UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2026: 1,105 Vacancies Notified — Application Closes April 25, Exam on June 1
The Union Public Service Commission has released the official notification for Civil Services Examination 2026, covering IAS, IPS, IFS and 24 other Group A services.
Representative image. Photo: Nationalism News
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) released the official notification for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026 on March 25, advertising 1,105 total vacancies across 26 services including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and 23 other Group A and B Central Services.
Online applications can be submitted at upsconline.nic.in till April 25, 2026. The Preliminary Examination is scheduled for June 1, 2026 and will be held in 72 centres across India. The General Studies Paper-I is from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM.
Key changes for 2026: The negative marking in CSAT has been restored to 1/3rd of marks after being reduced to 1/4th in 2024. Also, the Optional Subject paper in the Mains has been rationalized — candidates choosing Engineering subjects now have access to a common question paper format.
The application fee is Rs 100 for General/OBC candidates. Women candidates, SC/ST/PwD and economically weaker sections are exempted from fees. The age limit is 21-32 years for General (with standard relaxations for reserved categories).
Civil Services Mains, for those who clear Preliminary, will be held in October 2026. The final merit list is expected by April 2027. UPSC CSE is widely considered India's most competitive exam with a success rate of approximately 0.1-0.2% of total applicants.
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