UPSC CSE Prelims 2025: Expected cut-off

The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2025 is over, and now the big question in every aspirant’s mind is:

“What will be the cut-off this year?”

This is an important topic because only those who score above the cut-off in Paper I (General Studies) can proceed to the Mains exam. Let’s understand what the cut-off means, what affects it, and what we can expect for 2025.

Why the Cut-Off Matters

The Prelims exam is just the first stage of the selection process. It is used to screen candidates for the next round. Here’s how it works:

Paper I (General Studies): Your score in this paper decides whether you qualify.
Paper-II (CSAT): This is only a qualifying test. You need at least 33% marks to clear it. (66 marks)

The Cut-off for Paper-I changes every year due to several factors:

Difficulty level of the paper
Total number of candidates
Number of vacancies
Variation in question sets (normalisation)

Expected cut-off for 2025 (based on expert analysis)

The UPSC Prelims 2025 paper was tougher than previous years. Based on our analysis, the expected cut-off is between 82 and 86 marks.

Here is the cut-off expected for general studies (paper I):

Note: These are estimated numbers. The official cut will later be released by UPSC.

Prelims 2025: Paper Review

Depending on the response from students and subject experts, the paper was moderately difficult.

Main Observations:

Polity: Questions were conceptual and fewer in number than the previous year.
Environmental Ecology and International Relations: The conceptual twist is often associated with geography, and there were many questions which were facts.
Modern History: The number of questions has increased, which is a positive point.
Science and Technology: More fact-based and a focus on relevant issues.

There was no surprise in the paper, although IR and environment was fact-based, which made the paper a bit tricky. Overall, the cut-off is expected to be less than last year, in the range of 82-86.

Watch Our Full Video for Details

Want to know more? Watch our detailed video on cut-off analysis, answer key discussion, and strategy tips with Naman Sir, only at Naman Sharma IAS Academy.

Final Advice

If your score is above 80, start preparing for the Mains seriously.
If you’re not sure, don’t panic. Begin writing practice and revise your optional subject.
If you’re targeting Prelims 2026, use this time to build a strong foundation.

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All the best!

Also Read UPSC CUT-OFF