UPSC Central Armed Police Force Exam: Ace It With The Right Preparation

The UPSC CAPF full form is Central Armed Police Forces. It refers to the uniform terminology of seven security forces in India under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. They are the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), National Security Guard (NSG), Assam Rifles (AR), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The rules for the qualification of personnel to become a CAPF are made by the Union Public Service Commission. UPSC conducts the CAPF exam to hire Assistant Commandant (Group A) Officers in the above-mentioned seven Police organizations in India. Clearing this CAPF exam is a hard nut to crack but with the right preparation approach, candidates can do it seamlessly. Let’s check the right preparation approach!

Table of content 

Eligibility Criteria for the Exam

Syllabus And Exam Pattern

How To Prepare For The UPSC Central Armed Police Force Exam?

Wrapping Up

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Eligibility Criteria for the Exam

The candidates must fulfill certain requirements to be considered eligible for selection. The admission of candidates at all phases is purely temporary until and unless they satisfy the UPSC eligibility criteria for the CAPF exam.

Eligibility conditions are confirmed with reference to original documents only after the candidate has been authorized for the Interview round. 

The candidates must satisfy the following necessities –

1. Must be an Indian citizen

2. Age limit – The minimum age to apply for UPSC central armed police force exam is 20 years and the upper limit is 25 years. There are relaxations for people belonging to other categories like SC/ST, OBC, etc.

3. Educational Qualification – The candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree from any Government recognized University Or from a Deemed to be University

Syllabus And Exam Pattern

Merely meeting the eligibility requirements will not get you qualified for the exam. The candidates have to be clear with the Assistant Commandant Syllabus and CAPF exam pattern. 

The exam pattern is in the following format –

● The written examination to be executed by UPSC will contain two Papers in both English and Hindi language.

● Paper-I in the CAPF exam will have Multiple Choice Questions carrying 250 marks and Paper II will be a written type exam carrying a weightage of 200 marks.

● After the first and second papers have been qualified, candidates are called for the Physical efficiency test.

● Candidates stated qualified and healthy in the PET test are called for the final Interview round carrying 150 Marks.

● Paper 1 involves questions on General Ability and Intelligence. It is a two-hour-long paper.

● Paper 2 involves questions on General Studies, Essays, and Comprehension. It is a three-hour-long paper.

● Minimum qualifying marks are fixed by the commission separately for each paper.

General ability and intelligence in paper 1 include questions in the fields of Basic math and quantitative aptitude and logical reasoning, etc. The main idea of this subject is to assess the thinking and problem-solving ability of the candidate and evaluate the candidate on his thinking traits.

General Studies and comprehension consist of essay writing comprehension in English or any other language based on the options. This section assesses your writing skills. 

How To Prepare For The UPSC Central Armed Police Force Exam?

As mentioned above, the first paper is objective type and the second paper is subjective. 

Some tips that will help you during the second paper which is the written exam are –

1. Books

Books are the greatest and most effective source of knowledge. Choosing the right books will make the preparation much easier for you. There is a vast variety of books available in the market and choosing the best from this sea of choices is an essential step. The books you decide to study from should have verified information in the right format so that you can learn the content in an easy and effective manner.

2. Precise Answer

Try to make your comprehension and other language-related questions as precise as you can. Writing long stories will not fetch you marks and you will fail to prove your knowledge.

3. Syllabus

The most important step of preparing for anything is comprehending and knowing the format, complete syllabus, and topics that will be in the examination. 

4. Practice, Practice, And Practice

Practicing continuously is very important as it will help in getting better at important topics and subjects. It will help you realize what you have studied, what more you should study, and which topic should be studied in a better way. 

5. Mock Test

Attempt as many mock tests as you can. It will help you in getting better at the topics you have learned. Moreover, mock tests create an examination hall-type environment that forces the candidate to perform under pressure. You learn to manage time while giving these tests.

6. Time Management

People cover as much syllabus as they can but do not focus on other aspects like time management. Time management is the second most important thing that the candidate must give preference to while preparing for the exam. The exam is conducted for a fixed time allotted by the authority, hence proper time management will allow you to prepare for every possible scenario. So, candidates are suggested to practice managing their time by using old-year question papers and giving as many mock tests as they can.

7. Make notes

Make short and clear notes so that you can revise all the important topics just before your exam. Making notes also helps in retaining the content better. After all the topics of the syllabus have been covered, these notes will help in revising the chapters. 

8. Study Past Years Question Papers

Previous year’s question papers give an idea about the format of the exam. They tell about the important topics and subjects which must be covered by the candidate.

Wrapping Up

The UPSC CAPF Exam is difficult to crack but with the right approach it can become easy. To be successful in the CAPF Exam one must need to follow the above-mentioned preparation strategy. Be consistent with your work and avoid distractions to be focused and determinant.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Who is eligible to apply for CAPF?

Candidates who have a Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university in any field can apply for the UPSC CAPF exam. There are other criteria related to age limit, qualification, citizenship, etc.

2. Is there a negative marking on the exam?

Yes, there is a negative marking on the first paper of the CAPF exam. 0.33 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer marked as a penalty. 

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