CAPF Cut Off 2026: Expected Cut Off, Previous Year Cut Off Marks

The CAPF Cut Off 2026 for the written exam held on July 19, 2026, will be released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after the publication of the final result of the UPSC Assistant Commandant recruitment 2026 process. The UPSC CAPF 2026 written examination is used to shortlist candidates for the Physical Standards Test (PST), the Physical Efficiency Test (PET), the Medical Standards Test (MST), and the Interview or Personality Test. The Commission will release the written cut-off (out of 450 marks) and the final category cut-off (out of 600 marks) only after the entire selection process is completed.

• UPSC will publish the CAPF Cut Off 2026 as a PDF on its official website.
• The Commission will publish the minimum qualifying marks in Paper 1 (250 marks), the written exam cut off (450 marks), and the final cut off (600 marks) together after the declaration of the final result.
• The CAPF AC Paper 2 2026 will be evaluated only for candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks in Paper 1 as fixed by the Commission.
• The final merit list is prepared by combining the marks obtained in the written examination (450 marks) and the CAPF Interview (150 marks).
• UPSC releases separate cut-off marks for General, EWS, OBC, SC, ST, and Ex-Servicemen categories in the official recommendation and cut-off notice.
• The UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026 is determined by factors such as the number of vacancies, the difficulty level of the exam, the number of candidates appearing, and the overall performance of candidates in the recruitment cycle.
• In the UPSC CAPF exam 2024, the official cut-off marks for the written exam were 182 marks for the General and OBC categories, 167 for EWS, 164 marks for SC, 168 marks for ST, and 66 marks for the Ex-Servicemen category.
• For the Assistant Commandant CAPF 2026 written exam, General category candidates can expect the cut-off to be around 180 to 190 marks, 182 to 194 marks for the OBC category, 178 to 186 marks for the EWS category, 165 to 175 marks for SC, and 168 to 178 marks for the ST category.

CAPF Cut Off 2026 Highlights

The UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026 represents the minimum marks required by candidates to remain eligible at different stages of the UPSC Assistant Commandant recruitment 2026. The cut-off is released category-wise and serves as the benchmark for assessing candidates' performance in the offline examination. It varies each year depending on several factors. Candidates preparing for the CAPF examination 2026 should be familiar with the important details related to the cut-off, including the marking scheme, selection stages, release mode, and previous year qualifying marks. The table given below summarises the highlights for the UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026.

How to Check UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026?

The UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026 will be available in the “Cut Off Marks” section of the UPSC website as a downloadable PDF. After UPSC uploads the cut-off file on its website, candidates should download the official cut-off document to check the minimum qualifying marks applicable to their category and compare them with the previous recruitment cycle. Candidates should follow the steps given below to check the UPSC CAPF cut-off 2026:

Step 1: Go to the official website of UPSC at https://www.upsc.gov.in.

Step 2: On the homepage, navigate to the “Examinations” tab and select the “Cut Off Marks” from the drop-down menu.

Step 3: In this window, write “Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination” inside the “Name of Examination” box and then click on the “Apply” button.

Step 4: The “Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination, 2026” exam name and download link will be shown. Select the cut-off download link.

Step 5: The PDF containing the CAPF Cut Off 2026 will be displayed on the screen.

Step 6: Check the category-wise cut-off details, including the Paper 1 qualifying marks, written-stage cut-off (450 marks), and final cut-off (600 marks).

Step 7: Download the cut-off PDF and save it for future reference.

UPSC CAPF Minimum Qualifying Marks 2026

The UPSC CAPF 2026 minimum qualifying marks differ from the UPSC CAPF 2026 cut-off and serve a different purpose in the selection process. While the cut-off represents the marks required to qualify for the next stage of final recommendation, the minimum qualifying marks are the basic standards prescribed by UPSC for evaluating candidates’ performance in the written examination. In the CAPF examination 2026, the qualifying criteria are different for Paper 1 and Paper 2, and candidates must satisfy these requirements for their performance to be considered during the recruitment process.

As per the UPSC CAPF Examination 2026 rules, Paper 1 (General Ability and Intelligence) does not have a fixed minimum qualifying percentage. Instead, UPSC determines a category-wise minimum qualifying standard every year, and only the Paper 2 answer sheets of candidates securing this standard are evaluated. For Paper 2 (General Studies, Essay and Comprehension), candidates belonging to General, EWS, OBC, SC, and ST categories must secure a minimum of 25% marks (50 out of 200 marks), while the Ex-Servicemen candidates are required to obtain at least 15% marks (30 out of 200 marks). The table below summarises the minimum qualifying requirements for the UPSC CAPF 2026 written examination.

