Eligibility for SSC CPO is stricter than for most SSC exams, and every cycle candidates are sent home from the ground for something they could have checked months earlier - a height they never actually measured, a degree result that arrived after the closing date, or a driving licence they assumed was optional. The rules below are taken from the Commission's own Notice of Examination rather than from hearsay: the age band and its relaxations, the degree requirement, the height and chest standards with the categories that get relaxation, the five PET events, and the eyesight standard that is applied without spectacles.
This is the paper your eligibility buys you a seat at: Paper-1, 100 questions for 100 marks in one hour, with a 15-minute sectional timer on each part and 0.25 marks deducted for a wrong answer. Everything after it is sequential and each stage is a gate - Paper-1, then PST and PET, then Paper-2 (160 questions, 320 marks, two hours, 0.50 negative), then the Detailed Medical Examination and Document Verification. PST, PET and the medical examination carry no marks at all; they are purely qualifying, and final merit rests on Paper-2. Age crucial dates, application windows and vacancy figures are fixed afresh in every notification, so confirm yours in the notice PDF for your own cycle on ssc.gov.in.
For all CPO posts except Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF, the age band is 20 to 25 years, reckoned on a crucial date the Commission fixes in each notice - in the 2026 notice that date was 1 August 2026. Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF is the exception at 18 to 30 years. Permissible relaxation beyond the upper limit is 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, and for Ex-Servicemen 3 years after deducting military service already rendered. Delhi Police vacancies additionally allow widows, divorced women and women judicially separated and not remarried to apply up to 35 years, and up to 40 years if they are SC/ST.
The essential qualification for Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Sub-Inspector (GD) in CAPFs is a Bachelor's degree from a recognised university or an equivalent. Candidates who have only appeared in their degree examination may apply, but they must actually possess the qualification on or before the closing date for receipt of online applications - a result declared after that date does not save the application. Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF has its own qualification: a B.Sc. with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, or Matriculation plus a three-year engineering diploma in an approved branch.
The general standard is 170 cm for male candidates and 157 cm for female candidates. Male candidates from the listed hill areas - Garhwal, Kumaon, Himachal Pradesh, Gorkhas, Dogras, Marathas, Kashmir Valley, Leh and Ladakh regions, the North-Eastern States and Sikkim - need 165 cm, and women from those areas 155 cm; for Scheduled Tribe candidates it is 162.5 cm for men and 154 cm for women. Chest for male candidates is 80 cm unexpanded and 85 cm expanded, relaxed to 77 cm and 82 cm for Scheduled Tribe men, and no chest measurement is taken for female candidates. Relaxation is granted only against a certificate in the prescribed proforma from the competent authority of the district where you ordinarily reside, so arrange that paper early.
First, male candidates must hold a valid LMV driving licence for motorcycle and car on the date fixed for the Physical Endurance and Measurement Tests to be eligible for Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police; without it you remain eligible only for Sub-Inspector in CAPFs. Second, eyesight is measured without spectacles, contact lenses or any corrective surgery: minimum near vision N6 in the better eye and N9 in the worse eye, and distant vision 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the worse eye. The medical standards also rule out knock knee, flat foot, varicose vein and squint, and require high colour vision.
For every CPO post except Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF, the age limit is 20 to 25 years as on the crucial date fixed in that cycle's notice - the 2026 notice used 1 August 2026. Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF runs on a wider band of 18 to 30 years. Upper-age relaxation is 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, and 3 years for Ex-Servicemen after deducting the military service rendered, with additional provisions for certain Delhi Police categories. Because the crucial date moves every cycle, always recompute your age against the date printed in your own notification rather than assuming last year's.
Yes, candidates who have appeared in their Bachelor's degree or an equivalent examination are permitted to apply. The condition is firm, though: you must possess the essential qualification on or before the closing date for receipt of online applications, which is the cut-off date the notice specifies. If your university declares the result after that date, the application is liable to be rejected at document verification. Keep a dated mark sheet or provisional certificate ready, since proof is demanded later in the process, not at application time.
The general requirement is 170 cm for male candidates and 157 cm for female candidates, with chest of 80 cm unexpanded and 85 cm expanded for men only. Candidates from the listed hill regions and from Scheduled Tribes get relaxed standards - 165 cm and 162.5 cm respectively for men, 155 cm and 154 cm for women - but only on production of a certificate in the prescribed proforma from the competent district authority. If you are declared not qualified on height or chest at the ground, you may appeal on the spot to the appellate authority present at the PST/PET venue, and that authority's decision is final.
You need one only for the Delhi Police Sub-Inspector post, and only if you are a male candidate. The notice requires a valid LMV driving licence covering both motorcycle and car, held on the date fixed for the Physical Endurance and Measurement Tests - not merely applied for. Male candidates without that licence are still eligible for Sub-Inspector in CAPFs, so the licence decides which preferences are open to you rather than whether you can sit the exam at all. Apply for it well before the physical stage, as processing time varies by state.
The eyesight standard is applied without any correction, which means spectacles, contact lenses or refractive surgery do not help you meet it. The requirement is near vision of N6 in the better eye and N9 in the worse eye, and distant vision of 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the worse eye, with the right eye treated as the better eye for a right-handed person. Candidates must also be free of knock knee, flat foot, varicose vein and squint, and must possess high colour vision. If you are unsure, get an eye test done before you invest a year in preparation.
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