Checked 29 September 2026. From the 2023 scheme, paras 5, 9, 11 and 13, and the marks list of 24.02.2025. That list refers back to two earlier result letters of 27.12.2024 and 31.12.2024 which are not on EPFO's circulars page and which we could not read. This page will change if they, a cut-off or a new scheme are published.
Passing the Section Supervisor LDCE and being promoted through it are two different things, and the 2023 scheme says so in terms. Clearing the minimum marks only puts you on a list; your rank on that list, among candidates of your own category in your own State or Zone, decides whether a vacancy reaches you, and the DPC still has to find you fit. This guide sets out the qualifying marks exactly as para 9 of the EPF Section Supervisor LDCE Scheme 2023 prints them, explains the merit list, the waiting list, ties and re-totalling, and gives a checker for your own marks. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation or the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Every rule here is quoted or summarised from EPFO circulars and Gazette notifications; your zonal office and EPFO Head Office decide every individual case.
Where other pages get this wrong
EPFO has not published a cut-off table for the Section Supervisor LDCE held on 22.11.2024. The only published minimum is the qualifying standard: 40% in each paper, or 35% for SC, ST and PwBD.
Commonly published instead: Cut-off figures quoted on coaching and forum pages as if EPFO had released them.
EPFO's letter of 24.02.2025 is a marks list of eligible candidates, with Paper I, Paper II and total marks, and prints no cut-off. It refers back to two earlier Head Office letters on the result, of 27.12.2024 and 31.12.2024, which are not on the circulars page; we could not read them and print no figures from them. The last mark reached in each zone and category could only be derived by matching official result and marks records, would be a derived figure rather than an EPFO cut-off, and ties at that mark go to feeder-cadre seniority.
Scheme 2023 paras 5, 9 and 13 (official). Marks are out of 100 per paper, so the percentages equal marks.
Qualifying marks by category
| Category | Paper I minimum | Paper II minimum | Least total that can qualify | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 40 of 100 | 40 of 100 | 80 of 200 (our arithmetic) | Scheme 2023 para 9(i) (official) |
| SC | 35 of 100 | 35 of 100 | 70 of 200 (our arithmetic) | Scheme 2023 para 9(i) (official) |
| ST | 35 of 100 | 35 of 100 | 70 of 200 (our arithmetic) | Scheme 2023 para 9(i) (official) |
| PwBD | 35 of 100 | 35 of 100 | 70 of 200 (our arithmetic) | Scheme 2023 para 9(i) (official) |
| OBC or EWS | Not separately stated | Not separately stated | On our reading, the General standard applies | Scheme 2023 names only General and SC/ST/PwBD; the 2024 vacancy table has no OBC or EWS column (official) |
There is no aggregate minimum. The scheme sets a floor in each paper and then ranks on the total, so a candidate with 40 and 95 qualifies while one with 39 and 99 does not, even though the second total is higher. That is the single most important thing to plan around: the weaker paper decides whether you are ranked at all.
How the merit list is drawn
| Step | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Qualify | Clear the minimum in each paper for your category. | Scheme 2023 para 9(i) (official) |
| 2. Rank | A single merit list for each category in each State/Zone (the scheme's words; it does not name Head Office as a separate unit), in order of total marks in all papers. | Paras 5(ii) and 9(ii) (official) |
| 3. Break ties | Equal marks: the candidate senior-most in the feeder cadre ranks higher. | Para 9(iv) (official) |
| 4. Move reserved candidates who meet General norms | SC, ST and PwBD candidates who meet the General minimum in each paper and the General overall merit are considered against General vacancies if within that panel; otherwise against their own category. Subject to DoPT instructions in force at the time. | Para 9(v) (official) |
| 5. DPC | The DPC recommends promotions on the merit list after assessing fitness under the Recruitment Rules. | Para 5(vi) (official) |
| 6. Waiting list | Used if someone on the merit list is found unfit, does not join or refuses. | Paras 5(iii) and 5(vii) (official) |
Para 9(iii) closes the loop: being placed in the merit list with the minimum marks "will not entitle him/her to claim the right of promotion", and anyone not promoted, whether for want of eligibility, want of a vacancy in their category or vacancy year, or any other reason, is treated as unsuccessful. In practice your competition is the other qualifiers of your category in your zone, for that category's vacancies in your zone. The zone tables in our vacancies guide show how small some of those pools are; Goa, for example, had no SC vacancy at all in 2024.
