UPSC Mains and Final Cut Off: Year-wise and Category-wise

The UPSC mains cut-off is the written total, out of 1,750, at which candidates in each category were called for the interview. The final cut-off is the total of written marks and interview marks, out of 2,025, of the last candidate UPSC recommended in each category. For CSE 2025 the General mains cut-off was 739 and the General final cut-off was 963.

The tables below list UPSC's mains and final cut-offs since CSE 2015 for General, EWS, OBC, SC and ST, copied from its notices; the PwBD figures are on each year's page. Prelims cut-offs are on the prelims cut-off page.

What the mains cut-off measures

The mains has nine papers, but only seven count. Essay, General Studies I to IV and the two optional papers carry 250 marks each, which makes the 1,750. The two language papers, Paper A in an Indian language and Paper B in English, are qualifying: their marks are not added to anything.

Two rules sit underneath the cut-off, and both are printed by UPSC:

• The 10% rule. Every cut-off notice from CSE 2015 to 2025 marks the mains figure as subject to 10% marks in each of the seven papers that count. A strong total does not help if one paper falls below that line.
• The language papers. Under the CSE 2026 notice you need 25% in Paper A and 25% in Paper B. Below that, UPSC does not take your Essay, GS and optional papers into account at all. Paper A is not compulsory for candidates from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, or for some candidates with a hearing impairment.

How many are called is linked to the vacancies: the notice says the number called for the personality test will be about twice the number of vacancies. For CSE 2025, 2,736 candidates qualified for the interview and the Government reported 1,087 vacancies.

What the final cut-off measures

The interview, which UPSC calls the personality test, carries 275 marks and has no minimum qualifying mark. Your written total and interview marks together decide your final rank. The final cut-off in each category is the total of the last candidate recommended in that category: for CSE 2025, UPSC recommended 958 candidates.

When two candidates have the same total, each year's cut-off notice explains the tie-break. Under the CSE 2025 notice, the candidate with more marks in the compulsory papers (Essay and GS I to IV) and the personality test together ranks higher. If that is also equal, the compulsory papers alone decide, and after that the older candidate ranks higher.

The mains and final figures for a year need not belong to the same candidate. The mains figure is where the interview list was drawn; the final figure is where the merit list ended. So the gap between them is not anyone's interview score.

How to use these numbers

• Compare like with like. Mains figures are out of 1,750 and final figures out of 2,025. Do not compare either with a prelims score.
• Look at the range, not one year. The tables show how far the line has moved in your category. Aim for a written score that would have cleared most years, with room to spare.
• Know your weak paper. Because of the 10% rule and the language papers, one neglected paper can end your attempt whatever your total. Practise all seven, and do not leave Paper A and Paper B to chance.
• Check your own marks. UPSC's mains result notice says the marks sheets of all candidates are uploaded within 15 days of the final result and stay online for 30 days.

Each year in detail

Tap a year in the tables, or use the buttons below, to see that year's prelims, mains and final cut-offs for every category, including the PwBD categories, with the change from the year before. To see what the top candidates scored against these lines, read UPSC topper marks, and for the whole picture across all three stages see the main cut-off guide.