ISRO Technician Cut Off: Qualifying Marks and Previous Year Trends

Table of Contents

• What the ISRO Technician cut-off means

• Official qualifying marks

• Previous cut-off example: NRSC 2023

• What affects the cut-off

• How to set your target score

What the ISRO Technician Cut-Off Means

The ISRO Technician cut-off is the minimum written test score that gets a candidate into the skill test shortlist. ISRO publishes two kinds of numbers: fixed qualifying marks stated in the advertisement, and cut-off marks declared by each centre after the written test. This page explains both and uses the one official result we could verify as a benchmark.

Official Qualifying Marks

The ISTRAC advertisement (ISTRAC:02:2026) fixes the minimum marks for Technician-B. Meeting them makes you eligible to be considered, but the actual shortlist depends on the number of vacancies and on how candidates perform.

Candidates are shortlisted for the skill test in a ratio of 1:5, with a minimum of 10 candidates. Final selection is by written test marks among those who pass the skill test. The IPRC advertisement for 2026 is reported to follow a written test and skill test scheme, so check its official notice for its marks.

Previous Cut-Off Example: NRSC 2023

The National Remote Sensing Centre published category-wise results for Technician-B (Instrument Mechanic) under Advertisement No. NRSC/RMT/4/2023. The cut-off marks to shortlist for the skill test, from a computer based test out of 80, were as follows.

The highest written test score on the general merit panel was 58.03. Applications received were 225 General, 528 OBC, 178 SC, 35 ST, 32 EWS and 13 ex-servicemen, and 162, 398, 126, 25, 19 and 7 of them appeared in the test respectively. This is one post at one centre in one year, so treat it as an illustration of how cut-offs behave, not as a prediction. We have not found a published cut-off for ISTRAC:02:2026 at the time of writing, so check the ISRO recruitment page for results.

What Affects the Cut-Off

• Number of vacancies: With a 1:5 shortlist, fewer posts mean fewer candidates are called, which can push the cut-off up.

• Difficulty of the paper: A harder paper lowers scores and the cut-off along with them.

• Number of candidates who appear: More competition for the same posts raises the score needed.

• Category and reservation: Cut-offs are declared category-wise, and a category with no qualifying candidate may show none.

• Negative marking: The -0.33 penalty can bring scores down for candidates who guess.

How to Set Your Target Score

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. A sensible target for an unreserved candidate is to score well above 40 out of 80 consistently in timed practice tests.. Check the official ISRO careers page for current results.