SSC CPO Syllabus

General Intelligence and Reasoning (Paper 1)

Analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation, spatial orientation, problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, coding and decoding, statement conclusion, and syllogistic reasoning.

General Knowledge and General Awareness (Paper 1)

Current events and everyday observation, sports, history, culture, geography, economic scene, Indian polity and the Constitution, scientific research, and general science. Questions are pitched at what an educated candidate would be expected to know without specialist study.

Quantitative Aptitude (Paper 1)

Whole numbers, decimals, fractions and relationships between numbers, percentage, ratio and proportion, square roots, averages, interest, profit and loss, discount, partnership, mixture and alligation, time and distance, time and work. Algebra covers basic identities and elementary surds and graphs of linear equations; geometry covers triangles and their congruence and similarity, circles and their chords and tangents, and common tangents to circles; mensuration covers triangles, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, circles, prisms, cones, cylinders, spheres and hemispheres; trigonometry covers ratios, identities, complementary angles and heights and distances; and statistics covers histograms and frequency polygons.

English Comprehension (Paper 1)

A candidate’s ability to understand correct English, comprehension and writing ability, tested through error spotting, fill in the blanks, vocabulary, sentence structure and short passages.

English Language and Comprehension (Paper 2)

Error recognition, filling in the blanks with articles, verbs, prepositions and other parts of speech, vocabulary including synonyms, antonyms and homonyms, spellings, grammar, sentence structure, sentence completion, phrases and idiomatic usage, active and passive voice, direct and indirect narration, para jumbles, cloze passages and multiple comprehension passages. The paper tests depth of language command rather than breadth of subject knowledge.

The practical implication of this syllabus is a study split most candidates get wrong. Paper 2 is worth more than three times Paper 1 and its English section alone is worth twice Paper 1, and English is a subject that improves slowly through daily exposure rather than quickly through intensive revision. It should be the first thing you start and the last thing you stop.

The two English syllabi are worth comparing side by side rather than reading in sequence. The Paper 1 English section is a compact test of the same ground the Paper 2 English section covers at length, which means every hour spent on Paper 2 English is also Paper 1 preparation. Since the 2026 notice, quantitative aptitude, reasoning and general awareness also reappear in Paper 2 as 20-question parts at a higher standard, so work on them keeps paying too — but at 40 marks each against 200 for English.