So, every year Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Service Exam. Moreover, there are three stages in this exam. Firstly the prelims stage. Secondly the Mains Exam. And at last, the Interview i.e the personality test. Certainly, candidates have to crack all the stages in a row to become Civil Servants. Above all, these exams are really tough to crack. Also, UPSC has set a Cut Off bench for each level separately. To clear, in the first stage, aspirants have to score more marks than the UPSC Prelims Cut Off Marks. Also, there is a UPSC Mains Cut Off for the Mains level. Moreover, in this article, you will learn how IAS Cut Off is set. So, read thoroughly to understand the IAS Exam.
IAS Cut Off
So, the Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Service Exam every year. In short, this exam is held to recruit bureaucrats to implement government policies. Also, help the government in their governance and maintain peace law, and order in the country. Likewise, aspirants who crack this exam are given the all-India-posts according to their respective ranks. Further, candidates have to clear all three stages of the exam to secure posts like IAS, IFS, IPS, etc. In conclusion, the basis of this exam is the preliminary test.
Consequently, after the prelims exam, the UPSC prelims cut-off is declared. Only, candidates who have scored more marks than the cut-off are eligible for the mains exam. The mains exam will be Subsequently held in September. However, UPSC’s final cut-off will be declared after one whole year only. Often aspirants are confused about whether to start their preparation for the UPSC Mains before the prelims cut-off is declared. Here the catch is to keep preparing for mains all the while. So, this will help you clear the mains exam with good marks if you crack the prelims test.
Certainly, UPSC Prelims Cut Off Marks is based on three factors.
- Moreover, the difficulty level of the exam
- In addition, the number of vacancies in the field
- Also. the number of aspirants appearing for the exam is taken into account.
UPSC Prelims Cut off Marks
General Studies Paper 2, also known as the CSAT Paper is the qualifying paper for the Prelims Exam. So, to Qualify for Paper 1, 33% marks in Paper 2 are required. However, marks of the CSAT paper are not considered in the final ranking of prelims. But, only marks of Paper 1 are considered for merit. Moreover, IAS prelims are the base stage to test the aspirant. Often deserving candidates are also rejected with a difference of just one mark. As a result, candidates should make solid preparations and not underestimate even one mark. Above all, UPSC Prelims is of maximum 200 marks only. It was 400 marks prior to 2014.
So, often there is this question What after Prelims? The answer is further, aspirants have to get on with the preparation for UPSC Mains quickly. Certainly, this will help candidates to get an edge over others. Consequently, Waiting for prelims cut off will break the study link of candidates. Consequently, the Union Public Service Commission releases the UPSC prelims cut-off marks immediately after one month of the exam. So, candidates who have cracked the prelims exam are eligible for the mains exam. As a result, the eligible aspirants are to fill an Online application form for their mains exam.
UPSC Mains Cut Off
Subsequently, the IAS mains exam is original of 1750 marks. Certainly, mains is the written subjective exam to test the candidate’s analytical thinking and understanding. As a result, UPSC mains cut offsets the benchmark on who gets called for the interview. So, the mains cut-off is completely independent and does not consider the marks of the prelims exam.
IAS Final Cut Off
Candidates who clear their mains exam by scoring more than the cut-off are called for an interview. However, the personality test in UPSC is 275 marks. Hence, the final score is 2025 and the final cut-off is decided from these 2025 marks. Moreover, the interview test does not have a cut-off.
How is UPSC Cut Off calculated?
- The UPSC Cut off Marks are the marks obtained by the last candidate to qualify for the exam.
- Also, the cut-off marks are set by first determining the number of vacancies.
- Then choose the number of candidates equal to the number of vacancies in descending order of marks.
Consequently, the Union Public Service Commission announces the CSE cut-off score after the final results are out. So, the IAS Cut Off is determined based on certain parameters. Firstly, the number of candidates who had appeared. Secondly, the total number of vacancies. Also, the reservation percentages and few other details. As a result, the UPSC Cut Off is the minimum mark an aspirant should obtain to qualify for Mains Exam.
So, UPSC has specified a few cases with regards to the selection of candidates based on cut off:
- When two aspirants score equal total marks in the CSE, the Union Public Service Commission fixes the draw by allotting a higher rank to that candidate who secures more marks in compulsory papers plus IAS Interview put together.
- If two applicants score the same also in compulsory papers plus interview test, then the candidate who will be senior in age will get a higher rank.
- If two candidates not only score equally in compulsory papers plus the personality test but also are the same in age; then the aspirant who has secured more marks in only compulsory papers will get a higher rank.
