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Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC CSE notification 2026 on January 14, 2026 at upsc.gov.in /upsconline.nic.in. Along with the notification, the UPSC CSE 2026 application form will also be released. Candidates will be able to submit the UPSC CSE application form 2026 until February 3, 2026. The UPSC Civil Service exam is conducted every year.
Latest - UPSC Calendar 2026 - Check here
UPSC IAS 2025: Admit Card Link | UPSC 2025 Annual Calender
Also See: UPSC IAS Mains QP's (2016-23) | Complete guide | UPSC CSE Sample Papers
The UPSC CSE 2025 exam is scheduled to be conducted on May 24, 2026. The UPSC Civil Services exam is conducted to recruit potential civil servants for the government of India. The UPSC Civil Services exam is the toughest exam in India with lakhs of candidates applying every year. With determination and consistent preparation, candidates can clear the UPSC CSE exam 2026. The below articles give all the basic details related to the UPSC Civil Services exam 2026 -
Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Exam |
Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
Official website | upsc.gov.in/ upsconline.nic.in |
Vacancies | TBA |
Exam level | National |
Exam mode | Offline |
Application fee | Rs 100 |
Languages | English & Hindi |
Number of papers | Prelims - 2 paper Mains - 9 papers |
Stages in the exam |
|
All the UPSC CSE exam dates 2026 are announced by the commission. The UPSC Civil Services exam dates will be available in the official notification. Candidates are recommended to keep track of the important UPSC CSE exam date regularly. The below table shows the UPSC 2026 Civil Services exam dates -
Events | Prelims dates | Mains dates |
UPSC Civil Services Notification date | January 14, 2026 | To be announced |
Application Form | January 14, 2026 | To be announced |
Application form last date | February 3, 2026 | To be announced |
Application form correction facility | To be announced | To be announced |
Admit card | To be announced | To be announced |
Exam date | May 24, 2026 | August 21, 2026 |
Result date | To be announced | To be announced |
Personality test | To be announced | |
Final result | To be announced |
Under the UPSC Civil Services exam, there are several posts for which candidates can apply for. While applying for the exam, candidates can choose the UPSC CSE 2026 post of their choice in the application form. All of these positions come under Group a or B posts. Below are all the UPSC Civil Services posts 2026 released by the commission -
Indian Administrative Service
Indian Foreign Service
Indian Police Service
Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Information Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’
Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Railway Protection Force Service, Group ‘A’ \
Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) Group ‘A’
Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Group ‘A’
Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’ (Grade III)
Indian Railway Management Service, Group ‘A’
Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade)
Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service (DANICS), Group ‘B’
Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS), Group ‘B’
Pondicherry Civil Service (PONDICS), Group ‘B’
Pondicherry Police Service (PONDIPS), Group ‘B’
The UPSC Civil Services notification 2026 will be released by the commission on January 14, 2026 on the official website. The UPSC Civil Services notification date has been announced through the UPSC Annual Calendar. The UPSC CSE 2026 notification contains all the essential information related to the examination like the eligibility, vacancies, steps to submit the application form, etc.
The UPSC CSE 2026 application form date is January 14, 2026. Candidates are required to submit the UPSC Civil Services 2026 application form within the last date which is February 3, 2026. Before filling the application form, candidates have to do the UPSC civil Services registration. All the information and documents related to the candidate must be entered correctly.
Candidates who are interested to apply for the exam must meet the UPSC Civil Services 2026 eligibility criteria.The eligibility criteria are the essential requirements which a candidate must possess to succeed in the exam. The UPSC Civil Service eligibility 2026 includes Nationality, age limit, minimum educational qualification and the number of attempts. The UPSC CSE eligibility criteria is as follows -
Nationality - Candidate must be an Indian citizen.
Age limit - Candidate must be between 21 to 32 years.
Educational qualification - Candidate must hold a Graduate degree.
