UPSC CSE Notification 2026 LIVE: Check UPSC Civil Services Examination Official Notice Expected Date, Application Form & More

Candidates attempting the CSE Mains Exam must score at least 25% in the qualifying language papers (75/300) to ensure their GS and Optional papers gets evaluated

For every incorrect answer in the Prelims, 1/3rd (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted. No marks will be deducted for unanswered questions.

The UPSC has strict guidelines for the photograph. The photo of the candidate must not be older than 10 days from the date of the notification, and the name of the candidate and the date of taking the photo must be clearly mentioned on it.

Candidates who clear the prelims exam will be called to attempt the mains, where candidates must choose optional from 48 subjects, including Literature of various languages. Popular choices include PSIR, Sociology, Geography, and History.

Candidates have to first register on the One Time Registration (OTR) platform at upsc.gov.in before applying for the CSE 2026 online application. If already registered, candidates can directly log in to fill out the CSE 2026 application form.

Candidates applying for the UPSC CSE 2026 must pay the application fees as per their category. Check the details below

General/OBC/EWS Male: Rs100.
Female/SC/ST/PwBD: Exempted from the fee.

The final stage of the selection procedure is Interview, which carries 275 marks. It assesses the candidate's mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, and leadership qualities.

UPSC CSE Exam will be conducted to recruit eligible candidates for 21 different services and the topmost service chosen by candidates are 

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
• Indian Police Service (IPS)
• Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
• Indian Revenue Service (IRS)

The UPSC Mains exam comprises 9 papers. Out of these, 2 are qualifying (English and Indian Language), and 7 are merit-ranking (Essay, GS 1-4, and 2 Optional papers)

There is no official change in the CSAT syllabus for 2026. As per the recent updates the CSAT syllabus will consist of Logical Reasoning, Analytical Ability, and Basic Numeracy (Class X level).

The Prelims consists of two papers: GS Paper I and CSAT (Paper II). Each paper is 200 marks. CSAT remains a qualifying paper where candidates must score at least 33% (66 marks).

While the basic pay for both IAS and IPS starts at Rs 56,100 (Level 10), the total emoluments differ slightly based on the nature of the posting. An IAS officer generally reaches the Chief Secretary rank (Rs 225,000), while an IPS officer can reach the Director General of Police (DGP) rank.

UPSC allows the candidates to attempt the CSE exam a specific number of times, which varies as per the category of candidate. Check the details below

General/EWS: 6 Attempts.
OBC: 9 Attempts.
SC/ST: Unlimited (till age limit).

To be eligible for UPSC CSE 2026 candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university. Those in their final year are also eligible to apply for the Preliminary exam, provided they can produce proof of graduation during the DAF-I (Mains) stage.

The age limit of candidates varies as per the category. The actual date of age calculation will get released along with the notification PDF. Check the category wise age limit below

General/EWS: 21 to 32 years.
OBC: 21 to 35 years.
SC/ST: 21 to 37 years.
PwBD: Up to 42 years.

For 2026, it is expected that the vacancies will remain in the range of 1,000 to 1,200. In 2024 and 2025, the vacancies were 1,056 and 979, respectively. The exact breakdown for IAS, IPS, and IFS will get released along with the notification PDF.

Recent reports suggest the delay in the notification might be linked to the implementation of facial authentication and AI-based surveillance to prevent impersonation. UPSC has been testing these technologies to ensure the integrity of the recruitment process for 2026.

UPSC has delayed the UPSC CSE Notification 2026 due to administrative reasons. As UPSC has not announced any fresh dates, let's check historically in how many days of releasing the result UPSC has conducted the prelims exam.