rules are confirmed there.

Paper I syllabus: General Ability and Intelligence

The official syllabus of CAPF splits Paper I into six areas:

General Mental Ability: logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude including numeracy, and data interpretation.
General Science: everyday observation and experience, scientific temper, and newer fields such as information technology, biotechnology and environmental science.
Current events, Indian and international: culture, music, arts, literature, sports, governance, society and development, industry, trade and global relations.
Indian Polity and Economy: the Constitution, the political system, Panchayati Raj, social systems, economic development, internal and external security, and human rights with their indicators.
History of India: broad social, economic and political history, plus growth of nationalism and the freedom movement.
Indian and World Geography: the physical, social and economic sides of geography, both Indian and global.

Paper II syllabus: essay, précis and comprehension

Part A, essay (80 marks)

Long answers, written in Hindi or English, on themes such as the national movement and modern Indian history, polity, the economy, geography, knowledge of security and human rights issues, and analytical ability.

Part B, comprehension and language skills (120 marks)

Answered in English only. It tests comprehension passages, précis writing, developing counter arguments, simple grammar and other parts of language testing. Many recent papers have also included short report writing and argument style questions on security themes.

Since Part B must be in English, Hindi medium candidates should start English writing practice from day one rather than in the final month.

Physical standards and efficiency test

The physical efficiency test is pass or fail, but a miss in any event knocks you out for the current cycle.

Physical efficiency test standards
Event	Men	Women
100 metre race	16 seconds	18 seconds
800 metre race	3 minutes 45 seconds	4 minutes 45 seconds
Long jump (3 chances)	3.5 metres	3.0 metres
Shot put, 7.26 kg (3 chances)	4.5 metres	Not applicable

Height, chest and weight norms sit in an appendix of the notice and differ for some hill and tribal groups.

How to divide your preparation

Paper I rewards breadth. Polity, modern history and current affairs usually produce a large share of its questions, and reasoning plus numeracy are scoring if you practise. Paper II rewards writing habit, and it decides a big part of the 450 written marks.

Rohan is a final year student with eight months left. He reads the newspaper and makes polity notes each morning, does 25 Paper I questions at night, and writes one essay of about 600 words every Sunday. From month four he adds two précis passages and one counter argument piece each week, and he asks a friend to check his English for errors.

Use NCERT history, polity and geography books for the static base, then one standard reference per subject.
For security topics, follow internal security, border management and left wing extremism coverage in the news.
Practise previous CAPF Paper II questions from the UPSC website to learn word limits and tone.

Civil services aspirants get a head start, since Paper I shares much ground with the civil services prelims general studies paper.

UPSC CAPF syllabus in Hindi

यूपीएससी सीएपीएफ सहायक कमांडेंट की लिखित परीक्षा दो पेपरों में बंटी है। पेपर एक (250 अंक) वस्तुनिष्ठ है, इसमें सामान्य मानसिक योग्यता, सामान्य विज्ञान, राष्ट्रीय और अंतरराष्ट्रीय करंट अफेयर्स, भारतीय राजव्यवस्था और अर्थव्यवस्था, भारत का इतिहास तथा भारत और विश्व का भूगोल शामिल हैं। पेपर एक में गलत विकल्प चुनने पर दंड है, जो प्रश्न के अंकों का तिहाई हिस्सा है। पेपर दो (200 अंक) वर्णनात्मक है: भाग क में निबंध हिंदी या अंग्रेजी में लिखा जा सकता है, जबकि भाग ख में बोधगम्यता, सार लेखन और भाषा कौशल केवल अंग्रेजी में होते हैं। इसके बाद शारीरिक परीक्षा, चिकित्सा जांच और 150 अंक का साक्षात्कार होता है।

Frequently asked questions

Is there negative marking in CAPF AC?

Only in Paper I, where every incorrect bubble costs you a third of that item's 2 marks. Paper II is a written paper with no negative marking.

Can I write the whole CAPF Paper II in Hindi?

No. You may write the Part A essays in Hindi or English, but Part B, which covers comprehension, précis and language skills, is to be written in English.

What age band applies to UPSC CAPF AC applicants?

In recent notifications general candidates need to fall between 20 and 25, counted on the first day of August in the year of the exam. OBC applicants get 3 extra years at the top end and SC and ST applicants get 5; see UPSC CAPF eligibility for the full list.

Does Paper II matter if I score well in Paper I?

Yes. Paper II counts for 200 of the 450 written marks, so a weak essay and précis can sink a strong Paper I. You also need to cross the minimum in each paper to stay in the race.

Is the CAPF exam online?

No. Both written papers are pen and paper exams, with an OMR answer sheet for Paper I and a written answer booklet for Paper II.

How is CAPF different from SSC CPO?

CAPF AC recruits Assistant Commandants, a gazetted officer rank, through UPSC with a descriptive paper and interview. SSC CPO recruits sub inspectors through computer based tests; compare it on the SSC CPO syllabus page.