UPSC CAPF AC (Assistant Commandant) Syllabus 2026

The complete UPSC CAPF AC (Assistant Commandant) syllabus for 2026 — 2 sections and 27 topics in all, organised exactly as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) prescribes. Use it as your revision checklist, then test yourself with a free UPSC CAPF AC (Assistant Commandant) mock below.

General Ability & Intelligence (Paper I — Objective, 250 marks)17 topics

General Mental Ability — logical reasoning (analogies, classifications, series, syllogisms, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense)
General Mental Ability — quantitative aptitude (percentages, ratio and proportion, time and work, time and distance, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, averages, basic algebra)
General Mental Ability — geometry and mensuration basics (triangles, circles, area, perimeter, volume of standard shapes)
General Mental Ability — Data Interpretation (tables, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts), basic numeracy
General Science — NCERT Class 9-12 Physics (motion, work-energy, heat, optics, electricity, magnetism, modern physics basics)
General Science — NCERT Class 9-12 Chemistry (atomic structure, periodic table, chemical bonding, acids-bases-salts, organic chemistry basics, everyday chemistry)
General Science — NCERT Class 9-12 Biology (cell biology, human physiology, genetics, ecology, biotechnology, recent medical and health updates)
General Science — applied science (everyday phenomena), space and IT (ISRO missions, recent satellite launches, defence technology basics)
Current Events — last 12 months of national and international affairs (political, economic, sports, awards, international relations, defence, environment)
Current Events — internal security and border developments (anti-Naxal operations, J&K and Northeast, India-China LAC, India-Pakistan IB and LoC, India-Bangladesh, India-Nepal and India-Bhutan border affairs)
Indian Polity — Constitution (Preamble, Fundamental Rights, DPSP, Fundamental Duties), Parliament, Judiciary, Centre-State relations, important Articles, Constitutional and statutory bodies
Indian Polity — Centre-State law-and-order relations, AFSPA, UAPA, role of MHA and CAPFs, Disaster Management Act 2005 framework (NDMA, NDRF — NDRF is staffed largely from CAPFs)
Indian Economy — economic indicators, RBI, NITI Aayog, recent Union Budget, major central schemes, banking and financial system basics
History of India — Ancient (Indus Valley, Mauryan, Gupta), Medieval (Delhi Sultanate, Mughals), Modern (freedom movement 1857 onwards, post-independence consolidation), important personalities and movements
Indian Geography — physical (Himalayan ranges, river systems, monsoon, soils), economic (agriculture, mineral resources, industrial regions), political (states, capitals, recent reorganisations)
World Geography — world physical geography basics, climate zones, major rivers and mountain systems, ocean currents
Strategic and border geography — India's land boundary (15,106 km) and the five border-CAPF deployment zones, Line of Actual Control (LAC) sectors, Line of Control (LoC), Siachen, Northeast salient, Sundarbans and riverine border areas

General Studies, Essay & Comprehension (Paper II — Conventional, 200 marks)10 topics

Essay (Section A, 80 marks) — one topic from 5-6 options. Topics are offered in both Hindi and English. Recurring themes: internal security, border management, women empowerment, paramilitary roles, economy, governance, social issues, climate change, technology in policing, drones and surveillance, cyber threats
Essay craft — structured introduction, multi-dimensional body (political/economic/social/security/technological perspectives), counter-arguments, balanced conclusion with a forward-looking note
Essay — language choice: a candidate must commit to ONE language (English or Hindi) for the essay; both languages cannot be mixed. The chosen language should be declared on the answer sheet as instructed
Comprehension Passage (part of Section B) — 250-400 word passage followed by 5-8 comprehension questions testing understanding, inference, vocabulary in context
Précis Writing (part of Section B) — a 300-word passage to be summarised in approximately 100 words (one-third length), retaining key argument structure and tone
Other English language skills (part of Section B) — fill-in-the-blanks, sentence correction, error spotting, vocabulary substitution, idioms and phrases, grammar fundamentals (tenses, voice, articles, prepositions)
Internal-security essay content — anti-Naxal operations, Jammu & Kashmir post Article 370, Northeast insurgency, drug trafficking on borders, cross-border terrorism, drone threats, CBRN preparedness, role of CAPFs in disaster response
Border-management essay content — India-Pakistan border fencing and surveillance, India-China infrastructure race along LAC, India-Bangladesh riverine border issues, India-Nepal and India-Bhutan open-border arrangements, integrated check posts (ICPs)
Governance and women-in-uniform essay content — recruitment of women in CAPFs since 2016, gender-sensitivity in policing, role of CAPFs in election security, VVIP and industrial security mandate of CISF
Comprehension and language standard — graduate-level English. Section B is English only; only the essay section permits Hindi as an alternative

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