How can I check IAS result?

The Union Public Service Commission releases the UPSC IAS result online on upsc.gov.in. The candidates can see below the steps to check their IAS result: Visit the official website of UPSC at upsc.gov.in. Go to the "What's New" section and click on the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) exam result link. Click on the "Civil Services Result" link that appears. Search for your roll number in the UPSC Result PDF. Download the UPSC IAS result PDF for future reference

Which details are required to check IAS result?

The Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS result online only. One copy of the result is posted on the notice board at the UPSC building, Dholpur house, New Delhi. The candidates are required to check the IAS result through their login credentials. The candidates are required to login with their credentials such as registration number and password. In case the registration is forgotton, the candidates will be required to retrieve their password.

How Many Candidates Selected in UPSC IAS (Main) Result 2025?

The Union Public Service Commission released the Civil Service (IAS) Main result 2025 on its portal - upsc.gov.in. The Commission selected 2,736 candidates for the interview stage.

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.

Was the UPSC IAS Notification 2026 Postponed?

Yes, the UPSC IAS Notification 2026 was postponed due to administrative reasons. The Commission had released the notification on its official website - upsc.gov.in on February 4, 2026. The last date to apply online for the Civil Service (IAS) exam was February 27.

What is Civil Service Exam?

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a national competitive exam in India. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the CSE to recruit candidates for various civil services of the Government of India. The CSE is also known as the "IAS exam". The CSE is the toughest competitive exam in India. Only a few thousand students can successfully clear the exam out of Lacs of aspirants.

How the Civil Service Exam is conducted?

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is conducted in three phases: Prelims, Mains, Interview. The preliminary exam consists of two papers: General Studies I Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) The CSAT paper is qualifying in nature, while marks in GS I will decide whether a candidate is eligible to appear for the UPSC Mains exam. The exam window extends over a year (from June month of a year to June month next year when the results are announced). Candidates who clear the prelims can appear in the second stage, i.e. Mains. Candidates who clear Mains are called for the Interview rounds.

When will UPSC IAS Prelims 2026 be conducted?

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.

What is the 7/5/3 rule in UPSC IAS Main exam?

The candidates should note that the UPSC IAS Main exam is a descriptive exam, where they need to write the essay type conventional answers in the Question-Cum Answer Sheet. 7 minutes, using 5 key points, and elaborating each point from 3 dimensions is the full description of 7/5/3 rule.

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.

What are the minimum marks required to become an IAS?

The candidates should note that there is no minimum marks that can be ascretained for the IAS. The final UPSC merit list is based on the marks secured in the main (written) and personlaity test condcuted at Dholpur House, UPSC. The Commission arrange the candidates in the order of their merit and select top candidates for the Indian Administrative Service if they have opted for it as their first choice. The minimum marks for IAS cannot be asertained as the cutoff for each year differs from year to year.

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.

How many subjects are in the IAS exam?

The Union Public Service Commission's main (written) examination comprises nine papers. Union Public Service Commission includes two qualifying papers and seven papers which will be calculated for ranking. However, according to the updated syllabus of the Indian Administrative Service exam: History of India, History of World, Art and Culture, Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity, Governance, Economics, Social Development, Environment, General Science, General mental ability, and Reasoning. Other than these subjects, there are around 25 degree subjects and 23 literature language subjects from which to select your optional subjects for the Indian Administrative Service main stage. For more details, You may visit the Shiksha IAS exam page. (https://www.shiksha.com/exams/ias-exam). I hope this will help you.

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.

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

Who is the Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Police Service?

The Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Police Service is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It comes directly under the supervision of Home Minister of India.

Who is the Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Foreign Service?

The Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Foreign Service is the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It is recruited through the Civil Service Exam.

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.

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.

What is IAS Prelims Cutoff?

