UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2026, 2025 & Last 10 Years (Category-wise)

The UPSC Prelims 2025 cut-off for the General category was 92.66 marks out of 200 in GS Paper I. For 2026, the official cut-off has not yet been released.

If you’ve ever calculated your Prelims score after the examination, you’ll understand why these numbers matter so much.

You check one answer key and get 94. Another gives you 91. You start wondering whether two or three marks could decide an entire year of preparation.

Sometimes, they can.

But there’s another side to cut-offs that deserves your attention, especially if you’re preparing for UPSC 2027.

A cut-off tells you where the qualifying line was last year. It doesn’t tell you where that line will be next year.

Let’s look at the actual numbers, understand what they mean and work out how you can use them without letting them control your preparation.

UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2025: Category-wise Marks

The following category-wise figures have been reported for CSE 2025. The 2025 UPSC cut-off PDF should be checked directly before these figures are published as independently verified official data.

All marks are out of 200 in General Studies Paper I. Candidates must also qualify CSAT.

Look at the General and OBC cut-offs. There’s a difference of just 0.66 marks.

In Prelims, one incorrect answer can cost approximately 0.67 marks through negative marking.

That’s why candidates who miss the cut-off by a fraction of a mark often remember particular questions for months.

But if you’re preparing for your next attempt, the useful question isn’t which question you should have guessed differently.

It’s whether your preparation and decision-making can become more reliable.

UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2026: What Can We Expect?

As of 27 October 2026, UPSC has not released the official Prelims 2026 cut-off.

The Prelims result was declared in June 2026, but that doesn’t mean the official cut-off is available. UPSC ordinarily publishes the cut-off after the Civil Services Examination’s final result.

The 2026 cut-off is therefore likely to become available in 2027, depending on when the examination cycle concludes.

You may come across websites predicting 85, 90 or 95 marks. Treat those numbers as estimates, not facts.

The actual cut-off depends on the difficulty of GS Paper I, candidates’ performance, the number shortlisted for Mains and the vacancies involved.

If you’re preparing for UPSC 2027, don’t let an unofficial 2026 prediction determine your target.

If you’ve appeared in Prelims 2026, remember that your qualification is determined by UPSC’s result, not by an estimated cut-off circulating online.

UPSC Prelims Cut Off: Last 10 Years (2016–2025)

Here is the category-wise cut-off history for the last ten examination cycles.

All figures represent marks in GS Paper I, out of 200.

Source:

EWS cut-offs begin in 2019 because the category was introduced into the reservation framework that year.

What the Last Five Years Tell You

Between 2021 and 2025, the General cut-off ranged from 75.41 to 92.66.

That’s a difference of 17.25 marks.

Imagine you’re preparing for Prelims 2027 and scoring around 90 in mocks.

Looking only at the 2023 cut-off might make you feel comfortable. Looking at 2025 might make you anxious.

Neither reaction helps much.

What matters is whether you’re improving your understanding, accuracy and ability to handle unfamiliar questions.

What the 10-Year Cutoff Trend Really Means

1. A Score of 100 Has Not Always Been Enough

In 2016, the General cut-off was 116.

In 2017, it was 105.34.

So while 100 marks would have cleared the General cut-off in each year from 2018 through 2025, it wouldn’t have done so in 2016 or 2017.

This is why I wouldn’t advise you to think of 100 as a guaranteed qualifying score.

It’s a useful benchmark to work towards, not a promise.

2. The 2023 Cut-off Was Exceptionally Low

The General cut-off fell to 75.41 in 2023.

It was the lowest General-category cut-off in the 2016–2025 period.

The examination was widely regarded as difficult, particularly because of its question framing and the uncertainty candidates faced while selecting answers.

But the cut-off rose to 87.98 in 2024 and 92.66 in 2025.

A difficult year doesn’t establish a permanent trend.

3. Your Category’s Cut-off Can Change Sharply

Consider the ST category.

The cut-off was 47.82 in 2023 and 82.66 in 2025.

That’s an increase of 34.84 marks.

Or look at the OBC category. In 2025, its cut-off was just 0.66 marks below General.

If you belong to a reserved category, study the relevant historical figures, but don’t assume the gap from General will remain the same.

4. Your Mock Score Needs Context

A score of 95 in a difficult mock may reflect stronger preparation than 110 in an unusually easy one.

That’s why the score alone doesn’t tell the full story.

Ask yourself whether you understood the questions, how many mistakes came from weak concepts and whether your performance is improving across several tests.

These patterns matter more than celebrating one high score.

How Is the UPSC Prelims Cut-Off Calculated?

