The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is considered one of the toughest competitive exams in India. Conducted once every year at the national level, the exam is held in three stages—Preliminary, Mains, and the Personality Test (Interview).
This year, the Preliminary Examination was conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Sunday, May 25, 2025. The exam was held in two shifts—Paper 1 (General Studies) from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and Paper 2 (CSAT) from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM.
Exam Structure
The UPSC Prelims comprises two papers:
- Paper 1: General Studies (GS) – 100 questions carrying a total of 200 marks.
- Paper 2: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) – 80 questions, also worth 200 marks.
Candidates are given two hours for each paper. While Paper 2 is only qualifying in nature, aspirants must score at least 33% in it. However, only the marks obtained in Paper 1 (GS) are considered for the merit list to qualify for the Mains stage.
Previous Years’ Cut-Offs
The cut-off marks have varied over the years. Here’s a comparison of the Prelims cut-offs for the years 2023 and 2024:
| Category | 2024 Cut-Off | 2023 Cut-Off |
|---|---|---|
| General | 87.98 | 75.41 |
| EWS | 85.92 | 68.02 |
| OBC | 87.28 | 74.75 |
| SC | 79.03 | 59.25 |
| ST | 74.23 | 47.82 |
| PwBD-1 | 69.42 | 40.40 |
| PwBD-2 | 65.30 | 41.73 |
Expected Cut-Off for UPSC Prelims 2025
Given the noticeable increase in the cut-off in 2024 compared to 2023, it is anticipated that the trend might continue this year as well. As per reports and expert analysis, candidates scoring between 85 to 90 marks in Paper 1 (GS) can consider it a relatively safe score. However, this is only an estimated range, and the actual cut-off may vary depending on factors such as the difficulty level of the paper and the number of vacancies.
Candidates are advised to wait for the official answer key and results while continuing their preparation for the next stage.
