APPSC does not publish a Group-IV cut-off in advance, and for the Junior Assistant cum Computer Assistant post the final selection is not even made by the Commission: it sends district-wise ranking lists to the District Collectors, and each District Selection Committee selects for its own district. This page has no official previous-cycle cut-off marks. We did not find any that we could verify against an APPSC or district document, so we have not quoted any and we do not estimate. Instead it explains, from Notification No. 23/2021 and the current Notification No. 25/2026, how candidates are filtered. That tells you what you are competing against.
How Group-IV selection works
| Stage | Filter | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Screening Test (only if applications exceed 200 x vacancies) | Shortlisting for the Mains in a ratio the Commission decides; relaxed standards possible for SC, ST, BC and PH | Notification 23/2021, paras 1.5 and 10.2 |
| Mains (300 marks) | Minimum qualifying aggregate by category, then merit | Para 15.3 |
| District-wise ranking list | Sent by the Commission to each District Collector | Para 1.2, G.O.Ms.No.596 of 18-09-2008 |
| Certificate verification and Computer Proficiency Test | Called at 1:2 to vacancies; CPT is qualifying (20 / 17.5 / 15 of 50) | Para 15.1 note; Annexure-II |
| Final selection | By the District Selection Committee, by category, gender and local status | Para 1.2 |
So there are three filters that behave like cut-offs: the Screening shortlist mark (if the test is held), the Mains mark at which a district calls you for verification and CPT, and the last-selected Mains mark in your district, category and local line. Each is a different number.
Why "the Group-IV cut-off" does not exist
Three features of the scheme spread the selection into many lines:
- District cadre. You choose a district at application and are considered only there (para 1.2). A candidate in a district with 60 posts and one with 15 posts are not in the same race.
- Local status. In 2021, 80% of each district's posts were for locals and 20% were on a combined list (para 13.6). Under the Presidential Order 2025, as applied in Notification 25/2026, 95% of posts in a district cadre go to local candidates of that district, and Junior Assistant and below are district cadre posts. A non-local candidate competes only for the small combined share.
- Vertical and horizontal reservation. Within each district the vacancies are split by community on the roster (SC with its three groups, ST, BC-A to BC-E, EWS, open) and by women, persons with benchmark disabilities, ex-servicemen and sportspersons. Each line has its own last-selected mark.
Multiply 26 districts by the category lines and the local split and you have hundreds of last-selected marks in one cycle. A single "Group-IV cut-off" quoted anywhere is at best one of those lines, at worst a guess.
The minimum qualifying marks
| Category | Mains aggregate | Computer Proficiency Test (of 50, 2021 scheme) |
|---|---|---|
| Open competition, EWS | 40% | 20 |
| Backward Classes | 35% | 17.5 |
| SC, ST, PH | 30% | 15 |
On 300 Mains marks, 40% is 120, 35% is 105 and 30% is 90 (arithmetic). These are floors that make you eligible; the selection mark in a competitive district is set by the number of candidates and is usually well above the floor. Para 15.3 says so in terms: "mere securing of minimum qualifying marks does not confer any right to the candidate for being considered to the selection." For SC and ST candidates, para 15.4 and the standing orders cited in Notification 25/2026 (G.O.Ms.No.631 of 05-09-1977) allow selection on rank in the written examination if enough candidates do not reach the minimum.
Open merit and reservation: the order of filling
The notifications state the sequence. Open-competition vacancies are filled on merit irrespective of caste, community, gender or age, and candidates from SC, ST, BC and EWS, including those who used an age relaxation, are considered for open vacancies first. Vertical reservations for SC, ST, BC and EWS are then applied, and the horizontal quotas (women, PBD, ex-servicemen, sportspersons) are adjusted against the social category the candidate belongs to. The practical consequence: a reserved-category candidate who scores above the open last-selected mark in a district takes an open post, and the community post goes to the next candidate of that community. Aim at the open mark whatever your category. For the roster points and the BC group and SC sub-classification shares, see our reservation and local status guide.
Ties
Notification 25/2026, para 14.5, prints the standard APPSC rule: candidates with equal marks are bracketed and ranked by age, the older first; if ages are equal, the candidate who obtained the educational qualification earlier is placed first. Expect the same clause in the next Junior Assistant notification.
What is open now: Hostel Welfare Officer Grade-II
Notification 25/2026 is a different post with a different scheme, but it shows the current rules a Junior Assistant notification would be expected to follow:
| Rule | Notification 25/2026 |
|---|---|
| Posts | 97 (Social Welfare 41, Tribal Welfare 23, BC Welfare 33, including 11 carried forward) |
| Selection | Single CBRT of 300 marks; district-wise merit lists to District Collectors; District Selection Committee selects |
| Minimum aggregate | 40% OC, sportspersons, ex-servicemen, EWS; 35% BC; 30% SC, ST, PBD |
| CPT | Qualifying: 100 marks, minimum 40 OC, 35 BC, 30 SC/ST/PBD |
| Local | District cadre; 95% to local candidates of each of 26 districts; Scheduled Area rules for the Tribal Welfare posts |
| Vacancy breakup | Annexure-I, district by district, open and local, by category, with women and PBD rows |
No cut-off exists for this recruitment yet; the exam date has not been announced. When the Commission or the districts publish results, we will add official figures with their source.