The IAS prelims cutoff means the minimum marks required to clear the prelims exam in the category of the candidate. The Union Public Service Commission conduct the IAS prelims exam to filter the candidates and limit the numbers for the main (written) exam. The Commission conduct the prelims in offline mode.

What was the UPSC IAS Cutoff 2024-25?

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

What is the IAS Main (written) Cutoff?

The Union Public Service Commission conduct the Civil Service (IAS) main (written) exam offline in pen and paper mode. This exam is a descriptive type exam where the candidates are required to breach this cutoff score to get a call for the interview phase.

Is there any Sectional Cutoff in the IAS Prelims Exam?

The IAS Prelims exam is conducted offline in the pen and paper mode. There is no sectional cutoff in the IAS prelims exam because the number of questions from a section is not fixed and they vary year to year.

How many attempts are allowed for the IAS Prelims Exam?

The candidates should note that the Union Public Service Commission conduct the Civil Service Exam every year. The Commission releases the official notification every year which mention all the eligibility criteria for all the categories separately. The number of attempts is also one such criteria which is defined based on the category of the candidate. The Commission mention the pemissible number of attempts in the following manner: Category Number of Attempts (Allowed) General/Economically Weaker Section (EWS) 6 Other Backward Classes 9 SC/ST Unlimited - till the age limit Person with Disabilities Unlimited - till the age limit

Will the IAS Exam 2026 Analysis video be available here?

Yes, the Shiksha.com will bring the IAS exam analysis done by the candidates who appeared in the exam. The candidates will share their first hand experience with us. The aspiring candidates can see the exam analysis and anticipate the difficult level of the question paper. The candidates will also anticipate the IAS prelims cutoff after the first shift since the Aptitude paper is qualifying only.

How many attempts (of questions) is considered good in the UPSC CSE (IAS) prelims exam?

There is no objective answer to this question. It depends on various factors which are beyond the control of the candidates. Every year is different and so the UPSC Prelims question paper. The Commission does not mention the weightage to any section and can ask any number of questions from any section. This is the reason, the candidates find it difficult to predict the questions and the difficulty level is also a subjective factor. None the less, we can say Good attempts vary by subject. For instance, in the General Studies Paper I, good attempts might be: Geography: 10-13 questions History: 8-12 questions Polity: 9-11 questions Environment: 6-10 questions Provided that the candidates is able to answer the above questions correctly.

How many exam centres are there in IAS prelims exam?

The Union Public Service Commission mention the number and names of the exam cities in the official notification. The UPSC IAS Notification 2026 has been released at upsc.gov.in. The IAS prelims exam is conducted offline simultaneously across the nation. The candidates are required to opt for three exam centres in the IAS application and the Commission allots the exam centre on first apply first allot basis.

How long is the IAS selection process?

IAS selection process takes more than one year to complete. The official IAS notification 2026 has been postponed and will be released soon at upsc.gov.in. The Civil Service result 2026 (final) will be declared in May 2027. The Commission conduct the exam in offline mode and the candidates are required to appear and clear all the stages of IAS selection process. There are three stages in the IAS selection process. These are IAS prelims IAS main (written) IAS main (personality test)

How many stages are there in IAS selection process?

There are three stages in the IAS selection process namely IAS prelims IAS main (written) IAS main (personality test)

Which rank is required to get Indian Administrative Service, IAS in the UPSC result?

Every year, 180 candidates are recruited for the IAS. The candidate from each category is assigned to the IAS according to the rank in their respective category. The General Category candidate under rank 100 can expect to get an IAS. For other categories, it is difficult to ascertain a rank for getting the IAS but for the OBC, if the candidate secures under 150 rank, he or she can get the IAS easily.

How many stages are there in the UPSC Civil Service Exam?

The Union Public Service Commission mentioned the UPSC CSE (IAS) selection process in the official notification. The Commission notified three stages for the Civil Service Exam: Prelims Exam Mains (writtern) exam Mains Interview

What is the last date to apply for UPSC IAS 2026 exam?