UPSC 2020 Cut Off
Certainly, the Civil Services Examination (CSE) prelims were conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on October 4, 2020. So, around 10 lakh candidates appeared for the prelims examination. However, the exam was conducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. consequently, this constrained many institutions to opt for online proctored exams. As a result, in previous years the time gap between the prelims exam and the mains exam this year was very less. So, applicants must determine their estimated score in prelims to make a preparation strategy for the next round.
According to a few officials, the cut-off defining the IAS result would most probably be the same as last year. This is due to the similar paper pattern and conventional questions with only the current affairs section being somewhat tricky.
| Category | UPSC 2020 CSE Prelims** |
| General | 98 ± (5 to 10) marks |
| EWS | 90 ± (5 to 10) marks |
| OBC | 95.34 ± (5 to 10) marks |
| SC | 82 ± 5 marks |
| ST | 77.34 ± 5 marks |
| PwBD-1 | 53.34 ± 5 marks |
| PwBD-2 | 44.66 ± 5 marks |
| PwBD-3 | 61.34 ± 5 marks |
| PwBD-5 | 61.34 ± 5 marks |
UPSC Cut-off of Previous Years
Civil Services Exam 2019 Cut Off
| Category | UPSC CSE Prelims** | UPSC CSE (Mains)# | Final Cut off |
| General | 98 | 751 | 961 |
| EWS | 90 | 696 | 909 |
| OBC | 95.34 | 718 | 925 |
| SC | 82 | 706 | 898 |
| ST | 77.34 | 699 | 893 |
| PwBD-1 | 53.34 | 663 | 861 |
| PwBD-2 | 44.66 | 698 | 890 |
| PwBD-3 | 61.34 | 374 | 653 |
| PwBD-5 | 61.34 | 561 | 708 |
Civil Services Exam 2018 Cut Off
| Category | UPSC CSE Prelims** | UPSC CSE (Mains)# | Final Cut off |
| General | 98 | 774 | 982 |
| OBC | 96.66 | 732 | 938 |
| SC | 84 | 719 | 912 |
| ST | 83.34 | 719 | 912 |
| PwBD-1 | 73.34 | 711 | 899 |
| PwBD-2 | 53.34 | 696 | 908 |
| PwBD-3 | 40 | 520 | 754 |
| PwBD-5 | 45.34 | 460 | 718 |
Certainly, IAS Cut-off 2021 will be released after the completion of the IAS 2021 exam process. However, the UPSC releases the cutoff mark for the IAS exam after the declaration of the final result. As a result, UPSC cut off is increasing year after year because the number of vacancies is declining over the years. Consequently, the UPSC vacancies always influence the IAS cut-off. So, UPSC IAS 2021 exam will be conducted on June 27 across the nation at over 2500 exam centers. Moreover, the IAS prelims expected cut-off for UPSC 2021 exam will follow the trend of the past. Also, the expected cut-off for the IAS 2021 prelims exam will depend on the difficulty level of the question paper and the number of vacancies notified.
Vacancies and Reservation
So, UPSC releases the distribution of vacancies in each department among various recognized categories. As a result, it is the reservation of Scheduled caste ranges from 24% to 30% in each department. Consequently, the Reservation of Seats for Scheduled Tribe ranges from 8% to 12% in each department. Also, the vacancies listed as per the category are allotted to students belonging to that particular category.
Since UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) has numerous posts and vacancies. However, the number of vacancies is expected to be around 980, which will be divided among the reserved categories. That is 34 vacancies will be reserved for the PH category, 14 vacancies will be reserved for LDCP, 13 vacancies for HI, 7 vacancies for B/LV. Also, the candidates are required to check the list of posts offered to fill the desired post in the IAS Online Form.
FAQ | UPSC Cut Off
So, the tentative cut off for UPSC Prelims 2020 held in October are;
General: 101-105
EWS: 93 – 95
OBC: 95-98
SC: 80-84
ST: 75 – 78
Certainly, the Cut-off Marks of the exam year wise are as follows:
2014 205/400
2015 107.34/200
2016 116.00/200
2017 105.34/200
2018 98/200
2019 98/200
Above all, Cabinet Secretary is the top IAS Post in UPSC. Its the senior most position of an IAS.
2019
General – 72 EWS – 18 OBC – 52 SC – 25 ST – 13 Total – 180
2018
General – 91 OBC- 48 SC – 27 ST – 14 Total – 180
Editor’s Note | UPSC Cut Off
Certainly, UPSC Civil Service Exam is an All India Competitive exam. So, in this article, we have explained how the cut-off for the UPSC CSE exam is calculated. Also, it emphasizes the breakdown of the filtration process of the exam into UPSC Prelims and Mains Cut Off marks. Read this article thoroughly to understand the exam in detail. Certainly, this will help you set your goals and achieve them. So, All The Best!!
