Police Constable and Sub-Inspector Recruitment 2026: State-Wise Comparison and the Physical Test Most Aspirants Underprepare For

Most police aspirants spend a year on the written paper and two weeks on the running track. Then the PET arrives, the calves cramp at the second kilometre, and a coaching investment ends at the finish line.

UP Police Constable 2025 announced 32,679 vacancies, with starting basic pay ₹21,700 and in-hand around ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 after deductions. UP Sub-Inspector 2025 opened 4,543 graduate-level posts at basic ₹35,400, in-hand close to ₹55,000 to ₹58,000. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra run parallel cycles with similar pay structures but different physical norms.

The written paper is uniform. The body standards are not.

UP male constables run 4.8 kilometres in 25 minutes. Female candidates run 2.4 km in 14 minutes. Bihar tests 1.6 km in under six minutes for men and 1 km in five minutes for women. Delhi Police adds long jump and high jump. SSC CPO layers in a separate PET and PST. The standards travel under one label but vary by state.

The Physical Standard Test checks height, chest, and weight before you ever reach the running track.

Aspirants underprepare because they treat running like cardio rather than a timed exam. A 4.8 km run in 25 minutes asks for a 5.2 minute kilometre pace held steady, on a track, in a uniform, after a long bus ride. That is a training plan, not a one-week project.

Start your physical preparation the day you fill the form, not the day the admit card finally arrives. Three months of disciplined running, sprints, and bodyweight strength turn the PET from a wall into a routine checkpoint.