The last date to apply for the UPSC IAS 2026 exam was February 27, 2026. The Commission released the IAS 2026 notification on February 04, 2026.

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.

How many days are provided to fill out the IAS application form?

The Union Public Service Commission provides only 23 days to fill the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) application form online. The UPSC IAS 2026 notification was released at upsc.gov.in.The last date to fill the online applications was February 27, 2026.

What is registration process for IAS exam?

The Union Public Service Commission introduced the Universal Registration Number (URN) process for all exams. The URN is a common regisration for all the applications where the candidates fill out registration one time only and these personal details are re-used for the application. The URN is common to all exam application. The candidates can take the registration number anytime irrespective of any active application.

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.

Is the UPSC IAS Prelims exam qualifying only?

The UPSC Civil Service Exam Notification mention that the Civil Service Prelims exam is qualifying only. The UPSC IAS prelims exam is a MCQ based exam conducted offline at the designated exam centre. The marks scored in the UPSC prelims exam is not considered for the final selected process. The prelims exam was introduced to filtering of candidates and restricting the number of candidates for the main exam.

What is the number of vacancies in the UPSC IAS Exam 2026?

The Union Public Service Commission notified 933 UPSC Civil Service vacancies in the official notification. The number of vacancies for IAS is 180 and for IPS it is 150. Rest of the vacancies are notified for the Central Civil Services.

How many IAS are selected every year in the UPSC result?

The number of vacancies in the UPSC Civil Service Exam is declining with each passing year but the number of IAS officer recruited every year remain steady at 180. The number of such recruitment is based on the Baswan Committee recommendation which recommended recruiting 180 IAS officers every year to fill the gap between the required numbers and actual recruitment.

What is the upper age limit to apply for UPSC IAS exam 2026?

The Union Public Service Commission mention the age limit in the official notification. The upper age limit for the General Categoary candidates is 32 years. The Commission provides age relaxation to certain reserved categories.

Which degree is best suited to apply for the IAS exam 2026?

There is no specific degree that best suits the IAS exam. Five compulsory papers are common to all candidates. Besides this, the candidates need to appear in two papers on one optional subject. The list of the subjects is given in the IAS Syllabus section of the UPSC notification. The candidates can opt for any optional subject irrespective of their subject in their graduation. Moreover, the UPPSC has done away with the optional subject in the main exam may be UPSC will also follow suit and remove the optional subject from the IAS main exam.

Has UPSC reduced the CSE(IAS) age limit for 2026 exam?

The Union Public Service Commission has not reduced the age limit to apply for the UPSC IAS exam 2026. The Commission requires the approval of the Ministry of Personnel in changing the eligibility for the exam.

What is the process and criteria to apply for IAS exam after 12th?

The candidates should note that the minimum qualification to apply for the UPSC Civil Service (IAS ) exam is a Graduate degree in any discipline. There is no way to apply for the UPSC IAS exam after 12. The candidates can start preparing for the UPSC CSE(IAS) exam after class 12 to score better when they appear in the Civil Service Exam. The preparation will help them in clearing the IAS Exam.

How can I download UPSC IAS answer key?

The Union Public Service Commission release the IAS prelims answer key after the declaration of final result. It implies that the Civil Service prelims answer key is released next year of the prelims exam. The candidates can download the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) answer key in the follwing manner: Visit the official website of UPSC-upsc.gov.in Click on the Examination tab, a dropdown list will appear Click on the Answer Key button Click on the Download button of the exam for which answer key needs to be seen.

Is there any Minimum Qualifying Marks in the IAS Prelims General Studies Paper?

No, the Commission do not mention any Minimum Qualifying Marks for the General Studies Paper 1. But there is a criteria of Minimum 33 % for the General Studies Paper 2 (Aptitude) paper.

How many questions were dropped from UPSC CSE (IAS) 2024 Prelims Exam?

