After UPSC Interview, the candidates will be allotted to the various Services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various Services and posts. The marks scored in the Written part, as well as the Interview/Personality Test of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, will determine the final ranking of the candidate. Therefore, a candidate has to score well in both the written and the interview to make it to the final list.
UPSC conducts the Civil Service Examination in three stages. They are the preliminary, mains, and the personality test/interview. The prelims score is important to get qualified for the written part of the main examination. The marks scored in the prelims will not be considered for the selection in the final list. The written part of the main examination is conducted for 1750 marks and the candidate have to score the minimum cut-off in the main examination to be called for the interview. There are no minimum marks required to qualify UPSC Interview. But score in both mains and interview is important for final selection.
The cut-off trend of the written part of the main examination and the final UPSC cut-off is discussed in the article to get a clear idea of a good score in the interview.
Civil Services Examination, 2020, 2019 and 2018 – Minimum qualifying marks in Mains
| Category | 2020 Main Cut-off | 2019 Main Cut-off | 2018 Main Cut-off |
| General | 736 | 751 | 774 |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 687 | 696 | – |
| Other Backward Class (OBC) | 698 | 718 | 732 |
| Scheduled Castes (SCs) | 680 | 706 | 719 |
| Scheduled Tribes (ST) | 682 | 699 | 719 |
Civil Services Examination, 2020, 2019 and 2018 – Minimum qualifying marks (final cut-off)
| Category | 2020 Final Cut-off | 2019 Final Cut-off | 2018 Final Cut-off |
| General | 944 | 961 | 982 |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 894 | 909 | – |
| Other Backward Class (OBC) | 907 | 925 | 938 |
| Scheduled Castes (SCs) | 875 | 898 | 912 |
| Scheduled Tribes (ST) | 876 | 893 | 912 |
Finally, the ranks are calculated by adding mains marks (out of 1750) and interview marks (out of 275). There is no minimum mark in the UPSC interview. Mostly, the marks awarded for the interview ranges from 40% to 80%. The candidates who score a little less in the main examination written part can make it to the final list if he/she scores well in the interview. Therefore, a score anywhere between 65% and 75% is considered to be a good score in the UPSC interview. The candidates very rarely score marks above 75% in the interview.
The purpose of the UPSC interview is to check whether the candidate is suitable for a career in civil services. That is, whether the candidate has the potential to demonstrate good administrative skills. To know more about “Types of Questions Asked in the UPSC Interview ”, the candidates can read the linked article.
Also Read:
| IAS Notes | UPSC Age Limit |
| FAQ on UPSC | IAS Preparation |
| Take IAS Mock Tests | UPSC Syllabus |
| Download NCERT Notes PDF | List Of IAS Preparation Articles |
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