Punjab Police SI Cut Off: Previous Year Marks and Trend

The Punjab Police SI cut-off is the lowest normalised score in the written exam that a candidate in a given category needed to be shortlisted for the physical tests. It is counted out of 800 marks, the combined total of Papers I and II, and it is released separately for each category and for men and women. It is different from the minimum qualifying marks, which only make you eligible to be considered.

Direct recruitment at the SI rank was stopped in July 2026, and new officer-level entry now happens at the Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) level. Past SI cut-offs remain the best benchmark for that exam, because the written pattern and competition level are closely related. Use the figures below as a benchmark, not a promise of what the next cut-off will be.

Recent SI Recruitment Cycles

Cut-offs only make sense against the number of seats and the marks on offer. Here is how the last two SI cycles compare.

Punjab Police SI Previous Year Cut-Off

The table below shows the written-stage cut-offs reported for the 2021 SI recruitment, whose written result was released in 2022. That cycle had 560 posts across the Investigation, District, Armed and Intelligence cadres. The figures as circulated do not name the cadre, so treat them as indicative and check the official PDF where you can.

Category-wise cut-offs for the 2023 recruitment (288 posts in the District and Armed cadres) have not been published in a form we could verify, so they are not listed here.

What the Numbers Tell You

• The General line was about 72%. A score of 577 out of 800 works out to roughly 288 out of 400 in each paper. That is close to double the 40% qualifying minimum.

• The top categories were tightly bunched. General, BC and EWS male cut-offs fell within 25 marks of each other. Six or seven extra correct answers could decide shortlisting.

• Women's cut-offs were lower in every main category. The gap ranged from about 45 marks (General) to about 90 marks (SC Balmiki / Mazhbi Sikh), because women's seats are filled from a separate list.

• Small quota categories show unusual figures. Wards of Police Personnel and Wards of Freedom Fighters have very few seats, so their cut-offs depend on a handful of candidates and swing widely between cycles.

Cut-Off vs Minimum Qualifying Marks

You must clear each minimum separately. After that, the cut-off decides who moves on to the physical tests. Older pages quoting 50% and 45% as the qualifying marks do not match the 2023 notification. The Punjab Police SI exam pattern page explains the marking scheme in full.

What Affects the Cut-Off

• Number of posts: The 2023 cycle had 288 posts against 560 in 2021. Fewer seats usually push the cut-off up.

• Number of applicants: Graduate-level police posts in Punjab draw large applicant pools, which keeps the top of the list crowded.

• Paper difficulty: A tougher paper lowers raw scores, and the cut-off with them.

• Normalisation: Scores are adjusted across shifts using the mean-standard deviation method, so official cut-offs often carry decimals.

• Category and gender: Each reserved category and the women's list are ranked separately, giving each its own cut-off.

How to Set Your Target Score

• Aim for 600 or more out of 800: That is 75%, or about 300 per paper, and it clears the last reported General male line with a buffer.

• Protect the qualifying papers: A strong merit score is wasted if you miss 25 in Paper III or fall below the minimum in either merit paper.

• Track your accuracy: With a 1-mark deduction per wrong answer, ten careless errors cost 50 marks of swing (40 lost plus 10 deducted).

• Benchmark against mocks: Compare your full-length scores with your category line, and count yourself safe only when you clear it consistently.