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 stated 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 notification and prescribed 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.

Is there any deadline for registration for IAS exam?

The candidates need the UPSC registration number for fill the Civil Service application form. They are required to fill in the personal details in the registration form. The candidates need to upload their academic certificates on upsconline.nic.in.

What is the application fee for the IAS exam?

The Union Public Service Commission notify the IAS application fee in the Civil Service notification. The Commission will mention the following application fee in the following manner: Category Preliminary Exam Fee Mains Exam Fee General/ OBC INR 100 INR 200 Females/ SC/ ST/ Persons with Benchmark Disability Nil Nil

What are the five fundamental subjects of IAS syllabus?

The candidates must prepare the five fundamental subjects as notified for the IAS prelims exam. These are History, Geography, Economy, Polity, Current Affairs, General Science. The candidates should also prepare the Environmental issues too.

Are the IAS Prelims and Mains Syllabus same?

The UPSC IAS Prelims and Main exam syllabus is different. The candidates can say that the Prelims syllabus is a subset of the main because it is very vast and extesive.

How Many Vacancies are there in the UPSC IAS 2026 Exam?

The Union Public Service Commission released the Civil Service (IAS) notification 2026 on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission notified 933 vacancies (tentative) in the notification.

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.

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.

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.

How can I download IAS notification PDF?

The candidates can download the IAS notification pdf in the following manner: Go to upsc.gov.in. Click on the Civil Service notification 2026 link. A new window will appear. Follow the link for the Civil Service (IAS) 2026 notification pdf link given corresponding to the exam name. Download and Save the notification. The IAS notification 2026 is available here to be downloaded.

Is the UPSC CSE (IAS) Notification 2026 released?

Yes, the Union Public Service Commission has released the Civil Service (IAS) notification on February 4, 2026. The last date to apply online for the UPSC CSE (IAS) exam 2026 is February 27, 2026. The Commission extended the last date to apply online.

How Many Services Are there in the Civil Service Exam?

The Union Public Service Commission conduct the Civil Service Exam every year to recruit the candidates for the All India Services and Central Civil Services. There are around 25 Central Civil Services whose exam is combinedly conducted as Civil Service Exam.

Do the number of IAS vacancies changes every year?

No, the number of IAS vacancies is fixed to 180. Every year, the Commission recommend 180 candidates for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). In case of any change, the Commission will notify.

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.

What qualities are tested in IAS Interview?

In the IAS interview test, candidates will be judged on different skills stated 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 notification and prescribed by the Union Public Service Commission.

UPSC IAS Notification 2026 OUT: Check Civil Services Notification PDF

201 Students Q&A

Exam On - 24 May '26

Updated on Feb 4, 2026 17:36 IST

By Rachit Kumar Saxena, Manager-Editorial

The Union Public Service Commission has released the Civil Service (IAS) notification 2026 on its website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission notified 933 vacancies for the Civil Service Exam 2026. The candidates should note that the UPSC IAS application form has been activated with the notification. The last date to apply online for IAS exam 2026 will be February 24.

Though the notification has delayed by a fortnight, the Commission will conduct the UPSC IAS exam on May 24, 2026. The candidates should read the notification to know all the eligibility conditions mentioned for the exam. The Commission released all the important information such as eligibility, application correction dates, syllabus, pattern and the likes in the notification. The UPSC notification is a meticulously designed document which provides all the important information about the exam. The UPSC Civil Service (IAS) notification pdf 2026 is available here after its official release.

Table of contents

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

UPSC IAS Notification 2026

UPSC IAS 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of IAS 2026 exam

Dates	Upcoming Exam Dates
Nov ' 25 - Apr ' 26	UPSC IAS Main Result 2025 TENTATIVE
May ' 26	IAS Prelims Admit Card 2026 Issue Date TENTATIVE
24 May ' 26	IAS Prelims 2026 Exam Date

Dates	Past Exam Dates
04 Feb ' 26 - 24 Feb ' 26	UPSC IAS 2026 Application Dates
22 Aug ' 25 - 31 Aug ' 25	IAS Main 2025 Exam Date
25 May ' 25	IAS Prelims 2025 Exam Date
View More Past Events (14)