UPSC CAPF Exam: Eligibility, Application Form, Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Admit Card & Result
Updated On - March 25, 2026
Geetanjali
UPSC CAPF 2026 was released by the Union Public Service Commission on 20 February 2026. The CAPF exam 2026 exam was conducted on 19 July 2026, as per the latest CAPF exam pattern. UPSC Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) exam is a competitive exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to recruit candidates in various armed forces across the country. The candidates who are selected through this exam, join the forces as Assistant Commandant (AC).
Table of Contents
SSC GD highlights
| Exam | Central Armed Police Forces Examination |
| Conducted By | Union Public Service Commission |
| Name of the Post | Assistant Commandant |
| Number of Vacancies | Approximately 250 |
| Frequency | Once a year |
| Age Limit | 20-25 years |
| Educational Qualification | Graduation |
| Application mode | Online |
| Application fee | INR 200 |
| Gender | Males and females are eligible |
| Selection Procedure | Written, physical test, and interview |
| Number of Applications | Approximately 3 lakh |
| E-Admit card | 3 weeks before the exam |
| Website | https://www.upsc.gov.in/ |
Notification
The notification was announced on 20 February 2026
Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification Release Date | 20 February 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply Online | 12 March 2026 (until 6:00 PM) |
| Application Correction Window | 13 March โ 19 March 2026 |
| Admit Card Release | Tentatively 1st week of July 2026 |
| Written Examination | 19 July 2026 |
| Written Exam Result | September/October 2026 (Expected) |
Vacancy
The UPSC releases the CAPF notification to shortlist the candidates for recruitment of Assistant Commandants (Group A). Check the tentative number of vacancies for the CAPF AC exam.
| Security Forces | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Border Security Force (BSF) | 78 |
| Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) | 13 |
| Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) | 69 |
| Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) | 27 |
| Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) | 22 |
| Total | 209 |
Eligibility Criteria 2026
UPSC describes the eligibility criteria for the CAPF exam in the official notification. The eligibility conditions for UPSC CAPF are explained below:
| Nationality |
|
| Age Limit | The lower age limit for the CAPF exam is 20 years and the upper age limit is less than 25 years. The age of the candidate is calculated from Janurary 1 of the exam year. For the candidates appearing in the UPSC CAPF exam 2026, the candidates must have been born not earlier than August 2, 1996, and not later than August 1, 2001. |
| Educational Qualification for CAPF 2026 | As given in the official CAPF notification, "the candidate must hold a Bachelor's degree from any recognized university". The candidates who are 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 โBโ or โCโ Certificates: Candidates in the possession of NCC โBโ or โCโ certificate will be given preference at the time of Interview. It should be noted that these qualifications will be given consideration only at the time of the Interview/Personality Test. |
Physical Standards For UPSC CAPF Applicants
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 prescribed 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 For UPSC CAPF Applicants
| (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) |
Application
Application Procedure
- Interested candidates who satisfy the eligibility conditions set by the Commission can apply online for the Assistant Commandant post through the website www.upsconline.nic.in.
- The online application process comprises two stages.
- Candidates are advised to scan their photographs and signature prior to filling up the application form.
- The photograph and signature should be in the .jpg format.
- The file should not exceed 40 KB and must not be less than 3 KB in size for the photograph and 1 KB for the signature. Aspirants should avoid multiple applications.
- Candidates are suggested to apply online well in time without waiting for the last date for submission of Online Applications.
- There is no option for the withdrawal of online applications for CAPF.
CAP Application Fee
All eligible candidates should pay the application fee prescribed by the UPSC. The application fee is INR 200, which can be deposited in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using the net banking facility of the State Bank of India, or by using Visa/Master/RuPay/Credit/Debit Card.
Some candidates belonging to reserved categories such as SC/ST are exempted from paying the application fee. One should note that all female candidates are also exempted from the application fee.
Admit Card
To be released soon.
Exam Centers
| Agartala | Dharwad | Kolkata | Sambalpur |
| Ahmedabad | Dispur | Lucknow | Shillong |
| Aizawl | Gangtok | Madurai | Shimla |
| Bengaluru | Hyderabad | Mumbai | Srinagar |
| Bareilly | Imphal | Nagpur | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Bhopal | Itanagar | Panaji (Goa) | Tirupati |
| Chandigarh | Jaipur | Patna | Udaipur |
| Chennai | Jammu | Port Blair | Visakhapatnam |
| Cuttack | Jorhat | Prayagraj (Allahabad) | |
| Dehradun | Kochi | Raipur | |
| Delhi | Kohima | Ranchi |
Exam Pattern
The UPSC CAPF exam is a three-stage exam having only one written exam. As per the UPSC CAPF exam pattern, the CAPF exam is conducted in three phases. These include the following
- Written Examination
- Physical Standards / Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and Medical Test
- Interview/Personality Test
Selection Process
After successfully filling up the UPSC CAPF Application form and submitting the exam fees, the admit card will be issued to the candidates in online mode only. 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 |
Paper I will be the objective type question paper and paper II will be the conventional essay type question paper having two parts.
UPSC CAPF Exam Stage II - Physical Standards/Physical Efficiency Tests and Medical Standards Tests
The Physical Efficiency and Medical Standard tests 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.
| 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 | - |
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.
Results
To be announced.
FAQ's
Q: Is the CAPF(AC) 2026 Result released?
A: Yes, the CAPF (AC) 2026 result will release soon. Check the result here.
Q. When will the CAPF (AC) 2026 exam be conducted?
A. As per the new UPSC exam calendar 2026, the CAPF (AC) will be conducted on 20 February 2026. The CAPF(AC) notification was released on April 15 for 159 vacancies.
Q. How many times is the CAPF exam 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 the 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 answer 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 for the physical/medical exam.
Q. Who conducts the Physical/Medical test in the UPSC CAPF exam?
A. The UPSC designates 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?
A. The age limit for the general category candidates is 25 years. But there is age relaxation provided to the reserved category candidates.
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