UPSC Cut Off 2016: Prelims, Mains & Final (Category-wise)
Every category's cut-off for CSE 2016, how many candidates made it through each stage, and what changed from 2015. Read it as a map of the road, not a wall.
UPSC 2016 at a glance
UPSC 2016 cut-off by category
| Category | Prelims / 200 | Mains (written) / 1,750 | Final / 2,025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 116.00 | 787 | 988 |
| OBC | 110.66 | 745 | 951 |
| SC | 99.34 | 739 | 937 |
| ST | 96.00 | 730 | 920 |
| PH-1 (locomotor) | 75.34 | 713 | 927 |
| PH-2 (visual) | 72.66 | 740 | 951 |
| PH-3 (hearing) | 40.00 | 545 | 817 |
Prelims cut-off is on GS Paper I only; CSAT needed 33%. Mains needed at least 10% in each of the seven ranked papers. Final marks are those of the last recommended candidate.
UPSC 2016: from application to selection
- Applied
- Appeared in Prelims
- Qualified for Mains
- Appeared in Mains
- Called for interview
- Recommended
Bar lengths use a log scale so the last stages stay visible.
In CSE 2016, 41% of applicants actually sat Prelims. About 1 in 30 of them reached Mains, 1 in 5 Mains writers got an interview call, and 41% of those interviewed were finally recommended.
Category-wise numbers, 2016
| Category | Applied | Appeared | Qualified for Mains | Appeared Mains | Interviewed | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 4,49,490 | 1,86,597 | 7,559 | 7,452 | 1,324 | 588 |
| OBC | 2,75,079 | 1,25,033 | 4,562 | 4,447 | 1,037 | 366 |
| SC | 3,00,821 | 1,08,728 | 2,196 | 2,149 | 393 | 164 |
| ST | 1,02,872 | 39,301 | 1,135 | 1,101 | 202 | 91 |
What changed from 2015
- The General Prelims cut-off moved to 116.00 from 107.34 (up 8.66). A higher line usually means a more scoring paper, where accuracy decided who got through.
- Mains (written) for General: 787 against 676 (up 111). The final cut-off: 988 against 877 (up 111).
- Applications rose 20.1% to 11,28,262, and 4,59,659 actually sat the paper (from 4,63,391).
- Vacancies: 1,209, 45 more than 2015 (1,164). More seats usually ease the final cut-off.
Cut-offs are a moving line, and that is good news: they reward the candidate who prepares for any paper, not the one who guesses the number. Practise with the real 2016 questions below and you will see exactly where those marks came from.
UPSC Prelims 2016 question paper with answers
Your year can look different
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What was the UPSC Prelims cut-off in 2016?
General 116.00, OBC 110.66, SC 99.34 and ST 96.00 out of 200 (GS Paper I; CSAT is qualifying).
What was the UPSC Mains and final cut-off in 2016?
For General, 787 in Mains (written) out of 1,750 and 988 in the final list out of 2,025. Category-wise numbers are in the tables on this page.
How many candidates appeared in UPSC 2016?
11,28,262 applied for CSE 2016 and 4,59,659 appeared in Prelims. 15,452 qualified for Mains, 15,149 wrote it, 2,961 were called for interview and 1,209 were recommended.