SSC GD Constable 2026: Eligibility, Syllabus, Physical Test & Salary

SSC GD Constable 2026: A Popular Path to a Uniformed Career

The SSC GD Constable exam recruits constables (General Duty) for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) — BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB — as well as the Assam Rifles, SSF, and NCB. With tens of thousands of vacancies each year and just a 10th-pass requirement, it's one of the most accessible and popular government jobs in India.

SSC GD Constable 2026 Eligibility

Education: Class 10th (Matriculation) pass from a recognised board.
Age: 18 to 23 years (with relaxations — 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC).
Nationality: Indian citizen.

Confirm your eligibility instantly with our free Eligibility Checker.

Selection Process

The selection has four stages:

Computer Based Examination (CBE)
Physical Efficiency Test (PET) & Physical Standard Test (PST)
Medical Examination
Document Verification

Computer Based Exam Pattern

| Section | Questions | Marks | |---------|-----------|-------| | General Intelligence & Reasoning | 20 | 40 | | General Knowledge & Awareness | 20 | 40 | | Elementary Mathematics | 20 | 40 | | English / Hindi | 20 | 40 |

Total: 80 questions, 160 marks, 60 minutes. Negative marking of 0.50 marks per wrong answer.

Physical Standards (PET/PST)

Physical Efficiency Test (Race)

Male: 5 km in 24 minutes.
Female: 1.6 km in 8 minutes 30 seconds.

Physical Standard Test (Height/Chest)

Male: Height 170 cm (relaxations for certain categories), Chest 80–85 cm.
Female: Height 157 cm.

Standards vary for hill-area, tribal, and reserved categories.

SSC GD Constable Salary

Constables are recruited at Pay Level 3 (₹21,700–₹69,100). The in-hand salary is approximately ₹23,000–₹28,000 per month depending on posting and allowances, along with free rations, uniform, medical facilities, and pension benefits.

Syllabus Highlights

Reasoning: Analogies, similarities, spatial visualisation, coding-decoding, series.
GK & GS: Current affairs, India & its neighbours, history, geography, polity, economy, general science.
Maths: Number systems, percentages, ratio, averages, time & work, mensuration.
English/Hindi: Grammar, vocabulary, comprehension.

Preparation Strategy

Start physical training early — the race and physical standards eliminate many candidates. Build stamina months in advance.
Focus on GK and Maths — these are scoring with regular practice.
Solve previous year papers to master the CBE difficulty and speed.
Take mock tests and revise current affairs from our Current Affairs section.

Which Force Should You Prefer?

SSC GD lets you rank CAPFs by preference (BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles, SSF, NCB), and your final force allotment depends on your rank in the merit list plus your preference order. Each force has a different posting profile — BSF and SSB mean border postings, often in remote or high-altitude terrain; CISF largely guards airports, metros, and industrial installations with comparatively more urban postings; CRPF handles internal security and is the largest force with the most vacancies and fastest promotions due to sheer scale. If posting location matters more to you than force prestige, rank CISF higher; if you want faster career progression, CRPF's scale works in your favor.

Common Questions About SSC GD Constable

Is there a difference in PET standards for hill/tribal candidates? Yes — candidates from notified hill areas (Ladakh, Kashmir Valley, Northeast states, etc.) and Scheduled Tribes get relaxed height, chest, and race-time standards, detailed separately in each year's notification.

What happens if I clear the CBE but fail the PET? You're eliminated from that recruitment cycle — physical standards are a qualifying (pass/fail) stage, not scored for merit, but you must clear them to proceed to medical examination and final selection.

Can women apply for all posts? Yes, women can apply for GD Constable posts across all forces, though a small percentage of vacancies in some forces are specifically reserved for women candidates.

Start Your Preparation

SSC GD rewards candidates who balance written preparation with physical fitness. Begin both together.

👉 See the full details on the Police & Defence exams, and use our AI Career Guide to plan your preparation.