Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC 2026 recruitment calendar online on the official website. The UPSC calendar PDF 2026 can be downloaded from upsc.gov.in. Candidates looking to attempt any of the UPSC exams, such as the UPSC CSE, IFS, NDA, ESE, etc can go through the article below for more details.
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Union Public Service Commission conducts a variety of exams to recruit qualified candidates for various posts across the Indian government. All UPSC Candidates who attempt the UPSC recruitment exam 2026 may get jobs in departments like Administrative posts, Army Wings, Armed Forces, Indian Railways and even in the medical field. The official notifications for every UPSC exam 2026 will be released online on the official website.
UPSC released the UPSC 2026 exam calendar, a document containing the application dates and exam dates of recruitment exams that will take place this year. Candidates can find the dates pertaining to UPSC 2026 recruitment exams in the table below.
Name of Examination | Date of Notification | Last Date for receipt of Applications | Date of commencement of Exam | Duration |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | - | - | January 10, 2026 | 2 DAYS |
| Reserved for UPSC Examination | January 17, 2026 | 2 Days | ||
Combined Geo-Scientist (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 | September 3, 2025 | September 23, 2025 | February 8, 2026 | 1 DAY |
Engineering Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 | TBA | TBA | February 8, 2026 | 1 DAY |
CBI (DSP) LDCE | December 24, 2025 | January 13, 2026 | February 28, 2026 | 2 DAYS |
CISF AC(EXE) LDCE-2026 | December 3, 2025 | December 23, 2026 | February 28, 2026 | 1 DAY |
N.D.A. & N.A. Examination (I), 2026 | December 10, 2025 | December 30, 2025 | April 12, 2026 | 1 DAY |
C.D.S. Examination (I), 2026 | ||||
Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 | January 14, 2026 | February 2, 2026 | May 24, 2026 | 1 DAY |
Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 through CS(P) Examination 2026 | ||||
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | June 6, 2026 | 2 DAYS | ||
I.E.S./I.S.S. Examination, 2026 | February 11, 2026 | March 3, 2026 | June 19, 2026 | 3 DAYS |
Combined Geo-Scientist (Main) Examination, 2026 | - | - | June 20, 2026 | 2 DAYS |
Engineering Services (Main) Examination, 2026 | - | - | June 21, 2026 | 1 DAY |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | July 4, 2026 | 2 DAYS | ||
Combined Medical Services Examination, 2026 | March 11, 2026 | March 31, 2026 | August 2, 2026 | 1 DAY |
Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination, 2026 | February 18, 2026 | March 10, 2026 | July 19, 2026 | 1 DAY |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | August 8, 2026 | 2 DAYS | ||
Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2026 | August 21, 2026 | 5 DAYS | ||
N.D.A. & N.A. Examination (II), 2026 | May 20, 2026 | June 9, 2026 | September 13, 2026 | 1 DAY |
C.D.S. Examination (II), 2026 | ||||
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | September 26, 2026 | 2 DAYS | ||
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | October 10, 2026 | 2 DAYS | ||
Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, 2026 | November 22, 2026 | 7 DAYS | ||
S.O./Steno (GD-B/GD-I) LDCE | September 16, 2026 | October 6, 2026 | December 12, 2026 | 2 DAYS |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | December 19, 2026 | 2 DAYS |
Also check
Union Public Service Commission is the full form of UPSC. UPSC is an organisation that conducts recruitment exams, such as CDS, NDA, UPSC CSE, CAPF, etc. for various government posts.
Candidates can find basic details pertaining to UPSC recruitment 2026 in the table below.
Overview | Specifications |
Exams Under UPSC Recruitment | ESE - Engineering Services Exam CDS - Combined Defense Services NDA - National Defense Academy CSE - Civil Services Exam IFS - Indian Foreign Services IES/ISS - Indian Economic Services/Indian Statistical Services Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Exam CMS - Combined Medical Services CAPF - Central Armed Police Forces |
Mode of exam | Offline |
Exam conducting authority | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
Mode of application | Online |
Candidates can find the basic information regarding UPSC eligibility criteria 2026 of various UPSC recruitment exams in the table below. For more information regarding the eligibility of UPSC 2026 exams, candidates are encouraged to go through the UPSC recruitment eligibility criteria articles linked in the table.
Exam Name | Age limit | Academic Qualification | Detailed Information |
NDA (National Defense Academy) | 16.5 to 19.5 years | Class 12th | |
CDS (Combined Defense Services) | 19 to 24 years | Graduation | |
CSE (Civil Services Examination | 21 to 32 years | Graduation | |
Indian Forest Service Examination (IFS) | 21 to 32 years | Graduation | |
I.E.S./I.S.S. (Indian Economic Services/ Indian Statistical Services) | 21 to 30 years | Post-Graduate (IES) Masters or Graduation (ISS) | |
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination | 21 to 32 years | Masters degree | |
ESE (Engineering Services Examination) | 21 to 30 years | Bachelor’s degree in Engineering | |
CMS (Combined Medical Services Examination) | Not more than 32 years | ||
CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) | 20 to 25 years | Graduation |
Please note that it is extremely important for candidates to check whether they are eligible for an UPSC exam before applying, as candidates who are found to be ineligible at any stage of the process run the risk of getting their candidature cancelled.
