Checked 29 September 2026. Pass rule from the 2019 SPG-II pattern; merit rules and select lists from the recast results of 06.08.2026. No selection cut-off is stated in the select lists. A new notification or a fresh recast would override this page.
Passing the PS Group B LDCE and being selected are two different things. The pass rule is fixed and published: 40% in each paper and 45% overall for General candidates, 33% and 38% for SC and ST. Selection depends on how many vacancies there are in your line and category for your vacancy year, and on the marks of everyone else who passed. The Department publishes select lists and qualifying marks (its result letter of 26.12.2025 heads them "Cut off Marks"), but no selection cut-off by line, category and vacancy year. This guide turns the pass rule into marks, including the pro-rata figures actually used for the June 2023 sitting, sets out how the merit order is drawn, gives the scores of the lowest selectees in the lists published in August 2026, and ends with a calculator that does both checks.
Where other pages get this wrong
The published figures are qualifying standards, not cut-offs. In the recast lists for vacancy years 2017-18 to 2023, the lowest General (UR) selectee in the IP line scored 387 to 420, far above the qualifying aggregate (270 of 600 on the full pattern; 253.80 of 564 at the June 2023 sitting).
Commonly published instead: Nothing at all on the pass rule (an earlier version of our own notice board had none), or qualifying marks presented as the mark that gets you selected.
The pass rule is in the 2019 Revised Pattern. The select lists are in Annexes A to G of the result letter of 06.08.2026; the pro-rata qualifying marks of the June 2023 sitting are in the result letter of 26.12.2025; the lowest-selectee figures are our reading of the lists, and no selection cut-off was published.
Full-pattern equivalents: percentages from the 2019 Revised Pattern (official), marks our arithmetic. Dropped questions change the raw marks; see the June 2023 figures below.
The pass rule in marks
| Category | Each paper | Aggregate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 40%, which is 120 of 300 | 45%, which is 270 of 600 | 2019 Revised Pattern (official); marks are our arithmetic |
| SC and ST | 33%, which is 99 of 300 | 38%, which is 228 of 600 | 2019 Revised Pattern (official); marks are our arithmetic |
| OBC and EWS | Not named separately | Not named separately | The pattern names only General and SC/ST; on our reading OBC and EWS candidates are held to the General standard |
| PwBD | The normal standard of the candidate's category first; if a PwBD-reserved vacancy still cannot be filled, the relaxed standard of the reserved categories (SC/ST) is applied | Same rule | Result letter of 06.08.2026 para 6.1, applying "the relaxed standards for reserved categories" under Personnel letter X-20/17/2024-SPN-II of 19.07.2024 (official); the letter of 19.07.2024 itself we did not read |
The June 2023 sitting: qualifying marks after dropped questions
The percentages never change, but the raw marks can. After the final keys of the 04.06.2023 sitting dropped 10 questions in Paper-I and 8 in Paper-II, the Department revised the maximum and qualifying marks pro rata (result letter of 26.12.2025, official):
| Paper | Maximum (original to revised) | UR (40%) | SC/ST (33%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I | 300 to 280 | 112.00 | 92.40 |
| Paper-II | 300 to 284 | 113.60 | 93.72 |
| Aggregate | 600 to 564 | 253.80 (45%) | 214.32 (38%) |
So the selectee totals for vacancy years 2021 to 2023 below are on a 564-mark scale, not 600. We did not find whether any questions were dropped at the 29.11.2020 sitting, so for 2017-18 to 2020 we cannot say whether the effective maximum was 600.
Both conditions must hold. A General candidate with 200 in Paper-I and 110 in Paper-II has 310 overall, comfortably above 270, but fails because Paper-II is under 120. Paper-I counts as one paper of 300 for this purpose, so the MCQ part and the noting and drafting part are added before the 40% test; the pattern does not set a separate minimum for the descriptive part. That last point is our reading of the pattern's wording, which applies the percentage to "each paper".
How the merit order is drawn
| Step | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | By marks in the exam, against the earliest vacancy year for which the candidate was eligible | Result letter of 06.08.2026 para 7 (official) |
| Tie | Earlier date of joining the feeder cadre ranks higher; if still tied, the older candidate ranks higher | Para 7, citing Personnel letter 04-08/2019-SPN-I of 11.12.2020 (official) |
| Reservation | Separate UR, SC and ST vacancies in each line and year; PwBD reservation is horizontal, from vacancy year 2016-17 onwards | Result letter of 06.08.2026; PwBD letter of 02.07.2026 (official) |
| Pending proceedings | Result kept in a sealed cover for candidates facing disciplinary or criminal proceedings | Para 8, citing X-7/6/2022-SPN-II of 17.05.2023 and clarifications of 22.09.2023 and 04.03.2024 (official) |
| Disability | Disability certificates verified before promotion | Para 9, citing SC-12/19/2025-RC-DOP of 12.12.2025 (official) |
| Court case | Promotions subject to the Supreme Court's decision in Jarnail Singh v. Lachhmi Narain Gupta, CA 629/2022 | Para 11 (official) |
The earliest-year rule matters because one sitting covers several vacancy years. The 04.06.2023 sitting filled 2021, 2022 and 2023 together. A candidate eligible from 2021 competes for the 2021 vacancies first; only those not placed there move on to later years. Scores in the later years' lists can therefore sit higher or lower than in the earlier ones for reasons that have nothing to do with how hard the paper was.
