CBSE Superintendent Cut-Off 2026: Tier I and Tier II Marks

The CBSE Superintendent cut-off is the minimum score a candidate in each category needs to move to the next stage. CBSE sets it separately for Tier I, which decides who sits Tier II, and for Tier II, which decides who is called for the typing test. The figures below cover the Direct Recruitment Quota (DRQ) 2026 cycle and the 2024-25 cycle.

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat these figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them rather than a bare pass. Because the Tier I paper changed size between cycles, this page also converts the scores to percentages so you can compare them fairly.

Table of Contents

• CBSE Superintendent Cut-Off 2026

• Previous Year Cut-Off (2025)

• Cut-Off Trend in Percentage Terms

• How CBSE Sets the Cut-Off

• How to Set Your Target Score

CBSE Superintendent Cut-Off 2026

These figures are as reported from the CBSE result notices dated 2 March 2026 (Tier I) and 15 May 2026 (Tier II). The notices are scanned documents, so treat the numbers as indicative and confirm them on the official recruitment page: https://www.cbse.gov.in/cbsenew/recruitment.html

Previous Year Cut-Off (2025)

In the 2024-25 cycle, Tier I had 150 questions for 450 marks. The reported Tier I cut-off was:

These are indicative figures as reported in May 2025. A category-wise Tier II cut-off for 2025 was not found on the official page, as the Tier II result was shared through candidate logins.

Cut-Off Trend in Percentage Terms

Tier I cut-offs rose by about 9 to 11 percentage points in 2026. The most likely reason is the drop in vacancies from 142 to 27: with a 1:10 shortlist, far fewer seats were open in Tier II. The Tier II UR cut-off of 144 out of 300 (48%) is much lower in percentage terms. That likely reflects a harder graduation-level paper and the fact that written answers rarely earn full marks.

How CBSE Sets the Cut-Off

• Shortlisting ratio: Tier I shortlists 10 candidates per vacancy and Tier II shortlists 5, so fewer vacancies push the cut-off up.

• Category gap: The cut-off for OBC and EWS can be up to 5% below the UR cut-off, and for SC, ST and PwBD up to 10% below.

• 30% floor: No one is considered with less than 30% of the maximum marks in any tier.

• Paper difficulty and applicants: A harder paper or fewer applicants lowers the cut-off; an easier paper or a larger field raises it.

• Board discretion: CBSE may lower a cut-off if not enough reserved-category candidates qualify.

How to Set Your Target Score

• Tier I target: Aim for 250 or more out of 300 (about 84%) in mocks if you are in the UR category. That clears the 2026 benchmark with a margin.

• Accuracy over attempts: At +3 and -1, 85 correct answers with 5 wrong gives 250. Keep wrong answers in single digits.

• Tier II target: Aim for 160 to 170 out of 300, with at least 100 from the objective part and steady marks across all 30 descriptive answers.

• Track the gap: Compare every mock score with the cut-off for your category and note which section is costing you marks. Testkart's section-wise reports make this gap easy to see after each test.

Recheck these benchmarks when CBSE publishes cut-offs for the next cycle, because a change in vacancies or paper size can move them sharply in either direction.