After checking their UPSC eligibility, candidates can proceed to apply for their choice of exam. The articles linked below describe the application process of each UPSC recruitment 2026 exam. Additionally, candidates can also find direct links to the UPSC application forms 2026 as soon as they are released.
Exam Name | Application Form |
NDA (National Defense Academy) | |
CDS (Combined Defense Services) | |
CSE (Civil Services Examination) | |
IFS (Indian Forest Services) | - |
I.E.S./I.S.S. (Indian Economic Service/Indian Statistical Services) | |
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist | - |
ESE (Engineering Services Examination) | |
CMS (Combined Medical Services) | |
CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) |
Also read: Complete guide for UPSC CSE exam preparation
Candidates must go through the UPSC 2026 exam pattern of their chosen exam before starting preparation. The exam pattern of UPSC recruitment exams 2026 consist of information such as stages, sections, marking scheme and time duration of each exam and much more. To know the exam pattern of any UPSC exam, candidates can visit the pages linked below.
Exam Name | Exam Pattern |
NDA (National Defense Academy) | |
CDS (Combined Defense Services) | |
CSE (Civil Services Examination) | |
CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) | |
IFS (Indian Forest Service) | |
I.E.S./I.S.S. (Indian Economic Services/Indian Statistical Services) | - |
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination | - |
ESE (Engineering Services Exam) | |
CMS (Combined Medical Services) | - |
Candidates who have successfully applied for any UPSC recruitment exam 2026 are issued an UPSC 2026 admit card. Candidates can visit the pages linked in the table below for details pertaining to UPSC admit cards, exam day guidelines and more.
Exam Name | Admit Card |
NDA (National Defense Academy) | |
CDS (Combined Defense Services) | |
CSE (Civil Services Examination) | |
IFS (Indian Forest Service) | |
I.E.S./I.S.S. (Indian Economic Services/Indian Statistical Services) | |
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination | |
ESE (Engineering Services Exam) | |
CMS (Combined Medical Services Exam) | |
CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) |
Candidates who attempt any UPSC recruitment exam can check their results on the official website. Candidates can find out more about how to access their UPSC result 2026 by going through the result article of their chosen exam. Candidates who have qualified all levels of the exam can occupy one of the vacant posts.
Exam Name | Result |
NDA (National Defense Academy) | |
CDS (Combined Defense Services) | |
CSE (Civil Services Examination) | |
IFS (Indian Forest Service) | |
I.E.S./I.S.S. (Indian Economic Services/Indian Statistical Services) | |
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination | |
ESE (Engineering Services Exam) | |
CMS (Combined Medical Services Exam) | |
CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) |
Check Here List of Other Government Exams
The UPSC 2026 Cut off marks is the term for the minimum number of marks a candidate needs in order to qualify for the next round. Candidates can find the cut off information for UPSC recruitment 2026 exams in the table below.
Exam Name | Cut off |
NDA (National Defense Academy) | |
CDS (Combined Defense Services) | |
CSE (Civil Services Exam) | |
IFS (Indian Forest Service) | Check here |
I.E.S./I.S.S. (Indian Economic Services/Indian Statistical Services) | |
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination | |
ESE (Engineering Services Examination) | |
CMS (Combined Medical Services Examination) | |
CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) |
Candidates get recruited for various government posts via the UPSC recruitment 2026 exams. Candidates can find salary details for various UPSC posts in the articles linked below.
Exam Name | Salary |
NDA (National Defense Academy) | |
CDS (Combined Defense Services) | |
CSE (Civil Services Exam) | |
IFS (Indian Forest Service) | |
I.E.S./I.S.S. (Indian Economic Services/Indian Statistical Services) | |
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination | |
ESE (Engineering Services Examination) | |
CMS (Combined Medical Services Examination) | |
CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The UPSC 2025 syllabus varies based on the recruitment exam. You can find details pertaining to the syllabus in the UPSC recruitment exam notifications.
UPSC CSE 2025 posts include (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFoS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’, Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’, and many more. Every year, UPSC CSE vacancies are split across various posts.
Candidates who possess a bachelor’s degree in any recognised discipline are eligible to write the IAS exam.
UPSC is a government organization that conducts recruitment exams for various government posts. IAS is a type of administrative post in the government. Both terms, UPSC and IAS are colloquial terms for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
The post of Cabinet secretary is the highest paid UPSC post, with a salary of Rs 2,50,000.
UPSC holds around 13 UPSC exams annually, although the number may vary depending on the posts that are required to be filled.
The 9 papers of UPSC mains are Compulsory Indian language, English, Essay, General Studies I, General Studies II, General Studies III, General Studies IV, Optional I and Optional II.
You can find out about the salary details of any UPSC post through the pages linked in the article above.
12th pass candidates are eligible only for UPSC exams such as NDA and CDS. To check the eligibility criteria of other exams, refer to the eligibility criteria section of the article above.
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