UPSC does not publish board-wise marks data. The Commission does not release a breakdown showing average marks awarded by each individual board, so it is not possible for candidates or researchers to directly compare one board's scores against another's.

What UPSC does confirm is that marks moderation is applied across boards to maintain uniformity, ensuring that no candidate is advantaged or disadvantaged based on which board they appeared before. The Ministry of Personnel stated this in Parliament in December 2025.

However, independent researchers and media outlets have raised questions about interview mark variation — not between boards, but correlated with candidates' social category. Analysis of Civil Services Examination 2020 data published by The Print found that General category candidates received higher average interview scores than OBC, EWS, SC, and ST candidates, even after controlling for written marks. UPSC disputes that this reflects bias and attributes it to the holistic nature of personality assessment.

For candidates, the practical takeaway is: UPSC cannot guarantee that all boards give identical marks, but it applies moderation; the board you face is random; and your category and written marks are withheld from the board. UPSC publishes all recommended candidates' marks (written + interview + total) on its website, but does not publish marks of non-recommended candidates.