Police Bharti 2026

Delhi Police and the Staff Selection Commission together run the largest police hiring cycle in northern India, covering constable, driver, head constable and sub-inspector posts. This page sets out the vacancy split, the eligibility bar, the physical standards, the exam design and the pay for Police Bharti 2026, using the figures published for the cycle and nothing beyond them.

What does Police Bharti 2026 actually refer to?

“Bharti” is the Hindi word for recruitment, so the phrase covers a whole Delhi Police hiring cycle rather than one exam. The Staff Selection Commission conducts the written stage through its GD constable and Delhi Police constable processes, while Delhi Police handles the physical, verification and medical stages that follow it.

Which posts does the Delhi Police cycle recruit for?

Five post categories make up this recruitment: Constable (Executive), Constable (Driver), Head Constable (Ministerial), Head Constable (AWO/TPO) and Sub-Inspector. Executive constables carry general policing duties, drivers need a valid light motor vehicle licence, and the ministerial and AWO/TPO head constable roles sit closer to office and technical work.

How many vacancies are on offer, and how tough is the competition?

Published vacancy figures for this cycle total 10,541 posts, split 6,093 for men and 4,448 for women across the five categories. Applications are estimated at 27-30 lakh against the 27.25 lakh received in 2024, which works out to roughly one vacancy for every 260 candidates who apply.

Position	Total Vacancies	Male	Female	Category Breakdown
Constable (Executive)	5,670	3,174	2,496	UR/OBC/SC/ST/EWS
Sub-Inspector (SI)	3,073	1,841	1,232	UR/OBC/SC/ST/EWS
Head Constable (Ministerial)	509	305	204	UR/OBC/SC/ST/EWS
Head Constable (AWO/TPO)	552	331	221	UR/OBC/SC/ST/EWS
Constable (Driver)	737	442	295	UR/OBC/SC/ST/EWS
TOTAL	10,541	6,093	4,448	All Categories

When do the main recruitment dates fall?

Notification for this cycle was slated for December 2025, with the online form opening after it and the last date carried in the notice itself. The computer-based exam window runs from 18 December 2025 to 6 January 2026, results are expected in February 2026, and the physical test follows in February-March.

Stage	Timing
Notification release	December 2025
Application window	Opens with the notification; last date in the notice
Admit card	Before the exam date
Exam	18 December 2025 - 6 January 2026
Result	Expected February 2026
Physical test	February-March 2026
Document verification	April-May 2026
Medical examination	May-June 2026
Final selection	June-July 2026

Who is eligible by age and education?

Applicants must be between 18 and 25 years old, with the upper limit relaxed by five years for SC and ST candidates, three years for OBC candidates, and by five years plus length of service for ex-servicemen. Constable posts need a 10+2 pass in any stream; sub-inspector posts need a bachelor’s degree.

Beyond age and qualification, the notice sets a few standing conditions:

• Indian nationality
• Sound physical and mental health, confirmed at the medical stage
• A valid LMV driving licence for driver posts
• A clean background at character verification
• No existing government employment at the time of application

What physical standards does the recruitment apply?

Male candidates need a minimum height of 170 cm, relaxed to 165 cm for reserved categories, with a chest of 81 cm unexpanded and 85 cm expanded, an expansion of at least 4 cm. Female candidates need 157 cm, relaxed to 155 cm, and no chest measurement is taken. Height is measured without shoes.

Physical efficiency standards for male candidates:

Event	Standard
1600 Meter Race	6 minutes
Long Jump	14 feet minimum
High Jump	3’9” minimum

Physical efficiency standards for female candidates:

Event	Standard
800 Meter Race	4 minutes
Long Jump	10 feet minimum
High Jump	3 feet minimum

How is the written exam scored?

The computer-based test carries 100 objective questions for 100 marks in 90 minutes, with 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer. Papers are set in English and Hindi, and the exam runs in two to three shifts a day, so scores are normalised across shifts before the merit list is drawn.

Exam Parameter	Details
Total Marks	100 marks
Total Questions	100 MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)
Exam Duration	90 minutes
Type of Questions	Objective (MCQ) - Multiple Choice
Negative Marking	-0.25 marks per wrong answer
Passing Marks	Variable by category (65-75 range expected)
Language	English & Hindi medium
Mode	Computer-Based Test (CBT) - Online
Number of Shifts	Multiple shifts (2-3 per day)

What does the syllabus cover subject by subject?

General Awareness carries half the paper, so current affairs, Indian history, polity, geography, economy and basic science do the heaviest lifting. Reasoning contributes 25 marks, quantitative aptitude 20 and computer knowledge 10. Candidates weak in maths can still clear the paper by protecting their General Awareness score.

Subject	Number of Questions	Marks	Percentage
General Awareness (Current Affairs & General Knowledge)	50	50	50%
General Intelligence & Reasoning	25	25	25%
Quantitative Aptitude	20	20	20%
Computer Knowledge	10	10	10%
TOTAL	100	100	100%

Topic coverage inside each section:

• General Awareness: current affairs and government schemes; Indian history; polity and the Constitution; geography; economy; general science; sports and awards
• Reasoning: analogies; classification; series completion; coding-decoding; statements and conclusions; direction sense; blood relations; syllogism
• Quantitative Aptitude: number system; simplification; profit and loss; time and work; ratio and proportion; percentage; averages; basic algebra; geometry and mensuration; speed and distance; HCF and LCM
• Computer Knowledge: computer generations; CPU and memory; input and output devices; operating systems; MS Office; internet and email; cybersecurity basics

What cutoffs has this exam settled at in past years?

