This page lists what the Staff Selection Commission says will be tested in the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination, 2026. It follows the "indicative syllabus for Computer Based Examination" in the official notice dated 10 September 2026 (para 12.9), which is the newest notified cycle as of 13 November 2026. We have regrouped the topics so you can plan study by subject, but we have not added topics the notice does not name. Where we add a study note, it is marked as ours.
One point matters before the lists. The 2026 notice gives a single syllabus for both papers. Its heading is "Paper-I and Paper-II", and the only distinction it draws is a note at the end: the difficulty level of Paper-II will be higher than that of Paper-I.
Syllabus at a glance
| Subject | Paper-I | Paper-II |
|---|---|---|
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 questions, 25 marks | 20 questions, 40 marks |
| General Knowledge and General Awareness | 25 questions, 25 marks | 20 questions, 40 marks |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 questions, 25 marks | 20 questions, 40 marks |
| English Comprehension | 25 questions, 25 marks | 100 questions, 200 marks |
Timers, negative marking and the stages in between are on the exam pattern page. Besides the written syllabus, every candidate must clear the Physical Standard Test, the Physical Endurance Test and a medical examination. Those standards are summarised at the end of this page because they need preparation time too.
General Intelligence and Reasoning
The notice says this component "would include questions of both verbal and non-verbal type". It first lists the abilities tested, then the topics.
Abilities named: analogies, similarities and differences, space visualisation, spatial orientation, problem solving, analysis, judgment, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning and figural classification, arithmetic number series, non-verbal series, coding and decoding, statement conclusion, syllogistic reasoning.
Topics named, grouped by type:
- Analogy: semantic, symbolic or number, figural.
- Classification: semantic, symbolic or number, figural.
- Series: semantic, number, figural.
- Coding and operations: coding and de-coding, numerical operations, symbolic operations, trends; small and capital letters or numbers coding, decoding and classification.
- Spatial: space orientation, space visualisation, punched hole and pattern folding and unfolding, figural pattern folding and completion, embedded figures.
- Logic and inference: Venn diagrams, drawing inferences, problem solving, critical thinking.
- Clerical-type checks: indexing, address matching, date and city matching, classification of centre codes and roll numbers.
- Other named areas: word building, emotional intelligence, social intelligence.
Our note: most of this list is pattern recognition, and the figural topics improve with volume more than with theory. In Paper-I you have 15 minutes for 25 questions, so the aim is recognition speed. In Paper-II the same subject has 20 questions in 20 minutes at a higher difficulty, so expect longer problems.
General Knowledge and General Awareness
The notice describes this component in sentences, not a topic list. It says the questions will test:
- the candidate's general awareness of the environment around them and its application to society;
- knowledge of current events;
- matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspect, "as may be expected of any educated person";
- India and its neighbouring countries, especially History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Polity, Indian Constitution and Scientific Research.
That is the whole official description. The notice does not give a list of chapters, a time window for current affairs, or a weight for each area, and we do not invent one.
Our note: the named areas map to the standard school subjects (history, geography, civics, economics, general science) plus current events. Indian Constitution is named separately from General Polity, so treat it as its own study block. Because the syllabus is open-ended, previous papers are the most reliable guide to depth; they are available under previous-year papers (Pro).
Quantitative Aptitude
The notice says the questions will test "the ability of appropriate use of numbers and number sense". The scope it names, grouped by area:
- Number systems: computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions, and relationships between numbers.
- Arithmetic: percentage, ratio and proportion, square roots, averages, interest, profit and loss, discount, partnership business, mixture and alligation, time and distance, time and work.
- Algebra: basic algebraic identities of school algebra, elementary surds, graphs of linear equations.
- Geometry: triangle and its various kinds of centres, congruence and similarity of triangles, circle and its chords, tangents, angles subtended by chords of a circle, common tangents to two or more circles.
- Mensuration: triangle, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, circle, right prism, right circular cone, right circular cylinder, sphere, hemispheres, rectangular parallelepiped, regular right pyramid with triangular or square base.
- Trigonometry: trigonometric ratio, degree and radian measures, standard identities, complementary angles, heights and distances.
- Statistical charts: histogram, frequency polygon, bar diagram and pie chart.
Our note: geometry, mensuration and trigonometry are formula-driven, so a one-page formula sheet revised on a schedule pays back. Paper-I allows 36 seconds a question; Paper-II allows 60 seconds but at a higher difficulty (arithmetic from the scheme).
