Maharashtra Police Bharti 2026 Written Exam: Pattern, Syllabus and How Marks Are Combined

Maharashtra Police Bharti (पोलीस भरती) is one of the largest recruitments that Maharashtra students can sit after Class 12. The current drive was approved by a Home Department Government Resolution (GR) dated 20 August 2025 for 15,631 posts. The 2022 drive drew more than 11 lakh applications, so the written test is where most candidates are filtered out. This guide explains the 100-mark written test in Marathi, the syllabus for each of its four sections, how the physical test and written test marks are combined, and a 30-day plan to prepare.

Police Bharti 2026 at a glance

Post-wise vacancies (from the GR)

The GR also allows, as a one-time special case, candidates who crossed the upper age limit in 2022 or 2023 to apply in this drive. It approves an OMR-based written test conducted at the unit level.

Where the drive stands: applications closed on 7 December 2025 (after an extension). News reports say the physical tests ran from December 2025 to February 2026, and written tests have been held unit by unit, with results declared district-wise. Dates differ by unit, so check your unit's notices on mahapolice.gov.in. No date has been announced yet for the next drive. Students who start now will be ready when it is notified.

Eligibility in brief

• Education: Class 12 (HSC) pass is the usual requirement for Police Shipai. Check the advertisement of your unit for your post.
• Age, height and chest: limits differ by category and gender. They are printed in each unit's advertisement. Do not rely on numbers from forwarded messages.
• Driver posts: need a valid driving licence. Check the advertisement for the extra driving test.

How selection works: physical first, then written

Under the Maharashtra Police Constables Recruitment Rules, as amended in 2022, selection has two scored stages.

1. Physical test (50 marks). Candidates who pass document and height checks take the physical efficiency test.
2. Shortlisting. Candidates who score at least 50% in the physical test are called to the written test, in the ratio of 1:10 of the vacancies in each category.
3. Written test (100 marks). You must score at least 40% in the written test to qualify.
4. Final merit. The selection board of each unit adds the physical test marks and the written test marks, as laid down in the Home Department GR of 10 December 2020. The merit list is out of 150.

Physical test events (50 marks)

The written test carries twice the weight of the physical test. A candidate with 40 in the physical test and 80 in the written test (120 in all) is ahead of one with 48 and 65 (113). Running will get you to the written test. The written test usually decides who gets selected.

Police Bharti written exam pattern

• Type: multiple-choice questions on an OMR sheet
• Time: 90 minutes
• Medium: Marathi
• Qualifying marks: at least 40 out of 100
• Negative marking: the recruitment rules do not mention any, and recent papers have been reported without it. Read the instructions on your admit card and question booklet to be sure.

The rules name the four subjects. The equal 25-mark split is what recent papers and advertisements show. With 90 minutes for 100 questions you get 54 seconds a question, which is more than most competitive exams. Use the extra time to check arithmetic and to fill the OMR sheet carefully.

Police Bharti syllabus, section by section

1. Arithmetic (25 marks)

The level is Class 7 to 10. Questions are short calculations, often in a word-problem form.

• Number system: divisibility, LCM and HCF, squares and square roots, simplification (BODMAS)
• Percentage, ratio and proportion, average
• Profit and loss, discount, simple and compound interest
• Time and work, time, speed and distance (trains, relative speed)
• Mensuration: area and perimeter of rectangles, squares, triangles and circles; volume of cubes and cylinders
• Age problems, units and conversions

Practise each chapter with a timed test: Number system, Ratio, Average, Simple and compound interest, Time and work and Mensuration.

2. General knowledge and current affairs (25 marks)

• Maharashtra: districts and divisions, rivers and dams, forts, hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries, social reformers, saints, the Samyukta Maharashtra movement
• India: freedom struggle, Constitution basics (Preamble, rights, duties, President, Parliament), geography basics
• General science: human body, diseases and vitamins, simple physics and chemistry facts
• Police and law basics: structure of Maharashtra Police (DGP, Commissioner, SP), well-known police terms; read these from reliable sources only
• Current affairs: the last 6 to 12 months: Maharashtra government schemes, appointments, awards, sports, important days

3. Intelligence test / reasoning (25 marks)

• Number and letter series, missing number
• Analogy and classification (odd one out)
• Coding-decoding
• Directions and distance
• Blood relations
• Order and ranking, clock and calendar

Topic tests: Analogy, Classification, Direction, Blood relations and Order and ranking.

4. Marathi grammar (25 marks)

Many candidates lose marks here because they assume their own Marathi is enough. The paper asks about grammar terms, not just usage.

