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The UPSC prelims cut off is calculated by normalizing the average score of candidates in GS 1 paper out of 200 marks.
How many marks are required to qualify for UPSC prelims?
In the CSAT paper candidates should score above 66 marks but in GS Paper 1 they must clear cut off of the particular year which varies every year. For example, the UPSC prelims cut off was 75.41 marks in 2023 while in 2024 it was 87.98.
What is the UPSC prelims cut off last 10 years trend?
The UPSC prelims cut off last 10 years trend states that cut off marks in GS 1 paper have fallen below 100 marks in recent years due to increasing difficulty levels.
How do I clear the UPSC prelims cut off?
To clear UPSC prelims cut off practice PYQs and join a good test series to learn question-solving skills.
What is the cutoff for the UPSC Prelims 2024 exam?
The official cut-off for the General category is 87.98 for the UPSC Prelims 2024 exam.
What is the lowest cut off for UPSC prelims?
The lowest cutoff for UPSC Prelims is for the 2023 year, which stands at 75.41.
UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis 2024, Check Category Wise Cut Off List
UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis 2024 suggests that this stage remained challenging for candidates with a low cut off across categories. UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis 2024 is shared here.
Deeksha Dixit25 May, 2025
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UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis 2024: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the official cut-off for theCivil Services Preliminary Examination 2024. For the General category, the cut-off stands at 87.98, while for EWS, it is 85.92. This continues the trend of cut-offs staying below 100 for the past several years, reflecting the increasing competitiveness and evolving nature of the exam.
On the other hand, UPSC Prelims Cut Off for CSAT paper is fixed at 33% out of 200 marks,which is approximately 66 marks. Read UPSC Prelims Cut Off analysis to understand the evolution of minimum passing marks over the years. Make an effective strategy to cross the UPSC Prelims Cut Off in the future by going through this analysis.
UPSC Prelims Cut off Category-wise 2024
The UPSC Prelims 2024 cut off has been released. In comparison to 2023, where theGeneral cut-off was around 75 due to a tougher paper, the 2024 prelims were slightly easier, leading to a higher cut-off. However, the difficulty level was still moderate and not as easy as some had expected. The analysis suggests that the 2024 paper had a similar difficulty level to 2022, which helped experts predict the cut-off more accurately this year. Check category-wise UPSC Prelims 2024 Cut Off in the table below:
UPSC Prelims Cut off Category-wise
Category
Cut Off
General
87.98
EWS
85.92
OBC
87.28
SC
79.03
ST
74.23
PwBD 1
69.42
PwBD 2
65.3
PwBD 3
40.56
PwBD 5
40.56
UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis 2024
The UPSC Prelims 2024 cut-off has been officially released, and it has sparked discussion as the consistent decline in Prelims exam cut-offs over recent years points to a shift in UPSC's pattern—more conceptual, tricky questions rather than straightforward factual ones. For the last 5 years, the General cut-off has consistently stayed below 100, debunking myths that aspirants must aim for 110+ to be safe. As the exam becomes more analytical, aspirants need to focus not just on content but on accuracy, understanding, and elimination techniques during the exam.
Also, candidates are often confused about how many questions to attempt in prelims. The answer depends on two factors: paper difficulty and individual accuracy. If the paper is tough, cut-offs naturally fall, and even 60–70 accurate attempts can be sufficient. Hence, aspirants must focus on accuracy over quantity and not panic based on paper difficulty. With just a month left for the upcoming prelims, the focus should now shift to intense revision, mock tests, and PYQs. Avoid reading too much new content and instead reinforce what you've already studied as you target the next Prelims.
How UPSC Prelims Cut off is Calculated?
The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) Prelims consists of two papers. The cut-off is calculated based solely on the performance of candidates in the General Studies-I Paper, as the CSAT paper is qualifying in nature. Here's how the UPSC Prelims Cut-Off 2024 will be calculated:
General Studies-I (GS-I): This paper is worth 200 marks, and the marks obtained here are used to determine the cut-off and the result for each category.
