UPSC EPFO - Cut Off in Previous Years- APFC and EO/AO exams
The information presented on this page pertains to the cut-off scores of previous UPSC EPFO exams. The Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner (APFC) exams for EPFO were held in 2023, 2016, 2012, 2004, and 2002, and the Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer (EO/AO) exams for EPFO were conducted in 2023, 2021 and 2017.
Also, on this page, you will find everything about EPFO APFC and EO/AO exams like syllabus, expected exam dates, previous years’ question papers, weightage of topics, topic wise analysis of syllabus.
Enroll with Human Peritus
-
12 Printed Books- couriered at home
-
15000 Practice questions - sectional tests for every sub-topic
-
Video Classes
-
Online e-Books on LMS (in addition to printed versions)
-
All PYQs solved (2023, 2016, 2012 for APFC and 2023, 2021, 2017 for EO/AO).
-
5 Fresh Mock Tests-online - from 01 Nov 2025
-
Doubt Clearing System- 1 day response time
* Make sure to read all FAQs before Payment
Cut off in EPFO APFC 2023
The UPSC released the notification for the APFC exam of EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation) in Feb 2023, and the written exam was conducted on July 02, 2023. Notification can be downloaded Here.
According to the data released by the UPSC (click here), approximately 3.59 lakh students appeared for the EO/AO exam.
The written exam was out of a total of 300 marks, with 120 questions in total, each carrying 2.5 marks. However, there was negative marking of one-third.
The weightage of the written exam and the interview was in the ratio of 75:25, with a total of 100 marks assigned for the interview. This meant that the written exam was given more importance (300 marks) while calculating the final result.
For the Unreserved category, the cut off for the written exam was 178.33 marks out of 300, which meant that approximately 71 questions had to be answered correctly, taking into account negative marking for incorrect answers.
The cut off for OBC students was 178.33 (71 correct out of 120), for SC students was 156.68 (62 correct out of 120), and for ST students was 151.68 (60 correct out of 120).
| Category | Cut off marks out of 300 | No. of correct answers out of 120 Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 178.33 | 71 |
| OBC | 178.33 | 71 |
| SC | 156.68 | 62 |
| ST | 151.68 | 60 |
Cut off in EPFO EO/AO 2023
The UPSC released the notification for the Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer (EO/AO) exam of EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation) in Feb 2023, and the written exam was conducted on July 02, 2023. Notification can be downloaded Here.
According to the data released by the UPSC (click here), approximately 3.60 lakh students appeared for the EO/AO exam.
The written exam was out of a total of 300 marks, with 120 questions in total, each carrying 2.5 marks. However, there was negative marking of one-third.
The weightage of the written exam and the interview was in the ratio of 75:25, with a total of 100 marks assigned for the interview. This meant that the written exam was given more importance (300 marks) while calculating the final result.
For the Unreserved category, the cut off for the written exam was 138.33 marks out of 300, which meant that approximately 55 questions had to be answered correctly, taking into account negative marking for incorrect answers.
The cut off for OBC students was 138.33 (55 correct out of 120), for SC students was 123.33 (49 correct out of 120), and for ST students was 120 (48 correct out of 120).
| Category | Cut off marks out of 300 | No. of correct answers out of 120 Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 138.33 | 55 |
| OBC | 138.33 | 55 |
| SC | 123.33 | 49 |
| ST | 120 | 48 |
Cut off in EPFO EO/AO 2021
The UPSC released the notification for the Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer (EO/AO) exam of EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation) on 11 January 2020, and the written exam was conducted on September 5, 2021. The notification can be downloaded given here.
According to the data released by the UPSC (click here), approximately 9.85 lakh students applied for the 2021 exam of EPFO EO/AO, out of which 2.30 lakh students appeared for the written exam.
The weightage of the written exam and the interview was in the ratio of 75:25, with a total of 100 marks assigned for the interview. This meant that the written exam was given more importance (300 marks) while calculating the final result.
The paper was considered to be easy to moderate in terms of difficulty level. The cut off for the written exam of EPFO EO/AO 2021 was quite high.
For the Unreserved category, the cut off for the written exam was 187.39 marks out of 300, which meant that approximately 75 questions had to be answered correctly, taking into account negative marking for incorrect answers.