English Comprehension
For 2026 the notice describes this part as testing the candidate's "understanding and knowledge of English Language", based on:
- error recognition;
- filling in the blanks (using verbs, prepositions, articles and so on);
- vocabulary and spellings;
- grammar and sentence structure;
- synonyms and antonyms;
- sentence completion;
- phrases and idiomatic use of words;
- comprehension.
This part is set in English only.
English deserves more of your attention than its place in the list suggests. In Paper-II it has 100 questions for 200 marks out of a paper total of 320 (the total is our arithmetic), and marks in English in Paper-II are the second tie-break. The 2026 notice bases final selection on Paper-II performance, so English is the largest single block in the paper that decides selection.
What changed in the syllabus from 2025
We compared para 12.8 of the 2025 notice with para 12.9 of the 2026 notice.
- Reasoning, General Awareness and Quantitative Aptitude: the wording is the same in both notices. The difference is that in 2025 these three subjects were tested only in Paper-I, and in 2026 they appear in Paper-II as well.
- English: in 2025, Paper-I English was described in one line (ability to understand correct English, basic comprehension and writing ability), and the detailed list of question types belonged to Paper-II, which was an English-only paper divided into four parts with 30-minute timers. In 2026 that detailed list is the English syllabus for both papers, and the four-part division of the English paper is gone.
- Difficulty note: the line that Paper-II will be harder than Paper-I is in the 2026 notice.
If you prepared for the 2025 cycle, the topics you studied still count. What has changed is where they are tested and how much each is worth.
The physical and medical "syllabus"
These are not written subjects, but they are mandatory stages, and failing one ends your candidature whatever your marks. The figures are from paras 12.10 to 12.12 of the notice.
Physical Endurance Test, male: 100 metres in 16 seconds; 1.6 km in 6.5 minutes; long jump 3.65 metres in 3 chances; high jump 1.2 metres in 3 chances; shot put (16 lbs) 4.5 metres in 3 chances.
Physical Endurance Test, female: 100 metres in 18 seconds; 800 metres in 4 minutes; long jump 2.7 metres in 3 chances; high jump 0.9 metres in 3 chances.
Physical standards: general height of 170 cm for men and 157 cm for women, with chest of 80 cm unexpanded and 85 cm expanded for men, and lower figures for the hill areas, regions and Scheduled Tribe categories that the notice lists. There is no chest requirement for women. The full table is on the exam pattern page.
Medical: distant vision of 6/6 and 6/9 and near vision of N6 and N9 without glasses or surgical correction; no knock knee, flat foot, varicose vein or squint; high colour vision.
During training: the notice says finally selected candidates must pass seven obstacle events as part of the training curriculum, failing which they may not be retained: jumping over the vertical board, holding the rope on jumping from the board, Tarzan swing, jumping on the horizontal board, parallel rope, monkey crawl and vertical rope.
Our note: check the height, chest and eyesight figures against yourself before you invest months in the written papers. Eyesight in particular is tested without any correction.
How to use this syllabus
- Mark each topic as "can do", "shaky" or "not started". The lists above are short enough to print.
- Weight your time by Paper-II marks, since Paper-II decides selection: English 200, and 40 each for the other three (see exam pattern). Paper-I still has to be cleared first, and there all four subjects are equal at 25 marks.
- Use previous papers to judge depth, especially for General Awareness, where the notice gives areas and not chapters. Remember that papers from 2025 and earlier follow the older scheme, so use them for topic depth, not for timing.
- Practise by topic, then by section timer. Topic-wise practice and full mocks are on Pareeksha (Pro); the 10-question mini-mock and Daily Dangal are free. The plan is on the preparation page.
What this page does not have
- Topic-wise weightage or a count of questions per topic. The notice does not give one, and counts taken from past papers would describe the older scheme.
- A chapter list or a current-affairs time window for General Awareness. The notice names areas only.
- A separate, more detailed syllabus for Paper-II. The notice gives one syllabus for both papers and only says Paper-II will be harder.
- Any syllabus specific to the SI (Fire) post. The notice lists a separate educational qualification for it but the same computer-based papers.
Try the format with the free 10-question mini-mock. Full CBT-pattern mocks, previous-year papers and topic practice are Pro.
Related: Exam pattern · Cut-offs · Preparation strategy