Most cut off guides give you one number. "General category needs 220-240 marks." And then they stop.
That's not nearly enough information. Two candidates with identical AISSEE ↗ scores - one General, one OBC-NCL - are competing in completely different pools with completely different cut offs. One of them might get a seat in Round 1. The other might not get one at all.
Here's the full category-wise breakdown - what the actual numbers look like, why they differ, and what each category's situation means for your AISSAC strategy.
Before the Numbers: Two Things to Keep in Mind
Cut off ≠ minimum qualifying mark. Cut off marks will decide the final admission to Sainik Schools - not the minimum qualifying marks. The minimum qualifying mark is just the eligibility floor. The actual competitive cut off - the score of the last candidate admitted in your category at a specific school - is what really matters.
Cut offs are school-specific and domicile-specific. The marks required in the AISSEE cut off will be different depending on the category and also in different Sainik Schools. The numbers below are national trend ranges. Your specific school, your specific category, your specific domicile status will produce a more precise number - which you find on the AISSAC portal seat matrix and round-wise cut off releases.
Minimum Qualifying Marks by Category - The Floor
These are the baseline eligibility percentages. Below these, a candidate is not considered for admission regardless of seats or competition.
The minimum qualifying marks for AISSEE 2026 category-wise are: General category - 45%. OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and Defence - 40%. Physically Handicapped - 35%.
For Class 6 out of 300 marks:
- General/UR: 135 marks minimum
- OBC-NCL/SC/ST/DEF: 120 marks minimum
For Class 9 out of 400 marks:
- General/UR: 180 marks minimum
- OBC-NCL/SC/ST/DEF: 160 marks minimum
Meeting these numbers puts you in the eligible pool. Getting a seat requires scoring well above them.
Unreserved (UR) / General Category Cut Off 2026
The General or Unreserved category is the most competitive pool at most schools simply because the floor is highest and the candidate quality tends to be strongest.
For Class 6, the approximate competitive cut off for General category is 220 to 240 marks and above. For Class 9, the approximate competitive cut off is 250 to 270 marks and above.
Breaking this down further based on domicile:
Class 6 - General/UR:
- Home state, competitive schools: 230 - 255 marks
- Home state, accessible schools (Kapurthala, Northeast): 200 - 230 marks
- Outside state quota: 250+ marks
Class 9 - General/UR:
- Home state, competitive schools: 300 - 330 marks
- Home state, accessible schools: 265 - 295 marks
- Outside state quota: 320+ marks
Scoring 240 and above for Class 6 General category significantly improves chances of securing a top school. Below 220 for Class 6 General, realistic options narrow quickly to lower-competition schools and New Sainik Schools.
OBC-NCL Category Cut Off 2026
OBC-NCL candidates compete within the 27% reservation in each quota pool. The category has grown more competitive over recent years as awareness and preparation quality among OBC families has improved.
For AISSEE 2026 Class 6 OBC category, girls have a cut off of around 270 and above at competitive schools, while boys typically see around 260 and above based on previous year trends.
Broader OBC-NCL ranges across schools:
Class 6 - OBC-NCL:
- Home state, competitive schools: 200 - 230 marks
- Home state, accessible schools: 175 - 205 marks
- Outside state quota: 220 - 250 marks
Class 9 - OBC-NCL:
- Home state, competitive schools: 255 - 285 marks
- Home state, accessible schools: 230 - 260 marks
- Outside state quota: 270 - 300 marks
One critical point for OBC families: OBC candidates must verify their eligibility from the central list available on the National Commission for Backward Classes website. State lists for OBC may differ from the central list used for Sainik Schools admission. An OBC certificate valid for state-level reservations is not automatically valid here. Confirm your caste is listed in the central OBC-NCL list before the document verification stage.
SC Category Cut Off 2026
SC candidates have 15% of seats reserved within each quota pool. SC/ST candidates follow different cut off marks based on state-wise reservation policies.
