The Staff Selection Commission has opened one of the year's biggest uniformed-services recruitments. The notice for the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026 went live on ssc.gov.in on 10 September 2026, and the online application window stays open until 30 September 2026 (11:00 PM).
Across four post categories, the Commission has reported 1,871 tentative vacancies — the bulk of them in the CAPFs. Below is a clean, section-by-section breakdown of what the notice actually says, written for candidates who want the decisions, not the legalese.
Table of Contents
Key dates at a glance
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Online application opens | 10.09.2026 |
| Last date to apply | 30.09.2026 (23:00 hrs) |
| Last date for fee payment | 01.10.2026 (23:00 hrs) |
| Application correction window | 08.10.2026 to 10.10.2026 (23:00 hrs) |
| Computer Based Exam (Paper-I) | To be announced later |
| Helpline | 1800 309 3063 (toll free) |
A point worth noting early: the fee deadline is a full day after the application deadline. Submitting the form is not the same as completing it. If the payment does not reach SSC, the application is marked Incomplete and gets rejected without any further intimation.
Vacancy break-up: 1,871 posts
Sub-Inspector (Executive) — Delhi Police (Male): 205
| Details | UR | OBC | SC | ST | EWS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 77 | 49 | 27 | 13 | 18 | 184 |
| Ex-Servicemen (others) | 05 | 03 | 02 | 01 | 01 | 12 |
| Ex-Servicemen (special) | 05 | 02 | 01 | – | 01 | 09 |
| Total | 87 | 54 | 30 | 14 | 20 | 205 |
Sub-Inspector (Executive) — Delhi Police (Female): 112 UR 47 | OBC 30 | SC 16 | ST 08 | EWS 11
Sub-Inspector (GD) — CAPFs: 1,320
| Force | Male | Female | Total | ESM (10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRPF | 225 | 29 | 254 | 25 |
| BSF | 435 | 22 | 457 | 46 |
| ITBP | 159 | 28 | 187 | 19 |
| CISF | 200 | 50 | 250 | 25 |
| SSB | 154 | 18 | 172 | 17 |
| Total | 1,173 | 147 | 1,320 | 132 |
Sub-Inspector (Fire) — CISF (Male): 234 UR 74 | OBC 75 | SC 52 | ST 16 | EWS 17 | ESM 18
BSF alone accounts for nearly a quarter of the entire advertisement. Candidates filling preferences should keep that arithmetic in mind — the force with the most seats usually settles at a lower cut-off than the one with the fewest.
Pay and post classification
All four posts sit at Level-6 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, ₹35,400 – ₹1,12,400. SI (GD) in CAPFs and SI (Fire) in CISF are Group 'B' (Non-Gazetted), Non-Ministerial; SI (Executive) in Delhi Police is classified as Group 'C' by Delhi Police. Candidates selected for CAPF posts are liable to serve anywhere in India, and SSC neither collects nor allots vacancies state-wise or zone-wise for this exam.
Age limit (as on 01.08.2026)
- All posts except SI (Fire): 20 to 25 years — born between 02.08.2001 and 01.08.2006
- SI (Fire) in CISF: 18 to 30 years — born between 02.08.1996 and 01.08.2008
Standard relaxations apply: 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, and 3 years for Ex-Servicemen after deducting military service rendered. For the Delhi Police post only, widowed, divorced and judicially separated women who have not remarried get relaxation up to 35 years (up to 40 years if SC/ST).
Serving Delhi Police personnel — Constables, Head Constables and ASIs with at least three years of regular service — can also compete for the open SI (Executive) Male vacancies, with the upper age relaxed to 30 (UR/EWS), 33 (OBC) and 35 (SC/ST).
Only the date of birth recorded on the Matriculation certificate will be accepted. No change request is entertained afterwards.
Educational qualification
- SI in Delhi Police and SI (GD) in CAPFs: Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Final-year students may apply, but the degree must be in hand on or before the closing date of applications — not later.
- SI (Fire) in CISF: B.Sc. with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics; or Matriculation plus a three-year diploma in Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Automobile, Chemical, Mining, Aeronautical or Telecommunication Engineering. A B.Tech/M.Tech is treated as value addition provided the basic diploma requirement is met.
Degrees earned through Open and Distance Learning are valid only where the programme was approved by the UGC's Distance Education Bureau for the relevant period.
Application fee
₹100, payable only online through BHIM UPI, net banking, or Visa/MasterCard/Maestro/RuPay debit card. Women candidates, SC, ST and eligible Ex-Servicemen pay nothing. The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.
The correction window has its own price tag this cycle: ₹200 for the first correction and ₹500 for the second, applicable to every candidate regardless of gender or category. Only two corrections are permitted, and the window shuts permanently on 10 October.
Applications go through One-Time Registration (OTR) on ssc.gov.in — an OTR created on the older ssc.nic.in portal will not work. The form captures a live photograph through the portal; uploading a photo of an existing photograph leads to summary rejection. Candidates who opt for Aadhaar-based authentication are shielded from rejection on photograph or signature grounds.
