UPSC IAS Answer Key 2026 - Check UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Solution key PDFs

UPSC IAS Answer Key 2026 - Check UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Solution key PDFs

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Vishnukumar VUpdated on 27 Nov 2025, 03:23 PM IST
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The unofficial prelims UPSC IAS answer key 2026 for GS and CSAT will be available here in the form of PDF files after the conclusion of exam. Many notable coaching institutes released the unofficial versions of the IAS prelims answer key. The Commission will also release the official answer key after the declaration of the final IAS result. The UPSC IAS answer key 2026 will enable candidates to make an estimate of the score they might receive in the prelims exam, the different types of question papers the difficulty of the exam and much more.

This Story also Contains

  1. UPSC IAS Answer Key 2026
  2. IAS 2026 Marking Scheme
  3. IAS Question Papers
  4. IAS Result 2026
UPSC IAS Answer Key 2026 - Check UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Solution key PDFs
UPSC IAS Answer Key

The Answer Key will be available for download for all sets. The Official IAS 2026 answer key will have the correct answer listed next to the question number. For further information about the IAS Answer Key 2026, and for materials like past answer key PDFs, candidates can consult the material below.

UPSC IAS Answer Key 2026

SubjectDownload Link (official)
Paper 1 - General StudiesTBA
Paper 2 - General StudiesTBA

IAS Answer Key 2026 for Prelims

Candidates can check the IAS Answer Key 2026 dates for prelims released by various coaching institutes on this page.

IAS 2026 Answer Key Release Dates

Events

Dates

Date of CSE prelims exam

May 24, 2026

Release of IAS Answer Key (unofficial)

To ba announced

UPSC Civil Services answer key (official)

To be announced

IAS Answer Key - Prelims Previous Years

Here, candidates can download the IAS Prelims Answer Key PDF files from previous years.

UPSC IAS Answer Key 2025

SubjectDownload Link (official)
Paper 1 - General StudiesClick here
Paper 2 - General StudiesClick here

How to Download UPSC IAS 2026 Answer Key?

Candidates can follow the detailed steps below to download the IAS Answer Key 2026.

  • Visit the official website - upsc.gov.in.

  • Click on the Exam tab and choose the Answer Key option from the drop-down menu.

  • Click on the UPSC IAS answer key 2026 on the web page.

  • UPSC IAS 2026 PDF file will open.

  • Download the PDF file for future reference.

How to Check UPSC IAS 2026 Answer Key (Step by step)


upsc ias answer key

What will Be the release date of the IAS 2026 Answer Key?

Based on the past years' trends of IAS answer key release dates, we can extrapolate that UPSE will release the IAS Answer Key 2026 after the release of the final result. However, the UPSC IAS official answer key release date has not been announced yet. Go through the table below to know the previous year’s trends of the IAS answer key release dates.

IAS Answer Key Release Dates - Previous Year's Trends

Year

IAS exam date

Answer key release date

2025May 25, 2025-
2024June 16, 2024May 21, 2025
2023June 12, 2023May 9, 2024

2022

June 5, 2022

July 04, 2023

2021

October 10, 2021

May 30, 2022

2020

October 4, 2020

November 9, 2021

2019

June 2, 2019

August 10, 2020

2018

June 3, 2018

April 16, 2019

IAS Answer Key 2026 - Advantages

Candidates can go through the answer key of the IAS exam 2026 to get a rough idea of which questions they answered correctly and calculate their scores. Some coaching institutes released their own unofficial versions of the IAS answer key on the same day of the examination. Candidates will also be able to use the IAS 2026 answer key to calculate the expected cut off.

How to Calculate Score With IAS Answer Key 2026 (Prelims)?

To get an estimate of their scores, candidates will have to cross-check the answers they gave in the exam against those mentioned in the IAS Answer Key 2026. Candidates will be able to calculate their scores based on the number of correct and incorrect answers

Candidates can calculate their tentative scores based on the number of correct and incorrect responses provided in the UPSC IAS exam. To be able to do this, candidates are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the marking scheme of the IAS 2026 exam. You can find details about the marking scheme in the table below.

