BPSC CCE Cut-off: Prelims, Mains, Interview Category-wise

Want to know what score actually gets you through? The BPSC CCE cut-off is the best guide you have. This page puts the recent figures in one place: Prelims, Mains and the final merit after the interview, category by category. You'll also see what pushed the marks up or down, and a realistic score to aim for in the cycle ahead.

Whether you're waiting for your 71st interview call or just starting on the 72nd Prelims, the aim is the same: swap guesswork for numbers you can plan around.

Key Takeaways

• BPSC declared the 71st CCE Mains result on 6 November 2026. It calls 3,392 candidates to interview for 1,298 posts.
• The 71st Prelims cut-off was 88 out of 150 for Unreserved candidates and 78 for Unreserved women.
• In the 70th CCE, the Unreserved cut-off was 445 out of 900 in the Mains (written) and 528 out of 1,020 in the final merit.
• Prelims only screens you. The final merit is your Mains merit papers plus the interview.
• The 72nd CCE Prelims has been postponed twice, and the new date will come through BPSC's next notice.

BPSC CCE Cut-off: What to Act On Now

The 71st CCE has reached its last stage. BPSC declared the 71st Mains result on 6 November 2026, and 3,392 candidates qualified for the interview for 1,298 vacancies. BPSC published the result as a list of roll numbers without marks, so the 71st Mains cut-off hasn't come out yet.

Check the 71st Mains result on the BPSC website

Here's how the 71st cycle got this far. BPSC held the Prelims on 13 September 2025 and declared the result on 18 November 2025. BPSC's own statement says 14,261 candidates qualified: 13,368 for 1,219 CCE posts and 893 for 79 Finance Administrative Officer posts. Reports say the Mains ran from 25 to 30 April 2026, with no paper on 26 April.

Dates you can act on

The 72nd application window has closed. If you applied, your next job is to watch for the revised Prelims date. For the full timeline and vacancy updates, see BPSC CCE Notification and Important Dates: 72nd CCE Update.

Who this page helps

• 72nd Prelims takers: use the Prelims trend to set a net-score target.
• 71st Mains qualifiers: compare your expected Mains score with the past written cut-offs while you prepare for the interview.
• Interview candidates: see how the final cut-off works and how much the interview can shift your rank.

How BPSC CCE Cut-offs Work Across the Three Stages

The CCE has three parts, and each part's cut-off does a different job. Once that clicks, the tables below make much more sense.

Prelims: a screening test

The Prelims is an objective paper of 150 marks. It's qualifying only: your Prelims marks get you into the Mains but are not counted in the final merit. BPSC's 71st notice said the number of candidates selected for the Mains would be ten times the total number of notified vacancies. So the Prelims cut-off is simply the score of the last candidate inside that group, in each category.

Mains: where merit starts counting

The Mains is a descriptive exam. The merit papers are what count, and reports give the written total as 900 marks. The qualifying General Hindi paper is not added to your merit. Please confirm the exact paper scheme in the official notification for your cycle. The Mains cut-off is the merit total you need to be called for interview.

Interview: the last part of the final merit

The final merit list adds your Mains merit marks to your interview marks. Reports give the 70th final cut-offs out of 1,020, which means 900 for the written papers plus 120 for the interview. In the 69th cycle, BPSC prepared the combined list from the Mains written and interview marks together. If two candidates tie, the one with more Mains marks ranks higher.

Category and sub-category cut-offs

BPSC doesn't publish a single cut-off. It sets separate marks for Unreserved, EWS, BC, EBC, SC and ST. Each of these also has a separate figure for women. On top of that come BCL (as BPSC labels it), four disability groups (VI, DD, OH, MD) and grandchildren of freedom fighters.

Where the three parts differ

BPSC CCE Prelims Cut-off: Previous Cycles

All figures below are out of 150 and are taken from BPSC's Prelims result notices as published. "F" means the cut-off for women in that category.

For the smaller groups, here are the last two cycles:

What the trend tells you

The Unreserved cut-off has stayed in a narrow band, between 88 and 91.67, over the last four cycles. The 71st was the lowest of them. Most reserved categories also fell from the 68th to the 70th and then levelled off in the 71st. SC and ST went the other way and rose in the 71st.

Older cycles look very different. The Unreserved cut-off was 113 in the 67th and 108 in the 66th, and EWS was 109 and 103. Those papers had no penalty for wrong answers. Reports say negative marking started with the 68th CCE, and recent Prelims are reported to deduct one-third of a mark per wrong answer. Since then, net scores have dropped sharply. So don't compare a 67th score with a 71st score: they're on different scales.