Number of attempts - General - 6 attempts
OBC/PwBD ( for GL/EWS/OBC) - 9
SC/ST - Unlimited
The UPSC Civil Services exam pattern 2026 is the model in which the exam will be conducted. The UPSC Civil Service Exam 2026 exam pattern consists of the stages in the exam, the total marks, duration, etc. The UPSC Civil Services exam pattern is as follows -
Type of exam | Objective type |
Total marks | 400 marks (200 marks for each paper) |
Number of papers | 2 papers |
Number of questions | 200 in each paper |
Language | English & Hindi. |
Qualifying marks | 33% |
Type of exam | Descriptive type |
Total marks | 1750 marks |
Total duration | 3 hours per paper |
Number of papers | 9 papers |
Number of questions | 20 questions per paper |
Language | English & Hindi. |
Qualifying marks | 25% in each paper |
Personality test - The UPSC Civil Services personality test is conducted for 275 marks.
The UPSC CSE syllabus will be specified in the official notification. The detailed UPSC Civil Services 2026 syllabus of both the prelims and mains will be available. Before starting the preparation, aspirants are recommended to go through the UPSC CSE syllabus 2026 and the exam pattern.
The UPSC CSE selection process 2026 will be given in the official notification. After each stage of the UPSC Civil Services 2026 selection process, a certain percentage of the candidates fail to proceed to the next stage. Candidates will be selected based on their qualifying percentage, performance and the cut off marks. The UPSC Civil Services selection process includes the following stages -
Preliminary stage.
Mains stage.
Personality interview.
Candidates have to choose their desired UPSC CSE exam centre 2026 while filling the application form. Candidates will be given the option to choose at least 3 UPSC Civil Services 2026 exam centres while filling the prelims application form. The choice to choose the UPSC CSE mains exam centre may vary. There are a total of 80 upsc Civil Services prelims exam centres and 24 exam centres for the Mains exam.
The UPSC CSE admit card is like an entry pass to appear in the examination. The UPSC CSE 2026 admit card will be released at least 7 days before the exam date. Candidates are advised to download the UPSC Civil Services admit card 2026 well in advance. Along with the admit card, a valid photocopy also needs to be carried.
The commission releases the UPSC CSE answer key 2026 on the official
website. The UPSC Civil Services answer 2026 answer key will be released after the conduction of all the stages of the examination. The UPSC Civil Services answer key is released for the candidates to know the correct answers. The commission does not provide an answer key or objection facility.
The UPSC CSE result 2026 will be released on the official website.. The UPSC Civil Services 2026 result will be released in PDF format. The UPSC Civil Services prelims result will take a month or more to be released. The steps to check the UPSC Civil Services results 2026 are -
Go to the official website, upsc.gov.in.
On the homepage, there will be a result section or candidates can click on ‘Examinations’ and click on ‘Active examination’.
Click on the exam you were looking for.
Click on it and click on the ‘result PDF’.
Search for the roll number by using ‘Ctrl + F’.
The UPSC CSE cut off 2026 will be released after the conclusion of the entire selection process. The UPSC Civil Services cut of marks will be released for all the stages of the exam at once. The UPSC Civil Services 2026 cut off marks are the minimum marks which a candidate must attain to clear the exam. The UPSC Civil Services cut off varies by category.
The commission will release the UPSC Civil Services question paper 2026 on the official website. The UPSC CSE 2026 question paper will be released a few weeks after the completion of the exam. Candidates will also be able to find the UPSC CSE previous year question paper for practice. Practicing at least the past 10 UPSC CSE previous year question papers is good enough to clear the exam.
Steps to check the question papers -
Go to the official website, upsc.gov.in.
On the homepage, click on ‘Examinations’.
Under that, click on Previous Question papers’
All the UPSC Civil Services subjects and papers will be available.
Candidates can check the UPSC Civil Services vacancies 2026 in the official notification. However, the UPSC CSE final vacancies might vary and will be announced after the completion of the examination. The UPSC Civil Services vacancies 2026 vary by category. Candidates can understand the level of the competition by referring to the UPSC Civil services 2026 vacancies.
Those who have a graduate degree and are between the age 21 - 32 are eligible to apply for the UPSC Civil Services exam.
The UPSC Civil Services 2026 notification date is January 14, 2026.
