Negative Marking in UPSC for Prelims and Mains Exams

Negative Marking in UPSC for Prelims Papers 1 & 2 is ⅓ marks. 1 mark is deducted for every 3 wrong answer by the exam conducting authorities. The civil services exam consists of three major rounds where for every correct answer candidate is awarded two marks in Prelims GS (Paper 1) & CSAT (Paper 2). In Mains papers there is no negative marking for any answer. Negative marking in the UPSC exam is one of the major reasons UPSC is one of the toughest exams to crack for aspirants.

Table of Contents

• Negative Marking in UPSC Exam
• How To Calculate Negative Marking in UPSC Prelims Examination?
• How to Calculate Negative Marking in UPSC Mains Exam?
• How to Decrease Negative Marking in UPSC?
• UPSC 2023 Expected Cutoff Marks

Negative Marking in UPSC Exam

UPSC Civil Services exam is conducted in offline mode for two hours each. The prelims papers consist of MCQ-type questions of a total of 400 marks. In contrast, the mains papers are descriptive type papers of 1750 marks for three hours each.

The negative marking in UPSC papers is for Prelims papers. The authorities will subtract ⅓ of the total points for any incorrect answer. Moreover, the marking Scheme is that for every correct answer, two marks will be awarded to the examinee.

How To Calculate Negative Marking UPSC Prelims Exam?

There is a negative marks in UPSC prelims of ⅓ marks for each incorrect response in the papers. The candidates will be awarded two marks in General Studies (Paper 1) and 2.5 in CSAT (Paper 2) for every correct answer. For the unattempted questions, the aspirants will not be awarded any marks. Therefore, below is the process of how to calculate the Prelims marks accurately: 

• The number of right responses in the General Studies (Paper 1) will be multiplied by two, and then the number of incorrect responses will be multiplied by 0.66. Then, the total sum of the incorrect answers will be subtracted from the total addition of correct answers.
• For CSAT (Paper 2), the correct answers will be multiplied by 2.5, while the wrong answers will be multiplied by 0.83. Then, the total sum of the incorrect answers will be minus from the total addition of correct answers.

How To Calculate Negative Marking in UPSC Exam Mains Exam?

UPSC Mains exam is an offline exam consisting of nine papers. There will be descriptive-type questions total of 1750 marks. The questions will be asked from various topics and subjects. Paper A and paper B is of 300 sores, while the other papers are of 250 scores each. Unlike UPSC prelims, there is no negative marks in UPSC mains exam awarded. In case of an unattended or incorrect answer, there will not be any marks deduction from the total marks. The candidate will be solemnly scored based on their performance in the exam. 

How to Decrease Negative Marking In UPSC?

A negative Marking in UPSC is a huge hurdle for candidates to get a good score in the exam. The exam papers keep changing every year and are unpredictable for some subjects. Below are some tricks that students can apply while giving the exam and escape from negative marking: 

• The paper is curated in such a way that every option will seem correct. The questions must be answered precisely to avoid negative markings in the UPSC exam. 
• Students must follow the instructions on paper to avoid losing marks even on the right answers on getting negative marking in the UPSC exam.
• Study thoroughly and make written notes for UPSC, as it will help you create visual memory in your brain. Students must gain in-depth knowledge regarding the subject matter.
• For the question options that require clarification, use the strategy of striking out the incorrect ones. This will help you to identify the correct answer effectively and save time.
• Keep calm before the exam and try to relax because panicking can invite more stress and ruin the mindset.

UPSC 2023 Expected Cutoff Marks 

UPSC cutoff marks Change yearly based on various factors like the number of students who appear, exam difficulty level, and more. The UPSC paper one exam was held on May 28, 2023. The UPSC 2023 expected cutoff marks are stated in the table below: