SSC GD Constable PET PST Syllabus
Three qualifying stages sit between the computer based examination and appointment. The Physical Efficiency Test, the Physical Standard Test and the detailed medical examination. None of them adds a mark to your rank and any of them can end the attempt.
Between them they remove more candidates than the written paper does, which is the single strongest argument for training while you study rather than after the result.
Physical Efficiency Test
Event | Male candidates | Female candidates |
Race | 5 kilometres in 24 minutes | 1.6 kilometres in 8 minutes 30 seconds |
Candidates from the Ladakh region run a shorter distance under separate timings set out in the notification.
Ex-servicemen are exempt from the PET but still have to clear the medical examination.
Five kilometres in twenty-four minutes is a 4 minute 48 second kilometre, held for five kilometres. That is a real standard. Most candidates starting from untrained need three to six months of consistent running to reach it, and the gap between the CBE result and the physical test is usually shorter than that.
Physical Standard Test
Height
Category | Male | Female |
General standard | 170 cm | 157 cm |
Scheduled Tribe candidates | 162.5 cm | 150 cm |
Garhwali, Kumaoni, Gorkha, Dogra and Maratha candidates, and candidates from the notified hill states and regions | 165 cm | 155 cm |
Chest, male candidates only
Category | Unexpanded | Minimum expansion |
General standard | 80 cm | 5 cm |
Relaxed categories | 78 cm | 5 cm |
Weight is assessed as proportionate to height and age under the medical standards rather than against a fixed figure.
The full relaxation table, including the districts affected by left wing extremism and the north eastern states, is annexed to the notification. Relaxations are applied only against a valid category certificate in the prescribed format, so carry the original.
Detailed medical examination
Vision, colour perception and general physical fitness are examined. Knock knee, flat foot, varicose veins and squint are among the conditions that lead to rejection.
Candidates found temporarily unfit are usually offered a review medical examination. The window for applying for one is short and the procedure is set out in the medical result notice, so read that notice on the day it appears rather than a week later.
How to train for the PET
Start running in the first month of your preparation. Five kilometres is an endurance distance and endurance is built over months, not weeks.
Build distance before speed. Get comfortable covering five kilometres at any pace, then bring the time down. Attempting the target pace from week one is how people injure themselves out of the attempt.
Practise on the surface you will run on. Most centres use a track or a marked ground rather than a road, and pacing on a lapped course is a different skill from pacing on a straight route.
Frequently asked questions
What is the running time for SSC GD Constable PET?
5 kilometres in 24 minutes for male candidates and 1.6 kilometres in 8 minutes 30 seconds for female candidates.
What is the minimum height for SSC GD Constable?
170 cm for male candidates and 157 cm for female candidates in the general standard, with relaxations for Scheduled Tribe candidates and specified hill communities.
What is the chest requirement for SSC GD Constable?
80 cm unexpanded with a minimum expansion of 5 cm for male candidates in the general standard. Relaxed categories require 78 cm.
Is the SSC GD PET scored?
No. The PET, the PST and the medical examination are all qualifying, and merit comes from the computer based examination alone.
Are ex-servicemen exempt from the PET?
Yes, though they still have to clear the medical examination.
Physical standards, race timings and relaxations on this page follow the scheme of examination in the latest SSC GD Constable notification published on ssc.gov.in.