The Union Public Service Commission dropped 3 (three) questions from the UPSC Civil Service Prelims (CSP) exam 2024. The marks of the candidates were assigned marks from 97 questions only. The candidates should check their answers from the official answer key and compare them with the cutoff mentioned in the official UPSC CSP cutoff 2024. In case their marks are more than their category cutoff. they should send representation against the prelims and final UPSC result 2024.

When will UPSC IAS Answer Key 2026 be released?

The Union Public Service Commission will release the IAS Prelims Answer Key 2026 in May 2027. The Commission releases the official answer key after the declaration of final result.

What details are mentioned on IAS admit card?

The Union Public Service Commission mention the following details on the Civil Service IAS admit card. Name Roll Number Photo Identity Card Father's Name Mother's Name Centre Venue of Examination Time Table of Exam.

What to do in Case of a Discrepancy in the UPSC IAS Admit Card 2025?

The candidates should check all the personal details mentioned on the UPSC admit card. The candidates must compare it with their UPSC application form. In case of a difference in details, the candidate should immediately contact the Union Public Service Commission. The details of the contact are given below: Union Public Service Commission Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi 110069.

Which types of Photo-Identity proofs are required with UPSC Admit Card?

The candidates will be required to carry the same photo identity proof whose number was mentioned in the UPSC application form. The candidates will be required to produce the same at the time of examination because its number will be mentioned on the UPSC admit card. The following identity proofs are mentioned as valid identity proofs Aadhar Card PAN Card Voter-ID Card Driving Licence Passport Identity Card issued by any Government Authority.

UPSC IAS Exam 2026: Application Dates Extended, Vacancies, Eligibility, Dates, Syllabus, Pattern & FAQs

Q: When will UPSC IAS Result 2026 for Prelims be released?

The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the IAS prelims exam on May 24, 2026. The Commission will release the IAS prelims result 2026 in the first week of June.

IAS Prelims 2026 Exam Date

24 May '26

Updated on Feb 24, 2026 19:55 IST

By Rachit Kumar Saxena, Manager-Editorial

Overview

UPSC IAS Application Dates Extended: The Union Public Service Commission extended the Civil Service Exam 2026 applications by three days. The Commission extended the UPSC IAS application dates to February 27, 2026. The candidates will be required to apply online on its official website - upsconline.nic.in. The candidates will be required to login with their UPSC One Time Registration Number and password.

The Commission will conduct the IAS exam 2026 on May 24. The last date for UPSC CSE (IAS) applications was February 27, 2026.The Commission notified 933 vacancies for the CSE 2026. The UPSC IAS notification was delayed by a fortnight but the Commission will conduct UPSC CSE Prelims exam on May 24 as notified in UPSC exam calendar. The Commisison notified the number of vacancies, important dates, eligibility, syllabus, exam pattern and other important guidelines to fill the UPSC IAS applications. The Commission has started the face detection system at the examination centre, hence it will be very important that the candidates do the face image uploading diligently during the application process.

The UPSC is conducting the face to face interview at UPSC Bhawan, Dholpur House in New Delhi in a phase-wise manner.

Latest Update:

UPSC CSE (IAS) Notification 2026 released

Table of contents

UPSC IAS Application Form & Notification 2026
UPSC IAS 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
What is Civil Service (IAS) Exam?
IAS Eligibility 2026
UPSC IAS 2026 Vacancies
UPSC IAS Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026
Services in Civil Services (IAS) Exam
IAS 2026 Selection Process
UPSC CSE (IAS) Result 2026
UPSC CSE (IAS) Admit Card 2026
UPSC CSE (IAS) Exam Analysis 2026
UPSC IAS Preparation 2026
UPSC CSE (IAS) Answer Key
IAS Cutoff
UPSC IAS 2026 FAQs

UPSC IAS Application Form & Notification 2026

The Union Public Service Commission has released the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) application form with the notification. The candidates can apply online for the Civil Service Exam (CSE). The candidates must read the official notification before applying for the exam. The Commission has started the real-time face image uploading during the IAS application filling process. The Commission also introduced automatic face detection at the examination centre. The UPSC Civil Service 2026 online application form link will be activated with the release of the official notification. The last date to apply online will be revised to February 27, 2026.

