SSC CPO cut-off: previous-year Paper I cut-offs by category (2024 and 2025)

The SSC CPO cut-off is the lowest Paper I score with which a candidate in a category was called for the physical tests. It is the number every candidate looks for before the exam. Below are the official Paper I cut-offs for the 2024 and 2025 examinations, taken from SSC's own result notices, and what they can and cannot tell you about the 2026 Paper I on 23 to 28 November 2026 (proposed), which is a different, shorter paper.

SSC CPO 2025 Paper I cut-off (out of 200)

Paper I was held from 9 to 12 December 2025; SSC declared the result on 30 March 2026 (official write-up). Marks are normalised.

Candidates called for PET/PST: 4,320 women, 44,067 men and 228 Delhi Police departmental candidates.

SSC CPO 2024 Paper I cut-off (out of 200)

Paper I was held from 27 to 29 June 2024; SSC declared the result on 2 September 2024 (official write-up).

Candidates called for PET/PST: 7,335 women, 76,278 men and 188 Delhi Police departmental candidates.

The trend in two lines

• Men's cut-offs barely moved between 2024 and 2025: UR 119.8 to 119.5, OBC 113.5 to 115.0, SC 89.9 to 89.0. ST rose from 82.7 to 89.1.
• Women's cut-offs fell for every category: UR from 135.3 to 128.0, SC from 106.8 to 100.9. Women's cut-offs are higher than men's in most categories because fewer posts and candidates are in that list.

Far fewer candidates were called in 2025 (48,615 in all) than in 2024 (83,801), which reflects the number of posts and applicants that year, not the difficulty of the paper alone.

What this means for the 2026 paper

Do not compare these numbers with your 2026 mock scores directly. Up to 2025, Paper I had 200 questions in 2 hours, marked out of 200. In 2026 it has 100 questions in 1 hour, marked out of 100, with a 15-minute timer for each part. A cut-off of 119.5 out of 200 is about 60% of the old paper, but the new paper's time pressure is different, so its cut-off may sit at a different percentage.

What stays the same:

• The minimum qualifying marks: 30% for UR, 25% for OBC and EWS, 20% for the other categories. In 2026 that is 30, 25 and 20 marks out of 100. These are minimums; the real cut-off is set by the number of candidates SSC needs for the physical tests and is far higher.
• Separate lists for women, men and Delhi Police departmental male candidates.
• NCC bonus: 5%, 3% or 2% of the maximum marks for a C, B or A certificate, added to the normalised score.
• Paper I only shortlists. The final merit is on Paper II marks.

A practical target: aim to score clearly above 60% (60 out of 100) in your mocks before the exam, with few wrong answers. That is roughly where the men's UR cut-off has been in percentage terms; women and reserved categories have had lower cut-offs in most lists, but a margin is always safer.

How the cut-off is set

1. SSC normalises the marks of candidates across shifts.
2. It fixes how many candidates in each list and category to call for the physical tests, depending on the vacancies.
3. The cut-off is the score of the last candidate in that number. Candidates from reserved categories who score above the UR cut-off are counted under their own category, as the notices explain.

Frequently asked questions

What was the SSC CPO 2025 cut-off for UR?

128.01610 for women, 119.47517 for men and 127.92622 for Delhi Police departmental men, out of 200, in Paper I.

What is the expected SSC CPO 2026 cut-off?

No one can know it before the result, and the 2026 paper is new (out of 100). Use the minimum qualifying marks and the previous cut-offs as a percentage only as a rough guide.

Is the SSC CPO cut-off different for men and women?

Yes. SSC publishes separate cut-offs for female candidates, male candidates and male departmental candidates of Delhi Police.

Does the Paper I cut-off decide final selection?

No. Paper I only decides who is called for the physical tests. The final merit list is on Paper II marks, with NCC bonus where it applies, and your post preferences.