IAS 2026 Marking Scheme

Candidates can calculate their probable IAS scores by using the UPSC CSE marking scheme. The marking scheme should be used along with the IAS Answer Key 2026 to arrive at a tentative score.

Particulars

Marking Scheme

Correct response


  • For every correct answer in GS Paper 1, candidates will be awarded 2 marks

  • For a correct answer in Paper 2, candidates will be allotted 2.5 marks

Negative marking

Negative marking is applicable for both papers and 1/3 of marks will be deducted for every wrong answer

Marks reduced in Paper I

0.33 marks

Marks reduced in Paper II

0.33 marks

Total marks (prelims)

400 marks

  • Paper I - 200 marks

  • Paper II - 200 marks

Paper 1 score

Correct responses out of 100 X 2 marks and 0.33 marks for each incorrect answer

Paper 2 score

Correct responses out of 80 X 2.5 marks and 0.33 marks for each incorrect answer

Aggregate score

(Correct answers in Paper 1 x 2) + (Correct responses in Paper 2 x 2.5) – (No. of incorrect response x marks reduced for each wrong answer)

IAS Question Papers

The IAS question paper for the prelims exam 2026 will be available at upsc.gov.in. Similar to the IAS Answer key, the commission releases the UPSC CSE question papers after the conclusion of the exam. In previous years, it was seen that the IAS question paper was uploaded a few days after the examination was conducted. Candidates will be able to download the question papers as a PDF file and can find out about the difficulty level of the IAS exam 2026 and the types of questions asked.

IAS Cut off 2026

Union Public Services Commission will release the IAS cut off for all stages of the exam - prelims, mains and final cut-off. The cut off of the exam for all the stages will be published after the completion of the selection process, that is, after the declaration of the final IAS result 2026.

Quick Link:

The UPSC IAS 2026 cut off is the minimum mark that candidates must secure in each exam stage to be shortlisted for the next phase of the exam. Apart from the official UPSC IAS 2026 cut off, various coaching institutes will also try to predict the expected cut off for the examination. The previous years’ cut off of the IAS exam is given in the table below.

UPSC IAS Cut Off - Previous years’

Categories

Cut off

General

92-96

EWS

90-14

OBC

91-95

SC

82-89

ST

75-81

PwBD-1

52-62

PwBD-2

42-62

PwBD-3

57-67

PwBD-5

57-67

IAS 2026 Answer Key by Coaching Institutes

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UPSC CSE preparation strategy along with best books for prelims as well as mains exam for sure success.
Download EBook

IAS Result 2026

Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS prelims 2026 results online on upsc.gov.in. The results of the IAS exam are released by the conducting body after the successful completion of the written exam. The UPSC IAS 2026 results will be published as a PDF file having the names and roll numbers of all qualified candidates. The final results will be released by UPSC after the completion of the IAS mains and interview rounds.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What are the benefits of UPSC IAS answer key 2026?
A:

The UPSC IAS answer key will help the students predict the probable score by using the marking scheme.

Q: How to download the UPSC CSE 2026 answer key?
A:

Candidates can download the answer key of IAS as a PDF file.

Q: Can the candidates challenge the UPSC IAS answer key 2026?
A:

No, UPSC doesn't provide any chance to challenge the UPSC IAS answer key.

Q: Is there any negative marking in the IAS UPSC exam?
A:

Yes, there is a negative marking of 1/3 marks out of the total in the CSE prelims exam 2026.

Q: When will the UPSC release the IAS 2026 cutoff?
A:

The commission will release the UPSC CSE 2026 cut off on the official website after the declaration of the final result.

Q: What will be the UPSC IAS cut-off for the prelims exam?
A:

According to the previous years' trends, the CSE prelims exam 2026 expected cut off for the general category will be 92 to 96 marks.

Q: When will the official UPSC IAS answer key be released?
A:

The answer key of UPSC IAS will be published after the completion of the recruitment process.

