This page has no cut-off figures, because none exist. The APPSC Assistant Statistical Officer recruitment under brief Notification No. 20/2026 (15 September 2026) has an application window of 13 October to 2 November 2026 and no announced exam date as on 11 October 2026. No result, no key and no cut-off has been published, so we quote none. What the notification does fix is how marks are counted. That is what this page sets out. For the scheme itself see the exam pattern; for the overview see the ASO exam guide.
How merit is counted
| Element | What the notification says |
|---|---|
| Stages | Single-level online test (CBRT), no screening test |
| Papers | Paper I General Studies and Mental Ability 150; Paper II Subject (Statistics) 150 |
| Merit total | 300 marks |
| Penalty | One-third of a question's marks for each wrong answer |
| Several sessions | Normalisation of marks, method to be announced |
The cut-off, when it comes, will be the mark of the last candidate selected in each category and local-cadre line against the 196 provisional posts. The posts are provisional, so a later change in their number moves the line.
The negative-marking arithmetic
This is arithmetic from the scheme, not advice. Each question carries one mark; each wrong answer deducts one-third.
| Attempted | Correct | Wrong | Left blank | Paper score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | 120 | 30 | 0 | 120 − 10 = 110 |
| 130 | 100 | 30 | 20 | 100 − 10 = 90 |
| 100 | 85 | 15 | 50 | 85 − 5 = 80 |
Three wrong answers cancel one right answer. A blank costs nothing. So the question for every doubtful item is whether your chance of being right is better than one in four; if you can eliminate two options, it is, and the attempt pays on average.
Normalisation
The notification says that if the test is held in several sessions, the Commission will apply normalisation of marks and announce the method. That is all it says. Until the method is published, no one can convert a raw score into a normalised one, so treat any normalised-cut-off estimate as unofficial.
What will shape the line
Our reading, not APPSC's:
- Posts per line. The 196 posts are split by category and local cadre in the detailed notification. A line with few posts has a steeper mark than a line with many.
- Paper difficulty. A hard Paper II lowers everyone's raw total; a cut-off is relative, so your rank matters more than your mark.
Where APPSC publishes results and marks
Results, keys and web notes for Notification 20/2026 are posted under the notification on the recruitment notifications page and on psc.ap.gov.in. When a note carries marks, we will add them here with the PDF; a list of hall-ticket numbers is a pass list, not a cut-off.
How to set your own target
Without official figures, set targets from data you control:
- Take each paper as a timed 150-minute sitting in the real format and track your percentile, not just your marks.
- Score the two papers separately. The weaker paper is the week's work.
- Re-read the vacancy table when the detailed notification comes.
Full mocks on Pareeksha are Pro; the 10-question mini-mock and Daily Dangal are free. See the preparation strategy.
What this page does not have
- Any cut-off for Notification 20/2026: the exam has no date yet.
- Verified cut-offs from an earlier Assistant Statistical Officer cycle.
- Minimum qualifying marks for the written papers, if any; read the detailed notification.
- The normalisation formula; the notification defers it.
- Any forecast for 2026.
Related: Syllabus · Exam pattern · Preparation strategy · Andhra Pradesh state guide