UPSC CSE Prelims Cut-off 2023
Civil Services Examination
UPSC CSE has three stages: Prelims → Mains → Personality Test (Interview). The Prelims cut-off is for GS Paper I (out of 200 marks). Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying — you need 33% (66 marks) regardless. The Prelims score is NOT counted for final merit; it is only used for Mains shortlisting.
Category-wise Cut-off — Year Wise
2023
Latest2022
2021
2020
Marks → Rank Reference
GS Paper I Marks → Prelims outcome (GS Paper I out of 200, -0.66 per wrong)
Key Insights
- CSAT (Paper II) is qualifying — 33% (66/200) required; marks not counted for merit
- Prelims score is NOT added to the final merit list — only Mains + Interview count
- Approximately 10–12× the number of vacancies are shortlisted for Mains from Prelims
- Cut-off varies significantly year to year based on difficulty level and number of vacancies
- Target 110+ in Prelims for a comfortable Mains chance (General category)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the UPSC Prelims cut-off 2023?
The UPSC CSE Prelims 2023 cut-off for General category was 109.34 marks out of 200 (GS Paper I). OBC cut-off was 107.34, SC was 96.00, and ST was 90.00. These marks are out of 200 with -0.66 negative marking.
Is 100 marks enough for UPSC Prelims?
For recent years, 100 marks in GS Paper I may be sufficient for SC/ST/PwD categories. For General and EWS, you typically need 105–115+ to comfortably qualify. The cut-off varies year to year based on question difficulty and vacancies.
How many attempts are allowed in UPSC?
General category candidates get 6 attempts up to age 32. OBC candidates get 9 attempts up to age 35. SC/ST candidates have unlimited attempts until age 37. PwD candidates have 9 attempts (General/EWS) or unlimited (SC/ST) up to age 42.
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