Union Public Services Commission conducts civil services examination to recruit eligible candidates for the posts of IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other Group A and Group B of All India Services anually.

• Candidates who clear prelims can sit for main paper and similarly who clear main exam can sit for interview/personality test.
• However, candidate’s score in prelims will not be taken into consideration while preparing Final Merit List.
• IAS Main examination will be conducted on September 20, 2019 in 24 cities across India.
• The final merit list will be prepared keeping in record, candidate’s performance in UPSC Main and Personality Test i.e. Interview round.

Marks needed to qualify UPSC Civil Services Prelims and Mains has always been a topic of hot discussion and speculation. There are always different rumours around and many candidates are unclear about how UPSC fix the bottom cut-off. So here in this post we are discussing cut off trends to give to better view.

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Civil Services examination-Prelims Cut-off Marks Yearwise

Civil Services examination-Mains Cut Off Marks Trends Yearwise

Civil Services examination-Interview Marks Trends Yearwise

Till 2012 interview marks in Civil Services examination, usually ranged from 90 to 245 out of the maximum possible score of 300. That meant the interview marks varied from 30 per cent to 80 per cent, which is a very big range. The median of the interview marks was in the 55-60 percentage range.

From 2013 , interview marks contribution in Civil Services examination became 275. And generally marks are awarded in the range of 45% to 75%. Rarely anyone gets marks below 45% and above 75%.

This many marks difference can be game changer in Civil Services examination. That is why interview has its importance in candidates's life.

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Quoting from Civil Services Exam Rules:

Candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the Preliminary Examination as may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion shall be admitted to the Main Examination; and candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the Main Examination (Written) as may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion shall be summoned by them for an interview for personality test : Provided that candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes may be summoned for an interview for a personality test by the Commission by applying relaxed standards in the Preliminary Examination as well as Main Examination (Written) if the Commission is of the opinion that sufficient number of candidates from these communities are not likely to be summoned for interview for a personality test on the basis of the general standard in order to fill up vacancies reserved for them.

Officially term ‘minimum qualifying mark’ is used  instead of cut-off in Civil Services examination. This minimum qualifying mark in Civil Services examination is the mark of the last candidate who made it to the list at any one of the three stages.

UPSC normally calls for Civil Services Mains Exam, 12-13 times the number of actual vacancies reported for the corresponding year.

Again, for the interview, UPSC will call about twice the number of candidates than the reported vacancies.

Percentage of All India Topper in UPSC Civil Services Exam was around 60 per cent some five-six years back – when there were 2 optional subjects.

But it began to fall down later, obviously due to tougher questions, tougher evaluations, reduction in optional subject marks, and obviously due to lack of right resources to study General studies!

In 2013, the Topper’s percentage was aprrox 48% and the last recommended candidate in general category scored 38%. In 2018, the toppers percentage is 55% while that of the last recommended general category candidate is 49%.

In Future, If questions are easy, and evaluation is liberal, the cut-offs may increase.

Prelims Cut Off Marks of Civil Services examination 2019:

General Category - 98 marks
OBC - 96.66 marks
SC - 84 marks
ST - 83.34 marks
PwBD1 - 73.34 marks
PwBD2 - 53.34 marks
PwBD3 - 40 marks
PwBD5 - 45.34 marks