SSC JE Cut Off 2026: Previous Year Marks and Trends

Knowing the SSC JE cut off tells you what score it takes to stay in the race. Past cut-offs will not predict the exact 2026 figures, but they show the level of competition and help you set a realistic target for your mock tests.

This guide covers the latest SSC JE cut off data (the 2025 exam, with results published in 2026), the Paper 1 trend over several years, and how the 2026 changes may affect cut-offs. All figures come from SSC's official result notices on ssc.gov.in.

Two Kinds of SSC JE Cut Off

SSC publishes two types of cut-off, and it helps to know the difference.

Cut-offs are also different from minimum qualifying marks. SSC's minimums (30% for UR, 25% for OBC/EWS, 20% for others) are only a floor. Actual cut-offs are set by competition and vacancies and are usually much higher.

SSC JE 2025 Paper 1 Cut Off

These are the normalised Paper 1 marks (out of 200) needed to be shortlisted for Paper 2 in the 2025 exam.

SSC JE 2025 Final (Paper 2) Cut Off

SSC released the final cut-off for the 2025 exam on 9 July 2026, and 1,731 candidates were shortlisted for the First Round of Tentative Allocation (FRTA). Final cut-offs are published separately for each department, so the table below shows the range across departments in Paper 2 marks (out of 300).

The spread within each category is wide. It depends on how many vacancies each department had and how many high scorers chose it as a preference. In other words, your score decides which departments you can get, not just whether you are selected.

SSC's final list also shows each last-selected candidate's Paper 1 marks in Part (i), Reasoning, and Part (ii), General Awareness. These are the tie-breakers used when two candidates have the same Paper 2 score.

SSC JE Paper 1 Cut Off Trend (UR)

Two patterns stand out:

• Electrical/Mechanical has usually been higher. Its cut-off stayed above Civil's every year. The gap narrowed to almost nothing in 2025.

• Civil has risen again. After dipping in the 2022 and 2023 cycles, the Civil UR cut-off climbed back to around 127 in 2025.

What Could Affect the SSC JE Cut Off 2026?

• Vacancies: The 2026 notice lists 1,748 tentative vacancies, close to the 1,731 candidates shortlisted for allocation in the 2025 cycle.

• New posts and merit lists: Candidates for JE (Telecom) and Scientific Assistant (IMD) are placed on separate merit lists. These posts have no previous cut-off history.

• Paper difficulty and normalisation: Multi-shift scores are normalised, and Electrical and Mechanical scores are normalised against each other.

• Number of candidates: More serious applicants usually push cut-offs up, especially for the UR and OBC categories.

• Post preferences: Final cut-offs for popular departments rise when many top scorers choose them.

SSC has not released any "expected cut-off" for 2026. Treat any predicted figure you see online as an estimate.

How to Use Cut-Off Data in Your Preparation

1. Set a Paper 1 target with a margin. In the last two cycles, UR Paper 1 cut-offs were roughly 123 to 132. Aim to score comfortably above your category's recent figures in full-length mocks, not just to match them.

2. Plan Paper 2 by department. If you want a particular department, look at its past final cut-off rather than the lowest figure in the list.

3. Protect your Reasoning and General Awareness marks. Because they break ties in the final list, they still matter after Paper 1.

4. Track mock scores against cut-offs. Compare your normalised mock trend with past cut-offs every two weeks, and adjust your revision to close the gap.