Scanned Image Specification for IAS 2026 Application

The candidates can see here the specifications for the scanned images which were uploaded for the application

Document

Dimensions

Format, Size & Bit Depth

Photo

Minimum: 350 pixels (Width) X 350 pixels (Height)

Maximum: 1000 pixels (Width) X 1000 pixels (Height)

Format: JPG

Size: 20 KB - 300 KB

Bit Depth: 24

Signature

Minimum: 350 pixels (Width) X 350 pixels (Height)

Maximum: 1000 pixels (Width) X 1000 pixels (Height)

Format: JPG

Size: 20 KB - 300 KB

Bit Depth: 24

Photo ID card

Format: PDF

Size: 20 KB - 300 KB

Bit Depth: NA

In Addition to above, the candidates will be required to capture their face image during the application process.

How to fill the IAS 2026 Application Form?

The candidates will be required to register at the official website of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The candidates can check here the steps to fill the UPSC IAS 2026 application process:

The candidates will be required log in at upsconline.nic.in

After login, the candidates will get the application dashboard showing all the active and previous applications

The candidates need to click on the apply button given for the CSE 2026

The IAS 2026 online application will appear on the screen where most of the details will be prefilled

The candidates will be required to fill in the following details

Educational Qualification
Exam Centre
Photo Identity Card Type
Photo Identity Card Number

After the above details, the candidates will be required to upload the scanned images of their

Passport size photograph
Signature
Photo Identity Card

The candidates will be required to carry the above-uploaded identity card to the exam centre.

After the details, the candidates were required to submit the application fee as mentioned for their category.

IAS 2026 Application Fee

The details of the category-wise IAS application fee are as follows.

Category	Preliminary Exam Fee	Mains Exam Fee
General/ EWS/OBC	INR 100	INR 200
Females/ SC/ ST/ Persons with Benchmark Disability	Nil	Nil

The Commission provides the above-said exemption to the mentioned categories.

UPSC IAS Notification 2026

The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC IAS 2026 notification on upsc.gov.in. The candidates are suggested to download the UPSC notification 2026 PDF for future reference because the official notification is the ready reckoner for all the information related to the Civil Service Exam 2026.

Download here UPSC IAS notification 2026 PDF

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)

What is Civil Service (IAS) Exam?

The Union Public Service Commission conduct the Civil Service Exam every year to recruit the candidates for the All India and Central Civil Services. UPSC recruits the candidates for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Central Civil Service through this exam. All the ministries and the departments in the union and state governments are headed by the IAS officers which makes this exam the most prestigious one in the nation. There are three All India Services and over twenty five Central Civil Services in India. The topper of UPSC exam has the opportunity to become the Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India. It is the highest bureaucratic position one person can have in India.

UPSC IAS 2026 Exam Highlights

The candidates can see here the important details related to UPSC IAS exam

UPSC CSE (IAS) 2026 Highlights
Exam name	IAS Exam 2026
Conducting body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Purpose	To recruit the candidates for All India Services and Central Civil Services
Exam level	National
Notification Date	14-Jan-2026 04-Feb-2026
Last Date to Apply Online	03-Feb-2026 24-Feb-2026
IAS 2026 Prelims Exam	24-May-2026
UPSC CSE (IAS) Main Exam	21-Aug-2026 to 30-Aug-2026
UPSC Prelim Admit Card Release Date	01-May-2026 (Tentative)
Vacancies	933
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 (25 to 45 minutes)
Application fee(Prelims)	INR 100
Exam helpdesk no.	011-23098543 / 23385271 / 23381125 / 23098591
Official website	https://www.upsc.gov.in/

