BPSC Cut Off: Previous Year Prelims Cut Off (67th to 71st) and 72nd Expected
Before you plan your BPSC Prelims strategy, you need to know the number you are aiming for. The cut off tells you how many marks out of 150 were enough to reach Mains in each category. This guide puts together the official BPSC Prelims cut off from the 67th to the 71st Combined Competitive Examination (CCE), category-wise for male and female candidates, explains why the numbers fell after negative marking, and gives a safe target score for the 72nd BPSC.
All figures below are from BPSC’s published Prelims results. For the final word, always check the result PDF on the official website, bpsc.bihar.gov.in.
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BPSC Prelims Cut Off at a Glance (Unreserved)
| Exam | Prelims held | Negative marking | UR cut off | UR female cut off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71st BPSC | 2025 | 1/3 mark | 88.00 | 78.00 |
| 70th BPSC | 2024 | 1/3 mark | 91.00 | 81.00 |
| 69th BPSC | 2023 | 1/3 mark | 91.67 | 84.00 |
| 68th BPSC | 2023 | 0.25 mark | 91.00 | 84.00 |
| 67th BPSC | 2022 | None | 113.00 | 109.00 |
The Prelims is a single General Studies paper of 150 questions for 150 marks in 2 hours. All cut off marks on this page are out of 150.
71st BPSC Prelims Cut Off (Category-wise)
The 71st CCE Prelims result was declared in November 2025. The cut off fell by three marks for unreserved candidates compared with the 70th.
| Category | Cut off | Female cut off |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | 88.00 | 78.00 |
| EWS | 82.33 | 73.33 |
| BC | 84.00 | 73.67 |
| EBC | 81.00 | 71.33 |
| SC | 72.00 | 60.33 |
| ST | 71.33 | 65.67 |
| BCL (Backward Class women) | 71.67 | |
| Grandchild of freedom fighter | 66.00 | |
| Disabled: VI / DD / OH / MD | 59.33 / 48.00 / 68.33 / 48.33 | |
70th BPSC Prelims Cut Off (Category-wise)
The 70th Prelims result was declared on 23 January 2025, and 21,581 candidates qualified for Mains, a large number because the 70th had around 2,000 posts.
| Category | Cut off | Female cut off |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | 91.00 | 81.00 |
| EWS | 83.00 | 73.00 |
| BC | 84.67 | 75.00 |
| EBC | 82.00 | 69.33 |
| SC | 70.33 | 55.00 |
| ST | 65.33 | 65.33 |
| BCL (Backward Class women) | 71.33 | |
| Grandchild of freedom fighter | 64.67 | |
| Disabled: VI / DD / OH / MD | 54.00 / 48.00 / 68.00 / 48.00 | |
69th BPSC Prelims Cut Off (Category-wise)
The 69th Prelims was held on 30 September 2023, the first exam with a one-third negative mark. The result came on 11 November 2023, and 4,037 candidates were shortlisted for Mains.
| Category | Cut off | Female cut off |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | 91.67 | 84.00 |
| EWS | 86.67 | 77.67 |
| BC | 88.67 | 80.67 |
| EBC | 84.67 | 74.67 |
| SC | 75.00 | 61.33 |
| ST | 79.33 | 54.00 |
| BCL (Backward Class women) | 77.33 | |
| Grandchild of freedom fighter | 76.00 | |
| Disabled: VI / DD / OH / MD | 61.33 / 52.00 / 72.67 / 53.67 | |
68th BPSC Prelims Cut Off (Category-wise)
The 68th was the first BPSC Prelims with negative marking, at 0.25 marks per wrong answer. That is why its cut off marks end in .25, .50 and .75.
| Category | Cut off | Female cut off |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | 91.00 | 84.00 |
| EWS | 87.25 | 81.25 |
| BC | 87.75 | 80.00 |
| EBC | 86.50 | 76.75 |
| SC | 79.25 | 66.50 |
| ST | 74.00 | 65.75 |
67th BPSC Prelims Cut Off (Category-wise)
The 67th Prelims re-exam was held on 30 September 2022 without negative marking. The result came on 17 November 2022, and 11,607 candidates qualified for Mains.
| Category | Cut off | Female cut off |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | 113 | 109 |
| EWS | 109 | 105 |
| BC | 105 | 105 |
| EBC | 109 | 102 |
| SC | 104 | 93 |
| ST | 100 | 96 |
| BCL (Backward Class women) | 103 | |
BPSC Cut Off Trend: What the Numbers Tell You
- Negative marking changed everything. The unreserved cut off fell from 113 in the 67th to 91 in the 68th, the first exam with a penalty for wrong answers. Candidates now attempt fewer questions and guess less.