Class 6 - SC:
- Home state range: 160 - 200 marks
- Outside state range: 185 - 215 marks
Class 9 - SC:
- Home state range: 215 - 250 marks
- Outside state range: 235 - 265 marks
SC cut offs are meaningfully lower than General across all schools. But "lower than General" doesn't mean easy. At high-competition schools with few SC seats in the home-state pool, even SC candidates need to score well above 180 to 190 to have realistic chances.
Meeting cut off marks doesn't guarantee admission - medical fitness is mandatory regardless of category. This applies equally to SC candidates who may assume a lower cut off translates to a confirmed seat. It doesn't.
ST Category Cut Off 2026
ST candidates have 7.5% of seats reserved - the smallest category reservation. At many schools, particularly in states with small tribal populations, ST seat counts are very limited.
Class 6 - ST:
- Home state range: 140 - 175 marks
- Outside state range: 165 - 200 marks
Class 9 - ST:
- Home state range: 185 - 220 marks
- Outside state range: 200 - 235 marks
The lower cut off reflects both the smaller competing pool within the ST category and the fact that fewer ST candidates apply at many schools. At schools in states with significant tribal populations - Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Northeast states - competition within the ST pool is higher and cut offs at those specific schools may be at the upper end of the range.
Defence Category Cut Off 2026
Defence candidates have 25% of the seats remaining after SC/ST/OBC-NCL reservation. The DEF pool is separate from General but competes under the same minimum qualifying mark as OBC.
Defence category students have 25% seats reserved with modified qualifying criteria. The minimum qualifying mark for Defence category is 40% - same as OBC/SC/ST rather than the 45% required for General.
Class 6 - Defence:
- Home state range: 185 - 220 marks
- Outside state range: 200 - 235 marks
Class 9 - Defence:
- Home state range: 245 - 275 marks
- Outside state range: 260 - 290 marks
The DEF pool is typically less congested than General because the total universe of Defence family children applying is smaller. This means the competitive bar within DEF is generally more accessible than General - but it varies school by school.
Two important specifics for DEF families: Wards of Coast Guard and Assam Rifles personnel are advised not to select Defence category but are required to select SC, ST, OBC-NCL, or General category as applicable. They will be considered for Defence category only if there are vacancies after the admission of wards of serving and ex-service defence personnel. Wards of Coast Guard and Assam Rifles personnel are not entitled for Defence scholarship.
Girls' Cut Off - A Separate Pool
Girl candidates in Class 6 have a separate seat reservation and compete in their own pool, not against boys.
Girl candidates have 10% of seats or minimum 10 seats - whichever is higher - reserved in Class 6, with special seat allocation and different cut off considerations.
Girls' cut offs at competitive schools have historically been slightly higher than boys' cut offs in the same category - because the pool of qualifying girl candidates is smaller but seats are also limited. Girls have a cut off of around 270 and above at competitive schools for the OBC category, which is comparable to General category boys at many schools.
For Class 9, there is no fixed girls' reservation. Girls apply subject to vacancy and availability at each school - making Class 9 admission for girls particularly dependent on school-specific circumstances.
How Cut Offs Move Round by Round
As per the admission policy, there will be five to six rounds for counselling depending on the number of vacant seats across the schools. After each round of counselling, the cut off rank will be released for both home state and other state candidates.
The pattern is consistent across years: Round 1 has the highest cut offs. Each subsequent round sees cut offs dip slightly as remaining seats are released. A candidate who misses Round 1 cut off by 5 to 8 marks in their category may find their score is competitive by Round 3 or 4.
Cut off marks will be released in March and April 2026 on pesa.ncog.gov.in after each counselling round. Log in with your AISSAC credentials, go to the school-wise cut off section, and check your category's cut off specifically - not the General cut off if you're OBC, not the outside-state cut off if you're home-state eligible.
The number you need is the last admitted candidate's marks in your exact profile - your class, your category, your domicile status, at the specific school you're evaluating.
For category-specific seat matrices, round-wise cut off tracking, and AISSAC 2026 counselling strategy.