UPSC Prelims Cut Off & Mains Cut off: Trend, Competition & Category-Wise Analysis

PWOnlyIAS December 12, 2023 06:16 1189 0

Exploring UPSC prelims cut off to Finals: Trends, analysis, and key insights. Understand the factors influencing cut-offs for a strategic exam preparation approach.

UPSC Prelims Cut Off & Mains Cut off: Trend, Competition & Category-Wise Analysis

UPSC Prelims Cut offs: A Guide to Ace Civil Services Exams

Every year, the Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Exam for All India Services and various other Group A services of the Indian Government. These services predominantly entail administrative roles. Aspiring candidates aiming to enter these services must successfully navigate a year-long examination, consisting of the Preliminary exam, Mains exam, and Personality Test.

To secure a position in these services, the UPSC Prelims Cut off marks from the previous year serve as decisive factors, guiding candidates in pacing up and designing their preparation strategy. In this article, we will scrutinize and analyze the cutoff marks for both the Prelims and Mains examinations. This analysis aims to assist candidates in cracking the exam in the times to come.

Importance of UPSC Prelims Cut Off

UPSC Prelims Cut Off plays an important role in the process of preparation. It equips candidates with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions, optimize their preparation, and increase their chances of success in one of the most competitive examinations in the country.

Preparation Planning: Considering the past year cutoff of various stages of exam helps candidates plan their preparation and allot time according to the preference of subject are being asked very frequently.
- Cut Off analysis allows candidates to set realistic goals and benchmarks, focusing on areas that historically carry more weight in the examination.
Understanding the Competition: Analysing and understanding the UPSC Prelims Cut off marks trends make candidates understand the level of competition. Understanding the minimum scores required for success and focusing on the high scoring subjects helps aspirants assess their own performance relative to their peers.
Identifying Weaknesses: By understanding the subject-wise and overall cutoffs, candidates can identify areas of weakness and their focus area. This insight enables a targeted approach to preparation, addressing specific subjects or topics that may require more attention.
Adaptation to Changes: UPSC cutoffs can vary from year to year based on factors such as question paper difficulty and the number of vacancies. Analyzing these variations helps candidates adapt their preparation strategies to align with the evolving nature of the examination.
Utilizing the Time and Resources: Cutoff trends help candidates in prioritizing subjects and selecting sections of paper that have a higher impact on the overall score. During exam optimization of time and resources is crucial in the limited time frame of the UPSC examination.
Psychological Preparedness: Clear understanding of the past cut off marks provides candidates with a realistic expectation of what is required for success. This effort will positively impact the psychological preparation of aspirants, reducing anxiety and instilling confidence.
Pave the way for Mains and Interview preparation: Different stages of the UPSC examination have varying cutoffs. Analyzing cutoff trends for Prelims, Mains, and Personality Test (Interview) individually helps in planning and allocating time and effort effectively for each stage.
Understanding Trends and Patterns: Analyzing cutoffs over multiple years helps in identifying trends and patterns. This understanding is valuable in predicting potential changes in the examination pattern or areas that UPSC might be emphasizing more in recent years.
Decision-Making for Optional Subjects- The choice of optional subjects can significantly impact overall scores. Cutoff analysis assists candidates in making informed decisions about optional subjects by considering the historical performance of candidates in those subjects.

UPSC Prelims Cut off for CSE: Analyzing Cutoff Trends

Candidates who cleared the UPSC Prelims Cut Off get shortlisted in the Prelims result and appear for the IAS Mains exam. UPSC Prelims Cut Off marks also indicate the marks of the last candidate selected based on vacancies in that particular category. The cutoff marks are also released as per the UPSC selection process. After the UPSC Prelims Cut Off, the UPSC Mains cutoff is released, and then the final UPSC cutoff. In this article we will try to analyse the trend of UPSC Prelims Cut Off.
The UPSC Prelims Cut Off is based on General Studies 1, as the CSAT or General Studies 2 is only qualifying in nature. Qualifying Marks for UPSC Prelims CSAT is at least 33%. The Union Public Service Commission releases the UPSC Prelims Cut Off for both Prelims and Mains only after the final result of the Civil Services Exam is declared for that specific year.
UPSC Prelims Cut Off of the Year 2022
- Recently UPSC has released the cut off for the year 2022. Let’s check out the newly released UPSC 2022 Cut off for the Prelims exam.

