SSC CPO negative marking: how much a wrong answer costs and when to guess
SSC CPO has negative marking in both papers. In Paper I a right answer earns 1 mark and a wrong answer loses 0.25; in Paper II a right answer earns 2 and a wrong one loses 0.50. An unanswered question costs nothing. These numbers are in SSC's notice of 10 September 2026 (paragraph 12.2). This guide shows exactly what a wrong answer costs, when a guess is worth it, and how to stop negative marks from pulling your Paper I score below the cut-off.
What one wrong answer really costs
Suppose you know 60 answers in Paper I and attempt 20 more by guessing badly, getting 4 right and 16 wrong.
| Marks | |
|---|---|
| 60 known, all right | 60 |
| 4 lucky guesses | +4 |
| 16 wrong guesses × 0.25 | −4 |
| Total | 60 |
Twenty guesses earned nothing. And if even three of your "known" answers were careless mistakes, each costs 1.25 marks: the mark you should have earned plus the 0.25 penalty.
The maths of guessing
With four options, +1 for right and −0.25 for wrong, the average value of one guess depends on how many options you can rule out:
| Options left | Chance of being right | Average gain per guess |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (blind guess) | 25% | 0.25 − 0.75 × 0.25 = +0.06 |
| 3 (one ruled out) | 33% | 0.33 − 0.67 × 0.25 = +0.17 |
| 2 (two ruled out) | 50% | 0.50 − 0.50 × 0.25 = +0.38 |
So a blind guess is worth almost nothing, about a sixteenth of a mark, and it adds risk. A guess after ruling out two options is worth more than a third of a mark each time. Paper II has the same ratio (2 against −0.50), so the same table applies there in proportion.
Five rules for SSC CPO Paper I
- Never guess blindly. If you cannot rule out a single option, leave the question.
- Guess when two options are gone. That is a clear gain over many questions.
- Do not "fill in" the last minute of a part with random answers. Each part has its own 15-minute timer, and panic-clicking in the last seconds is where most avoidable penalties come from.
- Watch for careless errors, which cost more than guesses: you lose the mark you knew plus 0.25. Read the last line of every question twice ("which is NOT", "the smallest").
- Track your wrong answers in every mock. If you have more than 10 to 12 wrong answers in a 100-question mock, slow down your first pass.
Where SSC CPO candidates lose the most
- General Awareness, where a half-remembered fact feels certain. If you are choosing between two similar options with no reason, that is a 50-50 guess, worth about 0.38; if you are choosing among four, leave it.
- Quant, where a wrong method gives a value that is among the options. Check the units and the base of a percentage before you click.
- English error spotting, where "No error" is a real option. Pick it only when you have checked the verb, the article and the preposition.
How to practise it
Every full SSC CPO mock test on our site applies the −0.25 penalty and shows right, wrong and unattempted for each part, so you can see what guessing costs you. After each mock, follow the steps in how to analyse an SSC CPO mock test. For negative marking in other exams, see negative marking: when to guess.
Frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in SSC CPO?
Yes. 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer in Paper I and 0.50 marks in Paper II. There is no penalty for an unanswered question.
How many wrong answers cancel one right answer in SSC CPO?
Four. In Paper I, four wrong answers lose 4 × 0.25 = 1 mark, the value of one right answer. The same is true in Paper II (4 × 0.50 = 2).
Should I attempt all 100 questions in SSC CPO Paper I?
Only if you can rule out at least two options in the questions you are unsure of. Attempting every question by guessing usually lowers your accuracy without raising your score.
Is there negative marking in the SSC CPO physical test?
No. The PST and PET are qualifying tests without marks.