What selectees actually scored
The recast results of 06.08.2026 carry select lists for every vacancy year from 2017-18 to 2023, with each selectee's Paper-I MCQ, Paper-I descriptive and Paper-II marks and a total (out of 564 for 2021 to 2023, as above). We have read the totals from the page images. We print no names or roll numbers, and these are the lowest marks among those selected, not a cut-off the Department declared.
| Vacancy year | Highest selectee | Lowest UR selectee, IP line | Lowest UR selectee, clerical line | Lowest SC or ST selectee, pooled across SC, ST and both lines (not under the PwBD relaxed standard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 459 | 420 | 417 | 328 |
| 2018 | 485 | 415 | 385 | 336 |
| 2019 | 455 | 411 | 377 | 321 |
| 2020 | 420 | 402 | 370 | 321 |
| 2021 | 451 | 404 | 376 | 300 |
| 2022 | 430 | 393 | 364 | 304 |
| 2023 | 454 | 387 | 348 | 285 |
Our reading of Annexes A to G of the result letter of 06.08.2026 (official lists). Vacancy years 2017-18 to 2020 were examined on 29.11.2020; 2021 to 2023 on 04.06.2023, whose maximum was revised to 564.
Three patterns stand out, all our own reading. The lowest UR IP-line selectee has drifted down across the seven years, from 420 to 387, with a small rise from 402 in 2020 to 404 in 2021; 2023, the lowest, also had the most IP-line vacancies (62, nearly twice the largest earlier year of 32), though the lists do not say one caused the other, and the 2021 to 2023 totals are on the smaller 564 scale. The clerical line has run 3 to 39 marks below the IP line in the same year; the number of candidates in each line is not published. And PwBD candidates selected under the relaxed standard appear well below everyone else: 238 in 2017-18, and 228 and 236 in 2022.
Three worked examples
The examples below apply the pass rule and then set the total against the selectee table. The candidates are invented; the arithmetic and the comparison are ours.
| Candidate | Pass rule | Against the selectee table |
|---|---|---|
| General, IP line: Paper-I 150 + 25, Paper-II 115 | On the full pattern, fails: Paper-II is 115, under 120, although the total of 290 clears 270. At the June 2023 sitting, 115 would have cleared the revised 113.60 | Not relevant: a candidate who fails the pass rule is not placed |
| General, IP line: Paper-I 190 + 32, Paper-II 186 | Passes: 222 and 186 in the papers, 408 overall | At or above the lowest listed UR IP-line selectee in 4 of 7 years (2020 to 2023), below it in 2017-18 to 2019; the 2021 to 2023 totals are on the 564-mark scale, so that part is a rough comparison |
| SC, clerical line: Paper-I 140 + 26, Paper-II 140 | Passes: 166 and 140 in the papers (99 needed), 306 overall (228 needed) | At or above the lowest SC/ST selectee in 3 of 7 years (2021 to 2023) |
The second example shows why the selectee table is only a guide. The same 408 sits below the lowest listed selectee in 2017-18, 2018 and 2019 and above it in 2020, although all four years were examined at the same sitting of 29.11.2020. Being above a listed lowest score does not mean a candidate would have been selected. What decides it is the number of vacancies in your line, year and category, and how many candidates above you were eligible for the same earliest year.
Pass calculator
PS Group B LDCE pass calculator
Enter your marks (or your target), your category, your line and the scale. The calculator applies the published pass rule, then says where your total sits against the lowest listed selectees of the matching sitting. That comparison is descriptive and ours; no selection cut-off has been published.
Pass rule: 2019 Revised Pattern; June 2023 figures: result letter of 26.12.2025 (both official). Selectee scores: our reading of the result letter of 06.08.2026. Selection also depends on vacancies in your line, category and year, and on the earliest-year rule.
Without JavaScript: add your Paper-I MCQ and descriptive marks to get Paper-I out of 300. A General candidate needs at least 120 in Paper-I, 120 in Paper-II and 270 overall; an SC or ST candidate needs 99, 99 and 228. At the June 2023 sitting the revised figures were 112, 113.60 and 253.80 (General) and 92.40, 93.72 and 214.32 (SC/ST), out of 280, 284 and 564. Then compare your total with the selectee table above for your line, using the rows of the same sitting.
