OSSC CHSL Cut-off: Previous Year Marks and Target Score

The OSSC CHSL cut-off is the lowest score that moves a candidate to the next stage of the Odisha Staff Selection Commission's Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level or Equivalent Recruitment Examination for Specialist Posts. Cut-offs work at two points: the prelims score that earns a main exam call, and the main exam score that earns certificate verification and selection.

For the 2025 recruitment (Advertisement No. 728/OSSC), the prelims was held on 25 September 2026 and no cut-off has been published so far. This page explains how OSSC sets the cut-off, shows indicative figures from an earlier cycle, and helps you set a target. Treat every past figure as a benchmark only.

How the OSSC CHSL Cut-off Works

Because shortlisting is category-wise and post-wise, the effective cut-off can differ widely between posts. In the 2025 recruitment, Junior Forensic Attendant has 94 vacancies while Amin and Junior Fisheries Technical Assistant have 15 each, so the number of candidates called per category will not be the same.

OSSC CHSL Previous Year Cut-off (Indicative)

OSSC publishes shortlists and merit lists on its website, but category-wise cut-off figures for recent cycles could not be confirmed from an official notice. The table below shows prelims cut-offs for the 2023 cycle, held for Soil Conservation Extension Worker posts, as reported in the press when the result was declared in February 2024. These are indicative figures, not official ones, and they relate to a different post mix.

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. For the 2025 recruitment, check the result notice on the OSSC website once it is published.

What Affects the OSSC CHSL Cut-off

• Vacancies per post and category: Fewer seats in a category means fewer candidates called, which usually pushes the cut-off up.

• Number of applicants: Plus Two level posts draw a large field, and a higher turnout tends to raise the qualifying score.

• Paper difficulty: A tougher Data Interpretation or reasoning section pulls scores down across the board.

• Negative marking: With 0.25 marks lost per wrong answer, careless guessing lowers scores and can bring the cut-off down.

• Normalisation: When the exam runs in several sittings, as the 2025 prelims did, OSSC normalises scores, so the cut-off is applied to normalised marks.

1. Start from the benchmark: Take the indicative figure for your category and add a safety margin of about 10 to 15 marks for the prelims.

2. Protect accuracy: A score built on 85 percent or higher accuracy is far safer than one that depends on many guesses.

3. Use mocks as your measure: Track your score across the last five full-length mocks; a steady score above your target is a better sign than one high result.

4. Plan for the main exam early: The final merit depends on the 200-mark technical paper, so do not stop at a safe prelims score.