UPSC CAPF Syllabus 2024 and Exam Pattern for Assistant Commandants

Union Public Service Commission every year conducts the CAPF AC 2024 exam to recruit candidates for Grade A Officers (Assistant Commandants) for the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP),  and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). UPSC CAPF exam pattern is mainly divided into stages like written test, medical test, and PET. The Written Test consists of two papers. The final selection will be based on the candidates’ performance in all the stages. The candidates who have been waiting for this recruitment can buckle themselves and begin their preparation with the updated UPSC CAPF exam pattern and syllabus. 

UPSC CAPF Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2024

Some of the basic information related to the exam pattern of the UPSC CAPF exam is tabulated below. The candidate has to go through the following stages to get selected for Assistant Commandant vacancies:

1. Written Examination
2. Physical Test
3. Interview

UPSC CAPF Exam Pattern 2024

The UPSC CAPF 2024 written exam is the first stage for the selection of candidates for the next round. The exam is conducted to shortlist candidates for the Physical & Medical Standards Test. The exam is held based on the exam pattern which is notified by the UPSC in the official notification.

1. Papers I & II will be in bilingual language & English, excluding English paper
2. Paper I is of 2 hours duration and Paper II is of 3 Hours duration
3. Paper- I will consist of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) with a negative marking of 1/3rd marks for each wrong answer
4. Paper II is in descriptive format
5. Paper-I is a qualifying stage; Paper-II will only be checked for those candidates who clear the Paper I

CAPF AC Syllabus 2024 for Paper 1

UPSC CAPF exam has two papers. The UPSC CAPF Paper-I includes General Ability & Intelligence, and Paper-II includes General Studies, Essay & Comprehension. Where total marks for both papers are a maximum of 550. In this section, questions will be asked on the below-mentioned topics. Let’s now have a look at the detailed Syllabus of Paper-1 and Paper-2 of the UPSC CAPF 2024 Exam:

Paper 1: General Ability & Intelligence

UPSC CAPF Paper 1 consists of questions from General Mental Ability, General Science, Current Affairs, Indian Polity, Indian History, India & World Geography. Check section-wise UPSC CAPF Syllabus 2024 from here and prepare accordingly for the examination. 

General Mental Ability

The UPSC CAPF Paper-I will have a written test that covered the following important General Ability topics and subjects that include General Mental Ability.

1. Logical Reasoning
2. Quantitative Aptitude
3. Numerical ability
4. Data Interpretation

General Science

1. General Awareness
2. Scientific Temper
3. Comprehension & Appreciation of Scientific Phenomena
4. Information Technology
5. Biotechnology
6. Environmental Science

Current Affairs

Questions will be from Current Affairs of national and international importance in areas of:

1. Culture
2. Music
3. Arts
4. Literature
5. Sports
6. Governance
7. Societal and Developmental Issues
8. Industry
9. Business
10. Globalisation

Indian Polity

Questions will be asked from:

1. Indian political system
2. Constitution of India
3. Social systems and public administration
4. Economic development in India
5. Regional and international security issues
6. Human rights & its indicators

Indian History

Questions will be asked to test candidates’ knowledge of the growth of nationalism in India and the freedom movement.

1. Indian History, Culture and Civilisation
2. Freedom Movement in India
3. Indian Constitution and Administration
4. Elementary knowledge of Five Year Plans of India
5. Panchayati Raj
6. Co-operatives and Community Development
7. Forces shaping Modern India
8. Renaissance
9. Exploration and Discovery

India & World Geography

1. Earth
2. Latitudes and Longitudes
3. Concept of time
4. International Date Line
5. Movements of Earth and their effects
6. Origin of Earth
7. Rocks and their classification
8. Weathering
9. Earthquakes and Volcanoes
10. Ocean Currents and Tides
11. The atmosphere and its composition
12. Temperature and Atmospheric Pressure
13. Planetary Winds
14. Cyclones and Anti-cyclones
15. Humidity
16. Condensation and Precipitation
17. Types of Climate
18. Major Natural Regions of the World
19. Regional Geography of India
20. Mineral and Power resources
21. Imports and Exports of India
22. World Geography

CAPF AC Syllabus 2024 for Paper II

This paper has General Studies, Essays, and Comprehensions as descriptive question-answer. In Paper II 2nd part is Essay writing and Comprehension, for Essay Writing in this part candidates have two options of writing the Essay component in English or Hindi. But in addition, the other part is Comprehension has to be written in English medium only. The question will be asked related to English language and Grammar skills.

Part A (80 Marks): Essay

The topics of essay questions could be on:

1. Modern Indian History
2. Freedom Struggle
3. Geography
4. Polity
5. Economy
6. Security
7. Human Rights
8. Analytical Ability

Part B (120 Marks)

1. Comprehensions
2. Précis writing
3. Communications/language skills
4. Developing counter arguments
5. Simple grammar
6. Other aspects

UPSC CAPF Physical Efficiency Test (PET)

After clearing the online exam which is conducted in written type, the candidate who clears that exam will be called for the Physical Efficiency Test for further evaluation. The candidates who meet the specified Physical Standard by UPSC CAPF will be evaluated through the Physical Efficiency Tests as given below:

UPSC CAPF (AC) Previous Year Question Papers