CAPF Exam Pattern 2025: Paper I & Paper II Pattern, Marking Scheme

CAPF Exam Pattern 2025: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases the exam pattern for CAPF exam along with the official notification. The official notification for CAPF 2025 session will be released on March 5, 2025. Since the past few years, there have been no new changes to the CAPF exam pattern. Any new changes in the exam pattern will be notified in the upcoming notification.

The CAPF exam pattern enables candidates to understand the weightage of topics and the exam's marking scheme. The exam pattern allows candidates to strategize their CAPF preparation based on their strengths and weaknesses in specific topics.

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CAPF previous year question papers are the best resource for candidates preparing for the exam. Candidates must practice CAPF mock test papers and previous year's papers in order to understand the exam structure and develop the preparation strategy that works best for them. 

CAPF Exam Pattern 2025

According to the CAPF exam pattern outlined in last year official notification, the exam is conducted in three phases:

• Written Examination
• Physical Standard/Physical Efficiency Tests (PET) and Medical Standards Test
• Interview/Personality Test

CAPF Exam Pattern 2025: Highlights

CAPF Exam Pattern 2025: Written Exam

The first stage of the CAPF selection process is the written exam conducted by UPSC. The written exam includes two papers which are conducted on the same day. The two papers are (i) General Ability & Intelligence and (ii) General Studies, Essay & Comprehension. The exam pattern for CAPF written exam is tabulated below:

Note:

• The questions in this paper will be of the Objective type, and they will be set in both English and Hindi.
• There is the option of writing the Essay Component in English or Hindi in this paper, but the medium of Precis Writing, Comprehension Components and other communications/language skills will be in English only.
• Minimum qualifying marks will be set separately for each Paper at the discretion of the Commission. Paper-I will be evaluated first, and Paper-II will be evaluated only for those candidates who receive the minimum qualifying marks in Paper-I.

CAPF Paper I Marking Scheme

• The Paper I of the UPSC CAPF AC exam is General Ability & Intelligence. 
• The paper will have 125 questions from different topics. 
• Each question will carry 2 marks. 
• There will be a negative marking as well. For every wrong 0.66 marks will be deducted. However, if the candidate has left the question unattempted, there will be no negative marking in such a case.

CAPF Paper II Marking scheme

• The Paper II of the UPSC CAPF exam is General Studies, Essay & Comprehension
• Paper II is divided into two parts: Part A & Part B
• The question paper is descriptive in nature.
• There will be 80 marks for Part A, while 120 marks for Part B

CAPF PET/PST 2025

Candidates who pass the written exam are invited to take the Physical Efficiency Test (PET) for the CAPF exam. Candidates will be tested for CAPF eligibility criteria prior to the physical efficiency test. The Physical Standard Test (PST) will be administered to determine whether or not the candidate will take the Physical Efficiency Test (PET).

CAPF Physical Standard Criteria

CAPF PET Exam

Note: Only candidates who have passed the Physical Efficiency Test will be subjected to Medical Standards Tests to ensure that they meet the standards outlined in the CAPF notification.

CAPF 2025 Guidelines for Women

Authorities have established specific guidelines for women who wish to take the CAPF examination. In terms of physical and medical standards, the eligibility criteria for women participating in the CAPF selection process differ. There are no separate eligibility requirements for married and unmarried candidates. However, certain guidelines for pregnant women are mentioned in the official notification, which are as follows:

• A woman candidate who is found to be pregnant of 12 weeks or more as a result of a test is declared temporarily unfit, and her appointment is put on hold until the confinement is over.
• The commission would reserve the vacancy for a pregnant woman who was selected.
• Physical Efficiency Tests should be conducted six weeks after confinement, subject to a medical certificate of fitness from a registered physician.
• In accordance with the Government's instructions, as amended from time to time, she may be appointed to the post reserved for her and be given the benefit of seniority.

CAPF Exam Pattern 2025: Interview/Personality Test

• The Union Public Service Commission will conduct interviews and personality tests for candidates who pass the Medical Standards Tests.
• Interviews/Personality Tests will be conducted on a provisional basis for medically unfit candidates allowed to appear before the Review Medical Board following an appeal by the Appellate Authority.
• If short-listed for an Interview/Personality Test, including provisionally short-listed candidates, they will be required to complete a Detailed Application Form (DAF), which includes an indication of their Forces preference.
• The interview/personality test will be worth 150 marks.