The cut off for OBC students was 173.15 (69 correct out of 120), for SC students was 160.51 (64 correct out of 120), and for ST students was 156.30 (62 correct out of 120).
| Category | Cut off marks out of 300 | No. of correct answers out of 120 Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 187.39 | 75 |
| OBC | 173.15 | 69 |
| SC | 160.51 | 64 |
| ST | 156.3 | 62 |
The high cut off marks for the written exam also indicate the competition level for this exam.
Cut off in EPFO EO/AO 2017
The UPSC released a notification on 04 June 2016 for the Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer (EO/AO) exam of EPFO. The written exam was subsequently conducted on 26 February 2017. The UPSC notification for the exam date is given here.
In this exam, approximately 4.5 lakh students applied to the UPSC, out of which 1.46 lakh candidates appeared for the exam.
The cut-off for the written exam in EPFO 2017 paper was set at 49.50 marks out of 100 for Unreserved Category students. This meant that anyone who answered approximately 59 questions correctly out of 120 was eligible for a call for the interview. However, this cut-off of 59 questions correct should be considered after deducting marks because of negative marking for incorrect answers.
| Category | Cut off marks out of 100 | No. of correct answers out of 120 Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 49.50 | 59 |
| OBC | 44.50 | 53 |
| SC | 42.50 | 51 |
| ST | 43.50 | 52 |
The cut-off for OBC students in 2017 EPFO EO/AO was 44.50 (53 correct out of 120), for SC students was 42.50 (51 correct out of 120), and for ST students was 43.50 (52 correct out of 120).
You can check out these details on UPSC website by Click Here.
Overall, the difficulty level of the 2017 EPFO EO/AO exam was considered to be average to tough. This was reflected in the relatively low cut-off scores as compared to the 2021 EPFO EO/AO exam. The 2017 exam was tougher than the 2021 exam. Candidates preparing for the EPFO EO/AO exam should keep these details in mind while planning their preparation strategies.
Cut off in EPFO APFC 2016
The UPSC conducted the EPFO APFC (Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner) written exam on 10 January 2016, after releasing the notification for the same on 20 June 2015. The exam saw a significant number of candidates, with approximately 1.63 lakh candidates appearing for the test.
The written exam was of 100 marks, and the interview also carried 100 marks. The final selection was based on a weightage of 75:25 for the written exam and the interview, respectively.
The written exam consisted of 120 questions, each carrying 0.833 marks, with a total of 100 marks.
As per the exam pattern, there was negative marking of one-third, which means for every incorrect answer, one-third of the marks assigned to the question were deducted.
The cut off for the written exam was 66.50 marks out of 100 for Unreserved (UR) Category students. In other words, candidates who answered approximately 80 questions correctly out of 120 made it to the interview round, after considering the negative marking for incorrect answers.
For OBC students, the cut off in 2016 exam of EPFO APFC was 60.50 (73 correct out of 120), for SC students, it was 56.50 (68 correct out of 120), and for ST students, it was 54.50 (65 correct out of 120).
| Category | Cut off marks out of 100 | No. of correct answers out of 120 |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 66.50 | 80 |
| OBC | 60.50 | 73 |
| SC | 56.50 | 68 |
| ST | 54.50 | 65 |
You can check out these details on UPSC website by Click Here.
Overall, the difficulty level of the UPSC APFC 2016 exam was considered to be easy to average, which led to a high cut-off score in the EPFO APFC exam. This is an important aspect for candidates to consider while preparing for the exam, as the difficulty level of the exam can significantly impact the cut-off scores.
Everything about UPSC EPFO exams 2025
Check out the following videos, where we have analyzed each keyword of the Syllabus of both EPFO APFC and EPFO EO/AO exams for 2025. This will give you good understanding of what is to be included in the syllabus and what is excluded. We have also discussed the expected exam date, expected cut-off, and weightage of topics. You will also find detailed solutions to previous papers of both APFC and EO/AO exams.
General Science- Syllabus Analysis
General Mental Ability – Syllabus Analysis
2021 Paper Solved- EO/AO exam
General English- Syllabus Analysis
Industrial Relations – Syllabus Analysis
Labour Laws- Syllabus Analysis
Orientation Class- our plan of 4 months
Ask anything on every Thursday at 9 PM
Online Question Bank
New Labour Codes or Old Labour Acts ?
