Checked 29 September 2026. Pass rules for fresh candidates come from Circular 06 of 2026; the 45% figure from the CAG FAQ page; chances from the 2020 circulars as relayed on 18.11.2020. The Exam Wing can change any of these by circular before a sitting.
How many marks does an SAS paper need? The answer changed in 2026, and the CAG's own pages now show two figures. Circular 06 of 2026 set new rules for fresh candidates, those registering for the first time: 50% overall in each paper, 40% in each section of a paper, and 60% for an exemption that stays current for three years. The CAG FAQ still gives 45 out of 100 to pass or earn an exemption. Circular 06 was issued for Exam-1 of 2026 and does not say "from Exam-1 of 2026 onwards"; as of 29 September 2026 no Exam-2 of 2026 circular restating or changing it was on the Exam Wing Circulars page. So 50/40/60 is the latest published rule for first-time registrants, and the circular for your own sitting is the one to check. This guide lays out both, what negative marking costs, how the 12-chance limit works, and gives two checkers. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of the CAG or the IA&AD. Every rule here is quoted or summarised from Exam Wing circulars and the CAG website; your Head of Department and the Exam Wing decide every individual case.
Where other pages get this wrong
For fresh candidates, a paper now needs 50% overall and 40% in every section; exemption needs 60% and lasts three years.
Commonly published instead: "For General candidates, minimum marks to pass/obtain exemption in each paper of SAS are 45 out of 100 marks (45%)" — the CAG Exam FAQs page, still live on 29 September 2026.
The FAQ answer predates Circular 06 of 2026 (25.05.2026), which applies the new figures to "SAS candidates who register for the first time (fresh candidates)". No 2026 circular restates the threshold for existing candidates, so the 45% figure is the last published one for them, not a confirmed current rule. We print both and do not choose between them; your office's examination section can tell you which applies to your record.
The two rule sets side by side
| Rule | First-time registrants, Exam-1 of 2026 (Circular 06 of 2026) | As printed on the FAQ page (older) |
|---|---|---|
| Pass mark per paper | 50% overall | 45 out of 100 for General candidates |
| Sectional minimum | 40% in each paper's sections | none stated |
| Exemption threshold | 60% per paper | 45 out of 100 (same as pass) |
| How long an exemption lasts | currency limited to three years | not stated |
| SC/ST relaxation | not stated in the circular | decided before each examination and issued by circular |
| Negative marking (CBT) | 0.25 per wrong answer (FAQ) | 0.25 per wrong answer |
Official figures from Circular 06 of 2026 and the CAG FAQ page.
Pass and exemption are two different things
Under the 2026 rule a fresh candidate can pass a paper at 50% without earning an exemption, which needs 60%. The circular does not spell out the consequence of the gap in one sentence, but the words matter: an exemption means you "need not appear" in that paper again (that is how the exemption matrix uses the term), and a three-year currency means an exemption earned in one sitting lapses if the rest of the exam is not completed in time. Our reading is that the 60% line is the one to aim at in every paper you do not intend to rewrite. The circular also does not define a "section". Several papers print their own parts (PC-2 has five weighted sections; PC-3 has theory and practical; PC-8, PC-9 and PC-20 split into parts with their own marks), but whether those parts are the "sections" the rule means is not stated anywhere we found. Do not treat this page's parts as the rule's sections; go by the section structure in the question paper and the Exam Wing's instructions for your sitting.
Check one paper against the pass and exemption rules
Enter a paper's total out of 100 and your lowest section score in that paper, as a percentage of that section's marks. Choose whether you first registered from Exam-1 of 2026 onwards (a fresh candidate under Circular 6 of 2026) or earlier.
Our application of the published figures. Circular 6 of 2026 does not define a "section", does not say whether the 60% exemption also needs the 40% sectional score, and states no threshold for existing candidates; the FAQ's general 45% is shown for them, but no circular confirms it applies to them. The FAQ also calls someone who joins a new office after a technical resignation a "fresh candidate" in that office; which pass rule applies to that record is not stated. SC/ST relaxation is set per sitting by circular and is not modelled.
What negative marking costs
The FAQ says that "as of now 0.25 marks would be deducted for each wrong answer for Departmental Examinations held in CBT mode". A skipped question costs nothing. The Exam Wing does not publish the marks per question for each paper, so the cost of a guess can only be stated in absolute marks: four wrong answers cost one mark. On a paper where 50 is the pass line and 60 the exemption line, a handful of guesses can decide which side you land on. Our arithmetic, not a rule: if a question is worth one mark and you can rule out two of four options, a guess between the remaining two gains on average 0.5 minus 0.125, a small positive; a blind guess among four gains 0.25 minus 0.1875, close to nothing.
The 12 chances in 8 years rule
The limit on attempts comes from Exam Wing Circulars 10 and 11 of 2020, relayed by the AG (A&E)-I Uttar Pradesh office order of 18 November 2020, and applies from Exam-1 of 2021, when the SAS became a twice-a-year exam. The number of chances rose from 10 to 12.
| Rule (2020 scheme) | What it says |
|---|---|
| Total chances | 12: six normal and six additional, within 8 years |
| Condition for the additional six | admissible only to those "who have cleared five papers within first (normal) six attempts"; the order does not say whether an exemption counts as a paper cleared |
| When the limit is reached | after 12 chances or 8 years, whichever is earlier, or on failing to clear 5 papers in six chances, the candidate starts afresh: Preliminary and mandatory training again, no carry-forward of exemptions |
| When a chance counts | on registration; there is no withdrawal |
| Transitional relief | candidates who had already exhausted 10 chances got 2 more, within two years from Exam-1 of 2021 |
The rule that bites hardest is the last-but-one row. The 2026 registration letter repeats it in plain words: a candidate's chance "would be counted once she/he registers and there is no scope for withdrawal". Registering for a sitting you then skip spends a chance. The 2026 three-year currency for fresh candidates' exemptions sits on top of this: in principle a fresh candidate now has two clocks, eight years for the whole exam and three years for each exemption.
