Join India's Central Police Force

Fast Facts
Name of the exam: Central Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination Organisations: Central Police Forces - CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB; Date: October
Eligibility: Min. graduation, final year students can also apply Age: 20-25,
No of posts: 600+ Gender: Both men and women can apply except for BSF, ITBP and SSB.

FOR Vikrant Nautiyal the die was cast when he saw a documentary on the BSF. The inhospitable terrain they operate in and the extreme conditions under which they perform their duty gave him the motivation to sit for the exam.
He passed the exam in the first attempt. It tests one’s overall level of intelligence and general awareness, he says. A three-month intensive preparation is enough, he comments. These are more of an assessment test, one need to build one’s ability over a period with shorter stints of focused preparation.
 
Exam structure and selection:

• The examination is in three parts Written Examination (Two papers - 250 Marks/150 Marks )
• Physical Standards/Physical Efficiency Tests
• Personal interview (200 Marks)

Each paper in the written examination would have a certain minimum qualifying mark. For example if one scores less than the minimum marks in Paper 1 the second paper would not be evaluated. Those obtaining more than minimum marks would be invited for physical tests/medical examination. These are clearing examinations. They have no marks, but one has to satisfy some minimum requirements. The last hurdle is the personal interview. And the final merit list will be drawn on the basis of marks obtained by the candidates in the Written Examination and Interview/Personality Test.

Written exam at a glance
The written examination consists of two papers each of two hours duration:

Paper I:General Ability and Intelligence: 250 Marks

The questions in this paper will be of Objective (Multiple Answers) Type in which the questions will be set in English as well as Hindi.

Paper II:Essay, Précis Writing and Comprehension: 150 Marks

In this paper candidates will have the option of writing the Essay component in English or Hindi, but the medium of Précis Writing and Comprehension Components will be English.
 
Paper I: General Ability and Intelligence

General Mental Ability: The questions would basically test the candidate’s logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude including numerical ability, and data interpretation abilities. A month’s intensive practice can help you crack this. But remember, on an average, mental ability constitutes 25-35% of paper (30-40 questions) out of about 120-150 questions. And it is a scoring section too. So developing the ability to quickly solve arithmetic problems and acquiring short-cuts to solve reasoning would help you tackle this paper. The level of Mathematics is not more than 10+2 and most problems test quickness of mind rather than ability to analyse.

General Science: The questions in this domain will test comprehension of scientific phenomena of everyday, new areas of importance like Climate Change, nuclear energy, biosafety and piracy. Keep a tab on latest international treaties, negotiating platforms, key negotiators etc. Also prepare small Q-cards on names and places and concepts in science.

Current events of national and international importance: The questions will test the candidates’ awareness of current events  in the broad areas of culture, music, arts, literature, sports, governance, societal and developmental issues. As the number of questions are only 10-15, do not give it undue attention. Regular reading of a newspaper and competition magazine is enough.

Indian polity and economy: The questions would comprise issues like the country’s political system and the Constitution of India, social systems and public administration, economic development, including its indicators.

History of India: This section would broadly cover the areas of growth of nationalism and freedom movement. But one  must not be too surprised if the questions come from a period before the nationalistic movement. But questions in this section do not test in depth knowledge. So a good GK guide book would do the trick.

Indian and world Geography: This will cover the physical, economic aspects of geography of India and the world. All the three sections would collectively contribute another 10% of the examination. But each subject would have a vast area to cover. So plan wisely.

Paper II: Essay, Précis Writing and Comprehension
The essay section would test the candidates’ ability to bring to fore his/her ideas on the given topic, arrange them in a coherent, orderly, concise, understandable and lucid manner in effective and grammatically correct language free from spelling errors. This will also test the candidates’ ability to understand the given passages for précis writing and comprehension and their skills to summarise the précis passage and reply to the short-answer questions on the comprehension passage. 

 The author runs a coaching centre for army and police entrances in Ernakulum.