Sashastra Seema Bal Head Constable

SSB Head Constable is the recruitment of Head Constables in the Sashastra Seema Bal, the Central Armed Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs that guards India's borders with Nepal and Bhutan. SSB recruits Head Constables in two streams: technical trades such as Communication, Electrician, Veterinary and Steward under the Non-GD combined advertisement, and Head Constable (Ministerial) for office and clerical work.

The current trade cycle is the SSB Head Constable (Non-GD) 2025 recruitment, advertised on 21 March 2026 for 233 posts. Its physical tests (PET and PST) ran from August to October 2026, and the written examination date has not been announced yet. This page covers that cycle in detail, gives a short status of the Ministerial 2020 recruitment, and explains the selection stages, eligibility, pattern, syllabus, pay and how to prepare.

Table of Contents

• SSB Head Constable 2026 at a Glance

• Latest Notification and Current Status

• Important Dates

• Vacancy Details

• Eligibility Criteria

• Application Fee and How to Apply

• Selection Process

• Exam Pattern

• Syllabus Summary

• Head Constable (Ministerial): Separate Stream

• Salary and Career Growth

• How to Prepare for SSB Head Constable

• Previous Cut-off Reference

SSB Head Constable 2026 at a Glance

Latest Notification and Current Status

SSB published the "Advertisement for the post of Head Constable (Non-GD) in SSB" on its recruitment portal on 21 March 2026. It was part of a combined Constable to Sub-Inspector (Non-GD) 2025 recruitment, so the same advertisement number also covers Constable, ASI and SI trades. Paramedical Head Constable posts (Laboratory Assistant and Physiotherapy Assistant) came through a separate medical cadre advertisement and are not covered on this page.

Here is where the cycle stands as of late October 2026:

• Applications: The online window opened on 21 March 2026. The last date was extended from 20 April 2026 to 4 May 2026, and a correction window followed.

• Physical tests: SSB issued the PET and PST notice on 29 July 2026 and e-admit cards on 7 August 2026. The physical admit card link for HC Steward, Veterinary, Electrician and Communication stayed open from 8 August to 13 October 2026.

• Written examination: No date had been notified on the official portal at the time of writing. Candidates who cleared PET and PST should watch the portal for the CBT schedule and admit card.

Important Dates

Dates that are not yet notified can change, and reported dates should be checked against the notices themselves. Track the Latest News and Admit Cards sections of the SSB recruitment portal and your registered email and mobile.

Vacancy Details

The 233 Head Constable posts are spread across four trades, with Communication accounting for most of them. The category-wise split below is as reported from the advertisement, so treat it as indicative and confirm it in the official PDF.

About 10% of the posts are reported as reserved for Ex-Servicemen, with unfilled ESM posts going to other candidates. Earlier cycles were much larger: the 2023 Head Constable advertisement was reported at 914 posts, including 578 in Communication and 296 in Mechanic. Mechanic does not appear in the current cycle.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility depends on the trade, so check the row for your post carefully. A candidate can apply for only one post in the combined advertisement.

Educational Qualification

Age Limit

The upper age is 27 years for Communication, Veterinary and Steward, and 25 years for Electrician, with a minimum of 18 years for all. Age is counted on the crucial date given in the advertisement. Reserved categories get the upper age relaxation shown below.

Other Conditions

• Nationality: Indian citizens, with limited exceptions for subjects of Nepal and Bhutan as per the rules.

• Qualification deadline: The required qualification must be held by the closing date of the application.

• Physical and medical fitness: Candidates must meet the PST measurements and the CAPF medical standards.

For the full trade-wise breakdown, read the SSB Head Constable eligibility guide.

Application Fee and How to Apply

The fee was payable online and is non-refundable. The 2025 cycle application window has closed, but the steps stay the same in every SSB cycle:

1. Open the SSB recruitment portal and find the active Head Constable advertisement.

2. Register with a working mobile number and email ID, then log in.

3. Choose one trade and fill in personal, educational and category details.

4. Upload a recent photograph and signature in the size given in the advertisement.

5. Pay the fee if applicable, submit, and save the confirmation page.

Common reasons for rejection include applying for a trade without the exact qualification, a blurred photograph, a mismatch between the name or date of birth and the Class 10 certificate, and missing category certificates in the prescribed format.

