CAPF (AC)Exam
What is CAPF (AC)?
CAPF is a competitive exam conducted by the UPSC to recruit candidates in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). CAPF (AC) exam provides the opportunity for a direct entry at the Assistant Commandant (AC) level in the paramilitary forces in India. The CAPF exam is conducted every year to recruit the candidates for the said position in the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). Ministry of Home Affairs is the cadre controlling authority for the CAPF. Ministry of Home nominates the nodal authority for the physical and medical standard test (PST). The following forces recruit the candidates through this exam.
- Border Security Force (BSF)
- Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
- Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
- Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
UPSC CAPF (AC) Exam Highlights
CAPF exam is a yearly affair and the exam highlights are given below:
| Exam Name | Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Geographical Scope | All India |
| Exam Frequency | Once in a year |
| Exam Mode | Offline |
| Exam Stages | Written+Physical+Interview/Personality Test |
| Exam Language | English and Hindi |
| Exam Helpdesk | 011-23098543 |
| Official website | upsc.gov.in |
UPSC CAPF Eligibility Criteria
UPSC describes the eligibility criteria for the CAPF exam in the official notification. The eligibility conditions for UPSC CAPF are explained below:
Nationality:
- The candidate must be a citizen of India.
- The candidates who are subject of Nepal and Bhutan are also allowed to apply in the exam.
- No other candidate can apply for the UPSC CAPF exam.
Age limit for CAPF Exam
The lower age limit for the CAPF exam is 20 years and the upper age limit is less than 25 years. The age is calculated from August 1 of the exam year. For appearing in the UPSC CAPF exam 2022, the candidates must have been born not earlier than August 2, 1997, and not later than August 1, 2002.
The upper age limit prescribed above will be relaxable.
| Category | Relaxation |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe | five years |
| Other Backward Classes | three years |
| Civilian Central Government Servants | five years Ex-Servicemen will also be eligible for this relaxation. |
| Domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1989 | five years |
However, the total relaxation claimed on account of Government Service will be limited to five years.
Educational Qualification for UPSC CAPF
As given in the official CAPF notification, “the candidate must hold a Bachelors degree from any recognised university”
The candidates who appear in the final year of their degree course can also apply for the exam but they have to produce the final year mark sheet of the qualifying exam with the detailed application form.
Possession of NCC ‘B’ or ‘C’ Certificates:
The candidates having the NCC ‘B’ or ‘C’ Certificate will be given preference at the time of the Interview. These qualifications will be given consideration at the time of the Interview/Personality Test only.
Physical Standards
The UPSC CAPF notification prescribes the physical and medical standards in a very comprehensive manner. The important points related to the CAPF physical standards are given below. The minimum requirements for the candidate are as follows:
| Physical Standards | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 165 cm | 157 cm |
| Chest(unexpanded) | 81 cm (with 5 cm minimum expansion) | (Not applicable) |
| Weight | 50 kg | 46 kg |
Medical Standards
| (a) Eyesight: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Better eye (corrected vision) |
Worse eye (corrected vision) |
|
| Distant vision | 6/6 OR 6/9 |
6/12 OR 6/9 |
| Near Vision | N6 (corrected) | N9 (corrected) |
UPSC CAPF Exam Pattern
The UPSC CAPF exam is a three-stage exam having only one written exam. The candidates need to go through the UPSC CAPF exam pattern to prepare well for the exam.
UPSC CAPF 2022 Selection Process
UPSC will issue the admit card to the candidates without fully scrutinising the application form and hence the candidature of the candidates remain provisional till the final result. The UPSC CAPF exam consists of three stages. All three stages are given below:
UPSC CAPF Exam Stage I – Written Exam – 450 marks
Stage I is the written examination. The written exam consists of two papers-
| Paper Name | Time Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper- I – General and Mental Ability | 2 hours | 250 marks |
| Paper-II – General Studies, Essay and Comprehension | 3 Hours | 200 marks |
|
Total |
450 marks | |
UPSC CAPF Exam Stage II – Physical Standards/Physical Efficiency Tests and Medical Standards Tests
The Physical Efficiency and Medical Standard test are only qualifying in nature. The candidates need to meet the standard prescribed in the CAPF notification.
