KVS Stenographer Cut Off: Previous Trends and Target Score

The KVS Stenographer cut off is the lowest score that gets a candidate to the next stage in each category. In the 2025 cycle there are two such points: the Tier 1 score needed for the 1:10 shortlist to Tier 2, and the Tier 2 score needed for the 1:5 shortlist to the skill test. The final selection then follows Tier 2 marks for those who clear the skill test.

As of October 2026, CBSE has not published category-wise cut-off marks for the 2025 cycle. Candidates for posts without an interview, such as Stenographer, see their own Tier 2 marks in the candidate login. This page shows the official competition data that is available, the last published KVS cut-off range, and how to set a sensible target. Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat past figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them rather than a bare pass.

KVS Stenographer 2025 Cycle: Competition Data

CBSE released category-wise counts of registered, appeared and shortlisted candidates on 24 March 2026. The totals below add up the UR, EWS, OBC, SC and ST columns of those lists.

For Grade II, about 78 candidates appeared for every post, and about 1 in 8 who appeared moved on to Tier 2. These ratios are calculated from the official counts and are not a cut-off themselves.

Previous KVS Stenographer Cut Off

The last KVS Stenographer cut-off available on an official KVS site is from a notice dated 28 April 2023. It listed category-wise cut-offs for shortlisting Stenographer Grade II candidates to the skill test held on 13 May 2023, based on a written exam in February and March 2023.

The column layout of that notice does not allow a reliable category-by-category reading, so the range is shown as indicative only. That cycle also used a different, single written exam, so its marks cannot be compared directly with the 2025 Tier 2 paper out of 100. You can view the KVS notice of 28 April 2023 for the original table.

KVS Stenographer Cut Off Trend

There is no like-for-like trend yet, because the 2025 cycle changed the pattern to two tiers. What the data does show is steady competition: thousands of graduates now compete for a few dozen Grade II posts. Watch the CBSE recruitment page for any cut-off or marks statistics released after the final result.

What Affects the KVS Stenographer Cut Off

• Vacancies: With only 57 Grade II posts, small changes in the number of seats in a category can move its cut-off sharply.

• Number of candidates: More applicants with graduation and shorthand skills push the shortlist score up.

• Paper difficulty: A harder Tier 2 paper, especially the descriptive part, lowers the marks needed.

• Negative marking: Heavy Tier 1 negative marking (1 mark per wrong answer) keeps raw scores lower than the maximum suggests.

• Category and horizontal reservation: PwBD and ex-servicemen seats have their own, often lower, thresholds.

How to Set Your Target Score

• Tier 1: Since only about 1 in 8 Grade II candidates reached Tier 2, aim to finish in the top 10 percent of your mock test group, not just to pass.

• Tier 2: Treat it as the real competition. Aim for consistent accuracy in the objective part and complete, well-structured descriptive answers.

• Skill test: Practise above the norm, for example dictation at 90 words per minute when the test is at 80, so a nervous day still clears.

• Track benchmarks: Record accuracy, attempts and section scores in every mock and push them up week by week.