UPSC CAPF: Pattern, Eligibility, & How to Apply

The Union Public Services Commission conducts the CAPF exam annually to recruit armed personnel in the country. It stands for Central Armed Police Force (UPSC CAPF full form) and is a much-respected job in India. Various forces recruit officers from the UPSC CAPF exam. Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guards (NSG), and Assam Rifles (AR) are the available options.

If you’re trying hard to clear the CAPF exam by UPSC, you need to keep yourself updated with the pattern, eligibility criteria, and ways to apply in order to avoid any mistakes. Here, we will cover all such information for your better understanding.

Table of Content

Eligibility

Indian citizens and candidates who are subjects in Nepal and Bhutan are eligible to apply for the UPSC CAPF exam. As far as the age is concerned, anyone between twenty years of age to 25 years of age can take the exam. The base date taken calculates the age of August 1 of the respective year. Bachelor’s degree is another requirement to sit for the exam. However, people in the final year of their graduation may apply as well, provided they shall be able to provide the certificate of graduation at the time of recruitment.

NCC ‘B’ or ‘C’ certificates can help a person ace the personality test, also called the interview round. The NCC certificate is considered a feather in the cap of the candidate. Any person who has once been recruited as the Assistant Commandant in any of the above listed 7 forces shall be barred from appearing for the exam again. Pregnant women are disqualified as valid candidates for the exam.

Age Relaxation

Upper ages have also been relaxed by sufficient margins for the reserved categories in this exam. For SCs and STs, the relaxation period is 5 years, while it is 3 years for other backward classes. For the ex-servicemen candidates and Civilian Central Government Servants, the upper age relaxation is 5 years too. The same goes for candidates from Jammu and Kashmir. No changes in the date of birth are acceptable once published. Attempts at age tempering can lead to canceling the applicant’s candidature.

Other Standards

CAPF, an exam meant for people serving on the borders, requires the candidates to live up to certain physical and medical standards. Men should meet a minimum height requirement of 165 cm, i.e, a little above 5 feet 4 inches. The height requirement for women candidates is 157 cm, i.e., about 5 feet 1 inch. Men need to have a chest that measures at least 81 cm without expansion and should be able to expand it by a minimum of 5 cm. There is no such requirement for women.

The maximum weight requirement for both men and women is 50 kg and 46 kg, respectively. A 6/6 vision is preferred among the medical standards, though some variations are permitted. For the better eye, the corrected distant vision needs to be 6/6 or 6/9, while for the worse eye, it can be 6/12 or 6/9. Near vision needs to be N6 and N9, respectively.

The Exam Pattern

There are three stages in the UPSC CAPF exam, namely, a written examination, a physical standards / physical efficiency test (PET) and a medical test, and an interview/ personality test. The written test comprises a total of 450 marks in two papers. Paper 1 is the general and mental ability exam, consisting of 250 marks that must be attempted in 2 hours. It is an objective type paper. Paper 2 is the general studies, essay, and comprehension exam. It is a descriptive exam comprising 200 marks and needs to be done within 3 hours.

The PET comprises four events: 100 meters race, 800 meters race, long jump, and shot put. The latter is not meant for women. Women need to complete the 100 meters race in 18 seconds while men have to do it in 16. The 800 meters race is to be finished within 3 minutes and 45 seconds by men and 4 minutes and 45 seconds by women. 3 chances each are given for the long jump. Men have to beat the 3.5 meters mark, while for women, it is 3.0 meters. Men also need to throw a shot put weighing 7.26 kg to 4.5 meters.

Candidates who have cleared the above two exams are called for an interview in New Delhi. Then the results are published for the required number of vacancies.

How to Apply?

There are a total of stages in the application process. General and OBC candidates must pay a fee of two hundred rupees (Rs. 200), while the scheduled castes, tribes, and female candidates are exempted from paying it. Then the relevant documents in PDF or JPEG format must be uploaded to the site. Make sure your documents are genuine. Candidates may even withdraw their application if required. The examination centers are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis, so you need to be quick.

Conclusion

UPSC CAPF hence is a respectable exam to pass. However, it is not very popular among the people in India. But that does not mean it is an easy nut to crack because the vacancies rolled out each year are very low. It requires more physical labor than a person’s intellectual capabilities to clear the exam. Hence, it would not require rigorous study, but you will surely need to be healthy and in shape. Having an NCC certificate is a plus point. So make sure that you do not skip out on enrolling in it in your schools or college years. Cracking the UPSC CAPF exam requires discipline.