Check your marks
Section Supervisor LDCE qualifying-marks checker
Enter your marks out of 100 in each paper and your category. The checker applies para 9 of the 2023 scheme. It cannot tell you your rank: that depends on the other qualifiers in your category and zone, and EPFO publishes no cut-off.
Scheme 2023 para 9 (official). Treating OBC and EWS as General is our reading; the scheme names only General and SC/ST/PwBD. PwBD is a separate tick because the 2024 vacancy table shows PwBD vacancies in their own columns beside SC, ST and UR, not as a fourth category.
Planning around the per-paper floor
Because each paper has its own floor, the useful question is not "what total do I need" but "which paper could fall below 40". The two papers draw on very different reading. Paper I rewards daily familiarity with EPF work: the Act, the three schemes, the prescribed paragraphs of the accounting manual, the SOPs and the online services. Paper II draws mostly on rule books that a Social Security Assistant handles less often, such as FR/SR, GFR, the CCS rules and the RTI Act, plus 40 marks of English and aptitude. Check yourself against both syllabuses, head by head, rather than assuming your daily work covers either paper.
The marks list EPFO published on 24.02.2025 shows Paper I, Paper II and the total for each eligible candidate, which is exactly the information this rule needs: a candidate can see whether each paper cleared its floor before looking at the total. We have not reproduced any individual marks, and we have not derived a cut-off from the list, because the list does not show which candidates were selected in which zone and category. A figure presented as a "cut-off" for this exam is at best derived from official records, not published by EPFO.
| If your marks are | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Both papers at or above the minimum | You are placed in your category's merit list for your State/Zone, ranked on the total | Scheme 2023 para 9(i)-(ii) (official) |
| One paper below the minimum, however high the other | You are not placed in the merit list | Para 9(i) (official) |
| Qualified but below the last vacancy in your category and zone | Treated as unsuccessful unless reached from the waiting list | Paras 5(iii) and 9(iii) (official) |
| Tied with another candidate | The senior-most in the feeder cadre ranks higher | Para 9(iv) (official) |
The waiting list
A waiting list is drawn up on the same lines as the merit list. It is used when someone on the merit list is found unfit by the DPC, does not join after promotion, or refuses. The scheme caps it at 20% of the notified vacancies, with a minimum of one candidate, and it stays valid for one year from the declaration of the result or until the next examination, whichever is earlier. The scheme does not say how 20% is rounded, or whether the ceiling is worked out per zone and category or on the total; the calculator below shows the arithmetic both ways and labels it as ours.
Waiting-list ceiling calculator
Enter a number of notified vacancies, for example your zone's figure for your category. The scheme says the waiting list "shall not exceed 20%", minimum one.
Scheme 2023 para 5(iv) and (v) (official). Rounding down is our reading of "shall not exceed"; EPFO does not state a rounding rule.
The one-year validity has a practical edge. The scheme counts it from the date of declaration of the result. EPFO held the last exam on 22.11.2024; its marks list of 24.02.2025 refers back to a result letter of 27.12.2024 (and another of 31.12.2024), which we could not read. If 27.12.2024 is the declaration date, the 2024 waiting list lapsed a year after it; if EPFO counts from a later date, later. EPFO has not said which, so ask your zonal office whether any 2024 waiting list is still being operated (our reading). Unfilled vacancies are not carried on the waiting list indefinitely: the scheme says vacancies left unfilled go to subsequent examinations only.
