Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant)
The CAPF (AC) examination is conducted by UPSC to recruit Assistant Commandants for India's Central Armed Police Forces — BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, and SSB. It is one of the most sought-after Group A examinations for candidates aspiring to serve in paramilitary and border security forces. The exam tests General Studies, Essay, and Comprehension abilities, followed by a Physical Efficiency Test and Interview.
| Criteria | Details |
|---|---|
| Age Limit | 20–25 years as on 1st August of the exam year. Age relaxation: 3 years for OBC, 5 years for SC/ST, and 5 years for ex-servicemen. Government servants get up to 30 years. |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor's degree from a recognised university, or equivalent. Final year students may apply provisionally. |
| Physical Standards | Minimum height: 165 cm (men), 157 cm (women). Chest: 81 cm unexpanded, 86 cm expanded (men). Relaxations for hill area and tribal candidates as per UPSC notification. |
| Nationality | Indian citizen. |
125 objective-type questions. Covers the same GS syllabus as UPSC CSE Prelims. Negative marking: -1/3 for each wrong answer.
Descriptive paper. Tests English language proficiency, analytical thinking, and structured writing. Qualifying in nature for shortlisting to interview.
Comprehensive coverage of Indian history, geography, polity, economy, science, and current affairs — mirrors UPSC Prelims GS Paper I syllabus.
Constitution, Fundamental Rights, Parliament, Judiciary, Centre-State relations, Panchayati Raj, and public policy — core to both CAPF and UPSC.
Physical, social, and economic geography of India. World geography covers strategic locations, climate, and resources relevant to border security forces.
Planning, growth, development, poverty, banking, fiscal policy, and government schemes. Tests understanding of India's economic landscape.
Ancient, medieval, and modern Indian history. Freedom movement, social reform, and post-independence events with emphasis on security and defence history.
Dates marked as Tentative are based on previous year patterns and subject to official notification. Always verify with the official CAPF website.
CAPF (AC) stands for Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant). It is conducted by UPSC to recruit Group A officers (Assistant Commandant rank) for five forces: BSF (Border Security Force), CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), and SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal). The starting pay is Level 10 (₹56,100–1,77,500) plus force-specific allowances.
CAPF has a lower competition ratio than IAS (approximately 1:50 vs 1:1000+), but the GS syllabus is nearly identical to UPSC Prelims. The key differences: CAPF has a physical fitness test (PET), Paper II is essay and comprehension (not CSAT), and the interview carries less weight. Many UPSC aspirants simultaneously prepare for CAPF as a backup since the GS overlap is 90%+.
Partially. You can indicate your preference for forces during the application. However, the final allocation depends on your merit rank, the number of vacancies in each force, and reservation quotas. Higher-ranked candidates are more likely to get their preferred force. BSF and CRPF typically have the most vacancies.
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Qualifying in nature. Conducted after the written exam for shortlisted candidates. Must meet force-specific fitness standards.
Conducted by UPSC. Tests personality, communication skills, awareness, and leadership qualities. Combined with Paper I marks for final merit.
Physics, chemistry, and biology at the 10th–12th standard level. Applied science questions related to everyday phenomena and defence technology.
National and international events, government policies, defence developments, border issues, and India's security environment. Critical for Paper I.
Precis writing, comprehension passages, and essay writing tested in Paper II. Strong command of structured English writing is essential.