Selection Process

1. PET and PST: A qualifying physical test of running, height and chest measurement. Failing here ends the process.

2. Written examination: An objective test of 150 marks. Merit is prepared on written test marks.

3. Skill test: For HC (Electrician) only, of 50 marks, qualifying in nature, with 60% needed to pass.

4. Document verification and DME: Shortlisted candidates appear for document checks and the Detailed Medical Examination. A Review Medical Examination is available to those declared unfit.

5. Final merit: Category-wise merit from written marks. Ties are reported to be broken by higher Part II marks, then by age, then alphabetically.

Exam Pattern

Physical Efficiency Test

Ex-Servicemen are reported to be exempt from the PET but must clear the PST and later stages.

Written Examination

The minimum qualifying marks are reported as 50% for UR, EWS, OBC and Ex-Servicemen, and 45% for SC and ST. Some reports mention a deduction of 0.25 mark per wrong answer while others are silent, so confirm the negative marking rule in the official advertisement and admit card instructions.

What this means for you:

• Part II decides most of your score: Two-thirds of the marks come from the technical subject, so your trade knowledge matters more than general sections.

• Part II also breaks ties: Higher technical marks are reported as the first tie-breaker.

• Fitness comes first: PET and PST happen before the written test, so physical preparation cannot wait.

Older pages may still show a 100-mark, four-section pattern. That belongs to Constable and Ministerial papers, not the HC trade posts. See the SSB Head Constable exam pattern page for details.

Syllabus Summary

SSB names the subjects in its advertisement but does not publish a detailed topic list for the HC trades. The topics below are built from the subjects named and from questions asked in previous CAPF trade papers. Use them as a working checklist.

The full topic list with a study order is on the SSB Head Constable syllabus page.

Head Constable (Ministerial): Separate Stream

Head Constable (Ministerial) is a clerical post recruited under its own advertisement, 338/RC/SSB/HC(Min)/2020, for 115 posts. It needs Class 12 and computer typing at 35 words per minute in English or 30 in Hindi. That cycle has moved much further: PET and PST took place in early 2026, the written examination (CBT) was held on 7 July 2026, and SSB released CBT marks on 14 October 2026. The typing skill test is the next reported stage.

Salary and Career Growth

In-hand pay depends on the posting city, DA rate and deductions, so any monthly figure you see online is an estimate, not an official figure. With service, Head Constables can move up to Assistant Sub-Inspector and further ranks through departmental promotion as per SSB rules.

How to Prepare for SSB Head Constable

Preparation for this exam has two tracks that run together: physical fitness and the written test. Since the written test is the merit stage, most of your desk time should go to the technical subject.

• Build the run early: Practise the 1.6 km (or 800 m) run three to four times a week, timing every attempt, until you finish well inside the limit.

• Revise your trade foundation: Communication aspirants should rebuild Class 12 Physics and Mathematics; Electrician aspirants should revise ITI trade theory and safety rules.

• Keep Part I steady: Spend 45 to 60 minutes a day on arithmetic, reasoning and language, and read current affairs daily.

• Practise under time: Take sectional tests first, then full 150-question papers in three hours.

Mock Tests and Practice

SSB does not publish an official mock test for this exam on its recruitment portal, so your practice has to come from previous papers and full-length tests in the current pattern. For timed practice, you can attempt SSB Head Constable mock tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to plan your revision. Pair them with previous year papers to understand the real difficulty level.

If you are also considering the lower post, the SSB Constable exam page explains that recruitment. You can return to the SSB Head Constable exam hub on Testkart for courses, notes and bundles as they are added.

Previous Cut-off Reference

SSB does not post a cut-off table on its portal for every cycle, so the most useful reference is the cut-off reported with the HC (Communication) 2023 final result of 17 October 2024.

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. The 2025 cycle has far fewer Communication posts than 2023, so treat these figures as a benchmark only and aim for a clear margin above them. More detail is on the SSB Head Constable cut-off page.