Where do you stand on chances?
Applies the 2020 scheme (in force from Exam-1 of 2021): 12 chances, 6 normal and 6 additional, within 8 years; the additional 6 only if 5 papers are cleared within the first 6. A chance counts the moment you register.
Our application of the 2020 circulars as relayed by the AG (A&E)-I Uttar Pradesh office order of 18.11.2020. Transitional relief (two extra chances for those who had exhausted 10) and any later circular for your case are not modelled.
Rules that follow you after a transfer or resignation
The FAQ covers two situations. After a technical resignation from one IA&AD office to join another, the official is a fresh candidate in the new office and probation starts again; but, "subject to scheme and syllabi of Examination remaining the same", common papers already exempted and chances already used are still counted. Because the scheme and syllabus changed in 2025, how that applies to exemptions earned under the old syllabus is exactly the kind of question to put to the Exam Wing in writing. After a mutual transfer, the official must complete the full minimum service again in the new office before becoming eligible.
What is not published
Numbers you will not find, and should not trust if you see them
- Pass rates, the number who registered or passed, or paper-wise marks actually achieved. The Exam Wing posts a result circular publicly, but the complete result goes to offices through the ERO/HoD login on cagexam.in.
- The SC/ST relaxation for 2026. The FAQ says it is decided before each examination by circular; none of the 2026 circulars we read states it.
- Whether the 60% exemption also needs the 40% sectional score.
- Any threshold for existing candidates issued after Circular 06 of 2026.
Checked against the Exam Wing Circulars page and the FAQ on 29 September 2026.
If your office has told you something different from this page, the office is working from circulars addressed to it and is the authority on your record. ProSyllabus has no SAS practice quizzes yet.
What is the pass mark in the SAS exam?
For first-time registrants at Exam-1 of 2026 (Circular 06 of 2026): 50% overall in each paper and 40% in each section; check the circular for your own sitting. The CAG FAQ page still gives 45 out of 100 for General candidates; no 2026 circular restates that figure for existing candidates.
What marks give an exemption in an SAS paper?
For fresh candidates, 60% in the paper, with the exemption current for three years. The older FAQ figure is 45 out of 100.
Who is a fresh candidate?
Circular 06 of 2026 uses the phrase for SAS candidates who register for the first time. The CAG FAQ uses the same words for an official who joins another IA&AD office after a technical resignation; that is about eligibility in the new office, and no circular says which pass rule applies to such a record.
How many chances are allowed in the SAS exam?
Twelve within eight years under the 2020 scheme: six normal chances and six additional ones, the additional six only for those who have cleared five papers within the first six attempts.
Does registering count as a chance even if I do not appear?
Yes. The Exam Wing says a chance is counted once a candidate registers and there is no scope for withdrawal.
How much is deducted for a wrong answer?
0.25 marks for each wrong answer in departmental exams held in CBT mode, according to the CAG FAQ. A skipped question costs nothing.
Is there relaxation for SC and ST candidates?
The FAQ says any relaxation is decided before each examination and issued by circular. We did not find a 2026 figure.
What happens after 12 chances?
The candidate starts afresh: the Preliminary and mandatory training again, with no carry-forward of exemptions.
Are SAS pass rates published?
No. The result circular is posted publicly, but the complete result is released to offices through the ERO/HoD login, and no pass rate or cut-off is published.
Sources
- official — Exam Wing Circular No. 06 of 2026, No. 429/08-Exam/SAS etc. Exam/2026, 25.05.2026 — fresh-candidate pass rules (PDF)
- official — CAG — Exam FAQs (the older 45% pass/exemption figure, which Circular 06 of 2026 replaced with 50/40/60 for fresh candidates; 0.25 negative marking, mutual transfer, technical resignation, DR AAOs)
- official — O/o AG (A&E)-I Uttar Pradesh — office order of 18.11.2020 relaying Exam Wing Circulars 10 and 11 of 2020 (12 chances within 8 years) (PDF)
- official — Exam Wing letter No. 478/08-Exam/SAS etc. Exam/2026/Vol.-I, 01.06.2026 — Exam-1 of 2026 date sheet, registration, 28 test cities (PDF)
- official — CAG — Consolidated revised SAS syllabus (October 2022, with PC-3, PC-8, PC-9, PC-10 and PC-20 revised on 11.03.2025) (PDF)
- official — O/o PAG (Audit) Assam — circular of 23.11.2022 relaying HQ Circular 476/16-Exam/SAS/Papers Review/2022 of 27.10.2022, with the paper-wise exemption matrix (PDF)
- official — Exam Wing Circular No. 12 of 2026, No. 650/11-Exam/SAS exam-I/2026, 17.08.2026 — result of IE and SAS Exam-1 of 2026 (PDF)
- official — Exam Wing Circular No. 4 of 2026, No. 186/05-Exam/SAS Exam-2/2025, 18.03.2026 — result of Exam-2 of 2025 (PDF)
- official — CAG — Exam Wing Circulars (current list and archive)
- official — CAG — SAS Examination page (about the exam, twice a year from 2021, cut-off dates, eligible posts by pay level)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