• वर्णमाला (alphabet), स्वर, व्यंजन
• संधी (sandhi): स्वरसंधी, व्यंजनसंधी, विसर्गसंधी
• शब्दांच्या जाती (parts of speech): नाम, सर्वनाम, विशेषण, क्रियापद, क्रियाविशेषण, शब्दयोगी अव्यय, उभयान्वयी अव्यय, केवलप्रयोगी अव्यय
• लिंग, वचन, विभक्ती (gender, number, case endings)
• काळ (tenses) and प्रयोग (kartari, karmani, bhave)
• समास (samas): अव्ययीभाव, तत्पुरुष (with its sub-types कर्मधारय and द्विगू), द्वंद्व, बहुव्रीही
• वाक्यप्रकार (types of sentences), punctuation (विरामचिन्हे)
• Vocabulary: समानार्थी and विरुद्धार्थी शब्द, शब्दसमूहाबद्दल एक शब्द, म्हणी व वाक्प्रचार (proverbs and idioms)
• Correct spelling (शुद्धलेखन)

The Maharashtra state board Marathi grammar (व्याकरण) sections of Classes 8 to 10 cover most of this. Make a one-page chart for each topic and revise it daily.

What the questions look like

Here is one example from each section, written by us at the level of the real paper.

1. Arithmetic: A shopkeeper buys a watch for ₹800 and sells it for ₹920. What is his profit percentage? Answer: profit ₹120; 120 ÷ 800 × 100 = 15%.
2. GK: Who founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873? Answer: Mahatma Jotirao Phule.
3. Reasoning: Find the next number: 3, 6, 11, 18, 27, ? Answer: the differences are 3, 5, 7, 9, so the next difference is 11 and the answer is 38.
4. Marathi grammar: "पंचवटी" या शब्दाचा समास ओळखा. Answer: द्विगू समास (पाच वडांचा समूह). द्विगू is a sub-type of तत्पुरुष: the first word is a number.

Each of these takes under a minute once you know the method. That is why regular practice by topic matters more than reading theory.

A 30-day written test plan

This plan assumes about 3 hours of study a day on top of physical training. Do the study in the evening, after running practice.

Keep a mistakes notebook. Write the question, your wrong answer, the right method and the chapter. Read it before every mock.

How to attempt the 90-minute paper

• Start with Marathi grammar and GK. They are quick and you either know the answer or you don't.
• Then do reasoning, and finish with arithmetic, which needs rough work.
• Keep the last 10 minutes to check that the OMR bubbles match your answers and your roll number is filled correctly.
• A realistic target is 70+ out of 100. Cut-offs differ by unit and category, so look at your own unit's previous merit lists rather than a state-wide number.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Only training for the ground. The written test is worth 100 of the 150 marks.
• Ignoring grammar terms. Questions like "ओळखा: हा कोणता समास आहे?" need you to know the names, not just speak Marathi well.
• Weak arithmetic basics. Learn tables up to 20, squares up to 30 and common percentage-fraction values (1/8 = 12.5%).
• Old current affairs. Questions are usually from the last year. Older facts are rarely asked.
• Believing "setting" or paper-leak offers. Selection is on merit. Report such offers to the police.
• Missing the unit notice. Each unit publishes its own physical and written test schedule. Check it regularly.

Frequently asked questions

How many posts are there in Maharashtra Police Bharti 2026?

The GR dated 20 August 2025 approved 15,631 posts: 12,399 Police Shipai, 234 drivers, 25 bandsmen, 2,393 armed police constables and 580 jail constables.

What is the Police Bharti written exam pattern?

The written test has 100 marks and 90 minutes, in Marathi, with four sections: arithmetic, general knowledge and current affairs, intelligence test (reasoning) and Marathi grammar. Each section is usually 25 marks.

Is there negative marking in the Police Bharti written test?

The recruitment rules do not provide for it, and recent papers have been reported without negative marking. Read the instructions on your admit card and question booklet.

How many marks are needed to pass the written test?

You must score at least 40% (40 out of 100) to qualify. Selection then depends on the combined merit of physical and written marks in your unit and category.

Which comes first, the physical test or the written test?

Under the 2022 amended rules the physical test comes first. Candidates who score at least 50% in it are called to the written test in a 1:10 ratio of the vacancies.

Can I write the Police Bharti exam in English?

No. The written test is conducted in Marathi, and one of its four sections is Marathi grammar.

When will the next Police Bharti be announced?

No date has been officially announced. Watch mahapolice.gov.in and the Home Department GRs on maharashtra.gov.in for the next drive.

Sources

• Government of Maharashtra, Home Department GR dated 20 August 2025 (15,631 posts, OMR written test): mahapolice.gov.in (PDF)
• Maharashtra Police, official website: https://www.mahapolice.gov.in
• Maharashtra Police Constables Recruitment (First Amendment) Rules, 2022 (physical test events, 1:10 ratio, 40% minimum, merit): legitquest.com
• Careers360, 2022 drive: 11 lakh+ applications for 18,331 posts: careers360.com
• Careers360 (Hindi), application date extended to 7 December, 15,631 posts: careers360.com