Hello There ,

Your assumption is correct , as this year many students would drop and start preparing for next year exam which would definitely increase the total number of candidates .

Also it has been a general trend that the cutoff has been increasing every year for both all India colleges and state government colleges . Also if the reduced syllabus is taken into consideration there could be increased cutoff and competition .

Either way you should keep your preparation strong and not think about these things , just focus on your preparation and give your exam with full strength and confidence .

Hope it helps and all the Best for your future endeavors .