What moves each filter
This is our explanation of how such cut-offs behave in general, not an APPSC statement.
Screening shortlist mark. It exists only if applications exceed 200 times the vacancies. Since the Commission sets the shortlist ratio at the time, the mark depends on how many sit and how hard the 150 questions are. A tough Section A pulls everyone down together; the mark falls, not the number shortlisted.
District call mark. The District Selection Committee calls candidates at 1:2 to the district's vacancies for verification and CPT. A district with many posts and few applicants calls deeper into the list than a district with few posts and many graduates. Your choice of district at application is therefore part of your strategy, and it cannot be changed later.
Last-selected mark. Within a district, the line with the fewest posts (a single BC-C post, or the small non-local combined share) usually has the steepest mark. The lines with many posts leave more room. Negative marking lowers raw scores across the board, so a lower-looking mark does not mean an easier year.
Common misreadings
- "Qualifying marks are the cut-off." They are not. 40%, 35% and 30% are eligibility floors.
- "One cut-off for the whole state." There is none; selection is district-wise, by category and by local status.
- "The CPT adds marks." It does not. It is pass-or-fail: 20, 17.5 or 15 of 50 in the 2021 scheme.
- "Screening marks carry into selection." They do not. Para 15.1 bases selection on Mains merit alone.
- "Non-locals have a fair share." In 2021 the combined share was 20%; under the 2025 Order it is 5%. Apply in your local district unless you have a specific reason not to.
- "Last cycle's number is this cycle's target." With a new local rule (95% against 80%), a new age limit (44 against 42, if applied) and a different number of posts per district, any 2021 line would be a weak guide even where it exists.
Where APPSC and the districts publish results
- Commission: results, keys and web notes are posted under each notification on the recruitment notifications page and psc.ap.gov.in.
- Districts: for district-cadre posts, the calls for certificate verification and CPT, the CPT results and the provisional selection lists come from the District Collector's office, usually on the district website and notice board.
- Keys: the Commission publishes an initial key and invites objections (Rs 100 per question in Notification 25/2026, refunded if the objection is sustained), then a final key.
Reading a result note when it comes
Our checklist:
- Which district and which list? A district notice applies to that district only.
- Numbers only, or marks too? Verification call lists often give hall-ticket numbers without marks.
- How many were called? Divide by the district's vacancies to see the 1:2 rule applied.
- Your category, gender and local line. Read your own row of Annexure-I, not the district total.
- The final key. If it differs from the initial key, your estimate changes.
- The next step and its date. CPT and verification dates come in the same or a separate notice.
Know your category and local status exactly
Selection is by district, category and local status, so you must know your line before you apply. Community, age relaxation and local particulars flow from OTPR into the application and cannot be changed afterwards. Under the Presidential Order 2025, local status is counted on four consecutive academic years of study ending with Class 7, or residence if not studying, with study certificates from Class 1 to Class 7 or a residence certificate from a revenue officer not below Mandal Revenue Officer (Notification 25/2026, para 6). BC candidates need a non-creamy-layer certificate with the group; SC candidates must state the sub-classification group. Keep every certificate ready before the notification, not after the result.
How to set your own target
Without official cut-offs, set targets from data you control:
- Measure percentile, not marks. On Pareeksha everyone in a cohort sits the same fixed paper, so your percentile shows where you stand on identical questions (how it works). A percentile tells you whether you would be inside a 1:2 call list.
- Score each mock by block. General Studies, English and Telugu separately. The languages are half the Mains; a weak language block is the usual way strong GS readers lose rank.
- Stay well above the floor in both languages. Reaching 40% overall is easy; being called in your district line is not.
- Pass a timed CPT task once a week on a real computer: a formatted letter, a spreadsheet table with a formula, two slides, a small database and an e-mail task, all in 30 minutes.
- Re-check Annexure-I when the notification comes. The number of posts in your district and line is the single biggest factor in your target.
Full mocks and topic practice on Pareeksha are Pro; the 10-question Group-IV mini-mock and Daily Dangal are free. See the preparation strategy.
What this page does not have
- Official Screening, Mains or final selection marks for Notification 23/2021 or earlier cycles.
- District-wise or category-wise last-selected marks.
- Applicant counts for any cycle.
- Any forecast for the next Junior Assistant notification or for Notification 25/2026. We will add official figures with their source when they are published.
Related: Syllabus · Exam pattern · Preparation strategy · Group-IV guide · తెలుగులో