3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 31, 2026 09:19 AM IST
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) last week concluded the Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026. This year, 5.49 lakh candidates appeared for CSE Prelims, taking the General Studies (GS) Paper 1 and CSAT (Paper 2) across centres nationwide.
Initial reactions from candidates and coaching institutes suggest that this year’s GS Paper 1 was significantly more challenging than previous years. Many students, as well as UPSC educators have described the papers as lengthy, analytical and unpredictable. Experts also noted a visible shift towards conceptual and statement-based questions, making elimination techniques and deeper understanding crucial for attempting the paper effectively.
Read Paper Analysis | ‘Unpredictable’ UPSC returns with unconventional, very difficult GS paper
Historically, higher difficulty levels in UPSC Prelims have translated into lower cut-offs across categories. Here’s a look at how cut-offs have been in the last five years, and how educators are expecting this year to be.
According to Rahul Puri, Director, Anantam IAS, the UPSC Prelims 2026 cut-off is estimated to remain close to 75 marks. Drawing a comparison with the 2023 examination, he noted that although the 2023 paper was considered comparatively easier, the cut-off still settled around 75 marks. “The level of difficulty in 2026 points towards the same level or perhaps even lower,” he said. “What made the paper tougher this year was its complexity in terms of format apart from randomness,” he added.
On similar lines B Singh, CMD for NEXT IAS, the cut-off could remain between 73 and 77 marks. The institute attributed the lower expected cut-off to the tougher nature of the paper, the changing question pattern and the overall unpredictability seen this year.
UPSC Prelims cut-off trends in last five years
An analysis of UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination cut-offs over the last six years shows significant fluctuations, particularly between 2023 and 2025.
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The General category cut-off dropped sharply to 75.41 in 2023, widely regarded as one of the toughest prelims papers in recent years. However, the cut-off rebounded strongly in 2024 and further increased to 92.66 in 2025, the highest in the six-year period under consideration.
Years 2020 to 2025: 5-year cut-off overview across categories
For reserved categories as well, a similar trend is visible. OBC cut-offs rose from 74.75 in 2023 to 92.00 in 2025, while EWS increased from 68.02 to 89.34 during the same period. SC and ST categories also saw steep rises over the last two years, indicating relatively more scoring papers compared to 2023.
Prelims cut-offs from 2020 to 2025: What changed?
Comparing 2020 and 2025 reveals that cut-offs largely returned to — and in some cases exceeded pre-2021 levels. General category cut-off increased marginally from 92.51 in 2020 to 92.66 in 2025. OBC moved from 89.12 to 92.00. EWS saw a sharper rise from 77.55 to 89.34. SC cut-off climbed from 74.84 to 84.00. ST increased significantly from 68.71 to 82.66.
The rise in cut-offs across categories suggests that recent papers, especially in 2024 and 2025, may have been comparatively more accessible for well-prepared candidates despite remaining conceptually demanding. Experts point out that factors such as increased competition, better test preparedness and improved elimination strategies among aspirants have also contributed to rising scores over the years.
