UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

1. UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

2. Quick Facts About UPSC Prelims 2024 • Date of exam: 16th June, 2024 • Time: first shift - 9:30 am to 11: 30 am, second shift - 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm • Number of candidates attended: 5 to 6 lakhs approximately (unofficial estimation) • Exam papers: General Studies (Paper-I) & General Studies or CSAT (Paper-II) • Declared vacancies: 1056 • Number of questions: 100 questions in each paper • Scoring: 2 marks for each correct answer, -0.67 marks for each incorrect answer • CSAT qualifying marks: 33% • Cutoff marks for Paper-I: Yet to be declared by UPSC • Result to be announced by: The first or second week of July 2024 Analysis of the UPSC Prelims 2024 Paper • The number of questions having only one correct answer to two pairs of right choices was 17. • Questions with only one correct option were 27 • Questions with multiple statements (1 & 2) were 13 • Questions with multiple correct options were 43 Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

3. Difficulty-level • Easy factual questions - 52 • Moderate - 34 • Difficult - 14 Subject-wise Question Distribution • History - 12 • Geography - 18 • Polity & Governance + Social Justice - 21 • Economy - 15 • Science and Technology - 12 • IR/IO - 6 • Environment - 12 • Defence - 4 Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

4. Nature of the Questions • This year, questions were more from traditional subjects compared to the dynamic current affairs. • Geography questions had more focus on world and India mapping, highlighting the importance of knowing various geographical locations. • Environmental issues and sustainability related topics received significant importance. • The number of complex questions has gone down. Candidates could have answered correctly based on deductions. • Cont… Nature of the Questions • The number of difficult and random questions has gone down • Questions from the sports and awards section were absent • Modern History, Science & Technology maintained a stable presence • The dominance of Polity questions continued • The Economy-related questions covered various aspects comprehensively • Cont… Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

5. Nature of the Questions • Defence was introduced as a new section in the wake of the evolving geopolitical landscape and national security concerns. • Current affairs questions remained more or less easy. • A new question type was introduced - matrix-matching question. It is intended to test the candidate’s ability to correlate multiple pieces of information. • Questions on basic understanding of various subjects received significant emphasis. • Standard CSE reference books proved more valuable Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

6. Trends in UPSC Prelims Cut-off Marks in Paper-I Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

7. What are the Factors Influencing UPSC Cut-off Marks? • Fewer vacancies mean higher competition among candidates taking the exam, provided the number of candidates remains roughly similar. • Higher competition means each candidate needs to secure high marks and thus higher cut-off marks for the year. • If the percentage increase in vacancies is at par with the percentage increase in the number of candidates, cut-off marks may remain the same. Difficulty Level of the Questions • If the difficulty level of questions increases, cut-off marks decrease as candidates' chances of scoring average marks go down. • So, a tougher exam pushes down cut-off marks. Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

8. Performance of the Cohort Despite tough questions, if the overall performance of the cohort remains unaffected, the cut-off marks may not go down. Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

9. UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: IASGyan’s Estimate • Based on the level of difficulty and our post-exam interaction with candidates, we believe cut-offs for UPSC Prelims 2024 will remain high across categories compared to previous years. The cut-off for the general category may remain in the range of 102 ± 5.   • How Does Knowing the Cut-off Mark Help You Measure Your Performance in UPSC Prelims? • Understand where you stand in the competition: Anyone appearing in a competitive exam possesses an idea of their individual performance. But cut-off marks help them preempt their chances of success. If they suspect scoring less than the estimated cut-off, candidates can start preparation for the next year without waiting for the UPSC to declare results. It saves time for preparation. • Gauge the minimum preparation required in any competitive exam: Despite yearly variance, the cut-off mark gives an idea of the average level of preparation you must have to clear the exam in a specific category. • Set a realistic goal throughout your UPSC preparation. No preparation can be sufficient without a realistic aim. Knowledge of cut-off marks helps set achievable objectives while preparing for the CSE. Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates

10. THANK YOU! IAS GYAN iasgyan@aptiplus.in +91 8820341777 iasgyan.in Blog source -UPSC Prelims Cut-off 2024: Analysis & Estimates