UPSC Prelims Cut-Off Over the Years
Official category-wise cut-off marks for GS Paper I (out of 200) from 2020 to 2025. CSAT remains qualifying at 33%.
Official cut-offs (2020–2025)
Prelims merit is decided by GS Paper I marks only (200 marks). Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying — you need at least 33% in CSAT to remain in the race, but it does not add to the cut-off calculation.
| Year | Gen | OBC | SC | ST | EWS | PwBD 1 | PwBD 2 | PwBD 3 | PwBD 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 92.66 | 92 | 84 | 82.66 | 89.34 | 76.66 | 54.66 | 40.66 | 40.66 |
| 2024 | 87.98 | 87.28 | 79.03 | 74.23 | 85.92 | 69.42 | 65.30 | 40.56 | 40.56 |
| 2023 | 75.41 | 74.75 | 59.25 | 47.82 | 68.02 | 40.40 | 47.13 | 40.40 | 33.68 |
| 2022 | 88.22 | 87.54 | 74.08 | 69.35 | 82.83 | 49.84 | 58.59 | 40.40 | 41.76 |
| 2021 | 87.54 | 84.85 | 75.41 | 70.71 | 80.14 | 68.02 | 67.33 | 40.03 | 45.80 |
| 2020 | 92.51 | 89.12 | 74.84 | 68.71 | 77.55 | 70.06 | 63.94 | 40.82 | 42.86 |
Marks shown are official GS Paper I cut-offs. PwBD categories follow UPSC's disability-classification labels for each year's notification.
Trend: General, OBC, SC, ST & EWS
Key findings
- 2023 was the outlier year: General fell to 75.41 (12.81 marks below 2022) as GS and CSAT difficulty spiked.
- 2024–2025 saw a full rebound — General moved from 75.41 to 92.66, nearly matching the 92.51 high from 2020.
- ST had the widest swing: 47.82 in 2023 to 82.66 in 2025 (+34.84 marks), the largest category recovery in the period.
- General and OBC move in lockstep; in 2025 they were only 0.66 marks apart (92.66 vs 92).
- The SC–General gap narrowed from ~16.16 marks (2023) to ~8.66 marks (2025) as reserved-category cut-offs rose with the overall curve.
- EWS cut-offs stayed between General/OBC and SC/ST every year — never the lowest, never above General.