UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2025, Expected, Previous Year Cut Offs

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) successfully conducted the UPSC Prelims Exam 2025 on 25th May 2025. The next step in the selection process is the release of the UPSC Prelims Cut-Off 2025. For the General category, the expected cut-off is approximately 86 (±4). This cut-off plays a crucial role, as it is a qualifying stage, only candidates who clear this stage will be eligible to appear for the Mains Exam. Continue reading the article for detailed insights into the expected UPSC Prelims Cut-Off 2025.

UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2025

The UPSC Prelims Cut Off 2025 marks play a crucial role in determining which candidates progress to the next stage of the selection process. The Prelims Exam 2025 comprises two papers, General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (CSAT). It is essential to understand that only the marks obtained in General Studies Paper I are considered for merit ranking whereas, General Studies Paper II is qualifying in nature, and candidates must score a minimum of 33% to be eligible.

For the General Category, the expected cut-off for UPSC Prelims 2025 is projected to be around 86 marks, with a margin of ±4. This estimation is based on trends from previous years and the expected difficulty level of the exam.

UPSC Cut Off Trend Analysis

Candidates must score above the minimum cut-off marks required to clear at every stage of the selection process, Prelims, Mains, and Interview. The UPSC Cut Off 2025 for Prelims is qualifying in nature to shortlist candidates for the Mains exam. The UPSC Cut Off 2025 for Mains plays a major role in deciding whether a candidate proceeds to the Interview round, which carries weightage in the final result.

Also Read: UPSC Prelims Answer Key 2025

Expected UPSC Cut Off 2025

The Expected UPSC Cut Off 2025 is projected by analyzing previous year trends, exam difficulty levels, and competition patterns. For reference, the UPSC Cut Off 2023 for Prelims for the General category was approximately 75.41 marks.

With the increasing number of applicants and the evolving nature of the exam, UPSC Cut Off 2025 might increase.

UPSC Cut Off 2024

The UPSC Cut Off 2024 determines who qualifies for the next round and who makes it to the UPSC Final Merit List 2025, which will be announced after the final results are declared. Several key factors affect the cut-off, including the number of vacancies, the difficulty level of the exam, and the overall performance of candidates.

UPSC Cut Off 2024 for Prelims

The UPSC Cut Off 2024 for Prelims will differ by category, but the CSAT paper is qualifying in nature. To move ahead in the selection process, candidates must score at least 33% in CSAT, which equals 66 marks out of 200. The cut off is discussed below in the table:

Also Read: UPSC Prelims Question Papers 2025

UPSC Cut Off 2024 for Mains

The expected UPSC Cut Off 2024 for Mains will vary based on different categories. These cut-off marks represent the minimum scores required (out of 1750 marks) to qualify for the final stage, which is the Personality Test (Interview). Below we have shared an approximate category-wise cut-off for reference:

UPSC Cut Off Trends for the Last 5 Years

To estimate the UPSC Cut Off 2025 category-wise list is discussed below which includes the trends from previous years. Over the last five years, the UPSC Prelims Cut Off for the General category has ranged between 74.41 and 98 marks, while the UPSC Mains Cut Off has been between 700 and 750 marks (out of 1750).

UPSC Prelims Cut Off (2019-2023)

To estimate the UPSC Prelims Cut Off, to analyse the previous years shifts in the minimum qualifying marks. Over the last five years, the Prelims cut-off for the General category has ranged between 74.41 and 98 marks, while the Mains cut-off has generally been between 700 to 750 marks out of 1750. Below is the table shared to get an idea for analysis:

Also Read: UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis 2025

UPSC Mains Cut Off (2019-2023)

The UPSC Mains Cut Off represents the minimum scores required (out of 1750 marks) to qualify for the final stage, which is the Personality Test (Interview). Below we have shared an approximate category-wise cut-off for reference for last five years:

UPSC Final Cut Off (2019-2023)

UPSC Final Cut Off analysis from last 5 years is given below:

Factors Affecting UPSC Cut Off 2025

The Factors Affecting UPSC Cut Off 2025 are discussed below. Candidates can prepare for the exam keeping in mind various factors to excel in the exam. 

• The cut-off is based on the number of vacancies released in the UPSC Notification 2025, the lower the number of vacancies released the higher the cut off will be. 
• The difficulty level of the CSAT Exam may impact the cut off as the tougher papers result in a lower cut off and easier papers may increase the cut off.
• A higher number of candidates increases competition, which can raise the cut off.
• Previous year cut off trends give an idea but they don’t directly decide the current year cut off.
• The exam is conducted in multiple shifts and hence score normalization impacts the final cut off.
• Cut offs are different based on categories such as UR, OBC, SC, ST and EWS due to reservation policies of the government.