FCI Assistant Grade 3 Cut Off: Previous Year Marks and Target Score

The FCI Assistant Grade 3 cut off is the lowest score at which candidates of a category were selected in a zone and post. It is set separately for each of the five zones, each AG-III stream and each category. There are two cut-off points to clear: the Phase I score that gets you shortlisted for Phase II, and the Phase II score that decides final selection.

FCI publishes lists of selected candidates but does not publish a formal cut-off table on its website. The figures on this page are compiled from previously reported data and are indicative, not official. FCI has not released a new Category III notification as of 11 October 2026, so the latest reference is the 2022 cycle. Use these numbers as a benchmark only.

FCI Assistant Grade 3 Final Cut Off: 2022 Cycle (Indicative)

North Zone (Phase II Paper I, out of 120)

South Zone (Reported Overall Figures)

The South zone figures were reported without a category split, so treat them as the general benchmark for that zone. Cut-offs for the East, West and North-East zones were not reliably reported.

FCI Assistant Grade 3 Previous Year Cut Off: 2019 Cycle (Indicative)

The 2019 figures were reported without naming a zone, so read them as a rough reference for the level of competition rather than a zone-specific target.

Cut-off Trend

Across the two reported cycles, the UR cut-off for General and Depot posts sat around 68 to 73 out of 120 in Phase II. That is roughly 57% to 61% of the maximum after negative marking. Accounts and Technical cut-offs vary much more, because they depend on Paper II difficulty and the number of applicants in each discipline.

What Affects the FCI Assistant Grade 3 Cut Off

• Vacancies per zone: The North zone had 2,388 Category III posts in 2022 against 185 in the North-East, so competition differs sharply between zones.

• Number of applicants: Graduate-level central jobs attract large numbers, and more applicants usually push cut-offs up.

• Paper difficulty: A harder General Studies section or tougher DI sets pull scores down across the board.

• Negative marking: The one-fourth penalty means accuracy shapes final scores as much as attempts do.

• Category reservation: Cut-offs are set separately for UR, EWS, OBC, SC and ST.

How to Set Your Target Score

1. Pick your benchmark: Use the last reported cut-off for your zone, post and category.

2. Add a safety margin: Aim for at least 8 to 10 marks above it in Paper I, since cut-offs change every cycle.

3. Clear Phase I comfortably: A score of 70 or more out of 100 in mocks gives you room above previous Phase I benchmarks.

4. Track mock scores against the target: Compare full-length mock scores with your target every week and fix the weakest section first.

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat last year's figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them rather than a bare pass.

Selection lists and results are published on the official FCI website.