UPSC CAPF AC Paper I

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) exam to recruit suitable candidates for Assistant Commandant (Group A) posts. According to the exam calendar, the Commission will release the official notification and application form for UPSC CAPF (AC) exam 2023 on April 26, 2023. Interested candidates can apply online at upsc.gov.in.

Candidates can submit their applications until May 16, 2023. Furthermore, the UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 exam will be conducted on August 06, 2023. The UPSC CAPF selection process comprises three stages, i.e., written exam, PST/PET & medical test, and interview/personality test. Read on to know more about the UPSC CAPF exam.

UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 Exam Summary 2023

Candidates can check the below provided table to get an overview of the UPSC CAPF AC exam 2023:

Particulars	Details
Exam Name	UPSC CAPF (AC) Exam
Conducting Authority	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Post Name	Assistant Commandants (Group A) in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
Vacancy	To Be Announced
Exam Frequency	Once a Year
Job Location	Across India
Selection Process	– Written Test – PST/PET and Medical Test – Interview/Personality Test
Official Website	upsc.gov.in

Check all the latest updates on the UPSC CAPF 2023 exam below:

• As per the exam calendar, the UPSC CAPF notification 2023 will be released on April 26, 2023.

The Commission will release the official notification for UPSC CAPF AC 2023 on April 26, 2023. Candidates can check the notification on the official website, i.e., upsc.gov.in. As the official notification for 2023 is yet to release, interested candidates can access the 2022 notification using the link provided below:

• Download UPSC CAPF (AC) Notification PDF 2022

Check the complete schedule of UPSC CAPF exam 2023 from the table below:

Events	Dates
UPSC CAPF Notification Date	April 26, 2023
Start Date of Online Registration	April 26, 2023
Last Date of Registration	May 16, 2023
Admit card Release Date	To Be Announced
UPSC CAPF (AC) Paper 1 Exam Date	August 08, 2023
Result Declaration Date	To Be Announced

The Commission releases UPSC CAPF vacancies along with the official notification. As the vacancy of 2023 is yet to announce, candidates can check the UPSC CAPF vacancy for 2022 from the table below:

Security Forces	Vacancies
Border Security Force (BSF)	66
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)	29
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)	62
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)	14
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)	82
Total	253

A person selected for CAPF AC may join any of the following forces:

• Border Security Force
• Central Reserve Police Force
• Central Industrial Security Force
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force
• Sashastra Seema Bal

Before applying for the CAPF AC exam, applicants should be aware of the job profile and salary of all the posts.

UPSC CAPF Salary

The salary structure for CAPF recruitment 2023, as defined by the 7th Pay Commission, is shown in the table below:

Rank	Pay Scale (Basic Pay)	Pay Band
Director-General	Rs. 2,25,000	Apex Fixed
Additional Director General	Rs. 1,82,200 – Rs. 2,24,100	HAG
Inspector General	Rs. 1,44,000 – Rs. 2,18,000	Pay Band – 4
Deputy Inspector General	Rs. 1,31,000 – Rs. 2,16,600	Pay Band – 4
Sr. Commandant	Rs. 1,23,000 – Rs.2,15,900	Pay Band – 4
Commandant	Rs. 78,800 – Rs. 2,09,200	Pay Band – 3
Deputy Commandant	Rs. 67,700 – Rs. 2,08,700	Pay Band – 3
Assistant Commandant	Rs. 56,100 – Rs. 1,77,500	Pay Band – 3

UPSC CAPF Job Profile

The role of UPSC CAPF AC entails a lot of responsibilities. To maintain the organisation prepared for any situation, the candidate must ensure on-the-job training. They also look at the company’s operations planning and execution. The following are the remaining responsibilities:

• Independent Intelligence Network
• Efficacy and Serviceability of Armaments
• Administering Office
• Personnel Management
• Grievance Redressal
• Disciplinary Powers

The Commission specifies the eligibility criteria for UPSC CAPF (AC) in the official notification. Candidates must check as well as ensure their eligibility before applying for the exam.

UPSC CAPF Nationality

Candidates applying for CAPF exam must be:

• Citizens of India, or
• Subjects of Bhutan, or
• Subjects of Nepal, or
• Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1st Jan 1962 to permanently settle in India, or
• A person of Indian origin who migrated from Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and East African countries to permanently settle in India.

