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Police Recruitment Exam Pattern

A written paper that most prepared candidates clear, then three stages that most do not. Plan accordingly.

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Police Recruitment · checked 19 September 2026

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free Police Recruitment mock test Police Recruitment syllabus Today’s current affairs

19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

Police Recruitment: the facts that matter now

01
State police recruitment boards; SSC and RRB for certain central and railway forces
Conducted by
02
Constable and Sub-Inspector, with department-specific variants
Common posts
03
Written test → physical efficiency test → physical standard test → medical examination
Typical stages
04
Class 10 or 12 for constable posts; a degree for most sub-inspector posts
Written level

Pattern

Police Recruitment — How the paper is structured

The typical shape of a police written paper. Question counts, marks, duration and negative marking vary by recruitment — confirm in the notification for yours.
Section	Typical weight	Character
General Knowledge and Current Affairs	The largest section	Recall-based and highly improvable
General Intelligence and Reasoning	Substantial	Verbal and non-verbal; a speed skill
Numerical Ability	Moderate	School-level arithmetic
Language	Moderate	English, Hindi or the state language
State-specific content	Varies	Present in state recruitments; absent from central ones

The written stage is designed to be widely clearable, which is appropriate for recruitments filling thousands of posts from very large fields. What separates candidates is what follows, and the ratio is stark: a well-prepared candidate has a good chance in the written paper and a poor one at the physical test if they started training late.

The physical efficiency test, in general terms

Running — a prescribed distance within a prescribed time, universally required. Distances and timings differ by post, gender, category and often region.
Jumping and throwing events — long jump, high jump and shot put appear in many sub-inspector and some constable recruitments.
Strength events — some forces include pull-ups or similar.
Status — qualifying — no marks are added to the merit, but failure ends the attempt.

The physical standard test and medical

Height and chest — measured against standards varying by category and region, with relaxations for candidates from certain areas and communities.
Vision and colour perception — assessed against force-specific standards; colour vision deficiency is disqualifying for many posts.
Orthopaedic conditions — flat feet, knock knees and bow legs are commonly disqualifying.
Body marks and tattoos — subject to rules on location, size and content that differ between forces.

Standards are specific — read the ones that apply to you

Every figure above varies by force, post, gender, category and region. A candidate training to a distance or a height standard read in a general guide may be training to the wrong number. The notification for your specific recruitment is the only reliable source.

The proportions across the four stages explain why so many well-prepared candidates do not reach appointment. The written paper is designed to be clearable, because these recruitments fill large numbers of posts from very large applicant pools. The physical efficiency test removes candidates whose training started too late. The medical removes candidates for conditions that were identifiable at the outset. Effort allocated as though the written paper were the examination is allocated backwards.

The order in which to settle each stage

Medical standards, in week one Vision and colour perception, orthopaedic conditions, body marks and tattoos. Several are checkable by a candidate willing to look, and none of them responds to preparation later.
Physical standards, in week one Height and chest against the figures for your category and region. Fixed, published, and worth knowing before you commit months.
Physical training, from week one Running first, then the events your recruitment requires. It builds over months and cannot be compressed after a written result.
The written paper, over three months General knowledge as the main project, arithmetic and reasoning as fluency work, the language section as a modest daily habit.

Every figure varies — find yours

Running distances and timings, jump and throw standards, height and chest measurements and the relaxations available all differ by force, post, gender, category and region. Figures circulated online are a poor substitute for the table in your own recruitment’s notification. Write down the row that applies to you and train against those numbers.

Exam resources

Everything for Police Recruitment

Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.

Police Recruitment SyllabusPolice exam syllabus — the common subjects across constable and sub-inspector papers, plus the state-specific content that varies.Police Recruitment Exam PatternPolice exam pattern — the common written structure, and what the physical efficiency, standard and medical stages actually require.Police Recruitment Previous PapersPolice previous year papers — building the state-specific knowledge base and calibrating the written level for your recruitment.Police Recruitment Mock TestsPolice exam mock tests — written practice in the right proportions, alongside a structured physical training log.Police Recruitment PreparationPolice exam preparation — a parallel written and physical plan, with early medical checking and state-specific study.Police Recruitment Study MaterialPolice exam study material — general knowledge, reasoning, arithmetic and language notes, with guidance on state-specific content.

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