UPSC IAS Notification 2026: Download UPSC IAS Notification PDF
Indian Administrative Services 2025 ( IAS )
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.
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.
- 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
The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC IAS notification 2026 on January 14, 2026, on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The candidates are suggested to download the IAS notification PDF and internalise all the important points mentioned in the official notification because in case of variance from the official notification, the candidature of the candidates can be cancelled.
UPSC 2026 Notification PDF will be available here after its official release
IAS 2025 Notification PDF download
The UPSC releases the Civil Service IAS notification every year. The IAS notification 2025 pdf is available here. The candidates can download the IAS notification 2025 here for reference purposes.
Download Here: IAS 2025 Notification PDF
IAS 2026 Highlights
The candidates can see here the IAS exam highlights below
| UPSC IAS Exam 2026 Highlights | |
|---|---|
| Exam name |
Civil Service Exam (CSE), 2026 |
| Conducting body |
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam Purpose |
To recruit the candidates for All India and Central Civil Services |
| Exam level |
National |
| IAS 2025 Application Start Date |
14-Jan-2026 |
| IAS 2025 Application End Date |
03-Feb-2026 |
| Exam Date |
24-May-2026 |
| Vacancies |
To be Notified |
| No. of applicants |
Approximately 10 lakh |
| No. of applicants who appeared in the exam |
Approximately 6.5 lakh |
| Exam frequency |
Once a year |
| Exam mode |
Offline - pen and paper mode |
| Exam stages |
Prelims (Qualifying Only) - 400 Marks Mains (written) - 1750 Marks Mains (Personality Test) - 275 Marks |
| Exam Duration |
Prelims - 2 hours for each paper Mains - 3 hours for each paper Personality Test - not fixed |
| Application fee(Prelims) |
INR 100 |
| Exam helpdesk no. |
011-23098543 / 23385271 / 23381125 / 23098591 |
| Official website |
https://www.upsc.gov.in/ |
The above dates are tentative and can be changed with prior notice on the official website - upsc.gov.in.
UPSC CSE (IAS) Notification 2026
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
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.
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 |
IAS Vacancies 2026
The UPSC CSE (IAS) vacancies is the most anticipated component of the IAS notification. The UPSC vacancies has the profound effect on the UPSC CSE (IAS) Cutoff of every stage. Th eUPSC 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 number of IAS officers recruited every year is around 180 and the number of IPS vacancies was also increased to 200 last year. The candidates can see here the IAS vacancies in recent years.
| IAS Exam Year | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| 2026 | To be notified |
| 2025 | 979 |
| 2024 | 1,056 |
| 2023 | 1,105 |
| 2022 | 1,022 |
| 2021 | 712 |
| 2020 | 836 |
| 2019 | 927 |
| 2018 | 812 |
The Commission can increase the number of vacancies before the final result.
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
IAS Eligibility 2026
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 will specify 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
The IAS eligibility 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 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:
| Category |
Age Relaxation (in years) |
|---|---|
| SC/ ST |
5 |
| OBC |
3 |
| Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof |
3 |
| Ex-servicemen including commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years of military service as on August 1, 2022, and have been released |
5 |
| PwD [(a) blindness and low vision; (b) deaf and hard of hearing; (c) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; (d) autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; and (e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness] |
10 |
IAS Application 2026
The UPSC will activate the Civil Service (IAS) application online link with the release of the official notification on January 14, 2026. The candidate will be required to open and fill and timely submit the 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 the official website of UPSC - 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
- Submit the application fee
- Submit the IAS application 2026
The Commission provisionally accepted the applications but it will remain provisional till the recommendation process.
IAS Syllabus
IAS syllabus was notified in the official 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.
Commonly asked questions
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.
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.
IAS Exam Pattern
The candidates can see that the 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 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.
| Paper |
Questions |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Studies Paper- I |
100 |
200 |
| General Studies Paper-II (Aptitude Test) |
80 |
200 |
| Total |
400 |
|
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 scored in the aptitude paper is not considered for the IAS prelims exam merit.
Commonly asked questions
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 |
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.
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.
IAS Notification 2026 FAQs
The candidates can see here important questions for IAS 2026 notification.
Commonly asked questions
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.
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
IAS Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the UPSC Civil Service (prelims) exam on May 24, 2026. The exam will be conducted in two sessions and the General Studies Paper 2 will be qualifying only.
M
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 weeks ago
The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC IAS 2026 notification on January 14 on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission will also activate the UPSC CSE (IAS) 2026 online application link on its website. The last date for the UPSC IAS application form is February 3, 2026.
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
The candidates should analyse the UPSC CSE previous year question papers to know the trend of the most asked topics. The Commission releases the UPSC question paper on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The candidates can get the UPSC question paper of previous year here. The candidates can downloa
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
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 wil
M
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
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
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the UPSC CSE (IAS) Main exam (written) from August 22 to 31, 2025. The Commission will conduct the UPSC IAS main exam in offline mode at the designated exam centres. The candidates are informed about their exam centre through their UPSC admit card.
T
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
Yes, the Union Public Service Commission has released the UPSC CSE (IAS) Main exam admit card 2025 on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The candidates are required to log in with their UPSC OTR and password. The UPSC CSE admit card will inform the candidate about their UPSC exam centre.
The UPSC IA
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
The Union Public Service Commission has released the UPSC CSE (IAS) main admit card 2025 on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission released the admit card for the candidates to download. The candidates are required to download the admit card from the official website by logging in with t
Contributor-Level 9
Answered a month ago
The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC CSE (IAS) Prelims cutoff 2024 after the declaration of final result. The candidates can see below the UPSC IAS Prelims Cutoff 2024
Category | IAS Prelims Cut off 2024 |
|---|---|
General | 87.98 |
EWS | 85.92 |
OBC | 87.28 |
SC | 79.03 |
ST | 74.23 |
PwBD1 | 69.42 |
PwBD2 | 65.30 |
PwBD3 | 40.56 |
PwBD5 | 40.56 |
Shiksha.com had predicted the UPSC CSE cutoff most accurately in some cases.
V
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
The UPSC CSE (IAS) exam result 2024-25 was released on June 11. The Commission released the final UPSC CSE (IAS) 2024 cutoff for all the categories and stages of exam. The Commission released the UPSC Cutoff 2025 for all the stages of exam as given below:
| Category | CS (Prelim)* | CS (Main)# | CS (Final) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 87.98 | 729 | 947 |
| EWS | 85.92 | 696 | 917 |
| OBC | 87.28 | 702 | 910 |
| SC | 79.03 | 685 | 880 |
| ST | 74.23 | 684 | 884 |
| PwBD-1 | 69.42 | 663 | 876 |
| PwBD-2 | 65.30 | 696 | 913 |
| PwBD-3 | 40.56 | 307 | 701 |
| PwBD-5 | 40.56 | 361 | 461 |
M
Beginner-Level 5
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