UPSC exam dates are very important for the candidates and other State Public Service Commissions because they cannot conduct any exam on this day, where the eligibility is a graduate. Merit-based Civil Service was first introduced in India in 1854. For this purpose, a Civil Service Commission was set up in 1854 in London and a competitive examination was conducted in 1855. This service was called Indian Civil Service (ICS) during that period. In 1922, the Indian Civil Service Examination was conducted in India for the first time in Allahabad. In India, the exam was conducted by the Federal Public Service Commission, but the ICS examination in London was conducted by the Civil Service Commission.

IAS Eligibility 2026

The Union Public Service Commission defines the eligibility criteria for the candidates in the notification. The candidates are required to confirm to these condition or else their candidature can be cancelled even after selection in the exam. IAS eligibility criteria 2026 is defined in the UPSC notification 2026 PDF. The eligibility criteria are defined based on the age limit, educational qualifications and the permitted in the Civil Service exam. Notification is the official source of all the rules and regulations that govern recruitment till its completion. The candidates need to read and understand all the eligibility conditions prescribed in the official notification and if they conform to IAS eligibility 2026 to ensure that they fulfil the criteria.

Nationality

For appointment in the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service (IPS), a candidate must be a citizen of India. For all other services, a candidate can either be a citizen of India or

A subject of Nepal/Bhutan
A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India
A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India

Note: Candidates who are subjects of Nepal/ Bhutan or Tibetan refugees are not eligible to apply for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Educational Qualifications for IAS

Candidates must hold a Graduate degree in any stream from any university established under the act passed by the Parliament of India or the State legislature. Candidates who are in the last year of graduation and awaiting results are also eligible to apply for IAS preliminary exam. However, such candidates need to submit proof of passing the requisite exam at the time of applying for the Main exam. There is no minimum percentage required in the graduate degree. It implies that any graduate irrespective of the percentage can apply for the exam.

IAS Age Limit

UPSC prescribes the age limit for IAS exam in the official Civil Service notification. The prescribed age limit for the Civil Service exam is mentioned below.

Age on 01-Aug-2026 (in years)
Minimum Age Limit	21
Maximum Age Limit	32

The above age criteria were mentioned for the unreserved category. The candidates can see the age limit for the reserved category candidates as prescribed in the official notification.

Age Limit Relaxations for IAS 2026

There is also age relaxation of some years for reserved category candidates:

Category	Age Relaxation (in years)	Upper Age Limit (in years)
SC/ ST	5	37
OBC	3	35
Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof	3	35
Ex-servicemen including commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years of military service as on August 1, 2026, and have been released	5	27
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	42

No age relaxation was provided to the Economically Weaker Sections in the UPSC Civil Services (IAS) Exam 2026.

IAS Exam Attempts Allowed

All candidates are allowed to have six attempts in the UPSC exam. However, it may be noted that the restriction of the number of attempts is not applicable for candidates belonging to SC/ST category. Also, candidates belonging to OBC and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities categories are allowed a maximum of nine attempts in the exam.

If a candidate appears in any one paper of the IAS prelims exam, then it is deemed that s/he has made an attempt in the UPSC IAS exam.

Category	Number of Attempts (Allowed)
General/Economically Weaker Section(EWS)	6
Other Backward Classes (OBC)	9
SC/ST	Till the age limit
Person with Disabilities (PwD)	Till the age limit

UPSC IAS 2026 Vacancies

The Union Public Service Commission has notified 933 vacancies for the Civil Service Exam 2026. The Commission did not mention the service-wise vacancies in notification. The candidates should note that the number of vacancies for the IAS will be 180 and for the IPS will be 150. The IAS vacancies impact the IAS cutoff at every stage. The Commission will release the IAS cutoff for 2026 after the declaration of the final result.