Exam pattern: two computer-based papers
Paper-I — 100 questions, 200 marks... not quite. Paper-I is deliberately compact:
| Part | Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 | 25 | 1 hour total, with a 15-minute sectional timer for each part |
| II | General Knowledge & General Awareness | 25 | 25 | |
| III | Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 25 | |
| IV | English Comprehension | 25 | 25 |
Paper-II:
| Part | Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | General Intelligence & Reasoning | 20 | 40 | 1 hour, 20-minute sectional timer per part |
| II | General Knowledge & General Awareness | 20 | 40 | |
| III | Quantitative Aptitude | 20 | 40 | |
| IV | English Comprehension | 100 | 200 | 1 hour |
Two structural details decide preparation strategy here. First, sectional timers mean you cannot bank saved minutes from Reasoning to rescue Quant — each part is a closed box. Second, negative marking is 0.25 per wrong answer in Paper-I but 0.50 in Paper-II, and Paper-II is explicitly stated to be tougher than Paper-I. Guesswork that costs little in the first paper costs double in the second.
English Comprehension carries 200 of Paper-II's 320 marks. Since final merit rests on Paper-II alone, English is not a section to survive — it is the section that decides the result.
Questions in Parts I, II and III are set in both Hindi and English. Marks are normalised across shifts using the Commission's published procedure. NCC certificate holders get bonus marks in both papers — 5% of maximum marks for a 'C' certificate, 3% for 'B' and 2% for 'A'.
Answer-key challenges cost ₹50 per question, non-refundable, and only through the online objection system.
Physical Standard Test (PST)
PST and PET carry no marks — they are purely qualifying, but elimination is absolute.
Height, male (general): 170 cm for Delhi Police and CAPFs; 165 cm for candidates from Garhwal, Kumaon, Himachal Pradesh, Gorkhas, Dogras, Marathas, Kashmir Valley, Leh & Ladakh, North-Eastern States and Sikkim; 162.5 cm for ST candidates. For CAPFs, male Gorkha candidates need 157 cm, and ST candidates from the North-East 157 cm. Chest, male: 80 cm unexpanded / 85 cm expanded (77/82 for ST). For SI (Fire) in CISF the bar is slightly higher — 170 cm height, 81/86 cm chest. Height, female: 157 cm general, 155 cm for the hill/North-East categories, 154 cm for ST. No chest measurement applies to female candidates.
Height and chest relaxations require a domicile certificate in the prescribed Annexure-VIII format from the competent authority of the district of ordinary residence. A candidate declared unqualified on height or chest may appeal to the appellate authority present on the ground that day — and that decision is final.
Physical Endurance Test (PET)
Male candidates
- 100 m race in 16 seconds
- 1.6 km race in 6.5 minutes
- Long jump 3.65 m (3 chances)
- High jump 1.2 m (3 chances)
- Shot put, 16 lbs, 4.5 m (3 chances)
Female candidates
- 100 m race in 18 seconds
- 800 m race in 4 minutes
- Long jump 2.7 m (3 chances)
- High jump 0.9 m (3 chances)
Ex-Servicemen are exempt from PET but must clear PST, the written papers and the prescribed medical standards. Female candidates submit a pregnancy self-declaration before PST/PET; a candidate confirmed pregnant is declared temporarily unfit, her vacancy is held for her, and she is re-tested six weeks after confinement with a fitness certificate.
Medical standards
Distant vision must be 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the worse eye without glasses or any corrective surgery; near vision N6 and N9. Candidates must have high colour vision and must be free of knock knee, flat foot, varicose veins and squint. Those found unfit in the DME get a Review Medical Examination, usually the very next day, and the review board's decision is final.
Selection process and cut-offs
The chain is: Paper-I → PST/PET → Paper-II → DME/RME → Document Verification. Every stage is mandatory.
Minimum qualifying marks in each paper are 30% for UR, 25% for OBC/EWS and 20% for all other categories, calculated before NCC bonus marks are added.
The crucial line for aspirants: final merit and force allocation are based on Paper-II alone (plus NCC bonus), read against the post preferences you filled. Paper-I only gets you to the ground; Paper-II decides which uniform you wear. And once your first available preference is allotted as per merit, you are out of consideration for every other option — so preference order deserves as much thought as the exam itself.
Tie-breaker order: total marks in Paper-II → marks in English in Paper-II → date of birth, older candidate ranked higher → alphabetical order of names.
Before you hit submit
- Verify your name, date of birth and category exactly as printed on the Matriculation certificate.
- OBC candidates must be outside the creamy layer as on the closing date; EWS candidates need an Income & Asset certificate valid for FY 2026-27, based on FY 2025-26 income.
- Note that OBC certificates issued by the Delhi government for state-list OBCs are accepted only for the Delhi Police post — for all other posts such candidates are treated as UR/EWS.
- Complete the payment, then reopen your login and confirm the status under 'Payment Status'.
- Keep the final printout; you will need two passport-size photographs and original photo ID at later stages.
The examination is conducted through SSC's nine regional offices, and the Commission reserves the right to add, cancel or divert centres.
Frequently asked questions
How many vacancies are there in SSC SI 2026? 1,871 in total — 205 for SI (Exe.) Delhi Police Male, 112 for Delhi Police Female, 1,320 for SI (GD) in CAPFs, and 234 for SI (Fire) in CISF.
What is the last date to apply? 30 September 2026 up to 11:00 PM. Fee can be paid until 1 October 2026, 11:00 PM.
Can final-year students apply? Yes, but the degree must be completed on or before 30 September 2026.
Is there negative marking? Yes — 0.25 marks per wrong answer in Paper-I and 0.50 marks per wrong answer in Paper-II.
Does Paper-I count in the final merit? No. Paper-I is used only to shortlist candidates for PST/PET. Final selection rests on Paper-II.
Is PET applicable to Ex-Servicemen? No. ESM candidates are exempt from PET but must clear PST, both papers and the medical examination.
What is the application fee for female candidates? Nil. Women, SC, ST and eligible Ex-Servicemen candidates are fully exempt.
