How many papers are there in the IAS main exam?

As the name suggest, the IAS main exam has 9 descriptive papers. The details of these papers are given below: Paper Description Marks A One of the Indian language to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the constitution (Qualifying only) 300 B English (Qualifying Only) 300 1 Essay 250 2 General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) 250 3 General Studies –II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) 250 4 General Studies –III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) 250 5 General Studies –IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) 250 6 Optional Subject - Paper 1 250 7 Optional Subject - Paper 2 250

What qualities are tested in IAS Interview?

In the IAS interview test, candidates will be judged on different skills mentioned below: Mental Alertness Critical Powers of Assimilation Clear and Logical Exposition Balance of Judgement Variety and Depth of Interest Ability for Social Cohesion and Leadership Intellectual and Moral Integrity The above information is taken from the official notification and mentioned by the Union Public Service Commission.

How many papers are there in the IAS prelims exam?

The IAS prelims exam is an objective type exam. The IAS prelims is conducted offline and the candidates need to mark their answers on the answer sheet (OMR). There are two papers in the IAS prelims exam. The details of IAS prelims exam is given below: General Studies Paper 1 General Studies Paper 2 ( Aptitude Test) The Aptitude paper is qualifying only and the passing marks in the aptitude paper is 67.5 marks out of 200.

Does the syllabus of IAS change every year?

No, IAS syllabus is same in last few years and before changing the syllabus, the UPSC needs to take approval from the Ministry of Personnel and Training before changing the IAS syllabus. The candidates should prepare the UPSC IAS syllabus in its present form and do not fear the change that will be made in the syllabus because in any way, the topics prepared will be relevant to the IAS exam irrespective of any change in UPSC IAS syllabus.

What are the five fundamental subjects of IAS syllabus?

The candidates should prepare the five fundamental subjects as mentioned for the IAS prelims exam. These fundamental subjects are History Geography Economy Polity Current Affairs Environment issues General Science The candidates should also prepare the Environmental issues because they have gained more importance in the recent years.

How many vacancies were there in UPSC CSE IAS 2025 Exam?

The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC CSE notification 2025 on January 22, 2025. In the official notification, the Commission notified 979 vacancies for the UPSC CSE 2025 exam. But this is a tentative number and the final number of vacancies will be mentioned in the final Result of UPSC CSE 2025. The vacancies are generally increased in the final iteration.

Are the number of IAS and IPS vacancies fixed in the Civil Service Exam?

The candidates should note that the Union Public Service Commission does not provide service-wise vacancies in the official notification. The service-wise vacancies are published by the Ministry of Personnel on its official website. Following the past trends, the number of candidates recruited for the Indian Administrative Service is 180 and 150 candidates are recruited for the Indian Police Service. The number of vacancies for other services varies every year.

When will UPSC CSE (IAS) Notification 2026 be released?

The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) notification on January 14, 2026. With the release of official notification, the UPSC IAS Application form 2026 will also be activated for the candidates. The last date to apply online for the UPSC CSE (IAS) exam 2026 will be February 3, 2026. The Commission mentioned the UPSC notification release dates in its UPSC calendar 2026.

How can I download IAS notification PDF?

The candidates are suggested to download and read the official IAS notification pdf. The steps to download the IAS notification pdf are as follows: Go to the official website of UPSC - upsc.gov.in Click on the Civil Service notification 2026 link A new window will appear (on clicking above link) Click on the link for the Civil Service (IAS) 2026 notification pdf link given corresponding to the exam name Download and Save the IAS 2026 notification PDF. The IAS notification 2026 will be available on January 14, 2026.

Why IAS notification is important for candidates?

The candidates should read and understand all the information mentioned in the IAS notifcation to know whether they are eligible for the Civil Service Exam or not. The IAS notification is an important document because it will be the official document which will work as a ready recknoer for all information about the exam. In case of any judicial interpretation, the IAS notification will be deemed as the final official document.

Does IAS syllabus change every year?

No, the Union Public Service Commission does not change the IAS syllabus every year. The Commission is required to take the approval of the Ministry of Personnel before changing the syllabus of the IAS exam. So we can say that, the IAS syllabus does not change every year. The candidates need to read the Civil Service Exam Notification (IAS notification) as released by the Union Public Service Commission to know all the topics mentioned in the IAS syllabus.

What are the various posts that are recruited through the UPSC examination?

The UPSC examination recruits candidates for 24 different Civil Services posts through the Civil Service Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Some of the various posts that are recruited through the UPSC examination include: Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Indian Police Service (IPS) Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Indian Audit and Accounts Service Indian Civil Accounts Service Indian Corporate Law Service Indian Defence Accounts Service Indian Defence Estates Service Indian Information Service Indian Ordnance Factories Service Indian Postal Service Indian Railway Accounts Service Indian Railway Personnel Service Indian Railway Traffic Service Indian Trade Service Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services

UPSC IAS Notification 2026: Download UPSC IAS Notification PDF

178 Students Q&A

Updated on Sep 4, 2025 18:37 IST

By Rachit Kumar Saxena, Manager-Editorial

The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC Civil Service Exam Notification on January 14, 2026, to kick-start the Civil Service Exam Recruitment. The Civil Service Exam is popularly known as the IAS exam among candidates who aspire to become IAS officers. The UPSC CSE (IAS) notification is a meticulously designed document which provides all the important information about the exam. The candidates are suggested to read and download the UPSC IAS notification 2026 PDF for all the future reference. The Commission will conduct the UPSC IAS Exam 2026 on May 24.

With the release of official notification, the Commission will also activate the UPSC CSE (IAS) Application form. The last date to apply online for the UPSC 2026 exam will be February 3, 2026. The CSE (IAS) notification provides all the important information, such as eligibility conditions, age limit. educational qualification, syllabus, exam pattern and important dates. The candidates should note that the information provided in the official notification is deemed final in case of any litigation related to the exam. The UPSC notification remain valid till the declaration of final result and the limitation period as applicable under the Limitation Act.

Q: How to register for IAS application?

The candidates can see below the registration process for the UPSC IAS application form. The candidates can register for any exam on the official website - upsc.gov.in. The candidates can see below the steps to register for the IAS application:

Visit the official website of UPSC- upsconline.nic.in
Click on the Exam Notifications tab.
Click on Apply Online link.
Click on the link available for Civil Services Part-I registration.
Read the application form instructions carefully and click on Yes.
Fill the personal details as asked in the UPSC registration form.
Submit the personal details and verify the mobile number and email id.

Table of content

IAS Notification 2026
IAS 2025 Exam Dates & Schedule
IAS Vacancies 2026
IAS Eligibility 2026
IAS Application 2026
IAS Syllabus
IAS Exam Pattern
IAS Notification 2026 FAQs

IAS Notification 2026

IAS 2025 Exam Dates & Schedule

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of IAS 2025 exam

Dates	Past Exam Dates
22 Aug ' 25 - 31 Aug ' 25	IAS Main 2025 Exam Date
25 May ' 25	IAS Prelims 2025 Exam Date
13 May ' 25 - 25 May ' 25	IAS Prelims Admit Card 2025 Issue Date
View More Past Events (13)