UPSC / SSC Recruitment Queries? RTI for Cut-offs, Marks & Answer Keys

Part of Pillar 3 — RTI for Students & Youth.

• Scorecard shows marks but no breakup across sections / papers.
• Category-wise cut-off not published.
• Answer key disputed — provisional vs final.
• Interview / Personality Test marks not explained.
• Scaling / normalisation used — formula not clarified.
• Result discrepancy between OMR response sheet and score.

• Marks or rank seem inconsistent with the answer key.
• Category-wise cut-off not in the official result PDF.
• Missed cut-off by small margin — want revaluation basis.
• Interview marks variance unexplained.

• Final answer key for your paper / shift.
• Your scored marks — section-wise / paper-wise.
• Normalisation / scaling formula used.
• Category-wise cut-off (UR, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, PwBD).
• Personality Test / Interview marks breakup.
• Number of vacancies and reservation roster.
• Rank allotted at each stage.

• UPSC → CPIO, Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, New Delhi; via rtionline.gov.in.
• SSC → CPIO, Staff Selection Commission, CGO Complex, New Delhi; via rtionline.gov.in.
• SSC Regional Offices → for regional exams.
• Rs. 10 fee; BPL free.

To,
The Central Public Information Officer,
Union Public Service Commission / Staff Selection Commission,
[Address]

Subject: Information under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, regarding my examination.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Name], Roll Number ________ for the [Exam Name, Year and Stage], Registration / Application ID ________, submit:

Exam / Recruitment: ________
Year / Notification No.: ________
Centre and Shift (if applicable): ________
Stage (Prelims / Mains / Interview): ________

Please provide:

1. Final answer key (post-challenge) for my paper / shift.
2. My scored marks, section-wise and paper-wise, as recorded in the Commission's system.
3. Scaling or normalisation formula applied to my shift / paper, with the raw-to-scaled mapping.
4. Category-wise cut-offs for each stage (UR / OBC / SC / ST / EWS / PwBD).
5. Number of vacancies notified, reservation roster, and recruit-from-reserved-list (if any).
6. If I appeared at interview / Personality Test: board number, duration, and marks — as a pure number.
7. My rank at each stage and final merit position.
8. If I was disqualified / withheld, the written ground and approving officer.
9. Copy of my OMR response sheet / computer-based-test response capture.
10. First Appellate Authority contact.

I enclose Indian Postal Order No. __________ for Rs. 10.
I declare I am an Indian citizen.

Yours faithfully,
[Signature, Date, Place]

1. Final answer key.
2. Section-wise marks.
3. Scaling formula.
4. Category-wise cut-offs.
5. Vacancies + reservation roster.
6. Interview marks.
7. Rank at each stage.
8. Disqualification ground.
9. OMR response sheet.
10. FAA contact.

• Day 0–10 RTI routed.
• Day 10–25 Record pulled; many marks-discrepancy cases resolved at PIO stage.
• Day 30 Reply mandatory.
• Day 30+ First Appeal + CAT / High Court if selection process is challenged.

• Asking for “model answers / examiner notes” — protected under §8(1)(e) / §8(1)(g).
• Not citing the Aditya Bandopadhyay precedent when PIO refuses scored-marks.
• Applying too late — rank-list often expires in 6-12 months.
• Expecting to see other candidates' data — that is third-party under §11.

• CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) 8 SCC 497 — scored marks and evaluated answer scripts are disclosable.
• Kerala PSC v. State Information Commission (Kerala HC, 2011) — category-wise cut-offs are public.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants v. Shaunak Satya (2011) 8 SCC 781 — examiner identity / model answers are protected.

• Quote Aditya Bandopadhyay in the application itself — speeds up PIO compliance.
• For UPSC CSE, marks are auto-released post-result; RTI is relevant if the PDF missed you.
• For SSC Tier-1 normalisation, ask for the shift-level formula, not the whole Commission's.
• Rank-list inclusion: RTI confirms you are in the “extended list” if you were on the borderline.

Q1. Will UPSC give me my answer script?
Marks — yes. Answer-script scan — reluctantly; it often comes during First Appeal citing Aditya Bandopadhyay.

Q2. Can I see another candidate's marks?
No — that is third-party, disclosable only in overriding public interest.

Q3. What about “model answers”?
Protected as examiner IP under §8(1)(e). Final answer key is public.

Q4. How fast does UPSC respond?
Typically 20-25 days for straightforward queries.

Merit-based recruitment only works when the merit is visible. RTI puts your own marks, the cut-offs, and the scaling logic on paper — and often rebuilds confidence in a fair system.

• RTI for answer sheet inspection
• RTI for exam result delay
• Pillar 3 — Students & Youth
• Section 8(1)(e) — fiduciary

• RTI Act, 2005, Sections 2(h), 8(1)(e)
• CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497
• ICAI v. Shaunak Satya, (2011) 8 SCC 781
• UPSC / SSC Regulations

Last reviewed: 21 April 2026.