Category of UPSC Prelims Cut Off	UPSC Prelims Cut Off Marks 2022
General	88.22
SC	74.08
ST	69.35
OBC	87.54
PwD 1	49.84
PwD 2	58.59
PwD 3	40.4
PwD 5	41.76
EWS	82.83

upsc-prelims-cut-off

UPSC Prelims Cut Off: 5-Year Trend (2022-2018)

Category of UPSC Prelims Cut Off	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
General	88.22	87.54	92.51	98	98
SC	74.08	75.41	74.84	82	84
ST	69.35	70.71	68.71	77.34	83.34
OBC	87.54	84.85	89.12	95.34	96.66
PwD 1	49.84	68.02	70.06	53.34	73.34
PwD 2	58.59	67.33	63.94	44.66	53.34
PwD 3	40.40	43.09	40.82	61.34	40
PwD 5	41.76	45.80	42.82	61.34	45.34
EWS	82.83	80.14	77.55	90	92.87

upsc prelims cut off

UPSC Mains Cut Off 2022: Category-Wise Analysis

Candidates who cleared the UPSC Mains 2022 cut-off were eligible for the UPSC interview. As per the Results of 2022 exam, the UPSC Cut Off 2022 of the Mains exam is 748 marks for the general category. Review the UPSC 2022 Cut off for the Mains examination considering all the categories.

Category	UPSC Cut Off 2022- Mains
General	748
SC	699
ST	706
OBC	714
PwD	677
PwD	706
PwD	351
PwD	419
EWS	715

upsc prelims cut off

UPSC Mains Cut Off: 5-Year Trends (2018-2022)

Category	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
GENERAL	748	745	736	751	774
OBC	714	707	698	718	732
ST	706	700	682	699	719
SC	699	700	680	706	719
PWD 1	677	688	648	663	711
PWD 2	706	712	699	698	696
PWD 3	351	388	425	374	520
PWD 4	419	560	300	561	460
EWS	715	713	687	696	736

upsc prelims cut off

UPSC Final Cut Off: Merit-Based Selection

The final Cut Off of the UPSC Civil Service Exam is determined by combining the scores obtained by candidates in the Mains Examination and the Personality Test (Interview) stage. The marks in Mains Examination are evaluated on the marks scored by candidates in seven papers which take place in mains exam., while the Interview stage contributes the remaining. Each candidate’s performance is evaluated, and the final cut-off is calculated based on their combined scores. Candidates who manage to clear the UPSC Final Cut Off marks are selected for appointment to the various civil services based on their merit ranking. The allocation of services is done according to the candidate’s rank, preference, and availability of vacancies.
UPSC Final Cut Off 2022

Categories	Cut Off Marks
General	960
EWS	926
OBC	923
SC	893
ST	900
PwBD-1	879
PwBD-2	913
PwBD-3	632
PwBD-4	590

upsc prelims cut off

UPSC Final Cut Off for Last 5 Years: 5-Year Trends

Category	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
General	960	953	944	961	982
OBC	923	910	907	925	938
SC	893	886	875	898	912
ST	900	883	876	893	912
PWD 1	879	892	867	861	899
PWD 2	913	932	910	890	908
PWD 3	632	689	675	653	754
PWD 4	590	701	465	708	718
EWS	926	916	894	909	941

upsc prelims cut off

The Cut Off of various stages of the UPSC exam is decided by considering various factors which play a crucial role in deciding the minimum marks required for candidates to qualify for the next stage of the Civil Services Examination. These factors are taken into consideration by UPSC while determining the cut off for each stage of the examination which includes Prelims, Mains, and the Final UPSC Cut Off. There are various factors which influence the Cut Off for UPSC CSE:

