How to become a CBI officer: Central Bureau of Investigation is the prestigious and the highest investigating authority in India and has, over the years, entrusted the confidence of the people, government, and the judiciary of India. In this article, we have discussed all the relevant details of How to become a CBI officer for the aspirants who are willing to pursue this career.
There are various steps that the applicant should follow to become an officer of CBI. First and foremost is to clear the Combined Graduate Level Examination conducted by SSC, i.e., Staff Selection Commission. The examination is conducted once in a year. The exam is to recruit the applicants for the post of Sub-Inspector at the Central Bureau of Investigation.

How to become a CBI officer Eligibility Criteria
The post’s eligibility criteria are that the applicants need to be a graduate with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in any discipline from a recognized University. The age limit to appear for the exam should be at least 20 years. However, the ideal age limit applicable to an exam related to CBI is between 20 to 27 years. Also, there will be upper age limit relaxation for the candidates belonging to SC/ ST categories.
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How To Become A CBI Officer Step by Step Guide
Check the step by step guide given below to understand the requirements to consider for the post in a proper manner:
Application Process: The applicants need to register themselves and apply for the exam on the official website.
Physical Efficiency: The applicants can check the Physical Standards to become CBI Officer from the table given below:
Physical | Physical Measurement |
Height | Male: 165 cm
Female: 150 cm |
Chest | Male: 76 cm
Female: Not Required |
Preliminary examination: The preliminary exam for the CBI Officer consists of two papers each. The first paper is of General Intelligence and General awareness consisting of 100 questions, each with a total of 200 questions, and the total marks are also 200 as one question carries 1 mark. Now, the time duration to complete the papers is 120 minutes each for both the papers. The exam is of qualifying nature. The qualified applicants need to appear for the next stage, Mains Exam.
Main Examination: The main exam consists of five subjects from which the questions will be asked. The five areas are General Studies, English, Arithmetic, Language and Communication Skills, and Writing. The paper of General Studies, English, and Language consists of 100 marks each while arithmetic and communication and writing skills consist of 200 marks each. But the duration of the exam is different for a different subject that is as follow
- The duration of the General studies is of 3 hours.
- The time limit for the English section is of 2 hours, 20 minutes.
- The duration of the Arithmetic subject is of 4 hours.
- The time limit for the Language section is 2 hours, 20 minutes.
- The duration of the Communication skills and Writing is of 2 hours, 20 minutes.
Interview: After qualifying preliminary and mains examination, the applicants will require to appear for the Interview. The applicants will be judged based on their mentality and personality ability in the Interview round.
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Tips on How to become a CBI officer
Some important tips and tricks can help the candidates successfully qualify the exam with good scores. They can check the points given below to know more about it:
- Candidates need to have complete knowledge of the exam pattern and the syllabus. It can help them understand the nature of the exam.
- Then they need to clear the basic concept of every topic of every section.
- Practice mock tests, previous year question paper, and study from the relevant study material regularly. It will improve speed and the number of attempts.
- They can even make a list of their weaker and more robust sections by analyzing their attempted mock tests and previous year question paper.
So in this article we have discussed all the relevant and important steps to be followed to become a CBI officer. Central Bureau of Investigation is considered one of India’s most prestigious agencies for the aspirants who want to serve the country.