CISF Syllabus 2026: Subject-Wise Topics for All Posts

Preparing for the Central Industrial Security Force starts with one question: which post are you aiming for? CISF recruits through separate notifications, and each written paper has its own sections and weight. This CISF syllabus guide breaks down the written-test topics for the main direct-recruitment posts, the skill and physical stages that sit beside them, and a week-by-week plan to cover everything.

CISF names the tests in its notification but does not publish a long topic-wise syllabus. The topic lists below are built from the notification pattern and from the kind of questions asked in earlier papers. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list, and confirm the pattern for your post in the current notification on cisfrectt.cisf.gov.in.

In this guide

• Syllabus at a glance

• Key points to know first

• Constable syllabus (Tradesman, Fire, Driver)

• Head Constable (Ministerial) syllabus

• ASI (Stenographer) syllabus

• Assistant Commandant (LDCE) syllabus

• Which topics to study first

• Physical, trade and skill tests

• What overlaps across posts

• How to cover the syllabus

CISF Syllabus

The table shows the written paper for each main post as printed in recent notifications. Marks and timings can differ by cycle, so treat this as a map and read your notification for the exact figures.

Key Points to Know Before You Start

• There is no single CISF syllabus: Constable (GD) comes through the SSC GD exam, so its syllabus follows the SSC notice. Pages that mix GD topics with CISF-run posts can mislead you.

• The written test is only one stage: Physical standards, a physical efficiency test, a trade or skill test and a medical examination also decide your result for most posts.

• Older pages show 2022 patterns: Some sites still carry the 2022 section lists and exam dates. Follow the current notification.

• Language option: Papers are generally offered in English and Hindi, so choose the language you read fastest.

CISF Constable Syllabus (Tradesman, Fire, Driver)

Constable papers test basic school-level ability across five areas. The questions are objective, and the level is close to Class 10. The table lists what to cover and where to start.

Mathematics and analytical aptitude together can make up close to half the paper in the five-section format, so they deserve the largest share of your time. General awareness is the fastest section to score in, because one reading habit can add marks every week.

Driver and Fire posts: what changes

The written paper is similar, but the final selection leans on a skill test. Driver posts add a driving test and a valid licence requirement, while fire posts add a physical and endurance component. Read the post-specific clause in the notification, because the weightage of the skill stage is stated there.

CISF Head Constable (Ministerial) Syllabus

This is a 100-mark paper with four equal sections of 25 questions. Because each section carries the same weight, a weak area costs as much as a strong one gains.

General Intelligence

• Verbal reasoning: Analogy, classification, coding-decoding, alphabet and letter series, word logic.

• Relationships and order: Blood relations, direction sense, ranking, calendar and clock problems.

• Logic: Statement and conclusion, statement and argument, Venn diagrams, arithmetical reasoning, simple puzzles.

• Non-verbal: Figure series, missing character, mirror images and pattern completion.

General Knowledge

• Current affairs: National and international events, awards, sports, books and authors, important days.

• Static GK: Indian history, geography, polity and the Constitution, basic economy, general science, inventions, countries and capitals.

Arithmetic Ability

• Core topics: Average, percentage, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest, mixture and alligation.

• Work and motion: Time and work, pipes and cisterns, time, speed and distance.

• Geometry and data: Mensuration, basic geometry, trigonometry basics, number series and data interpretation.

General Hindi or English

• Grammar: Parts of speech, tenses, articles, voice, direct and indirect speech, subject-verb agreement.

• Vocabulary: Synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, spelling correction.

• Reading: Comprehension passages and sentence arrangement.

Head Constable (Ministerial) also has a typing or skill test after the written paper. Keep typing practice running in the background from the first week. The qualifying speed is stated in the notification.

CISF ASI (Stenographer) Syllabus

The ASI paper is longer, with 200 questions split into four sections of 50. It is closer to a graduate-level test of speed than the constable papers.

Stenographer posts add a shorthand skill test. The dictation speed and the transcription time are set in the notification, so practise to that target rather than to a general benchmark.

CISF Assistant Commandant (LDCE) Syllabus

Assistant Commandant is filled through the UPSC CAPF examination and through a departmental exam for serving officers. The departmental paper follows two parts.

• Paper I (objective): General ability and intelligence, including reasoning, quantitative aptitude, general science, current events and general awareness, followed by professional skills.

• Professional skills: Industrial and aviation security, disaster management, fire safety, perimeter and installation security, internal security duties, and service rules.

• Paper II (descriptive): Essay writing, precis writing and comprehension.

Direct-entry aspirants should follow the UPSC CAPF syllabus instead, which has its own pattern and papers. The exact weightage for the departmental route is in the official notice.

Which Topics to Study First

Not every topic gives the same return for the same hours. This order works for most CISF written papers.

• High return, low effort: Current affairs, static GK, grammar rules, synonyms and antonyms, series, coding-decoding and direction sense. These can be learnt in short daily sessions.

• High return, steady effort: Percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, time and work, and time and distance. They appear in every paper, so a solid base helps in several sections.

• Medium return: Mensuration, interest, mixtures, data interpretation and figure-based reasoning. Take these up once the first two groups feel comfortable.

• Lower return: Rare or very lengthy puzzles. Attempt them last in a mock and skip them if time runs short.

A common mistake is to spend weeks on one hard topic while easy marks in general awareness stay untouched. Another is to ignore the language section because it feels simple, then lose marks to careless grammar errors.

Physical, Trade and Skill Tests

The written test gets most of the attention, but the other stages remove many candidates. Plan for them as part of your syllabus.

What Overlaps Across Posts

If you are unsure which post to choose, or want to apply to more than one, study the shared base once.

How to Cover the CISF Syllabus

A steady plan beats a last-minute rush. Adjust the weeks to the gap between your start date and the exam.

1. Weeks 1 to 4, foundation: Revise Class 8 to 10 arithmetic, learn grammar basics, begin the daily news habit and start running.

2. Weeks 5 to 8, core topics: Finish one reasoning topic and one maths topic each day, and start short notes for static GK.

3. Weeks 9 to 12, practice: Move to topic-wise tests and 20-minute sectional tests. Begin typing or trade practice if your post needs it.

4. Weeks 13 to 16, mocks: Attempt full-length tests, review every wrong answer on the same day, and write each error in a log.

5. Final two weeks, revision: Revise the error log, current affairs notes and formula sheet. Do not start new topics.

When the syllabus feels large, remember that most constable and head constable questions come from school-level topics. Depth in a smaller set of topics usually beats a shallow pass over everything.