UPSC CAPF Age Limit

The minimum age limit for the UPSC Central Armed Police Forces exam 2023 is 20 years. Furthermore, the maximum age limit for the exam is 25 years.

CAPF Age Relaxation

The above-mentioned upper age limit is flexible for a few categories as mentioned below:

Category	Age Relaxation
Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe	5 years
Other Backward Classes	3 years
Civilian Central Government Servants/ Ex-Servicemen	5 years
Domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1989	5 years

UPSC CAPF Education Qualification

To be eligible for the UPSC CAPF exam, candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree/ Graduation from a recognised university.

Candidates in the final year of their degree programme may also apply for the exam. However, they must submit the qualifying exam’s final year mark sheet together with the detailed application form.

NCC ‘B’ or ‘C’ Certificates Requirement 

Candidates with an NCC ‘B’ or ‘C’ Certificate will be given preference during the interview. These qualifications will only be considered during the interview/personality test.

UPSC CAPF Physical Standards

The minimum height, chest, and weight requirements for both men and women have been tabulated below:

Physical Standards	Male	Female
Height	165 cm	157 cm
Chest(unexpanded)	81 cm (with 5 cm minimum expansion)	(Not applicable)
Weight	50 kg	46 kg

UPSC CAPF Medical Standards

Check out the medical requirements from the table below:

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)

The Commission releases the UPSC CAPF application form online on its official website. Candidates can register for the recruitment of CAPF Assistant Commandants recruitment at upsc.gov.in.

How To Apply Online for UPSC CAPF 2023?

Candidates can fill in their UPSC CAPF (AC) 2023 application form by following the simple steps outlined below:

• Visit the UPSC official website – upsconline.nic.in.
• Find and click on the ‘UPSC CAPF Assistant Commandant 2023’ link.
• Fill in the necessary details in the required sections and submit your information.
• Pay the application fee if applicable
• Click the ‘Submit’ button.
• Download and take print out the CAPF (Assistant Commandant) Application form for future reference.

UPSC CAPF Application Fees

The UPSC CAPF 2023 online application fee is divided into the following two categories:

Categories	Fee
General/OBC	Rs. 200/-
Female/ SC/ ST candidate	Nil

Along with the notification, the UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 exam centre list has been released. Candidates can check the exam centres below:

Agartala	Gangtok	Panaji (Goa)
Ahmedabad	Hyderabad	Patna
Aizawl	Imphal	Portblair
Almora (Uttarakhand)	Itanagar	Prayagraj (Allahabad)
Bengaluru	Jaipur	Raipur
Bareilly	Jammu	Ranchi
Bhopal	Jorhat	Sambalpur
Chandigarh	Kochi	Shillong
Chennai	Kohima	Shimla
Cuttack	Kolkata	Srinagar
Dehradun	Lucknow	Srinagar (Uttarakhand)
Delhi	Madurai	Thiruvananthapuram
Dharamshala (H.P.)	Mandi (H.P.)	Tirupati
Dharwar	Mumbai	Udaipur
Dispur	Nagpur	Visakhapatnam

Note: Allotment of Centres will be done on a “first-apply-first-allot” basis, and once a centre’s capacity is reached, it will be frozen.

Before proceeding to the detailed UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 exam pattern, candidates must go through the UPSC CAPF Selection Process 2023.

UPSC CAPF Selection Process

Below are the selection stages for UPSC CAPF (AC):

• Written Examination
• Physical Standards/Physical Efficiency Tests and Medical Standards Tests
• Interview/Personality Test

UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 Pattern

The UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 is a qualifying test. The question paper consists of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with a negative marking of 1/3rd mark for each incorrect answer. The exam pattern of UPSC CAPF AC is given below:

Exam	Type	Subject	Marks	Time
Paper 1	Objective	General Ability & Intelligence	250 Marks	120 Min
Paper 2	Descriptive	General Studies, Essay & Comprehension	200 Marks	180 Min

The following subjects are covered in the UPSC CAPF Syllabus 2023 for Paper 1:

