The two written papers, negative marking, descriptive Paper II, qualifying stages, interview, and final merit
The CAPF (AC) written examination has two papers, both held on the same day. Paper I is objective (250 marks) and carries negative marking. Paper II is descriptive (200 marks), and its Part B is in English only. Paper II is evaluated only for candidates who clear the Paper I cut-off. After the written stage come the qualifying PST, PET, and Medical Standards Test, and a 150-mark interview / Personality Test. The final merit is built from the written and interview marks of candidates who qualify at every stage. For the full funnel, see selection process.
| Paper | Title | Marks | Duration | Mode | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | General Ability and Intelligence | 250 | 2 hours | Objective (MCQ), OMR | Yes |
| Paper II | General Studies, Essay and Comprehension | 200 | 3 hours | Descriptive (pen and paper) | No |
Both papers are held on the same day, with Paper I in the morning session and Paper II in the afternoon session. Confirm the exact timing and date as per the latest UPSC notification, verify on upsc.gov.in.
Paper I covers six sub-areas:
For the clause-to-page mapping, see syllabus index.
Paper II is descriptive (written in long form) and is split into two parts:
| Part | Content | Marks | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | Essay questions | 80 | English or Hindi (candidate's choice) |
| Part B | Comprehension, précis writing, and other communication or language skills | 120 | English only |
Paper II answer scripts are evaluated only for those candidates who score at or above the Paper I cut-off fixed by UPSC. In other words, Paper I acts as a screen: if a candidate does not clear the Paper I cut-off, the Paper II script is not assessed and the candidate does not proceed. The exact cut-off varies by cycle and category, verify on upsc.gov.in.
The Physical Standards Test (PST), the Physical Efficiency Test (PET), and the Medical Standards Test are qualifying in nature. They do not add marks to the merit list; a candidate must simply pass them to remain in the process. A failure at any of these stages eliminates the candidate regardless of written marks. Standards are detailed in pst pet standards.
Candidates who clear the written examination and qualify in PST, PET, and the medical examination are called for an Interview / Personality Test carrying 150 marks. This is a scoring stage; the marks feed directly into the final merit. See personality test.
The final merit list is built from:
This gives a maximum of 600 marks for merit. The qualifying stages (PST, PET, medical) do not contribute marks; they only decide eligibility to continue.
| Component | Marks | Counts toward merit |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I | 250 | Yes |
| Paper II | 200 | Yes |
| Interview / Personality Test | 150 | Yes |
| PST / PET | Qualifying | No |
| Medical Standards Test | Qualifying | No |
| Total merit marks | 600 |
UPSC fixes category-wise cut-offs at the written stage and a final cut-off for selection. Force allocation among BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB is then done on the basis of merit, the candidate's preference, and vacancies. See selection process and the five forces.