UPSC CSE cutoff data

id

cacc6499-2b4d-4a4c-8f03-a92eec6021ae

year

2026

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2026 vacancy snapshot increased from 933 to 1,016

commentary

The notification-stage figure was 933 CSE vacancies; the later Prelims-result release states 1,016. Both snapshots are preserved, with 1,016 marked current instead of overwriting the earlier historical value.

methodology

Comparison of two official vacancy snapshots.

metrics

id

8700820a-1de3-4997-92fb-463b4184662a

year

2026

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

UPSC released a provisional CSE Prelims answer key for the first time

commentary

The provisional answer key was released on 27 May 2026 with a representation window through 31 May. The final answer key remains deferred until declaration of the final result.

methodology

Official UPSC/PIB process-change release.

metrics

id

1d662795-5f04-41b9-a448-f5511fa81392

year

2026

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

PARTIAL

headline

2026 is a live partial cycle: Prelims completed, Mains scheduled

commentary

As of 16 August 2026, Prelims has been completed and 13,343 candidates have been shortlisted. Mains is scheduled to begin on 21 August 2026. Final-stage values must remain null until officially published.

methodology

Current-cycle synthesis of official UPSC/PIB releases and timetable.

metrics

id

1972a841-fab3-49a9-8748-9da52443f794

year

2025

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2025 General Prelims cutoff rose to 92.66

commentary

The General Prelims cutoff increased 4.68 marks from 87.98 in 2024 to 92.66 in 2025. This is a data-derived movement, not an official causal explanation.

methodology

Adjacent-year comparison of official cutoffs and funnel data.

metrics

id

216d8223-f92b-4035-93cd-feaa7c2d5a0e

year

2024

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2024 General Prelims cutoff rebounded to 87.98

commentary

The General Prelims cutoff rose 12.57 marks from 75.41 in 2023 to 87.98 in 2024. This is a data-derived movement; it does not by itself establish why the cutoff changed.

methodology

Official cutoff comparison across adjacent years.

metrics

id

c900d5d7-fa22-4020-980f-d1917f65414d

year

2020

stage

PRELIMS

classification

OFFICIAL

coverage

FULL

headline

2020 CSE calendar was materially shifted by COVID-19

commentary

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination scheduled for 31 May 2020 was deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately held on 4 October 2020. Mains began in January 2021 and the final result was published in September 2021. This timing context should be displayed separately from cutoff causation.

methodology

Official UPSC/PIB scheduling notices and exam-cycle dates.

metrics

id

6b839a3b-ecd3-4e75-b4c9-93053990d616

year

2020

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2020: General Prelims cutoff fell to 92.51

commentary

The General Prelims cutoff fell 5.49 marks from 98.00 in 2019 to 92.51 in 2020. This is a descriptive outcome; the database does not attribute the change to COVID, paper difficulty, CSAT, or vacancies without separate evidence.

methodology

Official cutoff and vacancy data combined with verified application/attendance and stage counts.

metrics

id

da3ae374-67f9-42d5-9df6-62b91a61bc20

year

2019

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2019: EWS enters the CSE cutoff and vacancy series

commentary

EWS appears as a separate published vertical category in the 2019 cutoff and final vacancy matrix. Historical category charts must therefore begin the EWS series at 2019 rather than backfilling earlier years.

methodology

Historical schema interpretation from official UPSC cutoff and final-result documents.

metrics

id

7fa15883-de35-4f60-ad43-d2069eac7e21

year

2019

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

PARTIAL

headline

2019: General Prelims cutoff held at 98.00

commentary

The General Prelims cutoff remained at 98.00, unchanged from 2018. Candidate-application and attendance counts are secondary-verified in this dataset, so causal commentary should remain conservative.

methodology

Official cutoff plus secondary-verified historical funnel counts.

metrics

id

910547ad-05ba-4809-a76d-c0ef7513e70f

year

2018

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2018: Prelims cutoff fell while the vacancy pool also contracted

commentary

General Prelims cutoff was 98.00, down 7.34 marks from 2017. This is a descriptive movement, not proof that one factor caused the fall. The year also had a smaller final vacancy pool than 2017, so paper/score-distribution effects should be analysed separately from vacancy effects.

methodology

Derived from official cutoff, final-result and result-highlights data.

metrics

id

40393912-0bb4-4e39-9c5c-bd8e294db31f

year

2017

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2017 Prelims cutoff fell sharply from the 2016 peak

commentary

General Prelims cutoff fell from 116.00 in 2016 to 105.34 in 2017, while 13,366 candidates qualified for Mains. The movement is descriptive; paper difficulty cannot be asserted as the sole cause without full question-level evidence.

methodology

Derived from verified cutoff and official final-result funnel/vacancy data.

metrics

id

efce49e7-f8ab-482e-8865-0bf87a1ec223

year

2016

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2016 had the highest General Prelims cutoff in the modern 2015–2025 series

commentary

General GS-I cutoff reached 116/200. This is a descriptive historical observation; it does not by itself prove the paper was easier. Candidate score distribution, paper characteristics, negative-marking behaviour and the shortlist target can all contribute.

methodology

Derived from official/verified cutoff, attendance, shortlist and vacancy data. No causal attribution is made without question-level evidence.

metrics

id

062a7995-5c36-4103-9432-4c0d8083351a

year

2015

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2015 Prelims: baseline year for the modern cutoff series

commentary

The 2015 General cutoff of 107.34/200 should be treated as the first directly comparable point in the modern GS-I-only Prelims cutoff series. Historical 2013-14 scores use a different basis.

methodology

Derived from verified cutoff and annual-report candidate counts; no causal difficulty claim.

metrics

id

0227db62-60ae-4965-a80a-5104a30bd966

year

2015

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2015 introduced the modern GS-I-only Prelims cutoff regime

commentary

From CSE 2015 onward, GS Paper-II/CSAT became qualifying with a 33% threshold. The competitive cutoff therefore uses GS Paper-I marks out of 200, creating a clean comparability break from 2014 and earlier.

methodology

Direct interpretation of the officially confirmed examination-rule change.

metrics

id

bed88756-361f-4bed-b875-47ae8de547c4

year

2014

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2014 Prelims: final combined-paper merit cycle

commentary

The 2014 Prelims cutoff is not directly comparable with 2015 onward. Both papers contributed to merit, but the English comprehension section of Paper-II was excluded, producing an effective published maximum of 385.

methodology

Derived only from official cutoff/rule and stage-count data; no causal paper-difficulty claim is made.

metrics

id

b1450702-dcc6-46fe-81b1-31789b64493e

year

2013

stage

PRELIMS

classification

CIP_ANALYSIS

coverage

FULL

headline

2013 Prelims: combined-paper cutoff regime

commentary

The General cutoff was 241/400 under the then-applicable combined GS-I + GS-II merit system, subject to minimum marks in each paper. Of 323,949 candidates who appeared, 14,959 qualified for Mains. Because the cutoff basis changed from 2015, 2013 should not be plotted as directly comparable with modern GS-I-only cutoffs. No causal claim about paper difficulty is made without complete question-level analysis.

methodology

Derived arithmetic from official cutoff and official UPSC/PIB stage counts; no difficulty inference.

metrics