What Next after Notification ?
Expected Exam Date- APFC and EO/AO 2023
Making Time Table for APFC
How we created this Course
Targeting both ALC and APFC
Study Material & Coaching Classes
Expected Cut off in 2023
Weightage of Topics
Mew Labour Codes or Old Labour Acts?
What Next after Notification ?
Expected Exam Date- APFC and EO/AO 2023
Study Material & Coaching Classes
Expected Cut off in 2023
Weightage of Topics
EPFO 2021 exam- 10 topics, 10 things
EPFO 2021- How many questions from Human Peritus course
EPFO 2021- Study Material & Coaching Classes
Scan QR code to Chat
Email: contact@humanperitus.com
Phone: 9717781110
Address: Human Peritus, Floor 5, Building C, Unitech Cyber Park, Gurgaon, 122002
Our Results in UPSC RT exams
FAQs- Good to Read- UPSC EPFO exams
Earlier, the syllabus for EO/AO was slightly different from that of the APFC exam.
Since 2025, UPSC has merged both posts into a single exam, which now follows a common syllabus.
The combined syllabus of the EO/AO and APFC exam can be broadly divided into the following 16 sub-topics:
(i) General English
(ii) Indian Freedom Struggle
(iii) Current Events
(iv) Developmental Issues
(v) Indian Polity
(vi) Indian Economy
(vii) Accounting Principles
(viii) Industrial Relations & Social Security
(ix) Labour Laws
(x) General Science
(xi) Computer Knowledge
(xii) Quantitative Aptitude
(xiii) Heritage and Culture
(xiv) Auditing
(xv) Insurance
(xvi) Statistics
We have designed this course after a detailed analysis of not only previous UPSC EPFO exams but also of other Recruitment exams (RTs) of UPSC. For example, the syllabus has the keyword “General Mental Ability”. We identified all other exams of UPSC, which have this keyword in their syllabus. Then we looked at every question of that paper. Only then, we decided what should be the boundary of the syllabus of the “General Mental Ability”.
Our analysis says that the Current Affairs for Recruitment exams of UPSC EPFO is quite static and theoretical. There is no need to teach it, as there is nothing conceptual. We expect that you should be able to understand and memorize by reading our printed booklets. Since the current affairs are factual in nature, the teacher does not add any value by reading that out in a class. You can read it yourself. In fact if you can cover 10 issues by self reading in X time, the teacher will be able to cover just 2-3 issues in X time.
Please note that, there is no need to refer newspapers or any other source for current affairs. You can completely depend upon us. Our booklets are sufficient. However, it is advisable to keep reading at least 1 newspaper, as it helps you in interview as well.
Although, our team, carefully packs the content, before despatch, sometimes, we may also commit mistakes.
If you find that, any booklet is missing or there are two booklets with same topic, there is no need to worry. Please write an email to us. Immediately, we will send you another courier with missing booklets.
Please note that, there is no need to panic. Our relationship with you does not end with despatch of courier. Our team will continuously assist you till exam time by (a) updating new content on online platform (b) handling your queries on any syllabus topic (c) we also do few free preparation tips classes in last 2 months of exam.
The syllabus is same for both APFc and EO-AO exams. The syllabus is given below:
The syllabus of the test broadly comprises the following topics:
i) General English- To evaluate candidate’s understanding of English language & workman – like use of words.
ii) Indian Culture, Heritage and Freedom Movements.
iii) Developmental Issues and Present Trends in Indian Economy.
iv) Governance and Constitution of India.
v) General Science and Basic Knowledge of Computer Applications.
vi) Elementary Mathematics, Statistics and General Mental Ability.
vii) Industrial Relations, Labour Laws and Social Security in India.
viii) Principles of Accountancy, Auditing and Insurance.
ix) Current Events of National and International Importance.
If you want to enroll for both of these exams, we will need to create a customized package for you (so that you do not have to pay twice for the same content).
Get in touch with our team and share your email ID. We will send you a customized package with payment details. Contact our team via whats app chat or email (contact@humanperitus.com).