Details Mentioned in CAPF AC Cut Off 2026

The UPSC CAPF cut-off 2026 PDF serves as the official record of the recruitment process for the Central Armed Police Forces Examination 2026. Apart from the category-wise qualifying marks, the document includes vacancy details, information about recommendations, and other important details related to the final selection process. Candidates can use the official PDF to understand the selection standards adopted by UPSC and compare the recruitment data across different categories. The details that will be available in the UPSC CAPF cut-off 2026 PDF are listed below.

• Name of the examination (Central Armed Police Forces Examination 2026).
• Category-wise vacancies notified for the CAPF recruitment 2026 (349 vacancies).
• Number of vacancies reserved for Ex-Servicemen and vacancies available after Ex-Servicemen recommendations.
• Number of candidates recommended under each category
• Minimum qualifying standards in Paper 1 (out of 250 marks)
• Minimum qualifying marks in the written examination, which is Paper 1 + Paper 2 (out of 450 marks).
• Marks secured by the last recommended candidate in the final merit list (out of 600 marks)
• Category-wise cut-off details for General, EWS, SC, ST, OBC, and Ex-Servicemen
• Total vacancies and total number of recommended candidates
• Category-wise Reserve List prepared by UPSC
• Abbreviations used in the recommendation list (General, EWS, SC, ST, OBC, and Ex-Servicemen)
• Tie-breaking principles followed by UPSC in case two or more candidates secure equal aggregate marks.

UPSC CAPF 2026 Tie-Breaking Criteria

In the UPSC CAPF Examination 2026, two or more candidates may sometimes secure the final marks. In such cases, the Commission follows a predefined tie-breaking policy to determine the merit ranking. The tie is resolved by comparing candidates’ performance in different stages of the examination in a fixed order before preparing the final merit list. If the tie remains after applying all tie-breaking criteria, the Commission will take the final decision as per its rules. The UPSC CAPF 2026 tie-breaking criteria are as follows:

• If two or more candidates obtain equal aggregate (final) marks, the candidate securing higher marks in the written examination will be ranked higher.
• If the written examination marks are also equal, preference will be given to the candidate who has scored higher marks in Paper 1 (General Ability and Intelligence)
• If the tie persists, the older candidate (senior in age) is placed higher in the merit list.
• If all the above criteria fail to resolve the tie, the Commission decides the ranking as per its own rules.

UPSC CAPF 2026 Expected Cut Off: Trend Analysis

A comparison of recent UPSC CAPF cut-off trends and the 2026 examination suggests that the official cut-off is likely to remain competitive but not significantly higher than the recent recruitment cycles. While the CAPF AC recruitment 2026 has notified 349 vacancies, which is lower than the previous cycle, the overall difficulty level of the written examination and the candidate’s performance are expected to remain equally important in determining the final qualifying marks. Based on previous trends and post-exam community discussions, candidates can consider the following observations while estimating the UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026:

• A reduction in vacancies generally increases competition. However, previous UPSC CAPF recruitments show that the cut-off is influenced by the combined effect of vacancies and the overall standard of the question paper rather than vacancies alone.
• Initial exam analysis indicates that Paper 1 was easy to moderate for many candidates, while Paper 2 was comparatively more challenging, particularly the descriptive writing section. This may prevent a steep rise in the written cut-off despite fewer vacancies.
• Union Public Service Commission will evaluate Paper 2 only for candidates who meet the category-wise qualifying standard in Paper 1. Therefore, candidates' performance in Paper 1 plays an important role in determining whether their Paper 2 answer sheets will be evaluated.
• Previous recruitment cycles indicate that the UPSC CAPF written-stage cut-off (out of 450 marks) has not changed drastically over the past few recruitment cycles. Although vacancies vary every year, the final qualifying marks will largely depend on the overall performance of candidates and the difficulty level of the examination.
• Considering the 2026 exam analysis and previous cut-off trends, the UPSC CAPF written cut-off 2026 for the General category is expected to be around 190 to 200 marks (out of 450). However, the official cut-off will be confirmed only after UPSC declares the final result.

UPSC CAPF Previous Year Cut Off

The UPSC CAPF previous year cut-off serves as a useful reference for candidates preparing for the UPSC Assistant Commandant Examination 2026. It reflects the qualifying marks secured in earlier recruitment cycles and helps aspirants understand the selection standards followed by UPSC. The UPSC CAPF qualifying marks are influenced by the number of advertised vacancies, candidates' performance, and the difficulty level of the written exam. Candidates can refer to the previous year's cut-off to analyse the selection trends before estimating the expected cut-off for 2026.

UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2024

The UPSC CAPF 2024 cut-off was released after the declaration of the final result along with the recommendation details of selected candidates. The official cut-off PDF contains the qualifying standards for Paper 1 (250 marks), the written examination (450 marks), and the final merit list (600 marks) across all categories. For the General and OBC categories, the written cut-off was 182 marks, while the final cut-off reached 311 marks for the General category. But for OBC candidates, it was 308 marks. The official category-wise UPSC CAPF cut-off 2024 is given below.

