29 October 2026
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Insights from UPSC CSE-2023: From Lowest to Record-Breaking Marks, Surprising Cut-offs, & Topper Trends Unveiled!

UPSC CSE 2023 results were declared on 16th April, now the marksheets of candidates and the cut off is also out The cut off for prelims dropped drastically compared to last 5 years AIR-1 Aditya Srivastava secured highest Interview marks in last 10 years among toppers
Indian Masterminds Stories

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the prestigious Civil Services Examination (CSE) – 2023 results on April 16, 2024. A total of 1016 candidates, 664 men and 352 women, have been selected for the service this year, which is bigger in comparison to last year’s results which saw a total of 933 selected candidates.

A day after releasing the result of CSE exam, the Commission has also released the Marks of Civil Services Final Examination and cut off list for prelims, mains and final list. Analysing the data of marks and cut off, some interesting facts are coming to the fore. 

Indian Masterminds presents some interesting facts of the toppers’ marksheets and cut off list.

UPSC MARKS: COMPARISION OF LAST 10 YEARS

This time, 70 candidates have scored 1000 marks or more. Among them, 12 are from the OBC category, 3 from the SC category, 2 from the EWS category, and 1 from the ST category. Comparatively, in the previous examination, there were 79 candidates who scored above 1000 marks.

Toppers: The topper Lucknow’s Aditya Srivastava who got AIR-1 in CSE-2023 has secured a total of 1099 marks, including 899 in the mains written exam and 200 in the interview. The difference between AIR-1 & 2 is 32 marks as Animesh Pradhan from Odisha scored 892 in the written test and 175 in the personality test (1067 total marks).

Aditya has obtained highest total marks in last 5 years. Only IAS Kanishak Kataria who topped CSE-2018, has got more marks (1121) than him.

But he has the lowest marks in mains exam in the last 8 years, among toppers. Only IAS Tina Diba who topped the CSE-2015, has got only less marks (868) than him in mains.

While in the interview, Aditya secured the highest marks in the last 10 years. He is followed by IAS Tina Dabi, who has scored 195 marks.

Last 10 Year’s Toppers Marks

200 Marks: In Interviews, out of the 1016 successful candidates, 112 achieved scores exceeding 200 marks. Among them, three candidates attained the highest score of 215 marks each. Aniket Shandilya, ranked 12th, belongs to the General category, while Yogesh Dilhor (ranked 55th) and Kshetrimayum Deepi Chanu (ranked 508th) belong to the SC category.

Hindi Medium: Mohan Lal (OBC), who clinched the highest rank in Hindi medium, is the only candidate in Hindi Medium, to cross the 1000 marks mark with 816 marks in written and 190 marks in interview.

In Hindi Medium, Vinod Kumar Meena who secured the 135th rank and hailing from the ST category, achieved the highest score of 834 marks in the written exam. Additionally, Ishwarlal Gurjar, an OBC candidate who secured the 555th rank, obtained highest 195 marks in the interview.

Lowest: The candidate with the lowest rank in the SC category, Ms Nivedita Chandra scored 890 marks, while the last-ranked candidate in the ST category, Anup Nayak achieved 891 marks. In the OBC category, the candidate with the lowest rank, Gaurav Singh obtained 919 marks.

It is noteworthy that the main examination consists of a written paper worth 1750 marks, while the interview carries a weightage of 275 marks. The overall merit is determined by combining the marks obtained in both the written examination and the interview.

CSE-2023 Top 10 Candidate’s Marks

THE CUT OFF

For the first time in nearly 12 years, the cutoffs for the UPSC Preliminary Examination have reached unusually low levels.

CSE-2023 Prelims Cut off

Prelims: In the CSE-2023 prelims, the general category cut-off this time is 75.41, lower than 88.22 in 2022, 87.54 in 2021, 92.51 in 2020 and 98 in 2029. In the last 5 years, the highest general category cut-off was in 2019.

The cutoff for the OBC category was significantly higher than that for the EWS category.

For the EWS category, it is 68.02, OBC (74.75), SC (59.25), ST (47.82), PwBD-1 (40.40), PwBD-2 (47.13), PwBD-3 (40.40), and PwBD-5 (33.68).

CSE Prelims cut off for last 5 years

The UPSC CSE 2023 Prelims Cut-Off Marks are based solely on GS Paper-I. Paper-II (CSAT) is of a qualifying nature, requiring a minimum of 33% marks as per Rule-15 of the Civil Services Examination, 2023.

Mains: For the UPSC Mains exam, the general category cut-off is 741, lower than last year’s 748 in 2022 and 745 in 2021. While in 2020, it was 736 and 751 in 2019.

