Official Cut-offs · 2016–2025

UPSC Prelims Safe Score — What the Cut-offs Actually Say

There is no single “safe score” — the Prelims cut-off is set after the exam and swings every year. Here are the official General Studies Paper-I cut-offs for every category, 2016 to 2025, and an honest way to read a target. See also the expected cut-off for 2026 and the marks calculator.

UPSC never publishes a “safe score.” The only official figures are the past cut-offs below. The widely-used advice to aim 10–20 marks above your category’s expected cut-off is a coaching rule of thumb for a safety buffer — not a UPSC guarantee.

UPSC Prelims Cut-offs — GS Paper-I only (out of 200)

CSAT (GS Paper-II) is qualifying at 33% and does not count here. EWS did not exist as a category before 2019.

Year	General	EWS	OBC	SC	ST
2016	116.00	—	110.66	99.34	96.00
2017	105.34	—	102.66	88.66	88.66
2018	98.00	—	96.66	84.00	83.34
2019	98.00	90.00	95.34	82.00	77.34
2020	92.51	77.55	89.12	74.84	68.71
2021	87.54	80.14	84.85	75.41	70.71
2022	88.22	82.83	87.54	74.08	69.35
2023	75.41	68.02	74.75	59.25	47.82
2024	87.98	85.92	87.28	79.03	74.23
2025	92.66	89.34	92.00	84.00	82.66

Every row is from the official UPSC cut-off PDF for that year (sources below). 2023 (highlighted) had the lowest General cut-off of the decade — a genuinely tough paper. The 2026 cut-off is not yet published; do not treat any predicted number as official.

How to Set a Realistic Target

Use your own category’s recent band, not General. In a normal year the General line sits high-80s to low-90s; reserved categories run below it. Look at the last 3–4 years for your category and take the higher end.
Add a 10–20 mark buffer. Because the cut-off is unknown until the result and depends on paper difficulty, prepare to clear comfortably above your band — not to just touch it.
Clear CSAT first. A safe GS Paper-I score is worthless if you miss the 33% CSAT gate. Treat CSAT as a must-pass, then chase the GS buffer.
Score against real papers, not a number. The way to hit a safe band is full-length practice under the negative-marking rule — see how the PYQ bank and test series build the accuracy a safe score needs.

UPSC Prelims Safe Score — FAQ

What is a safe score in UPSC Prelims?

There is no fixed "safe score" — UPSC sets the Prelims cut-off only after the exam, based on that year's paper difficulty, vacancies and candidates, and it is decided solely on General Studies Paper-I (out of 200). Across 2016–2025 the General-category cut-off swung from a high of 116.00 (2016) to a low of 75.41 (2023). A common coaching rule of thumb is to aim roughly 10–20 marks above your category's expected cut-off as a buffer, but this is a heuristic, not an official UPSC figure.

How many marks do I need to clear UPSC Prelims (General)?

Judging by the last ten years, a General-category candidate has cleared with as little as 75.41 (2023) and needed as much as 116.00 (2016), out of 200 in GS Paper-I. In most recent normal-difficulty years the General cut-off has sat in the high-80s to low-90s (2024: 87.98; 2025: 92.66). Treat mid-90s as a comfortable target for General, but remember the cut-off is only known after the result.

Do CSAT marks count towards the Prelims cut-off?

No. General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) is only a qualifying paper — you must score at least 33% (66 out of 200) — and its marks do not count towards the Prelims cut-off or your rank. The entire Prelims cut-off is decided on GS Paper-I marks (out of 200), adjusted only by the one-third negative-marking rule.

Why does the UPSC Prelims cut-off change so much every year?

The cut-off is a floating line, not a fixed pass mark. It moves with three things: how hard GS Paper-I was that year, how many vacancies are on offer, and how the candidate pool performed. A tough paper (like 2023) pushes the cut-off down; an easier paper or more competition pushes it up. That is why chasing a single "safe number" is misleading — you prepare to beat the field, not a fixed score.

What is a safe score for OBC, SC and ST candidates?

Reserved-category cut-offs run below General but move the same way year to year. In 2025 they were OBC 92.00, SC 84.00, ST 82.66 (GS Paper-I /200); in the tough 2023 year they fell to OBC 74.75, SC 59.25, ST 47.82. Use your own category's recent band — not the General cut-off — and add the same 10–20 mark buffer as a cushion.

Is 100 marks safe in UPSC Prelims?

For the General category, 100/200 in GS Paper-I has been above the cut-off in every year from 2017 to 2025 (the only year it would not have cleared is 2016, when General was 116). So 100+ is historically a strong, near-safe score for General — but it is never a guarantee, because the cut-off is set after the exam. Reserved-category candidates clear comfortably below 100.

Where can I calculate my expected Prelims marks?

After the exam, use the UnlockIAS Prelims marks calculator to compute your GS Paper-I score against the answer key (with the one-third negative-marking rule applied), then compare it to the category bands on this page and the expected-cut-off analysis for the current year.

The only way to a safe score is accuracy under pressure

Cut-offs reward candidates who don't lose marks to negative marking. The UnlockIAS Prelims test series builds that accuracy with full-length tests, the Sherlocking option-elimination method, and post-test analysis.

Try the Prelims Test Series Practise PYQs free

Sources: Every cut-off is from the official UPSC cut-off PDF for that year, listed on the UPSC cut-off marks page (2016–2025). CSAT-qualifying (33%) and screening rules from the Civil Services Examination notification.

Last updated: July 2026. Add the 2026 row after UPSC publishes the CSE 2026 Prelims cut-off.