UPSC CAPF 2024 Written Cut Off

The written cut-off of the UPSC CAPF exam 2024 is given below:

UPSC CAPF 2024 Final Cut Off

The final cut-off of the UPSC CAPF recruitment 2024 is given below:

UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2023

The UPSC CAPF 2023 cut-off was a comparatively more competitive recruitment cycle, with 359 vacancies announced for Central Armed Police Force recruitment 2026. UPSC has given separate qualifying standards for Paper 1, the written examination, and the final merit list for all categories. In the General and OBC categories, the Paper 1 qualifying standard was 118.85 marks, the written cut-off was 196 marks, and the final cut-off stood at 325 marks for General and 321 marks for OBC. The complete category-wise UPSC CAPF cut-off 2023 is provided below.

UPSC CAPF 2023 Written Cut Off

The written cut-off of the UPSC CAPF exam 2023 is given below:

UPSC CAPF 2023 Final Cut Off

The final cut-off of the UPSC CAPF recruitment 2023 is given below:

UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2022

The UPSC CAPF 2022 cut-off was one of the highest in recent years. This is because in CAPF 2022 recruitment, there were only 233 vacancies. The official cut-off shows that candidates from General, EWS, and OBC categories had to secure the highest Paper 1 qualifying standard of 135.08 marks, while the written-stage cut-off remained at 221 marks for all three categories. In the final merit list, the General category recorded 345 marks, but the OBC category cut-off marks were 344 marks. Candidates can check the category-wise UPSC CAPF 2022 cut-off marks below.

UPSC CAPF 2022 Written Cut Off

The written cut-off of the UPSC CAPF exam 2022 is given below:

UPSC CAPF 2022 Final Cut Off

The final cut-off of the UPSC CAPF recruitment 2022 is given below:

UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2021

The UPSC CAPF 2021 cut-off was one of the highest in the recent CAPF recruitment cycles. There were only 171 vacancies notified across the Central Armed Police Forces Exam 2021. Because of lower vacancies, the qualifying standards remain high for most of the categories. The General, EWS, and OBC categories had the highest Paper 1 qualifying standard of 138 marks and a written exam cut-off of 226 marks. In the final merit list, the General category recorded the highest cut-off of 345 marks, while the cut-off for the OBC category was set at 339 marks. Candidates should check the UPSC CAPF cut-off 2021 for different categories below.

UPSC CAPF 2021 Written Cut Off

The written cut-off of the UPSC CAPF exam 2021 is given below:

UPSC CAPF 2021 Final Cut Off

The final cut-off of the UPSC CAPF recruitment 2021 is given below:

UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2020

In the UPSC CAPF 2020 recruitment, there were 210 vacancies for the Assistant Commandant posts. The official written exam cut-off shows that the General and OBC categories shared the same Paper 1 qualifying standard of 117.34 marks and a written cut-off of 205 marks. In the final merit list, the General category candidates faced the highest cut-off among other categories, which is 325 marks. While the OBC category was placed at 319 marks. The official category-wise Paper 1 qualifying standard, written cut-off, and final cut-off for UPSC CAPF 2020 recruitment are discussed below.

UPSC CAPF 2020 Written Cut Off

The written cut-off of the UPSC CAPF exam 2020 is given below:

UPSC CAPF 2020 Final Cut Off

The final cut-off of the UPSC CAPF recruitment 2020 is given below:

Factors Influencing UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026

The UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026 will be determined after considering several factors of the recruitment process. As the Commission fixes separate qualifying standards for Paper 1, the written exam, and the final merit list, the cut-off reflects the overall performance of candidates in different stages of the selection process. The following factors are expected to be considered to decide the UPSC CAPF cut-off 2026:

• The number of vacancies notified for the UPSC Assistant Commandant recruitment 2026.
• The difficulty level of Paper 1 and Paper 2, as tough papers will help to reduce the cut-off.
• Performance of candidates in Paper 1, as Paper 2 will be checked only for those candidates who score more than the minimum qualifying standard in Paper 1.
• The overall marks obtained in the written exam determine how many candidates were shortlisted for PET, PST and MST.
• The category-wise reservation policy applicable to different categories.
• The minimum qualifying requirements in Paper 2 for General, SC, ST, OBC, and Ex-Servicemen.
• Candidates' performance in the UPSC CAPF Interview 2026, as the final merit list will be based on the written exam and personality test.
• The cut-off pattern observed in the last few years, considering the number of vacancies, the difficulty level of the exam, and candidates' performance.

UPSC CAPF Cut Off 2026 FAQs