UPSC Cut Off 2021: Prelims, Mains & Final (Category-wise)
Every category's cut-off for CSE 2021, how many candidates made it through each stage, and what changed from 2020. Read it as a map of the road, not a wall.
UPSC 2021 at a glance
UPSC 2021 cut-off by category
| Category | Prelims / 200 | Mains (written) / 1,750 | Final / 2,025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 87.54 | 745 | 953 |
| EWS | 80.14 | 713 | 916 |
| OBC | 84.85 | 707 | 910 |
| SC | 75.41 | 700 | 886 |
| ST | 70.71 | 700 | 883 |
| PwBD-1 | 68.02 | 668 | 892 |
| PwBD-2 | 67.33 | 712 | 932 |
| PwBD-3 | 43.09 | 388 | 689 |
| PwBD-5 | 45.80 | 560 | 701 |
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 2021: 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 2021, 46% of applicants actually sat Prelims. About 1 in 55 of them reached Mains, 1 in 5 Mains writers got an interview call, and 41% of those interviewed were finally recommended.
Category-wise numbers, 2021
| Category | Applied | Appeared | Qualified for Mains | Appeared Mains | Interviewed | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 4,20,203 | 1,94,126 | 3,775 | 3,704 | 668 | 290 |
| EWS | 45,730 | 23,188 | 901 | 862 | 215 | 77 |
| OBC | 2,85,775 | 1,44,776 | 2,511 | 2,433 | 574 | 215 |
| SC | 2,51,888 | 1,08,336 | 1,305 | 1,250 | 233 | 106 |
| ST | 90,388 | 38,193 | 722 | 681 | 129 | 60 |
What changed from 2020
- The General Prelims cut-off moved to 87.54 from 92.51 (down 4.97). A lower line usually means a tougher paper. If you found the paper hard, so did everyone else.
- Mains (written) for General: 745 against 736 (up 9). The final cut-off: 953 against 944 (up 9).
- EWS Prelims: 80.14 (was 77.55). OBC: 84.85 (was 89.12). SC: 75.41 (was 74.84). ST: 70.71 (was 68.71).
- Applications rose 5.2% to 10,93,984, and 5,08,619 actually sat the paper (from 4,82,770).
- Vacancies: 749, 87 fewer than 2020 (836). Fewer seats usually push the final cut-off up.
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 2021 questions below and you will see exactly where those marks came from.
UPSC Prelims 2021 question paper with answers
Your year can look different
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What was the UPSC Prelims cut-off in 2021?
General 87.54, EWS 80.14, OBC 84.85, SC 75.41 and ST 70.71 out of 200 (GS Paper I; CSAT is qualifying).
What was the UPSC Mains and final cut-off in 2021?
For General, 745 in Mains (written) out of 1,750 and 953 in the final list out of 2,025. Category-wise numbers are in the tables on this page.
How many candidates appeared in UPSC 2021?
10,93,984 applied for CSE 2021 and 5,08,619 appeared in Prelims. 9,214 qualified for Mains, 8,930 wrote it, 1,824 were called for interview and 748 were recommended.