After passing Stage I, the candidates need to undergo the Physical Efficiency and Medical Standard Test.
Physical Efficiency Tests (PET)
| Event | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Meters race | In 16 Seconds | In 18 seconds |
| 800 Meters race | In 3 minutes 45 seconds | In 4 minutes 45 seconds |
| Long Jump | 3.5 Meters (3 chances) | 3.0 meters (3 chances) |
| Shot Put (7.26 Kgs) | 4.5 Meters | – |
- Pregnancy at the time of PET will be a disqualification and pregnant female candidates will be rejected.
UPSC CAPF Stage III: Interview/Personality Test – 150 marks
The candidates declared passed in the second stage of the CAPF exam, will be called for the interview/personality test. The interview/ personality test will be conducted on the UPSC premises in New Delhi. After the interview/personality test, the final result will be declared.
UPSC CAPF Preparation
The candidates should start preparing for the UPSC CAPF 2022 exam ( if not yet started). The syllabus is vast and the time is less. A proper strategy is required to prepare for the UPSC CAPF preparation. See here the important components for the UPSC CAPF preparation.
Restriction on appearing in UPSC CAPF
Any candidate who has been selected as the Assistant Commandant in any of the forces are restricted to apply again in the exam.
UPSC CAPF 2022 Exam Centre
The examination centre will be allotted in the first apply first allot basis. So the candidates need to fill the UPSC CAPF application as early as possible to get the desired centre.
UPSC CAPF Tie-Breaking Principle
UPSC issued new guidelines for the tie-breaking resolution. The candidates having equal marks in the final aggregate total is called a tie situation and such a situation will be resolved based on the age of the candidate. It means that in the case of tie-breaking, the older candidate will be given preference in the rank.
UPSC CAPF 2022 FAQs
Q: Is the UPSC CAPF 2022 notification released?
A: Yes, UPSC CAPF (AC) 2022 notification and application has been released on April 20. Last date to appy is May 10.
Q. When will the CAPF (AC) 2022 exam be conducted?
A. UPSC CAPF (AC) 2022 will be conducted on August 8 in offlibe mode at the designated exam centres.
Q. How many times the CAPF exam is conducted in a year?
A. UPSC conducts the CAPF exam once every year. But the exam process is long and usually takes more than one year to complete.
Q. Is the assistant commandant a gazetted officer?
A. Yes, the Assistant Commandant is the gazetted officer recruited directly through the CAPF exam. He/She is the commanding officer of an armed force unit.
Q. How many attempts are there for UPSC CAPF?
A. The number of attempts is not mentioned in the official UPSC CAPF notification. Only the upper age limit is fixed. It implies that the candidates can appear any number of times till he/she attains 25 years of age.
Q. Is there any negative marking in UPSC CAPF exam?
A. Yes, the CAPF written exam paper 1 has the negative marking of One by three. It means for each wrong answer, 33% of marks assigned to that will be deducted as a penalty.
Q. What is the exam cycle of the UPSC CAPF exam?
A. The UPSC issues the CAPF notification in April month and the final result is declared in September of the next year.
Q. Is there any descriptive paper in the UPSC CAPF Exam?
A. Yes, in the CAPF written exam, there are two papers. Paper 2 is descriptive in nature.
Q. Can females apply for the CAPF exam?
A. Yes, the females can also apply in the CAPF exam and are treated at par with their male counterparts. There are relaxed criteria for qualifying the physical/medical exam.
Q. Who conducts the Physical/Medical test in the UPSC CAPF exam?
A. The UPSC designate an authority to conduct the physical and medical exam. The result of that authority is final in the matters of the physical and medical exam.
Q. How many candidates apply in the UPSC CAPF exam?
A. Around 3 lakh candidates apply for the UPSC CAPF exam each year. But only 50% appear in the written exam. Around one lakh candidates appear in the written exam and only around three thousand candidates qualify for the Physical/Medical exam.
Q. What is UPSC CAPF DAF?
A.DAF means the Detailed Application form. The DAF is mandatory to be filled for the UPSC CAPF exam. It requires all the academic and professional details of the candidate.
Q. What is the Age limit for CAPF?
The age limit for the general category candidates is 25 years. But there is age relaxation provided to the reserved category candidates.