Post-wise Prelims cut-offs

Some posts have their own Prelims list. In the 70th cycle, the Unreserved cut-off was 104.67 for Child Development Project Officer and 101 for Finance Administrative Officer. That's well above the 91 for the main CCE posts.

Where reports disagree

A few pages round the figures. For example, some reports give 84 for the 70th BC cut-off, but BPSC's notice as reproduced gives 84.67. Some give 91.6 for the 69th Unreserved figure rather than 91.67. Some reports also say the 71st Prelims was held on 9 September 2025, while others give 13 September 2025. When in doubt, go by the result notice PDF on the BPSC website.

BPSC CCE Mains Cut-off: Previous Cycles

The Mains cut-off is the written score you need to be called for interview. BPSC publishes it with the final result, not with the Mains result. That's why the 71st Mains figure is still awaited.

70th CCE Mains (written) cut-off, out of 900

Unreserved written cut-off over five cycles

The written cut-off moves around more than the Prelims one: it ranged from 445 to 471 over these cycles. A tougher Mains paper or more vacancies brings it down, and a smaller cycle pushes it up.

Don't compare stages directly

Mains marks are out of 900 and Prelims marks are out of 150, so 88 and 445 can't be compared. Each figure only tells you where you stand within its own stage.

Some pages also show broad "ranges" for the 70th Mains, such as 480 to 495 for Unreserved. Those don't match BPSC's published figure of 445, so stick to the official number.

If you're in the 71st list, see BPSC CCE Result: 71st Mains Result PDF, 3392 Qualified for the result PDF and next steps.

BPSC CCE Interview and Final Cut-off

The final cut-off is the lowest combined score (Mains merit plus interview) that got a candidate onto the final list. Figures below are out of 1,020 as reported. The 70th figures come from BPSC's final result notice of 20 June 2026.

Notice something? In the 70th, EWS and BC finished at exactly the Unreserved figure of 528. In the 69th, all three were 552. At the final stage, the gap between these categories can close completely.

How interview marks shift your rank

The interview is worth 120 marks against 900 for the written papers. That's small, but it decides the order among candidates who are close together. Your Mains score sets your starting point, and a calm, well-prepared interview can lift you past people with a slightly better written score. Ties go to the candidate with more Mains marks.

Not everyone called turns up, so the final list is shorter than the interview list. In the 69th cycle, 972 of the 1,005 Mains qualifiers attended the interview and 33 were absent. The combined merit list then had 963 names.

Final cut-offs by post

BPSC can publish separate final lists for some posts. In the 69th cycle, it announced final results for Child Development Project Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Technical) and Finance Administrative Officer as well. If you applied for one of these, check its own list rather than the general one.

What Moved the BPSC CCE Cut-offs

No single cause sets the cut-off. Four things did most of the work in recent cycles.

1. Vacancies and candidates

More seats mean a bigger Mains list and a lower Prelims cut-off. The 70th had the most vacancies of this period. Its SC (70.33) and SC women (55) Prelims cut-offs were reported as the lowest since negative marking began. The 71st had fewer seats, but 3,16,762 candidates appeared in its Prelims, and the Unreserved cut-off still eased to 88. Paper difficulty matters as much as seats.

2. Paper difficulty and marking scheme

A harder paper pulls everyone's net score down, and the cut-off follows. The biggest single shift came when negative marking arrived: Unreserved scores fell from the 108–113 range to about 88–92. Under negative marking, the number of wrong answers you avoid matters as much as the number you get right.

3. Reservation rules

Separate cut-offs for women exist because of Bihar's 35% horizontal reservation for women, as reports describe it. Reserved-category benefits depend on the state's domicile rules, so check where you stand before you rely on a lower figure. The details are in BPSC CCE Eligibility: Age, Qualification, Attempts, Documents.

4. Normalisation and shifts

The sources checked for this guide don't confirm BPSC normalising scores in recent CCE cycles. The 71st Prelims was held on a single day at 912 centres across 37 districts. If a future cycle uses more than one shift, the notification will say how scores are handled.

Safe Score for This Cycle: Prelims, Mains, Interview

The figures below are our estimates, built from the trend above. They aren't official, and BPSC sets the real cut-off only after each result. Treat them as a cushion to aim above, not a guarantee.

