Central Industrial Security Forces are regarded as one of the reputed security forces of the country. An Assistant Commandant is a Grade A gazetted officer in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) regulated by the Union of Public Service Commission under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Commission conducts CAPF exam annually to recruit candidates for the post of Assistant Commandant in Central Industrial Security Forces(CISF) and several other forces.
CISF Notification
Candidates must visit the official UPSC website to know about the latest UPSC exam notifications. UPSC conducts a common competitive exam known as CAPF for recruitment of candidates to the post of Assistant Commandant. The candidates who clear the CAPF exam are recruited as Assistant Commandants for its various departments:
- Border Security Forces
- Indo-Tibetan Border Police
- Central Reserve Police Forces
- Central Industrial Security Force
- Sashastra Seema Bal
- National Security Guard
- Assam Rifles
The CAPF exam as per the 2019 notification, will be conducted on 18th August 2019.
However, UPSC also conducts in-house recruitment annually for the post of CISF AC (EXE) LDCE known as Limited Departmental Competitive Exam.
The important dates for upcoming CISF Exam AC(EXE) LDCE are given below:
| Date of notification | 4-12-2019 |
| Last date for receipt of applications | 24-12-2019 |
| Date of commencement of exams | 1-03-2020 |
The commission has provided the official date for the release of CAPF admit card. To know more refer to the link provided.
CISF Assistant Commandant: Eligibility
To be eligible for the post of Assistant Commandant in CISF, the candidates need to appear for the CAPF examination. The candidates must fulfil the following eligibility conditions before applying for CAPF examination are:
| CISF Eligibility | |||
| Nationality | Age | Sex | Educational qualifications |
| Candidates must be a citizen of India to be eligible for the exam. Any candidate who is not a citizen of India, except with the consent of the Central Government signified in writing will be debarred from the enrolment, appointment and employment as per the rules. | Candidates must have attained the age of 20 years and should not be more than 25 years of age as on 1st August 2019, i.e. he/she must have been born on or after 2nd August 1994 and not later than 1st August 1999. | Both male and female can apply for the CAPF Exam. | A candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised University to be eligible for the exam. |
CISF AC (EXE)LDCE: Eligibility
CISF AC (EXE) LDCE is an in-house recruitment process commonly known as Limited Departmental Competitive Exams. This exam is conducted every year to fill in the vacancies of Assistant Commandant (EXE).
Candidates must go through the following eligibility conditions before applying for the post:
- Candidates having Indian citizenship are only eligible to apply for this exam.
- He / She must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized University.
- The candidates should have completed 4 years of regular services in the rank of Sub Inspector(GD) / Inspector (GD) including the period of basic training and should have a clean record of services till the issue of offer of appointment.
- The candidates should not be more than 35 years of age as on 1st August 2019. However, the upper age limit will be relaxed upto a maximum of 5 years for SC / ST candidates.
The candidates applying for both CISF AC & AC(EXE) LDCE, must also fulfil the physical and medical eligibility conditions mentioned as per the CAPF eligibility conditions. To know more, refer to the link provided.
CISF Assistant Commandant: Exam Pattern & Syllabus
The candidates aspiring to join the CISF as an Assistant Commandant need to qualify the CAPF exam conducted by UPSC annually. The exam consists of 3 phases:
- Phase -I: Written-test
- Phase- II: Physical Efficiency Test and Medical Standard Test
- Phase -III: Personal Interview / Personal Ability Test
CISF Exam Pattern: Phase-II
The Phase-II i.e., written-test of CISF exam consists of two papers:
- Paper-I: Objective type
- Paper-II: Descriptive type
The details of the exam pattern for the written test are given below:
| CISF Exam (phase-I) | Topics | Duration | Marks |
| Paper-I (objective type) | General ability and intelligence | 2 hours | 250 marks |
| Paper-II(Descriptive type) | General Studies, Essay & Comprehension | 200 marks |
The paper II is again categorised into 2 parts:
- Part A- Essay
- Part B- Comprehension & Precise writing
| Paper-II | Marks | Duration |
| Part -A: Essay | 80 | 3 hours |
| Part -B: Comprehension & Precise writing | 120 |
CISF Exam Pattern: Phase-II
Round -II of CISF Exam is the physical efficiency test and the medical efficiency test.
Highlights of physical efficiency test are given below:
| Physical Efficiency Test (PET) | Male | Female |
| 100 metres race | In 16 seconds | In 18 seconds |
| 800 meters race | In 3 minutes 45 seconds | In 4 minutes 45 seconds |
| Long jump | 3.5 metres (3 chances) | 3.0 metres (3 chances) |
| Shot put (7.26 kgs) | 4.5 metres | _ |
CISF Exam Pattern: Phase-III
Candidates who qualify the physical efficiency test, as well as the medical standard test, are called for an Interview/Personality Test which will carry 150 Marks. Candidates who are short-listed for Interview/Personality Test, including those shortlisted for Interview/Personality Test provisionally will be issued a Detailed Application Form (DAF) in which they will be required to indicate their preference of Forces.