Difficulty Level of the Examination: If the question paper is more tricky and challenging, it may lead to a lower cutoff, as candidates might find it difficult to score high marks. On the other hand if the paper is relatively easier and not so tricky, the cut off may increase as more candidates may score higher marks.
Number of Vacancies: Vacancy directly affects the Cut Off of UPSC CSE exam. For example a higher number of vacancies might lead to a lower UPSC cut off, as more candidates can be accommodated based on their performance.
Reservation Criteria: The UPSC follows a reservation criteria (as specified in official notification) for different categories like General, OBC, SC, ST, etc. The cut off marks for these categories may vary based on the number of aspirants and the number of seats reserved for each category.
Candidate’s Performance: If the majority of candidates perform exceptionally well and scored good marks in each stage of exam then cut off may increase. On the other hand, if the overall performance is average, the cut off may decrease.
Normalisation Procedure: For Prelims, UPSC follows a normalization procedure to ensure fairness when calculating the cut-off. This procedure adjusts the marks of candidates across different sets of question papers with varying difficulty levels.
Overall Competition: The level of competition and the quality of candidates appearing in a particular year can also influence the UPSC cut off. Higher competition may lead to a higher cut off.

Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC	UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs	UPSC Daily Editorials
Daily Current Affairs Quiz	Daily Main Answer Writing
UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers	UPSC Test Series 2024

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Frequently Asked Questions

It is the minimum qualifying marks which candidates need to secure to be eligible for the next stage of the examination or to be considered for selection.

UPSC cut off depends on various factors like number of vacancies, the difficulty level of the exam, and the overall performance of candidates.

Yes, UPSC has separate cut-offs for the Preliminary examination and the Main examination. Candidates must clear both stages to qualify for the interview round.

Yes, UPSC cut-offs are usually categorized based on candidates' categories such as General, OBC, SC, and ST. Each category has its own cut-off marks.

No, the cut-off marks fluctuate from year to year depending on various factors like the difficulty level of the paper, the number of candidates, and the overall performance of candidates in that particular year.

No, the cut-off marks are different for different services under the UPSC examination. The cut-off is determined separately for each service.

No, the UPSC does not provide a window for re-evaluation of answer sheets. The evaluation process is final, and candidates cannot request a re-evaluation.

If a candidate clears the cut-off marks, he/she becomes eligible for the next stage of the examination. For example, if it's the Preliminary exam, he/she can appear for the Main exam, and if it's the Main exam, they can appear for the interview round. If Candidate clears the final cut off he/she gets selected for this Examination.

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UPSC Prelims Cut Off & Mains Cut off: Trend, Competition & Category-Wise Analysis

UPSC Prelims Cut offs: A Guide to Ace Civil Services Exams

Importance of UPSC Prelims Cut Off

UPSC Prelims Cut off for CSE: Analyzing Cutoff Trends

UPSC Prelims Cut Off: 5-Year Trend (2022-2018)

UPSC Mains Cut Off 2022: Category-Wise Analysis

UPSC Mains Cut Off: 5-Year Trends (2018-2022)

UPSC Final Cut Off: Merit-Based Selection

UPSC Final Cut Off for Last 5 Years: 5-Year Trends

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the UPSC Cut-off?

How is the UPSC Cut-off decided?

Do Cut-off for Prelims and Mains exams are different?

Do UPSC release Category-wise Cut-offs?

Is the UPSC Cut-off the same for every year?

Is the Cut-off Marks the Same for All Services?

Can a Candidate Request a Re-evaluation of his/her Answer Sheet if I Missed the Cut-off by a Few Marks?

What Happens if a Candidate Clears the Cut-off Marks?

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