UPSC CSE Prelims Cut Off Trend Analysis (2015 - 2025)
11 Years analysis General Studies (Paper I) and CSAT (Paper II)
|Year|Paper-I)|Paper-II|
| 2015 | 107.34 | 66.66 |
| 2016 | 116.00 | 66.66 | (peak)
| 2017 | 105.34 | 66.66 |
| 2018 | 98.00 | 66.66 |
| 2019 | 98.00 | 66.66 |
| 2020 | 92.51 | 66.66 |
| 2021 | 87.54 | 66.66 |
| 2022 | 88.22 | 66.66 |
| 2023 | 75.41 | 66.66 | (lowest)
| 2024 | 87.98 | 66.66 |
| 2025 | 92.66 | 66.66 | (recovery)
Year-wise Changes Table
| Year | GS | CSAT | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 107.34 | 66.66 | — |
| 2016 | 116.00 | 66.66 | +8.66 |
| 2017 | 105.34 | 66.66 | –10.66 |
| 2018 | 98.00 | 66.66 | –7.34 |
| 2019 | 98.00 | 66.66 | 0 |
| 2020 | 92.51 | 66.66 | –5.49 |
| 2021 | 87.54 | 66.66 | –4.97 |
| 2022 | 88.22 | 66.66 | +0.68 |
| 2023 | 75.41 | 66.66 | –12.81 |
| 2024 | 87.98 | 66.66 | +12.57 |
| 2025 | 92.66 | 66.66 | +4.68 |
Observations from the 11-Year Trend
- CSAT (Paper II) has remained constant at 66.66 marks (out of 200) every year from 2015 to 2025 — this is the minimum qualifying threshold (≈33%).
- General Studies (Paper I) cut-off (out of 200) shows significant fluctuation:
- Peaked at 116.00 in 2016 (tougher paper or easier scaling).
- Declined overall from 2016 to 2023, hitting the lowest at 75.41 in 2023 (likely due to higher difficulty in GS/CSAT).
- Rebounded in 2024 (87.98) and 2025 (92.66), indicating moderate difficulty and/or fewer vacancies influencing competition.
Overall message: Increasing unpredictability in recent years — aspirants should aim for 95+ in Paper I for safety in most cycles, while comfortably clearing CSAT (70+ recommended).