Along with the exam patterns, the candidates need to have a proper idea about the exam syllabus. The detailed topics of CISF syllabus are listed in the table below:
| CISF Exam Papers | Topics |
| PAPER-I
(General Ability and Intelligence) |
General mental ability: logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude, numerical ability and data interpretation. |
| General Science: includes general questions from the areas of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Environmental science. | |
| Current events of national and international importance including the areas of sports, culture, music, arts, literature, governance, industry, business and globalisation. | |
| General Awareness: History of India, Indian and world geography, Indian polity, and Economy. | |
| PAPER-II
Part A- Essay |
Candidates need to write an essay on the topics related to modern Indian history i.e., freedom struggle, geography, polity and economy, knowledge of security and human rights issues, and analytical ability. The medium of essay can be English or Hindi. |
| Part B- Comprehension & Precise Writing | This part includes comprehension passages, précis writing, developing counter arguments, simple grammar and language testing. The medium of writing for comprehension & precise writing is English. |
The candidates who qualify the written test can appear for the physical efficiency test and the medical standard efficiency test as per the eligibility criteria.
For more details on the physical efficiency test, aspirants can check the CAPF Syllabus.
CISF AC(EXE) LDCE: Exam Scheme & Syllabus
UPSC conducts in-house recruitment of CISF AC (EXE) LDCE annually. The exam pattern for this exam is set by UPSC in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The exam consists of three phases:
- Phase -I: Written Test
- Phase -II: Physical Efficiency Test
- Phase -III: Personality Test
The written examination to be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission is categorized into two papers:
- Paper-1: General Ability and Intelligence and Professional Skill, (300 marks) (150
questions) (2 ½ hours)
This paper will be of Objective Type (Multiple Choice Questions) in which the questions
will be set in English as well as Hindi.
The paper will comprise two parts as follows:
- Part-A: General Ability and Intelligence – 150 Marks – 75 Questions
- Part-B: Professional Skill – 150 Marks – 75 Questions
2. Paper-II: Essay, Precis Writing, and Comprehension – 100 Marks (2 hours)
CISF AC(EXE) LDCE Syllabus:-Download PDF Here
CISF Vacancies: Assistant Commandant & AC(EXE) LDCE
CAPF is a common competitive exam conducted every year by UPSC to recruit candidates for the post of Assistant Commandant. Clearing the CAPF exam will make the candidate eligible to join any of the CAPF departments. The no. of vacancies keeps on changing every year as per the requirement.
The no. of vacancies as per the 2019 notification are given below:
| Services | No. of CAPF vacancies |
| BSF | 100 |
| CRPF | 108 |
| CISF | 28 |
| ITBP | 21 |
| SSB | 66 |
For CISF AC (EXE) LDCE, the no. of vacancy changes every year as per the requirement. It is an in-house recruitment process and the no. of vacancies available for the year 2019 is 10.
To know more about CAPF recruitment, refer to the link provided.
CISF Salary: AC & AC(EXE) LDCE
The pay scale of a CAPF AC as per the 7th Pay Commission is mentioned in the table below:
| Rank | CAPF AC | CAPF AC ( Pay Band) |
| Assistant Commandant | Rs.56,100-Rs.1,77,500 | Pay band-3 |
The in-hand salary of a CISF Assistant Commandant can be found on the table below:
| CISF AC Salary Structure | |
| Basic Salary | Rs. 15,600 |
| Grade Pay | Rs.5,400 |
| Dearness Allowance | Rs.26,250 |
| Total in-hand salary: Rs.44,135 | |
Along with the basic pay, CAPF AC is also provided with house allowances, dearness allowance, ration money, transport allowance, special duty allowance, dress allowance, hardship allowance, and medical allowance.
How to apply for CISF online?
UPSC conducts CAPF examination for recruiting candidates for CISF department. Before applying for the CAPF Exam, candidates must register themselves through the official website. Candidates must follow the following steps while filling up the application form:
- Candidates must provide a proper name, date of birth (as per the Matriculation Certificate) and valid email-id while registering themselves.
- Candidates must have a proper photo ID-Card verified by the State / Central Government. The scanned copies of these ID-Cards should be uploaded while filling up the application form.
- The eligible candidates shall be provided with an e-Admit Card three weeks before the exam date. The e-Admit Card will be available in the official UPSC website.
To know more about CAPF admit card, refer to the link provided.
For CISF AC(EXE) LDCE, candidates can fill the application form the official UPSC site. After filling up the application form, the candidates need to a hard copy of the printed application form the CISF authorities for further verification and onward transmission to the Commission.