UPSC IAS Notification 2026 OUT: Check Civil Services Notification PDF

The Union Public Service Commission has released the Civil Service (IAS) notification on upsc.gov.in. The candidates must read, understand and confirm to the eligibility conditions mentioned by the Commission. In case of any variation from the given eligibility criteria, the candidature of the caniddate can be cancelled. The candidates are suggested to download the IAS notification PDF for future reference.

Download Here: UPSC 2026 Notification PDF

IAS 2026 Highlights

The candidates can see here the UPSC IAS exam highlights below

The above dates are tentative and can be changed with prior notice on upsc.gov.in.

UPSC CSE (IAS) Notification 2026

The UPSC has notified 933 vacancies for the Civil Service 2026 exam. The service-wise vacancies will be released later. The number of vacancies for IAS will be 180 and for IPS it will be 150. The vacancies impact the IAS Cutoff at every stage.The UPSC vacancies play an important roll in the cutoff for the exam because both are inversely proportional to each other. 

UPSC CSE Vacancies (Over the Years)

The Commission notified 979 IAS vacancies for the IAS 2025 exam. The number of vacancies serves as a motivation factor for the candidates and in turn increases the number of applications in the exam. The Union Public Service Commission can change the number of vacancies through the official notice.

The number of IAS vacancies decreased this year. It can be attributed to the Government’s impetus to recruit more candidates for the Central Ministries and departments. The candidates can see here the UPSC vacancies in recent years.

The Commission can increase the number of vacancies before the final result.

The Union Public Service Commission is required to take the approval of the Ministry of Personnel in proposing any change in the UPSC Notification. The IAS notification 2026 specified the eligibility criteria for the Civil Service Exam 2026. The UPSC mentions all the IAS eligibility conditions in the official notification. IAS eligibility has the following factors:

• Age limit
• Educational Qualification
• Number of Attempts
• Exemptions provided to reserved category candidates

It is one of the most important factors for the candidates because they will be required to fulfil all the conditions mentioned in the IAS notification. This will be checked at the time of IAS interview and in case of any variance, the candidature of the candidate will be cancelled, irrespective of their result. The physical verification of all the documents is done at the time of the IAS personality test. The candidates can see the IAS eligibility 2026.

Age Limit for IAS 2026

Most of the IAS aspirants wait eagerly for the Civil Service notification to know whether the age limit for IAS exam is reduced or remains the same. The age limit is an important factor because of the limited number of attempts permitted in the UPSC IAS Exam. There is a proposal under consideration to reduce the upper age limit for UPSC IAS exam. This proposal was circulated based on various committees' recommendations. But as of now, the lower age limit for IAS exam is 21 years and the upper age limit is 32 years and relaxations in the upper age limit are also provided to the candidates belonging to the reserved categories. The age of the candidate will be counted from August 1, 2026.

Age Relaxation Provided in IAS 2026

The Commission provides the following relaxations in the age limit:

The UPSC activated the Civil Service (IAS) application online link with notification. The candidate are required to open, fill and timely submit UPSC CSE (IAS) form 2026. 

How to Apply for UPSC IAS 2026 Exam?

UPSC started the one-time registration for the candidates so that they can register once and apply for as many exams where they fulfil the eligibility conditions. The candidates can see here the steps to apply online for the exam

• Go to upsc.gov.in
• Click on the Apply online link given at the right side corner
• The new website - https://upsconline.nic.in/upsc/OTRP/index.php 
• Login with the registration number and password
• Enter the following details
• Photo Identity Card type
• Photo Identity Card Number
• Examination Centre
• Upload the scanned images of photo identity proof, Photograph and signature
• Pay the application fee 
• Submit the IAS application 2026

The Commission provisionally accepted the applications but it will remain provisional till the recommendation process.

The UPSC notified the official syllabus in the Civil Service advertisement. The Commission mention the syllabus for prelims and main exam separately but it is advised that the candidates prepare the IAS syllabus in an integrated manner. The candidates can see below the IAS prelims syllabus.

IAS Syllabus for Prelims

The Commission mention the names of the topics in the IAS prelims syllabus. The candidates should understand that there is no limit for the expansion of the topic. They should prepare all the aspects of the topics. The candidates can see below the IAS prelims syllabus topics below:

• Current events of national and international importance (Current Affairs)
• History of India and Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
• Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc
• Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc
• General issues on environmental ecology, bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization
• General Science

The candidates can see here the details about the IAS syllabus.

The candidates can see that the UPSC IAS exam pattern has not changed for years. The Commission is following the same pattern and for making any change, the Commission is required to take approval of the Ministry of Personal. The candidates can see here the UPSC IAS exam pattern.

IAS Exam Pattern - Prelims exam

The IAS prelims exam is an objective type exam conducted offline. The candidates are required to mark the correct answer in the OMR sheet provided by the Commission. The exam is conducted in two shifts as per the pattern notified in the official IAS notification. 

In addition to above the candidates should note that there is a negative marking of one by three for each incorrect answer. The General Studies paper -2 is qualifying only and the candidates need to score only 33 per cent marks in it. The marks secured in the aptitude paper is not considered for the IAS prelims exam merit. 

The candidates can see here important questions for IAS 2026 notification.