Rajasthan Police SI Exam Pattern 2025: Papers, PET and Interview

The Rajasthan Police SI exam pattern, set by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) for Sub Inspector and Platoon Commander posts, has three stages: a written exam of two objective papers, a Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and an aptitude test with interview. The 2025 cycle followed this scheme, with the written exam held on 5 and 6 April 2026.

Knowing the pattern well changes how you spend time in the exam hall. Each paper has 100 questions in 2 hours, there is negative marking, and a five-option OMR rule can disqualify you outright. This page explains every stage, the qualifying marks, how the final merit is built and what that means for your strategy.

Table of Contents

Rajasthan Police SI Exam Pattern at a Glance

Written Exam Pattern

All questions are multiple choice and carry equal marks. In the 2025 cycle, the exam ran in two phases: on both 5 and 6 April 2026, General Hindi was held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and GK and GS from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. RPSC gave 10 extra minutes per paper to fill the fifth OMR option.

Qualifying Rules

• Minimum marks: 36% in each paper and 40% in aggregate.

• SC and ST relaxation: up to 5 marks in each paper and in the aggregate.

• PET shortlist: the rules allow up to 20 times the number of vacancies to be called for the PET, based on written marks. In the 2025 cycle, RPSC declared all candidates who met the minimum marks as qualified for the PET: 20,455 for the non-scheduled area and 343 for the scheduled area.

Marking Scheme and Negative Marking

• Wrong answers: the official syllabus states that 1/3 mark is deducted for each wrong answer.

• Option 5: each question has five options. Options 1 to 4 are answers and option 5 means "not attempted". Marking option 5 carries no penalty.

• Blank questions: if none of the five circles is darkened, one-third of that question's marks is deducted.

• Disqualification: leaving more than 10% of questions with no circle darkened disqualifies the candidate. In the 2025 written result, 1,744 candidates were disqualified under this rule.

Older pages and the original 2021 exam used a four-option sheet without this rule, so follow the current RPSC instructions printed on the question paper.

What the Pattern Means for You

• Each question is worth 2 marks: 200 marks across 100 questions means a single correct answer moves your score more than in many exams. Accuracy matters more than attempting everything.

• Guessing has a cost: a wrong answer loses marks while option 5 loses nothing, so guess only when you can eliminate at least two options.

• Never leave a question blank: a blank costs marks and too many blanks end your candidature. Fill option 5 as you go, not at the end.

• Hindi is half the paper: General Hindi carries the same 200 marks as GK and GS, and you need 36% in each paper separately.

Physical Efficiency Test

The PET is conducted by the Rajasthan Police headquarters, not by RPSC. In the 2025 cycle it was held from 3 to 13 August 2026. It carries 100 marks, and a candidate needs 50% to be eligible for selection.

Ex-servicemen have separate, slightly relaxed standards.

Aptitude Test and Interview

Candidates called for interview are limited to three times the number of vacancies, based on combined written and PET marks. SC and ST candidates who qualify both earlier stages can be called beyond this limit. The aptitude test and interview carry 50 marks.

The board assesses suitability for the post through personality, address, tact, behaviour, specialised training, aptitude, judgement, leadership and knowledge of Rajasthani culture. Candidates with a degree or diploma in criminology, an NCC "C" certificate, or police administration as a degree paper may be given weight.

Final Merit Calculation

Under the service rules quoted in the advertisement, the final merit list is arranged by the total of written exam marks and interview marks. To be recommended, a candidate needs at least 36% in the interview and 45% in the aggregate. Women and BC, MBC, SC, ST and EWS candidates can be recommended with 30% in the interview and 40% in the aggregate.

Illustrative example: a candidate scoring 270 out of 400 in the written exam and 33 out of 50 in the interview has a merit total of 303 out of 450. The interview score here is 66%, and the aggregate is about 67%, so both minimums are met. These numbers are only an example, not a predicted cut-off.

Time Management and Exam-Day Strategy

1. First pass, about 70 minutes: answer every question you are sure of and mark option 5 for the rest as you go.

2. Second pass, about 35 minutes: return to questions where you can eliminate two or more options, and change option 5 only where you are fairly confident.

3. Final check, the remaining time plus the extra 10 minutes: confirm one circle is filled for every question and that the bubbles match the question numbers.

4. Reach early: entry closes 60 minutes before the paper starts, and identity checks take time.

The fastest way to build this routine is timed practice. You can attempt Rajasthan Police SI online tests on Testkart that follow the two-paper format and use the section-wise analysis to see where wrong answers are costing you.

Always confirm the pattern in the current advertisement and syllabus on the RPSC website, because the Commission can revise it between cycles.