Marks, re-totalling and unfair means
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Marks to candidates | Marks in all papers are intimated to candidates | Scheme 2023 para 11 (official) |
| Re-totalling | Apply to the Regional PF Commissioner (Examination) through the officer-in-charge of your zonal office (or the officer-in-charge ASD, EPFO Head Office, for Head Office staff), within 15 days from the date the Examination Division, Head Office communicates the result, with confirmation that Rs 100 per paper has been deposited; the fee is not refundable | Para 13 (official) |
| Revaluation | Not permissible in any case | Para 13, Note II (official) |
| Unfair means | Expulsion from the hall and debarment from the examination, plus liability to disciplinary action; results can be cancelled even at the valuation stage | Para 12 (official) |
| Answer-key objections | Not provided for in the 2023 scheme. For the 2019 exam EPFO ran an online objection window from 01.11.2021 to 03.11.2021, where candidates could see their own answers and the key | Scheme 2023 (official); objection circular of 29.10.2021 (official) |
What changed from the 2017 scheme
| Rule | 2017 scheme | 2023 scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 40% in each of two parts (General), 35% (SC/ST) | 40% in each paper (General), 35% (SC/ST/PwBD) |
| Merit unit | Region, Head Office or all-India cadre | Each category in each State/Zone |
| Waiting list | 20%, minimum one | 20% of notified vacancies, minimum one; valid one year or until the next exam |
| Re-totalling | Rs 100, within 15 days, no revaluation | Unchanged |
| PwBD | Not in the relaxed standard | Included in the 35% standard; PwBD reservation in promotion was added to vacancy calls from September 2022 |
The PwBD change followed DoPT's OM of 17.05.2022 on reservation for persons with benchmark disabilities in promotion. EPFO's letter of 15.09.2022 asked zones to report Section Supervisor vacancies with PwBD columns, and the 2024 vacancy table duly carries a PwBD breakup in four categories.
What are the pass marks for the EPFO Section Supervisor LDCE?
At least 40% in each paper for General candidates and at least 35% in each paper for SC, ST and PwBD candidates. Each paper is out of 100, so that is 40 or 35 marks per paper.
Is there a minimum aggregate?
No. The scheme sets a minimum in each paper and ranks qualifiers on their total.
What was the cut-off in the 2024 exam?
Not published as a cut-off. EPFO issued a marks list of eligible candidates on 24.02.2025 with no cut-off. That list refers back to earlier result letters of 27.12.2024 and 31.12.2024, which are not on the circulars page and which we could not read.
Is there relaxation for OBC candidates?
The scheme does not mention OBC or EWS. It names only General and SC/ST/PwBD, and the 2024 vacancy table has no OBC column. On our reading OBC candidates are held to the General standard.
How are ties broken?
The candidate senior-most in the feeder cadre ranks higher.
Can I get my answer sheet revalued?
No. Re-totalling and verification are allowed on payment of Rs 100 per paper, applied for through your zonal office within 15 days from the date the Examination Division communicates the result; revaluation is not permissible.
How long is the waiting list valid?
One year from the date the result is declared, or until the next examination, whichever is earlier.
If I qualify, am I sure to be promoted?
No. The scheme says being on the merit list does not give a right to promotion. You must fall within your category's vacancies in your zone and be found fit by the DPC.
Sources
- official — EPF Section Supervisor LDCE Scheme, 2023: No. A-34018/3/2022-EXAM-84 dated 19.01.2024, with the syllabus annexure
- official — Marks of eligible candidates, LDCE for Section Supervisor held 22.11.2024: File A-34012/1/2022-EXAM/424 dated 24.02.2025 (listed 18/03/2025)
- official — Notice for the LDCE for promotion to Section Supervisor: No. A-34012/2/2022-EXAM dated 07.06.2024, with Annexure-I (vacancies as on 31.12.2024, anticipated)
- official — EPF Section Supervisor LDCE Scheme, 2017 (superseded): Exam.3(1)2017/SS, in force 11.12.2017
- official — PwBD reservation in promotion to Section Supervisor, vacancies up to 31.12.2022: HRM-IV letter dated 15.09.2022 (Wayback copy; the EPFO path now returns 404)
- official — Objection Management System for the LDCE of 27.07.2019: A-34013/1/2021-EXAM/240 dated 29.10.2021
- official — EPFO circulars page (live list, read 29 September 2026)
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.