What the Department does not publish
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Selection cut-off by line, category and vacancy year | Not published. The 26.12.2025 letter's "Cut off Marks" are the qualifying marks, not a selection cut-off. |
| Number of candidates who applied or appeared | Not published |
| Pass rate | Not published |
| Negative marking | Not published |
| The Personnel letter of 19.07.2024 on the PwBD relaxed standard | Cited, not reproduced; the recast letter applies the reserved categories' relaxed standards under it |
| Official question papers | Not published as an archive; provisional keys of the 2023 sitting circulated in June 2023 (reported) |
| Marks of candidates who were not selected | For the June 2023 sitting, in Annexure C ("Combined Marks List") of the result letter of 26.12.2025, which excludes those selected, in sealed cover or rejected. Not seen for the earlier sittings |
The 2023 sitting shows how long results can take. The exam was held on 04.06.2023, provisional keys followed on 21.06.2023 with objections open until 30.06.2023, and the final keys and result came on 26.12.2025, about 31 months after the paper (our arithmetic). The lists were then recast on 06.08.2026 to extend PwBD reservation back to 2016-17, which is why the tables here come from 2026 and not from the original results.
What are the qualifying marks for the PS Group B LDCE?
General candidates need 40% in each paper and 45% overall, which is 120 of 300 per paper and 270 of 600 overall on the full pattern. SC and ST candidates need 33% and 38%, which is 99 per paper and 228 overall. When questions are dropped the raw marks are revised pro rata: at the June 2023 sitting they were 112, 113.60 and 253.80 for General and 92.40, 93.72 and 214.32 for SC/ST.
What is the PS Group B cut-off?
No selection cut-off has been published; the "Cut off Marks" in the 26.12.2025 letter are the qualifying marks. In the recast lists of August 2026 the lowest UR selectee in the IP line scored between 387 and 420, depending on the vacancy year (2021 to 2023 on a 564-mark scale). That is our reading of the lists, not an official cut-off.
Is there a separate pass mark for noting and drafting?
None is published. The pattern applies its percentage to each paper, and Paper-I is 300 marks including the 50 for noting and drafting.
What are the qualifying marks for OBC and EWS?
The pattern names only General and SC/ST standards. On our reading OBC and EWS candidates are held to the General standard.
What is the relaxed standard for PwBD candidates?
The normal standard is applied first. If a PwBD-reserved vacancy cannot be filled that way, the relaxed standard of the reserved categories, that is the SC/ST standard of the sitting, is applied, under Personnel letter X-20/17/2024-SPN-II of 19.07.2024 as applied in the recast letter of 06.08.2026.
How are ties broken in the merit list?
By earlier date of joining the feeder cadre, and then by age, the older candidate ranking higher.
When was the result of the June 2023 exam declared?
The final keys and result were issued on 26.12.2025 (official), strictly under the restored notification of 02.01.2023, and the lists were revised and recast on 06.08.2026.
Does the Department publish the marks of every candidate?
For the June 2023 sitting, largely yes. The result letter of 26.12.2025 (official) carries the select lists with marks, and an Annexure C headed "Combined Marks List", which covers candidates other than those selected, those in sealed cover and those in the reject list. The recast lists of 06.08.2026 print marks for selected candidates.
Sources
- official — Assam Circle Staff/8-49/2024 dated 22.11.2023 forwarding DoP Notification A-34012/04/2023-DE (II) dated 21.11.2023 (later quashed by CAT Ernakulam), with SPG-II letter 9-04/2018-SPG-II dated 05.09.2019 (pattern and syllabus), its corrigendum, and Gazette G.S.R. 329 dated 29.06.1994 (Wayback copy)
- official — DoP F. No. A-34013/02/2023-DE dated 26.12.2025: result of the PS Group B LDCE held on 04.06.2023 (vacancy years 2021 to 2023), declared strictly under the notification of 02.01.2023 after CAT Ernakulam (OA 604/2023, orders of 27.09.2024 and 12.11.2025) quashed both letters of 21.11.2023; records that letter A-34013/02/2023-DE(ii) of 11.12.2025 restored the 02.01.2023 notification
- official — DoP F. No. A-34013/01/2026-DE dated 06.08.2026: revised and recast results of the PS Group B LDCE, vacancy years 2016-17 to 2023, with select lists (Annex A to G)
- official — DoP F. No. A-34013/02/2020-DE dated 02.07.2026: PwBD reservation in the PS Group B LDCE from vacancy year 2016-17, tentative lists
- reported — Postalstudy: provisional answer keys, A-34013/02/2023-DE dated 21.06.2023
- reported — Postalstudy: final keys and result of the 04.06.2023 sitting, 26.12.2025
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.