For the EWS category, it is 706, OBC (712), SC (694), ST (692), PwBD-1 (673), PwBD-2 (718), PwBD-3 (396), and PwBD-5 (445).

CSE Mains cut off for last 5 years

UPSC Mains consists of nine papers, out of which seven papers are considered for merit ranking. The remaining two papers, namely the English Language Paper and the Indian Language Paper, are of qualifying nature. Candidates must secure a minimum qualifying marks in these language papers as prescribed by the UPSC.

Final: This year, in the final selection, the cutoff for the ST category was higher than that for the SC category. The General category cutoff is 953, EWS is 923, OBC is 919, SC is 890, and ST is 891.

While last year, the final cut off was higher for each category, except disable PWD 2 & 5 category.

CSE final marks cut off for last 5 years

Indian Masterminds Stories
Join our WhatsApp Channel
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
NHPC Vigilance Awareness Week
NHPC Inaugurates Vigilance Awareness Week 2026 Under ‘Probity for Prosperity’ Theme
MRPL Vigilance Awareness Week
MRPL Inaugurates Vigilance Awareness Week 2026, Emphasises Integrity and Transparency
Uttarakhand Officers VRS
Why Are IAS, IPS and IFS Officers Opting for VRS in Uttarakhand? 3 Forest Officers Seek Early Retirement in Three Years
PNB Housing Finanace
PNB Housing Finance Q2 FY27 Results: Net Profit Rises 6% to ₹617 Crore, AUM Grows 17%
BPCL
BPCL Wins CHT Innovation Award 2025–26 for CLRTO Technology at ETM-2026
GAIL PSU
GAIL India to Invest $63 Million in Ratnagiri LNG Terminal Heating Unit by June 2027 
MCL E-Waste Management Campaign
Mahanadi Coalfields Organises Street Plays to Promote E-Waste Management Under Special Campaign 6
HAL_resized
HAL Appoints P B Rangarao as Director (Operations) Effective October 28, 2026
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Five years after Kargil, India sent its cricketing heroes to Pakistan where terrorism posed a deadly threat. The man guarding them, former Special Director of Intelligence Bureau, Mr. Yashovardhan Azad, reveals what all went behind the scenes during that crucial tour. 
Trust No One, Said His Instinct in Pakistan
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
How India Plans to Boost Tourism, Create Jobs and Ease Overcrowding : Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on the Road to 2047
Dr Saket Badola IFS
Beyond Tigers and Safaris: How Corbett Literature Festival Wants to Change the Conservation Conversation
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IA&AS Lokesh Datal
‘Dreams Don’t Change Lives, Daily Habits Do’: IA&AS Officer Lokesh Datal on UPSC and Discipline
IA&AS officer Lokesh Datal shares his UPSC journey, clearing the exam in his fourth attempt, building...
Mavis tak
From Dropping Out of School to Becoming an IPS Officer : How a Father’s Unwavering Support Helped Mavis Tak Achieve Success
For Mavis Tak, becoming an IPS officer once seemed like a distant dream. Despite financial struggles...
Bhikan Rojekar UPSC
He missed MBBS by 1 mark in 2016; Maharashtra’s Bhikan Rojekar secures UPSC AIR 812
Bhikan Rojekar secured AIR 812 in UPSC CSE 2025 in his third attempt. Read how the son of a farm labourer...
CSR NEWS
nalco
NALCO Foundation Signs MoU to Sponsor 21 Odisha Youths for Three-Year Nursing Diploma 
The three-year nursing course will support youths from villages near NALCO’s Anugul and Koraput complexes,...
NALCO Nursing Education Initiative
NALCO Foundation Signs MoU to Sponsor 40 Odisha Youths for Three-Year Nursing Diploma Course
The initiative will support GNM nursing education for youths from villages near NALCO’s Angul and Koraput...
MCL CSR Projects
MCL Signs Two MoUs with Sambalpur Administration, Invests ₹1.51 Crore in CSR Projects
The initiatives will provide one-year nutritional support to 1,100 TB patients and install solar streetlights...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
NHPC Vigilance Awareness Week
NHPC Inaugurates Vigilance Awareness Week 2026 Under ‘Probity for Prosperity’ Theme
Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan Lists 12 Types of Bureaucrats, Targets File Throwers, File Sitters and Workplace Misconduct
When Bureaucrats Become the Bottleneck: Cabinet Secretary’s 12 Types Expose Office Woes
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Five years after Kargil, India sent its cricketing heroes to Pakistan where terrorism posed a deadly threat. The man guarding them, former Special Director of Intelligence Bureau, Mr. Yashovardhan Azad, reveals what all went behind the scenes during that crucial tour. 
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Dr Saket Badola IFS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT