UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 Results: Will the Cut-off Drop This Year? Know Previous Years? Trends

2 min read

Somdatta Roy

Senior Content Writer | Updated on - Jun 8, 2025

UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 took place on May 25 (Sunday) across two two-hour sessions. UPSC CSE Mains 2025 examination was conducted on August 22, 2025.

In UPSC's Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2025 After General Studies Paper I, which ran from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, and the CSAT Paper, which began at 2:30 PM and ended at 4:30 PM. Results as a PDF shortlist of qualified roll numbers for the Mains, are expected around June 9, 2025, on upsc.gov.in.

Cut-off scores in every category increased significantly in UPSC Prelims the year before. With OBC at 87.28 and EWS at 85.92, the General category cut-off increased to 87.98.

However, in the year prior to that, experts noted a decrease in cut-offs, primarily due to the significantly increased difficulty of the CSAT paper. Extremely challenging and time-consuming exam, led to lower cut-offs as many aspirants struggled to clear.

General: dropped to 74.75
OBC: dropped to 74.75
SC: dropped to 59.25
ST: dropped to 47.82
EWS: dropped to 68.02
PwBD: dropped to 40.40

UPSC CSE Prelims: Cut-Offs Analysis

This table provides the minimum qualifying marks (cut-offs) for UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination across various categories from 2020 to 2024. These figures reflect the dynamic nature of the exam's difficulty and competition each year. Have a look:

Year	General	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	PwBD 1
2024	87.98	87.28	79.03	74.23	85.92	69.42
2023	75.41	74.75	59.25	47.82	68.02	40.40
2022	88.22	87.54	74.08	69.35	82.83	49.84
2021	87.54	84.85	75.41	70.71	80.14	68.02
2020	92.51	89.12	74.84	68.71	77.55	70.06

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Frequently Asked Questions

Ans: Following the announcement of the final UPSC CSE result (following Mains and Interview), the official cut-off marks for the preliminary exam are often made public, along with the individual scores of each applicant.

Ans: A minimum score of 33% (66.67) on the General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) is required for eligibility.

Ans: Qualified applicants for the Mains exam will complete the Detailed Application Form-I (DAF-I).

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