Put simply, the UPPCS cut off marks the point where the commission closed each category's list at a stage of UP PCS: at prelims it is measured on General Studies I alone (out of 200), at mains on the 1,500 written marks, and the final cut off on 1,600 marks including the interview. CSAT never sets the cut off; it is a pass or fail paper at 33 percent.
The commission publishes these figures in its own notices, usually after a cycle's final result, for every reserved and special category. This page explains how to read them, what moves them from cycle to cycle, including the 2024 and 2025 cycles, and the place on the commission's site that holds the real PDF.
Exam at a glance
Released by
Uttar Pradesh Public Service CommissionPrelims basis
GS I marks out of 200CSAT
Qualifying, 33 percentMains basis
Written total out of 1,500Final basis
Mains plus interview, out of 1,600Where
uppsc.up.nic.in notices
How the UPPCS cut off is set
UPPSC decides how many candidates to call to the next stage as a multiple of the posts in each category. It then ranks everyone who passed CSAT by their GS I score, and the marks of the last person inside that number become the uppcs prelims cut off for that category. The same logic is applied at mains, using written marks, to make the interview list, and at the end to make the final merit.
Because the count depends on posts, more seats in a cycle tend to pull the line down, even when the paper itself was no easier.
Categories in the cut off notice
Expect separate figures for:
- General (unreserved), EWS, OBC, SC and ST
- Special horizontal lists, for instance women, former armed forces personnel, freedom fighters' dependants, sportspersons and persons with disabilities, where applicable
Reserved category benefits apply only to residents of Uttar Pradesh. Candidates from other states compete in the general list, whatever their category at home, so check which column applies to you before comparing scores.
Past UPPCS cut offs: what the trend shows
This page leaves out exact numbers, since we were unable to tie each figure to the commission's own notice for that year. What the published notices across recent cycles have consistently shown is this:
- The unreserved line at prelims sits well above the minimum CSAT bar and changes noticeably between cycles, depending on how hard GS I was and how many questions were dropped after the answer key review.
- OBC figures are often close to general, while SC and ST figures are lower, and women's horizontal lists can differ from the main list.
- At the final stage, small differences matter: a few marks in Essay or General Hindi can decide whether you are in the merit list.
Passing CSAT is not the same as crossing the cut off
| Stage | Minimum rule | Selection decided by |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims | 33 percent in CSAT (66 of 200) | GS I marks vs category cut off |
| Mains | Minimum marks in papers if the notice prescribes them | Written total out of 1,500 |
| Final | Interview attendance and documents | Mains plus interview, out of 1,600 |
Crossing 66 in CSAT does nothing on its own. If your GS I score is below the category cut off, you will not reach mains, even with a high CSAT score.
What may change the next cut off
- Number of posts: check the vacancy table of the current notice.
- Paper difficulty: a hard GS I with many tricky statement questions pulls the cut off down.
- Deleted questions: when the final key drops questions, marks are recalculated and cut offs can shift.
- Negative marking: a third of each question's marks is cut for wrong answers, so heavy guessing by candidates lowers overall scores.
How to check the UPPSC cut off officially
- On uppsc.up.nic.in, check the results area first and then the notice board.
- Pick the PCS marks notice of the year you are studying; the cut off table is inside it.
- Use the category and special category rows that apply to you.
- Personal marks appear through a candidate login that the commission switches on once the final list is out.
Useful next pages: the full UPPSC syllabus, practice with the UPPSC previous papers guide, and the national comparison on the UPSC cut off page. Other Uttar Pradesh recruitments are grouped in our state exams section.
Frequently asked questions
Is the uppcs prelims cut off based on both papers?
No. It is based only on GS I out of 200. CSAT must be passed with 33 percent but its marks are not used for ranking.
When does UPPSC release the cut off?
Stage-wise cut off marks are normally made public at the close of a cycle, alongside or after the final selection list, rather than straight after prelims. Watch its notices section.
Do candidates from other states get OBC or SC benefits?
No. Reservation in UP PCS applies to residents of Uttar Pradesh. Others are treated as general category candidates.
Do women get their own cut off figures in UP PCS?
Yes. Women have a horizontal reservation in Uttar Pradesh, and the cut off notice usually shows separate figures for them within categories.
What uppsc cut off should I target in mocks?
Use the highest official cut off for your category from recent cycles as your floor, and add a safety margin. Mock scores also vary with test difficulty, so compare with several mocks.
Does the interview score change the final cut off a lot?
The interview is 100 of 1,600 marks. It rarely makes up a big mains gap, but it often decides rank among candidates close to each other.