HBBVS Cut-off 2025-26 for Class 9: Region-wise Marks
The HBBVS cut-off is the lowest written-test score that qualified students for the practical round in each category. The Greater Bombay Science Teachers' Association (GBSTA) sets it separately for every region, standard, medium and board, so there is no single cut-off for the whole competition.
This page gives the official 2025-26 Std 9 written-round cut-offs for all nine regions, explains what they show and helps you set a target for the 2026-27 written round on 28 November 2026. Cut-offs change every year with paper difficulty and the number of students, so treat last year's figures as a benchmark, not a promise.
Table of Contents
How the HBBVS Cut-off Works
HBBVS Class 9 Cut-off 2025-26
What the 2025-26 Figures Show
Practical Round Cut-off
What Affects the Cut-off
Common Misreadings of the Cut-off
How to Set Your Target Score
How the HBBVS Cut-off Works
Stage | Selection rule | What the cut-off means |
|---|---|---|
Stage 1 written test (100 marks) | Top 7.5 percent in each category qualify for the practical | Lowest written score that made the top 7.5 percent |
Stage 1 passing certificate | Students scoring above 35 marks | A fixed passing line, not a merit cut-off |
Stage 2 practical (combined score out of 60) | 30 percent of Stage 1 marks plus practical marks; top 10 percent qualify for the interviews | Lowest combined score that made the top 10 percent |
A category is a combination of region, standard, medium (English or Marathi) and board (Maharashtra State Board or other boards). A Std 9 CBSE English-medium student in Thane is compared only with other-board English-medium Std 9 students in the Thane region.
HBBVS Class 9 Cut-off 2025-26
The table shows the official 2025-26 Std 9 written-round cut-off for each category, with the highest score in that category in brackets. All marks are out of 100. "NA" means GBSTA reported no figure for that category.
Region | English, State Board | English, Other Boards | Marathi, State Board | Marathi, Other Boards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mumbai | 40 (75) | 60 (80) | 37 (50) | NA |
Thane | 44 (68) | 57 (90) | 39 (59) | NA |
Pune | 48 (80) | 57 (90) | 52 (71) | NA |
Kolhapur | 53 (85) | 51 (80) | 42 (70) | NA |
Nashik | 45 (76) | 55 (84) | 56 (69) | 37 (37) |
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | 47 (82) | 54 (82) | 37 (60) | NA |
Vidarbha | 48 (83) | 56 (81) | 37 (41) | NA |
Latur | 51 (81) | 55 (88) | 41 (68) | NA |
Other than Maharashtra | 47 (64) | 55 (91) | NA | 43 (43) |
Source: GBSTA's revised cut-off list for DHBBVC 2025-26, published on the official website, msta.in.
What the 2025-26 Figures Show
Other-board English medium was the toughest group: Cut-offs ranged from 51 to 60, and the top scores reached 80 to 91.
State Board English medium was lower: Cut-offs ranged from 40 in Mumbai to 53 in Kolhapur.
Marathi medium varied the most: State Board Marathi cut-offs ranged from 37 to 56, depending on the region.
The floor was just above passing: The lowest cut-off in the list was 37, just above the 35-mark passing line.
Region matters: The same category could differ by more than 10 marks from one region to another.
Category (Std 9) | Lowest regional cut-off | Highest regional cut-off | Suggested target for 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|---|
English, State Board | 40 (Mumbai) | 53 (Kolhapur) | 50 to 65, depending on region |
English, Other Boards | 51 (Kolhapur) | 60 (Mumbai) | 60 to 70, depending on region |
Marathi, State Board | 37 (Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Vidarbha) | 56 (Nashik) | 50 to 65, depending on region |
The suggested targets are Testkart's guidance, built by adding a margin of about 10 marks to last year's figures. They are not official.
Earlier years' cut-off lists are not available on the official website, so a reliable multi-year trend cannot be drawn. Use 2025-26 as the reference point.
Practical Round Cut-off
GBSTA published a separate practical-round cut-off list for Std 6 and Std 9 in 2025-26 on its website. This cut-off applies to the combined score out of 60, which is 30 percent of the written marks plus the 30-mark practical score. Because the written score carries into this total, every extra mark in the written test helps twice: first to qualify, then to reach the interviews.
What Affects the Cut-off
Paper difficulty: A harder paper pulls scores and cut-offs down.
Number of students in the category: Since selection is a fixed 7.5 percent, a larger or stronger group usually pushes the cut-off up.
Board and medium mix: Other-board students are a separate group, and in 2025-26 their English-medium cut-offs were higher than State Board ones in most regions.
Regional participation: Regions with more students and more competitive schools can have higher cut-offs.
Common Misreadings of the Cut-off
Treating it as a pass mark: The pass mark for a certificate is above 35. The cut-off is the score needed to reach the practical round.
Using another category's figure: A CBSE student in Pune should compare with "English, Other Boards" in Pune, not with the State Board column.
Expecting the same number this year: A fixed percentage qualifies, so the score needed moves with the paper and the group.
How to Set Your Target Score
Find your category: Note your region, medium and board, and read last year's cut-off from the table above.
Add a clear margin: Aim for at least 10 marks above that figure. For other-board English-medium students, that means a target of about 60 to 70, depending on region.
Benchmark in mocks: In full-length 90-minute practice tests, track your score, attempts and accuracy. Consistently scoring above your target before 28 November is a better sign than one good test.
Do not stop at the cut-off: 30 percent of your written score counts again in the practical selection and the final medal score.
Frequently Asked Questions
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