Q: What is the UPSC IAS answer key?
A:

The IAS answer key comprises all correct answers to the questions asked in the exam. The UPSC answer key will be released officially in a PDF file only on the official website after the conclusion of the exam.

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Questions related to UPSC CSE

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to UPSC CSE ?

Hello Aspirant

As your question is not clear, you are asking how to become an IAS, which course or degree you should pursue, and all the related details regarding the IAS. So, I can suggest you choosing the right stream in Intermediate is important.
The Arts/Humanities stream is most helpful because many subjects match the UPSC syllabus.
You will study History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics—core topics for IAS. This stream also gives you more time to build the reading and writing skills needed for UPSC.

For more details and preparation tips, just click here: CLICK HERE

Hello Aspirant

All colleges are the best, and selection mainly depends on you and your consistency. But I can help you regarding this :

After the 10th, you can join PU (11–12th) colleges that offer strong academics and an early IAS foundation.
Some good options are Delhi’s Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya (Civil Services Wing), Bangalore’s BASE/Deeksha, Hyderabad’s Sri Chaitanya/Narayana, and Kota’s Allen Pre-Foundation programs.
Choose a college that gives a strong focus on NCERTs, writing skills, and current affairs along with your 11th–12th stream.
The best choice is the one that keeps you disciplined, consistent, and supported with IAS foundation classes.

ALL THE BEST!!!

Hello

If you want to become an IAS officer, you can choose any group CEC, MPC, or BiPC as IAS does not require a specific subject stream.
However, many students prefer CEC (Commerce, Economics, Civics) or MPC (Maths, Physics, Chemistry) because they help build analytical and general knowledge skills useful for the IAS exam.
CEC helps with subjects like economics and polity, which are important for the IAS syllabus.
MPC develops problem-solving skills and logical thinking, also useful for the exam. BiPC (Biology group) is less common for IAS aspirants, but still possible if you prefer life sciences.

Hello, it’s wonderful to see such clarity at such a young age. Becoming an IAS officer requires consistent preparation, strong general knowledge, and excellent analytical skills. Right now, your main focus should be building a strong base in academics, especially in subjects like History, Geography, and Economics. Start reading NCERT textbooks from class 6 to 12 for these subjects. Make it a habit to read a good newspaper like The Hindu or Indian Express daily to improve your current affairs knowledge. Practice writing short essays on important topics it will help you in the Mains stage later. Participate in debates, quizzes, and discussions to improve your speaking and thinking skills. After 12th, choose a graduation subject that you enjoy but also overlaps with UPSC syllabus. Most importantly, stay consistent and avoid distractions. You have plenty of time to prepare, so start slowly and build steadily.

Wishing you success in your IAS dream, and thank you for sharing.


The choice of your graduation path – integrated BSc BEd (Zoology), BTech CS, or integrated BS-MS at IISER Thiruvananthapuram – to pursue the dream of becoming an IAS officer requires careful consideration.

A Bachelor of Arts degree, particularly in subjects like Political Science, History, or Economics, is often considered the most aligned with the CSE syllabus, covering crucial topics relevant to General Studies papers.

However, a science background, especially with a BTech CS degree, develops analytical and logical reasoning skills beneficial for the CSAT paper and could be advantageous for certain optional subjects like Mathematics or potentially Engineering disciplines.

Even if you choose a science or engineering stream, you can still select humanities-based optional subjects that overlap with the General Studies papers like Anthropology, Sociology, or Public Administration, which many engineers have successfully opted for.The integrated BSc BEd (Zoology) offers a strong foundation in science and a backup career in teaching, but the primary focus of the BEd component may not be directly relevant to the UPSC syllabus. The integrated BS-MS at IISER offers a strong research focus and academic excellence, potentially leading to diverse career paths in science, academia, industry, or even government agencies But still it is not connected with your ias dream.

Among all b.tech is best as many successful candidates from engineering backgrounds, have utilized their analytical skills and knowledge to crack the exam.