Subject	Topics
General Mental Ability	Logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude, numerical ability, and data interpretation
General Science	General awareness, scientific temper, comprehension and appreciation of scientific phenomena of everyday observation, including new areas of importance like Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Environmental Science.
Current Events of National and International Importance	Current events of national and international importance in the broad areas of culture, music, arts, literature, sports, governance, societal and developmental issues, industry, business, globalisation, and interplay among nations.
Indian Polity and Economy	Country’s political system, the constitution of India, social systems, public administration, economic development in India, regional and international security issues and human rights, including its indicators.
History of India	Social, economic and political aspects. This shall also include the areas of growth of nationalism and freedom movement.
Indian and World Geography	Physical, social and economic aspects of geography pertaining to India and the World

The UPSC CAPF AC exam has a lot of competition. Hence, candidates must have a strong preparation strategy to crack it. They may increase their chances of passing the UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 exam by following the below instructions:

• Go through the latest syllabus and exam pattern as recommended by UPSC.
• Create a study timetable that includes all important subject-wise topics for Paper 1.
• Do not adhere to a time-based study (such as studying for 12 hours daily). Instead, do a target-based research study (such as complete polity constitutional bodies within a day). Then candidates will have plenty of time to relax, and your preparation will be efficient.
• Solve the previous year’s UPSC CAPF papers to get a sense of questions.
• Read the newspapers every day, write notes on key topics, or take images with the phone.
• Take CAPF mock test and attempt a paper every day on Embibe with a fresh mind.
• Analyse the mock test results on Embibe and concentrate more on the weak areas.  
• Don’t forget to thoroughly revise each subject. Regular revision will help candidates stay linked with all of the topics that they study and will prevent them from forgetting anything.

The Commission releases the UPSC CAPF (AC) admit card online. No physical hall tickets were provided to any candidates. Candidates must download their admit cards at upsc.gov.in. Furthermore, they must enter the login credentials to download the call letter. Candidates must carry a hard copy of their admit cards and one identity proof to the exam centre.

After the exam has been conducted, the commission publishes the UPSC CAPF AC answer key. The answer key includes all of the questions given in the examination as well as the correct answer. The Commission releases the key for all sets (if any). Furthermore, candidates can also file complaints against the answer key if they disagree with any of the responses to a specific question.

The Union Public Service Commission declares the UPSC CAPF AC result as a merit list. The merit list consists roll number and name of all the qualified candidates. Candidates can check the UPSC CAPF (AC) result by following the instructions below:

• Visit the official website – upsc.gov.in.
• Click on the CAPF Result that appears in the “What’s New” section on the right-hand side of the home page.
• A new page will display, presenting the PDF link to the CAPF written result.
• Click on the link in the “Documents” column, and the written result PDF will open.
• Search the roll number by using CTRL+F.
• Download the CAPF result in PDF format for future reference.

The UPSC CAPF AC cut-off 2023 is the minimum number of marks required for a candidate to qualify for the next round of examination or to be included in the final merit list. The CAPF AC cut-off is determined by a number of factors such as the number of openings, the number of registrations, the difficulty level of the exam, and more.

UPSC CAPF AC Previous Year Cut-off Marks

Refer to the table below for the UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 cut-off 2020:

Category	Cut-off marks (Out of 250)
General	117.34
OBC	117.34
SC	101.34
ST	99.34
ESM	110.00
Ex-Serviceman	25.34

Candidates might have many questions regarding the UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 Exam 2023. Here are a few commonly asked questions and answers:

Q: What are the various forces under UPSC CAPF?

Ans: The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) include Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

Q: Is the Assistant Commandant a gazetted officer?

Ans: Yes. The gazetted officer recruited straight through the CAPF exam is the Assistant Commandant. He or she will be the commanding officer of an armed force unit.

Q: What is the age limit for the UPSC CAPF AC exam?

Ans: Candidate applying for the exam must have the age between 20 years to 25 years.

Q: What is the UPSC CAPF AC syllabus for Paper 1?

Ans: The UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 syllabus includes General Mental Ability, General Science, Current Events of National and International Importance, Indian Polity and Economy, History of India, and Indian & World Geography.

Q: Do questions repeat in the CAPF exam?

Ans: Yes, there is a probability that a few questions from prior years will be asked again. Candidates can also find a lot of similar problems if they solve the previous year question papers.

Q: Is therr a negative marking in the UPSC CAPF AC Paper 1 exam?

Ans: Yes. There are negative markings for each wrong answer.