- Since the 68th, the UR cut off has stayed between 88 and 92. Four exams in a row (91, 91.67, 91, 88) show a stable band.
- The female cut off is usually 7 to 10 marks lower for UR, because of the 35% horizontal reservation for women in Bihar.
- More posts can mean a lower cut off, but not always. The 70th had far more posts than the 69th, yet the UR cut off fell by less than a mark. The difficulty of the paper matters as much as the number of posts.
- Reserved category cut offs move more. ST, for example, moved from 79.33 (69th) to 65.33 (70th) to 71.33 (71st).
72nd BPSC Expected Cut Off and Safe Score
The 72nd CCE Prelims has been postponed twice, and BPSC has not announced a new date yet. See our BPSC 72nd exam date update for the latest.
No one can predict the exact cut off before the exam, and it depends on how hard the paper is. But four exams with the same marking scheme give a useful guide. Our estimate, based only on the 68th to 71st trend, is:
| Category | Likely range (our estimate) | Safe target |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 86 to 92 | 95+ |
| EWS / BC | 81 to 89 | 90+ |
| EBC | 80 to 87 | 88+ |
| SC / ST | 65 to 80 | 80+ |
This is an estimate from past trends, not an official figure. Female candidates can expect their category’s cut off to be lower, as in past years.
How Many Questions Should You Attempt?
With one-third of a mark deducted for every wrong answer, accuracy matters more than the number of attempts. A simple way to think about it:
- 100 correct and 20 wrong gives 100 − 6.67 = 93.33.
- 95 correct and 30 wrong gives 95 − 10 = 85, which may fall below the UR cut off.
- Three wrong answers cancel out one correct answer.
Most toppers attempt questions they are sure of, plus those where they can rule out two options. Practise this in full-length mock tests, not just in topic-wise questions, so you know your own accuracy before the real exam.
How to Score Above the Cut Off
- Solve previous year papers first (start with our BPSC PYQ topic-wise set). BPSC repeats themes, especially in Bihar history, Bihar geography and polity.
- Take full-length mocks with negative marking. Track your score after the penalty, not just correct answers.
- Find your weak subjects and fix them. Ten extra marks in one weak subject can be the difference between 85 and 95.
- Do not skip Bihar-specific topics. Questions on Bihar history, geography, economy and current affairs are where well-prepared Bihar aspirants gain over others.
- Keep current affairs updated until the exam date, since the 72nd Prelims has been delayed.
The ExamYaari app helps with this. Non-premium mock tests are free (one attempt each), and so are daily current affairs. With ExamYaari Premium at ₹29 a month (less than ₹1 a day), you get PYQ practice, premium mocks and exam analytics that show your strong and weak subjects across tests. For a wider comparison, see our guide to the best test series for BPSC 72nd Prelims.
You may also find these useful: BPSC 72nd syllabus and exam pattern, how to prepare for BPSC at home and the best app for BPSC preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What was the BPSC 71st Prelims cut off?
The 71st BPSC Prelims cut off was 88 for unreserved candidates and 78 for unreserved female candidates, out of 150. For EWS it was 82.33, BC 84, EBC 81, SC 72 and ST 71.33.
What was the BPSC 70th Prelims cut off for General category?
The 70th BPSC Prelims cut off for the unreserved (General) category was 91 out of 150, and 81 for unreserved female candidates.
What is the expected cut off for 72nd BPSC?
Based on the 68th to 71st trend, the unreserved cut off is likely to be between 86 and 92 out of 150. A score of 95 or more is a safe target for unreserved candidates. This is an estimate, not an official figure.
Why did the BPSC cut off fall after the 67th?
BPSC introduced negative marking from the 68th CCE: 0.25 marks in the 68th and one-third of a mark from the 69th onwards. Candidates now attempt fewer questions, so the cut off fell from 113 in the 67th to about 91.
Is the BPSC Prelims score counted in the final merit?
No. The Prelims is a screening test. You only need to cross the cut off to reach Mains. The final merit is based on Mains and the interview.
Where can I check the official BPSC cut off?
BPSC publishes the category-wise cut off with the Prelims result PDF on its official website, bpsc.bihar.gov.in.
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