Category-wise cutoffs have drifted upward each year: the General cutoff moved from 60 marks in 2021 to 65.03 in 2024, while the SC cutoff moved from 52.5 to 57.5 over the same period. Projections for the current cycle sit a few marks higher again, which is why 70-plus is treated as safe.

Year	General	OBC	SC	ST	Female	Overall
2024	65.03	66.81	57.5	56.25	62	~65
2023	62.5	64.75	55	53.75	60	~62
2022	61.25	63.5	53.75	52.5	58	~61
2021	60	62	52.5	51	57	~60

Projected cutoffs for the current cycle, which remain estimates until the result is published:

Category	Expected Cutoff	Safe Score Target
General (UR)	68-72	72+
OBC	66-70	70+
SC	58-62	63+
ST	56-60	61+
EWS	65-69	69+
Female	62-66	66+

How does selection move from one stage to the next?

Selection runs in five stages: the computer-based test, the physical efficiency test, the physical standards test, document verification and a full medical examination. Stages after the written paper are qualifying rather than additive, so rank on the final merit list is decided by the normalised CBT score alone.

• Stage 1 - Computer-based test: 100 questions in 90 minutes, negative marking applied
• Stage 2 - Physical efficiency test: running, long jump and high jump, all three to be cleared
• Stage 3 - Physical standards test: height, chest and weight measured, with vision and hearing checks
• Stage 4 - Document verification: originals of education, category and character certificates
• Stage 5 - Medical examination: full check-up and fitness certification

What does a Delhi Police constable earn?

Basic pay for a constable is Rs 21,700 with a grade pay of Rs 2,000, on top of which come dearness allowance, house rent allowance at 16.45 per cent of basic plus grade pay, transport allowance of Rs 1,200-1,800 and a uniform allowance of Rs 2,060 a year. In-hand pay works out to roughly Rs 30,000-40,000 a month.

Component	Amount (Monthly)
Basic Pay	Rs 21,700
Grade Pay	Rs 2,000
Dearness Allowance (DA)	Variable (as per government orders)
House Rent Allowance (HRA)	16.45% of (Basic + Grade Pay)
Transport Allowance	Rs 1,200-1,800
Uniform Allowance	Rs 2,060 annually
Expected In-Hand Salary	Rs 30,000-40,000

Service benefits attached to the post include a defined benefit pension scheme, medical coverage, casual, earned and sick leave as per rules, government accommodation where available, a children’s education allowance, gratuity, and a promotion ladder that runs towards sub-inspector and above. Day-to-day duties cover patrolling, traffic regulation, crime prevention, security and surveillance, and community policing.

How do you fill the online form without getting rejected?

Registration starts on delhipolice.gov.in or ssc.gov.in with a username, an active email address and a verified mobile number. Personal details must match the Class 10 certificate exactly, the photograph must be 420x500 pixels and the signature 250x100 pixels, and the category chosen at submission cannot be changed later.

The sequence on the portal runs as follows:

1. Register as a new user and verify the email address and mobile number by OTP
2. Fill personal details, including name, parentage, date of birth, category and Aadhaar number
3. Enter educational qualification with board, year of passing and marks, then upload the certificate
4. Upload the photograph, signature and any category or medical certificate in the specified format
5. Select the posts you are eligible for on a single application
6. Review every field, accept the terms and submit
7. Pay the fee and download the confirmation receipt
8. Save the application number and print the form for your records

Rejections in this cycle usually come from avoidable errors: a wrong category that cannot be edited later, an incorrect date of birth that breaks the age calculation, a name spelt differently from the Class 10 certificate, a photograph that fails the pixel specification, mandatory fields left blank, an email address you do not check, or a second application submitted by the same candidate.

Where can candidates track other government openings?

Official portals, delhipolice.gov.in and ssc.gov.in, carry the notification, the form and the admit card, and nothing on this page replaces them. For openings outside the police services, the job listings on OnJob gather current vacancies in one place, which makes it easier to compare deadlines across departments.

What else do aspirants ask before applying?

Six questions come up more than any others in the run-up to a police recruitment cycle, and most of them turn on eligibility rather than preparation. Answers below stick to what the notification and the Delhi Police physical standards say; anything not covered here should be checked against the official notice before you apply.

What is the age limit for these constable posts?

Age for constable posts runs from 18 to 25 years, calculated as on the cut-off date printed in the notification. SC and ST candidates get five extra years, OBC candidates three, and ex-servicemen get five years plus the length of their service. Sub-inspector posts follow the age band set in the same notice.

What is the application fee, and who is exempt?

Application fee is Rs 100 for General, OBC and EWS candidates, payable online by card, net banking or UPI. Women candidates pay nothing and SC and ST candidates are also exempt. A payment receipt is generated once the transaction clears, and candidates should download it before closing the portal window.

Can candidates who wear glasses apply?

Spectacle wearers are eligible. Vision requirement is 6/12 in both eyes, with or without correction, so glasses do not bar an application. The medical stage also checks hearing, blood pressure and general fitness, and weight is assessed as proportionate to height rather than against a fixed figure.

Are tattoos a disqualification?

Tattoos on visible areas such as the forearm are discouraged rather than automatically disqualifying. The medical board can reject a candidate whose tattoo carries anti-national or offensive content. Since the wording differs between notices, applicants with visible tattoos should read the instructions in the notification that applies to their post.

What happens to a candidate who fails the physical test?

Failing the physical efficiency or physical standards test ends that attempt: the candidate does not move on to document verification or the medical examination. No re-test is offered within the same cycle. Candidates who remain within the age limit can apply again when the next recruitment notice is published.

How many applications can one candidate submit?

One application per candidate is the rule, and duplicate submissions are rejected outright. A single form covers every post the candidate is eligible for, so there is no advantage in registering twice. Errors can only be fixed in the correction window that opens for a few days after the deadline.