The UPSC CSE exam date 2026 is May 24, 2026.
No, those who are 27 are eligible to apply and succeed in the UPSC Civil Services examination.
The UPSC CSE salary is in accordance with the 7th pay commission. The salary may be around Rs 56,100.
Others:28 January,2025 - 31 May,2025
Others:18 February,2025 - 31 May,2025
Others:30 April,2025 - 31 May,2025
Application Date:14 May,2025 - 17 June,2025
If you want to become an IAS or IPS officer after completing your 12th in PCMC , focus on graduation because the UPSC Civil Services exam requires you to have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university. You can choose any graduation stream, but many students prefer degrees like Political Science, Public Administration, History, or Sociology because these subjects help build a strong foundation for the UPSC syllabus. it’s not mandatory to pick these; you can also pursue Science, Commerce, or Arts as long as you complete your graduation. Along with your degree, start preparing for the UPSC exam early by reading newspapers, improving your general knowledge, and practicing answer writing. So, after 12th, pick a degree you are comfortable with, and plan your UPSC preparation alongside
Hello!
IRAS (Indian Railway Accounts Service) officers can be posted in both cities and rural areas since Indian Railways has offices and operations nationwide. They typically work in divisional offices, zonal offices, workshops, and production units. Transfers do happen but are usually not very frequent and depend on government policies and organizational needs.
Hope this helps!
To become an IAS officer, you must clear the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), and then undergo training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). While any bachelor's degree is acceptable, choosing a degree that aligns with the UPSC syllabus, particularly in humanities and social sciences, can be advantageous.
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE):
This is the primary exam for becoming an IAS officer, involving three stages: Preliminary, Main, and Personality Test (Interview).
Any Bachelor's Degree:
A graduate degree from a recognized university is the basic requirement to be eligible for the CSE.
Beneficial Degrees:
Degrees in humanities and social sciences, such as Bachelor of Arts (BA), can be helpful due to the syllabus overlap with subjects like History, Political Science, Sociology, and Economics.
Optional Subject:
You can choose an optional subject in the Mains exam, and a BA degree can provide a wide range of options.
Hope it helps!!
Hello!!
That's a great goal—and your background as a research scholar can actually be a big asset in preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE), which is the path to becoming an IAS officer.
Step-by-Step Guide to Become an IAS Officer:
1. Understand the Exam Structure
The UPSC CSE has three stages:
Prelims: Objective (GS Paper + CSAT)
Mains: Descriptive (9 papers)
Interview: Personality Test
2. Check Eligibility
Age: 21 to 32 (for General category)
Degree: Any graduate degree (you already qualify)
3. Choose Your Optional Subject
Choose something you’re comfortable with (can be from your research field if it's available).
Popular optionals: Sociology, Geography, PSIR, Anthropology, etc.
4. Build a Study Plan
Since you're a research scholar, time management is key.
Daily 4–6 hours of focused study can work if you're consistent.
Focus on:
NCERTs (6th–12th)
Standard books (like Laxmikanth for Polity, Spectrum for History)
Current Affairs (The Hindu, Indian Express, or PIB + Monthly compilations)
5. Join a Test Series (Optional but Helpful)
For Prelims and Mains: to build speed, writing skills, and clarity.
6. Practice Answer Writing
Mains is all about articulation. Practice with previous year questions and mock tests.
7. Appear for the Exam
Notification comes out around February.
Prelims is in May/June, Mains in September, and Interview early next year.
How to Align This With Your Research Schedule:
Create a realistic time-table that includes 2–3 hours on weekdays, and more on weekends.
Use your research experience for deeper understanding and essay writing.
If your goal is to become an IAS officer, choose a degree that supports UPSC preparation and also provides a good backup:
BA in Political Science, History, Geography, or Economics is ideal for IAS.
BSc or BCom is fine too, but you'll need to study humanities separately for UPSC.
For backup, pick a subject with good job prospects like BBA or Computer Science.
KCET is required only if you're planning professional courses like Engineering or Agriculture. It's not needed for BA or general degrees.
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