MPSC Negative Marking — The Complete 2026 Guide
Last updated: July 2026 · Reading time: ~8 minutes
Every objective paper conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission carries negative marking. Understanding exactly how it works — and how to attempt a paper around it — is worth several marks in the final tally, which in a competitive exam is often the difference between clearing the cut-off and missing it. This guide explains the negative-marking rule for every MPSC prelims (Group B, Group C, PSI, Sub Inspector State Excise, Gazetted Civil Services and Technical Services), with worked examples and a mathematically sound guessing strategy. Pair it with the full MPSC Exam Pattern guide for the complete marks distribution.
1. The core rule — 1/4th mark per wrong answer
MPSC deducts one-fourth (1/4 = 0.25) of the marks allotted to a question for each wrong answer. This is uniform across all objective (OMR-based) MPSC papers. There is no penalty for an unanswered (blank) question, and no penalty for a question that MPSC later cancels through its objection process.
- Question worth 1 mark (Group B / Group C) → wrong answer = −0.25.
- Question worth 2 marks (Gazetted CS Paper I — GS) → wrong answer = −0.50.
- Question worth 2.5 marks (Gazetted CS Paper II — CSAT) → wrong answer = −0.625.
2. Negative marking by exam
| Exam (Prelims) | Questions | Total marks | Marks / question | Deduction per wrong |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group B Combined (PSI / STI / ASO) | 100 | 100 | 1 | 0.25 |
| Group C Combined (Tax Asst / Clerk-Typist / Industry Inspector) | 100 | 100 | 1 | 0.25 |
| Sub Inspector State Excise | 100 | 100 | 1 | 0.25 |
| Gazetted CS (Rajyaseva) Paper I — GS | 100 | 200 | 2 | 0.50 |
| Gazetted CS (Rajyaseva) Paper II — CSAT | 80 | 200 | 2.5 | 0.625 |
| Gazetted Technical Services | 100 | 200 | 2 | 0.50 |
The CSAT paper (Paper II of the Gazetted Civil Services prelims) is qualifying only — you must score 33% to qualify, but the marks are not counted in the merit list. Negative marking still applies within the paper, so a stream of wrong CSAT answers can drag you below the 33% qualifying line.
3. Worked examples
Seeing the arithmetic makes the strategy obvious.
- Group C (1 mark/question). You attempt all 100, get 70 right and 30 wrong:
70 − (30 × 0.25) = 70 − 7.5 = 62.5. Those 30 blind guesses cost you 7.5 marks — enough to fall below a 55–65 cut-off. - Group C, disciplined. You answer only the 80 you are reasonably sure of, get 72 right and 8 wrong, leave 20 blank:
72 − (8 × 0.25) = 72 − 2 = 70. Fewer attempts, higher score. - Gazetted CS Paper I (2 marks/question). 60 right, 20 wrong, 20 blank:
(60 × 2) − (20 × 0.5) = 120 − 10 = 110out of 200.
4. The expected-value guessing strategy
Negative marking is designed to punish blind guessing, not intelligent elimination. The expected value (EV) of a guess on a 1-mark question tells you exactly when to guess:
- Eliminate 2 of 4 (guess between the remaining 2): EV =
0.5 × (+1) + 0.5 × (−0.25) = +0.375. Always guess. - Eliminate 1 of 4 (guess among 3): EV =
0.33 × (+1) + 0.67 × (−0.25) ≈ +0.083. Marginally positive — guess only in your strong subjects where your instinct beats random. - Eliminate none (blind 1-in-4): EV =
0.25 × (+1) + 0.75 × (−0.25) = +0.0625in theory, but real blind guesses underperform random, so treat this as break-even at best — leave it blank.
Practical rule: attempt every question where you can rule out at least two options, be selective when you can rule out one, and skip the rest.
5. OMR discipline that protects your score
- Fill the bubble fully and darkly; a faint or double mark is read as wrong and attracts the penalty.
- Re-check the question number against the OMR row every fifth question — a single mis-shift can turn a strong paper into a disaster.
- Do a two-pass attempt: first the questions you know cold, then the eliminate-and-guess set.
- Never change an answer at the last second without a concrete reason — first instinct is right more often than not.
6. Practise negative marking on real papers
The only way to internalise this is to attempt full previous-year papers under timed, negative-marked conditions. Every MPSC paper on our previous-year papers page is graded with the exact 1/4th rule, and our mock tests reproduce the real pattern so you can see how your attempt-vs-accuracy balance translates into a final score. Track two numbers after every mock: your strike rate (right ÷ attempted) and your net loss to negative marking. Bring the second number down and your rank climbs.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the negative marking in MPSC exams?
MPSC deducts 1/4th (0.25) of the marks allotted to a question for every wrong answer. This applies to all objective papers — Group B (PSI/STI/ASO), Group C, Sub Inspector State Excise and both papers of the Gazetted Civil Services (Rajyaseva) and Technical Services prelims.
Is there negative marking in MPSC Group C?
Yes. In the MPSC Group C Combined prelims each question carries 1 mark and a wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.
Is there negative marking in the MPSC CSAT paper?
Yes. The Gazetted Civil Services Paper II (CSAT) has 1/4th negative marking, but the paper is only qualifying — you need 33% to qualify and CSAT marks are not added to the merit list. So a wrong CSAT answer does not hurt your rank, only your qualifying score.
Does MPSC deduct marks for unanswered questions?
No. There is no penalty for leaving a question blank. Negative marking only applies to questions you attempt and answer incorrectly, so blank answers are always safe.
Is guessing worth it with MPSC negative marking?
If you can eliminate two of the four options, guessing has a positive expected value (a 50% chance of +1 versus a 50% chance of -0.25 gives an expected +0.375 per guess). If you can eliminate only one option the edge is small, and blind guessing with no elimination is a net loss over the paper.
Next steps
- Read the full MPSC Exam Pattern guide for marks and syllabus by exam.
- See the MPSC Group C Syllabus & weightage if Group C is your target.
- Attempt a timed paper from /exams and note your net negative-marking loss.