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SSC GD Constable

Evidence status: 🟢 official. Every number below is from the official SSC notice for Constable (GD) in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and SSF, and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles Examination, 2026 (Notice dated 01.12.2025) and subsequent city/admit card notice (dated 19.04.2026), fetched from ssc.gov.in on 2026-09-29.

SSC GD recruits Constables (General Duty) for the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Secretariat Security Force (SSF), as well as Rifleman (General Duty) in Assam Rifles. It is one of the largest competitive recruitment drives in India by applicant volume, open to candidates with a Class 10 (matriculation) qualification.

At a glance
Conducted by Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
Stages Computer Based Examination (CBE) → Physical Standard Test (PST) / Physical Efficiency Test (PET) → Detailed Medical Examination (DME) / Document Verification (DV)
Vacancies 25,487 tentative vacancies notified for the 2026 cycle (Male: 23,467, Female: 2,020 across BSF, CISF, CRPF, SSB, ITBP, Assam Rifles, SSF)
Qualification (as on 01-01-2026) Matriculation (Class 10) pass from a recognized Board/University
Age (as on 01-01-2026) 18–23 years (born between 02-01-2003 and 01-01-2008; upper age relaxation: 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC)
Pay Pay Level 3 (₹21,700–₹69,100)

Official sources

Exam pattern

Computer-Based Examination (CBE)

The CBE is an objective multiple-choice test containing 80 questions carrying 2 marks each (160 marks total) with a composite time duration of 60 minutes. The examination is conducted in English, Hindi, and 13 regional languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu).

Negative marking is 0.25 marks per wrong answer (Clause 12.1.2).

Section Questions Marks
Part-A: General Intelligence and Reasoning 20 40
Part-B: General Knowledge and General Awareness 20 40
Part-C: Elementary Mathematics 20 40
Part-D: English or Hindi 20 40
  • Minimum qualifying marks (without NCC bonus): Unreserved (UR): 30% (48 marks), OBC/EWS: 25% (40 marks), all other categories: 20% (32 marks).
  • NCC Certificate Bonus: NCC 'C' Certificate: 5% (8 marks bonus); NCC 'B' Certificate: 3% (4.8 marks bonus); NCC 'A' Certificate: 2% (3.2 marks bonus) added to CBE normalized marks.
  • Scores are normalized across multiple shifts to determine shortlisting for physical evaluation.

Physical Efficiency Test (PET) & Physical Standard Test (PST)

Candidates shortlisted from the CBE undergo biometric verification, followed by PST and PET conducted by CAPFs:

  • Physical Efficiency Test (PET - Qualifying):
  • Candidates other than Ladakh:
    • Male: 5 km run in 24 minutes
    • Female: 1.6 km run in 8½ minutes
  • Candidates belonging to Ladakh:
    • Male: 1.6 km run in 7 minutes
    • Female: 800 metres in 5 minutes

  • Ex-servicemen are exempted from the PET running test.

  • Physical Standard Test (PST - Measurement):

  • Height: Male: 170 cm; Female: 157 cm (Relaxations: All ST candidates: Male 162.5 cm, Female 150 cm; North-Eastern ST: Male 157 cm, Female 147.5 cm; Candidates from Garhwal, Kumaon, Dogra, Maratha, Assam, HP, J&K, Ladakh: Male 165 cm, Female 155 cm).
  • Chest (Male only): Unexpanded 80 cm, with minimum 5 cm expansion (85 cm expanded). ST relaxation: 76 cm unexpanded with 5 cm expansion.

Candidates qualifying PET/PST undergo Detailed Medical Examination (DME) and Document Verification (DV) conducted by the coordinating CAPFs.

Syllabus

All questions in the Computer-Based Examination are set at the Matriculation (Class 10) standard across four sections (Clause 12.1.11):

  • General Intelligence and Reasoning: Analogies, similarities and differences, spatial visualization, spatial orientation, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, figural classification, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, and coding-decoding.
  • General Knowledge and General Awareness: Environment awareness, current events, everyday scientific observations, and questions on India and its neighbouring countries focusing on sports, history, culture, geography, economic scene, general polity, Indian constitution, and scientific research.
  • Elementary Mathematics: Number systems, computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions, relationship between numbers, fundamental arithmetical operations, percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, interest (simple and compound), profit and loss, discount, mensuration, time and distance, ratio and time, and time and work.
  • English or Hindi: Basic understanding and comprehension, grammatical usage, sentence structure, vocabulary, and reading comprehension at the secondary school level.

How to prepare (free, in order)

  1. Start running on day one alongside written preparation: A common failure mode is postponing physical conditioning until after the CBE results. Completing 5 km in 24 minutes (for male candidates) or 1.6 km in 8.5 minutes (for female candidates) requires consistent cardiovascular training over several months.
  2. Master speed arithmetic and reasoning fundamentals: With 80 questions in 60 minutes, candidates have an average of 45 seconds per question. Drill tables, fractions-to-percentages conversions, and non-verbal pattern recognition until answers are immediate. At 0.25 negative marking against 2 marks per question, eliminating careless errors creates a massive rank advantage.
  3. Cover static GK systematically from NCERT textbooks: Study Class 6–10 NCERT textbooks for history, geography, basic economics, and general science. Static GK forms the bedrock of the 20 questions in Part-B.
  4. Track daily current affairs and government updates: Use Press Information Bureau (PIB) releases and national news summaries for major government schemes, sports milestones, and national events over the preceding 6–12 months.
  5. Choose English or Hindi deliberately: Choose the language medium in Part-D based on early mock scores rather than assumption. Both test foundational matriculation grammar, idioms, and reading comprehension.
  6. Take timed full-length practice tests: Solve official past shift papers under strict 60-minute countdown timers to develop time management across the four sections.

Free resources