General Studies-II (CSAT): This paper is also worth 200 marks, but its marks are not counted towards the final result. It's a qualifying paper. You need at least 33% (at least 66 marks) to pass, but these marks don’t count towards the cut-off.
The UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2023 category-wise marks were released on 18 April 2024, following the final results. The UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2023 is surprisingly the lowest in the past 6 to 7 years for all categories. The cut off for the General category is 75.41 in the 2023 exam. This is a significant drop from the previous year UPSC Prelims cut off, which was 88.22. According to the experts, this fall is attributed to the highly difficult GS as well as CSAT papers. The GS paper has always been challenging for aspirants, but this year the CSAT paper was said to be more difficult, which led to many good candidates struggling to reach 66 marks. Here is category wise UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2023 data:
UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2023
Category
Cut off Marks
General
75.41
EWS
68.02
OBC
74.75
SC
59.25
ST
47.82
PwBD 1
40.40
PwBD 2
47.13
PwBD 3
40.40
PwBD 5
33.68
Last 5 Years UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis
From 2018 onwards, the UPSC Prelims cut-off has consistently remained below 100 marks. In 2018, the cut-off for the General category was 98 marks, which remained the same in 2019 at 98 marks again. However, in 2020, there was a noticeable drop, with the cut-off falling by almost 6 marks to 92.51. The year 2023 marked the lowest cut-off in recent years, primarily due to the high difficulty level of both GS and CSAT papers. In 2024, however, the cut-off slightly increased to 87.98, indicating a relatively easier paper compared to 2023, but still not as easy as some predicted.
This trend highlights the importance of relative performance and exam difficulty rather than aiming for a fixed numerical target.
Category Wise UPSC Prelims Cut Off Trends
Category wise UPSC Prelims cut off analysis is useful for candidates to observe the trend of the necessary marks required to pass GS 1 paper. Over the years, the UPSC Prelims cut off has fallen for all categories, which is also seen in the last 5 years UPSC cut offs. The category wise UPSC Prelims Cut Off trends from 2018 onwards can be seen in the below table:
Category Wise UPSC Prelims Cut Off Trends (2018-2024)
Category
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
General
87.98
75.41
88.22
87.54
92.51
98
98
EWS
85.92
68.02
82.83
80.14
77.55
90
–
OBC
87.28
74.75
87.54
89.12
89.12
95.34
96.66
SC
79.03
59.25
74.08
75.41
74.84
82
84
ST
74.23
47.82
69.35
70.71
68.71
77.34
83.34
PWD 1
69.42
40.40
49.84
68.02
70.06
53.34
73.34
PWD 2
65.3
47.13
58.59
67.33
63.94
44.66
53.34
PWD 3
40.56
40.40
40.40
43.09
40.82
61.34
40.00
PWD 5
40.56
33.68
41.76
45.80
42.86
61.34
45.34
Key Insights from UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis
UPSC Prelims Cut Off analysis provided some interesting and impressive insights. Candidates should focus more on the prelims exam, as the level of toughness in question papers is increasing every year. The key insights from the UPSC Prelims Cut Off analysis are as follows:
Though 2024 saw a rise to 87.98, it still indicates a challenging paper. If the trend continues, Prelims may become even tougher in upcoming years.
The GS paper cut-off for the General category in 2023 was only 75.41, a rare dip reflecting the paper’s high difficulty.
In categories like EWS and ST, this fall is significant.
CSAT can no longer be ignored, and candidates should give proper focus to this paper.
Candidates must solve previous years' UPSC prelims question papers and aim to score 5 to 10 marks above the cut off to be safe in this stage.
Target scoring 80+ marks in the CSAT test series, as this paper has become more unpredictable.
Do not hesitate to seek the help of mentors whenever required in UPSC Prelims preparation.
