UPSC has recently announced its cut-off for the year 2023-2024. And to everyone’s surprise, the UPSC cut-off 2023-2024 was the lowest in recent years.
UPSC exam consists of 3 stages, the first stage is the prelims exam in which objective type questions are asked, and in case a candidate can clear prelims then he/she is eligible to take the UPSC mains exam which is the second stage of this exam. At this stage the questions are of a subjective nature and in total one has to clear eight papers including an optional exam.
After clearing the Mains one gets qualified to appear for the final stage i.e. the interview stage. The final result is compiled after adding marks from both mains and interview stages.
UPSC Prelims Cut off 2024:
| Category | Prelims | Mains | Final |
| General | 75.41 | 741 | 953 |
| EWS | 68.02 | 706 | 923 |
| OBC | 74.75 | 712 | 919 |
| SC | 59.25 | 694 | 890 |
| ST | 47.82 | 692 | 891 |
| PwBD-1 | 40.40 | 673 | 894 |
| PwBD-2 | 47.13 | 718 | 930 |
| PwBD-3 | 40.40 | 396 | 756 |
| PwBD-5 | 33.68 | 445 | 589 |
Note: Marks of Prelims are not added to the Final Merit List.
Here is the Cut-Off list for the UPSC Prelims Exam in the last 5 Years :
| Category | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| General | 75.41 | 88.22 | 87.54 | 92.51 | 98 |
| OBC | 74.75 | 87.54 | 89.12 | 89.12 | 95.34 |
| ST | 47.82 | 69.35 | 70.71 | 68.71 | 77.34 |
| SC | 59.25 | 74.08 | 75.41 | 74.84 | 82 |
| PWD 1 | 40.40 | 49.84 | 68.02 | 70.06 | 53.34 |
| PWD 2 | 47.13 | 58.59 | 67.33 | 63.94 | 44.66 |
| PWD 3 | 40.40 | 40.40 | 43.09 | 40.82 | 61.34 |
| PWD 5 | 33.68 | 41.76 | 45.80 | 42.86 | 61.34 |
| EWS | 68.02 | 82.83 | 80.14 | 77.55 | 90 |
5 Things to Note if You Want to Crack the UPSC Exam:
- Not to take CSAT lightly: The CSAT exam is qualifying in nature. In recent years we have seen that the level of UPSC CSAT exam has gone up. And if the trend of the 2023 UPSC exam is anything to go by then all UPSC aspirants should take the CSAT exam more seriously & practice more CSAT questions before sitting in the actual UPSC exam. Do not take this paper for granted in any case.
- Wholesome preparation: Any subject that is mentioned in the UPSC syllabus cannot be ignored. You must have a basic foundation knowledge of every subject. UPSC has started to ask questions about topics that were earlier considered redundant.
- Maximum Practise: UPSC 2023 prelims exam has shown that UPSC is trying to come up with new ways to test candidate’s knowledge. The elimination method which was used by UPSC aspirants to solve questions in the prelims exam has been eliminated. UPSC will keep coming up with such methods. All you need to do is practice maximum number of questions before your D-day.
- No more wild guessing: Gone are the days when one could make a wild guess between two or more options and there was a chance of getting that answer correct. Now days aspirants should attempt only those question about which they are sure and are able to solve them logically. Wild guessing can do you more harm than good.
- Balanced approach between current and static topics: No one knows what the marks distribution in the UPSC exam till the time the paper is out. Aspirants usually struggle to find the right balance between static and current topics.
The best way out in this situation would be a healthy balance between current affairs and static topics. If one is to prioritize between the two, always choose static part first as current affairs topics which are seen in the UPSC exam are sometimes related to static topics only.
All the best for your exam!