There’s one rule you should be completely clear about.

The UPSC Prelims cut-off is based on GS Paper I. CSAT is qualifying, and you must meet its minimum qualifying requirement separately.

GS Paper I: Marks and Negative Marking

GS Paper I contains 100 questions worth two marks each.

For every incorrect answer, UPSC deducts one-third of the marks assigned to that question.

For a two-mark question, the penalty is approximately 0.67 marks.

Your score can be calculated as:

Score = (Correct Answers × 2) − (Incorrect Answers × 2/3)

Unattempted questions attract no penalty.

CSAT Qualifying Marks

CSAT is worth 200 marks, and candidates must secure at least 33%, or 66 marks.

Consider two candidates:

Candidate A’s higher GS score cannot compensate for failing CSAT.

That’s why ignoring CSAT is a risk you don’t need to take.

These rules are stated in UPSC’s official examination notification.

UPSC Mains Cut-off and Final Cut-off 2025

Prelims is only the first stage. The cut-off changes at Mains and again at the final recommendation stage.

Here are the official CSE 2025 cut-off marks, verified against UPSC’s published PDF.

Official source:

The Mains cut-off is subject to candidates securing the prescribed minimum marks in each of the seven competitive papers, along with the applicable language-paper qualifying requirements.

The final cut-off is based on the combined marks from the seven Mains merit papers and the Personality Test.

One important distinction: These figures are minimum qualifying or recommendation-stage thresholds. They are not target scores that UPSC announces in advance.

What Score Should You Target for UPSC Prelims 2027?

Suppose you’re scoring 85 in your mocks right now.

You might look at the 2023 General cut-off of 75.41 and feel that you’re doing well.

Then you see the 2025 cut-off of 92.66 and begin worrying.

The problem isn’t your score. It’s that you’re using different years’ results to judge your preparation without considering the difficulty of the papers.

A sensible initial goal is to cross 100 marks consistently in appropriately challenging full-length mocks, then continue improving.

But don’t confuse that goal with a guaranteed safe score. The cut-off has exceeded 100 in previous years.

How Accuracy Changes Your Prelims Score

Let’s look at five possible outcomes.

These are illustrative calculations using the standard two-mark question and one-third negative-marking rule.

Notice something interesting.

Attempting 85 questions with 60 correct answers produces approximately 103.33 marks.

Attempting 90 questions with 63 correct answers produces 108 marks.

The second candidate attempted five more questions, but the score improved by less than five marks.

More attempts don’t automatically mean a better result.

The real question is whether your additional attempts are supported by enough knowledge or sound elimination.

What to Do After Every Mock Test

If you take a mock on Sunday, don’t just check the score and move on.

Spend time reviewing your mistakes.

First, identify knowledge gaps. Were there questions you couldn’t answer because you hadn’t studied the topic?

Second, identify conceptual mistakes. Did you know the subject but misunderstand the question?

Third, examine your elimination strategy. Did you eliminate the correct option because of one unfamiliar word?

Finally, review your guesses. Were they based on reasoning, or did you simply feel that an option looked correct?

Over several tests, you’ll begin to notice patterns.

Perhaps you regularly lose marks in environment questions. Perhaps you rush through polity statements. Perhaps your accuracy drops during the final 30 minutes.

These observations give you something specific to improve.

How MAD-X Can Help

UnderStand UPSC’s MAD-X programme is designed around examination-oriented practice, including 10 GS and 10 CSAT simulators, as described in the programme brief.

The value of a simulator isn’t simply that it gives you another score.

It’s that it gives you another opportunity to understand how you perform under examination conditions.

If you’re preparing for 2027, explore the –
Faculty insight: Dhruv Jain Sir’s experience of clearing five out of five Prelims GS cut-offs can be included here once the claim and an exact quotation are approved. No quotation has been invented for this article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: Your Next Mock Matters More Than Last Year’s Cut-off

If you’re preparing for UPSC 2027, don’t spend every week searching for a new cut-off prediction.

You already know that the qualifying marks can change substantially.

You also know that a few mistakes can make a meaningful difference.

What you need now is a preparation process that helps you make fewer avoidable mistakes.

Read the syllabus carefully. Revise the subjects you’ve studied. Practise unfamiliar questions. Give CSAT the attention it deserves.

And after every mock, ask yourself one question:

What did this test teach me that can improve my next attempt?

If you can answer that consistently, you’re using mock tests the way they’re meant to be used.

UnderStand UPSC‘s MAD-X programme can help you bring structure to that practice.

Don’t prepare for a number someone predicts. Prepare to perform well on the paper UPSC actually sets.