For reserved categories in the Prelims, a comfortable cushion is about 8 to 10 marks above your category's highest figure from the 68th to 71st. For SC and ST, that works out to roughly 82 to 88 net.

Aim above the general cut-off

Even if you're in a reserved category, set your target at the Unreserved level. Here's why:

• At the final stage, EWS and BC matched the Unreserved figure in both the 69th and 70th cycles.
• A higher score keeps you safe if your category's cut-off jumps in a smaller cycle. For example, ST rose from 65.33 to 71.33 between the 70th and 71st Prelims.
• Your rank decides which post you get, so every extra mark counts.

Your plan for the next few months

1. Prelims (72nd): take a full-length timed mock every week and track your net score after the penalty, not just correct answers. Cut down risky guesses before the exam.
2. Mains: write answers to a time limit every day, and give the General Studies papers and the essay equal weight. They all count.
3. Interview (71st): reread your detailed application form, follow Bihar's current affairs, and practise saying clear answers aloud.

Recommended study material

You can browse more titles under Books for competitive exams. For timed practice that shows your net score, try the Online test series.

How to Check the Official BPSC CCE Cut-off

BPSC posts all cut-offs on its official website, but each one comes at a different time:

• Prelims cut-off: in the Prelims result notice PDF, released with the result. The 71st cut-offs were in the notice dated 18 November 2025.
• Mains (written) and final cut-offs: released together with the final result. The 70th written and final cut-offs came with the final result on 20 June 2026.
• Marksheets: published separately later, in the marksheet section of the website.

Steps to find and read the list

1. Open the BPSC official website.
2. Go to the latest results or notices section.
3. Open the notice for your cycle and stage, for example "Integrated 71st Combined (Main) Competitive Examination".
4. Download the PDF and scroll past the roll numbers to the category-wise cut-off table.
5. Find your category and sub-category (women, BCL, disability or freedom fighter's grandchild) and note the figure.
6. Compare it with your marksheet once that is published.

Visit the official BPSC website

Conclusion

The BPSC CCE cut-off has been steady enough to plan around. Unreserved Prelims scores have stayed close to 88–92 since negative marking began, Mains written cut-offs have sat between 445 and 471, and final cut-offs between 528 and 553. If you're heading into the 71st interview, your written score is already fixed, so focus on a confident, well-prepared conversation. If you're getting ready for the 72nd Prelims, aim for a net score of 95 or more and keep your wrong answers low. Keep checking the BPSC website for the interview schedule and the new Prelims date. You can do this!

FAQs

What is the BPSC CCE Prelims cut-off for the General category?

In the latest cycle (the 71st CCE), the Prelims cut-off for the Unreserved (General) category was 88 out of 150, and 78 for Unreserved women. It was 91 in the 70th, 91.67 in the 69th and 91 in the 68th.

Are Prelims marks counted in the BPSC CCE final merit?

No. The Prelims only decides who goes on to the Mains. The final merit list adds your Mains merit marks to your interview marks. The qualifying General Hindi paper isn't counted either.

What was the BPSC CCE Mains cut-off in the last cycle?

The latest published Mains (written) cut-off is from the 70th CCE: 445 out of 900 for Unreserved, 428 for EWS, 430 for BC, 420 for EBC, 396 for SC and 403 for ST. BPSC released the 71st Mains result as a roll-number list, so its cut-off will come with the final result.

How are the interview marks used in the BPSC CCE final cut-off?

BPSC adds your interview marks to your Mains merit marks to make the final total. Reports give this total as 1,020. In the 70th cycle, the final cut-off was 528 for Unreserved, EWS and BC. If two candidates tie, the one with more Mains marks ranks higher.

What is a safe score for BPSC CCE Prelims this cycle?

Our estimate, which isn't an official figure, is a net score of 95 to 100 out of 150 for Unreserved candidates. That's a cushion above the 88 to 91.67 range of the last four cycles. Reserved-category candidates should aim at least 8 to 10 marks above their category's recent highest figure.

When does BPSC release the cut-off marks?

The Prelims cut-off comes in the Prelims result notice. The Mains (written) and final cut-offs come together with the final result after the interviews. For example, BPSC released the 70th cut-offs with its final result on 20 June 2026.

When is the BPSC 72nd CCE Prelims exam?

The 72nd Prelims was first set for 26 July 2026 and then moved to 25 October 2026. BPSC postponed both dates. The revised date will come through BPSC's next official notice, so check the official notification.