Previous Years Vacancies

The candidates can see here the previous year's vacancies as notified by the Commission.

IAS Exam	Vacancies
2025	979
2024	1056
2023	1,105
2022	1,022 (Revised)
2021	712
2020	836
2019	927

The service-wise vacancies will be notified by the Ministry of Personnel.

UPSC IAS Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2026

The UPSC syllabus has no limit since the Commission can ask anything from any topic and no one can question the UPSC about the depth of the topics. The Union Public Service Commission designs the IAS question paper in a way so that the standard of the question paper remains the same. The question break-up from the IAS topics is altered every year. There is nothing that can be termed as out of UPSC IAS syllabus. There is one common saying about the Civil Service syllabus "Everything under the Sun is IAS Syllabus".

IAS Syllabus 2026 - Prelims

The candidates can see here the IAS prelims syllabus as mentioned in the official notification.

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

With a thorough analysis and understanding of the IAS question papers and exam patterns, we can limit the UPSC syllabus to the relevant topics. Relevancy is the only criterion that can define the contours of the IAS syllabus. IAS prelims exam is the first stage of the selection process and is considered a hard nut to crack. IAS prelims syllabus is not given in an elaborate manner, only topics are given in the official syllabus. The candidates can see here the detailed IAS exam syllabus (main).

UPSC CSE IAS Exam Pattern 2026

The official notification mentions the exam pattern for all the stages separately. UPSC IAS exam pattern is not changed. UPSC requires the approval of the Ministry of Personnel before changing the exam pattern. The candidates can check the previous year's exam pattern to prepare well for the exam. The UPSC exam pattern plays a crucial role in the preparation because it helps in time management for the exam.

UPSC IAS Exam Pattern 2026 - Mains

The candidates can see here the UPSC IAS exam pattern for the upcoming exam.

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
Sub-Total (Written Test)		1750

The language papers are qualifyng only.

Services in Civil Services (IAS) Exam

There are three All-India Services (AIS) and various Central Civil Services for which recruitment is made through the Civil Services Exam. The AIS can be created only by an Act of Parliament but the Central Civil Services can be created by Government orders only. The candidates can see below the All India and Central Civil Services.

All India Services

Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Indian Police Service (IPS)
Indian Forest Service (IFoS)

Also Read: IAS vs IPS

Central Civil Services

Central Civil Services are the services that do not have the all-India orientation. They serve in their respective regions and departments.

Indian Foreign Services (IFS)	Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’	Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’	Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’	Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’
Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration)	Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’	Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’	Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'	Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’
Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’	Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’	Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A’
Indian Trade Service, Group 'A'	Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’	Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade).
Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group 'B'	Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’	Pondicherry Civil Service, Group 'B'
Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group 'B'
Indian Railway Management Service

Also Read : IPS Salary and Allowances

IAS 2026 Selection Process

The Union Public Service Commission will notify the Civil Service selection process in the notification. The official notification laid the IAS selection process in detail. The UPSC IAS exam is conducted in two stages – preliminary (objective-type paper) and main (descriptive paper and interview). UPSC IAS preliminary paper is conducted to select candidates for the main (written) exam. The IAS prelims exam is just a screening test. The IAS selection process is fully defined in the official UPSC notification. The stages of IAS exam are given below.

IAS notification
IAS application
IAS prelims exam
IAS prelims result
IAS Main (written)
IAS Main (personality test)
Medical Examination after a personality test

UPSC Civil Service's main exam, as the name suggests, is the most important phase of the UPSC IAS exam process. The marks of the IAS main exam are taken into consideration for the IAS final result. The final merit list for the UPSC Civil Services exam provides the ranks to the candidates. Based on these ranks, services are allotted to the candidates.

IAS Notification 2026

UPSC will release the official notification soon. The official advertisement notified the eligibility conditions, vacancies, recruitment rules, exam dates and other important aspects related to the exam such as the list of optional subjects in the Civil Service exam. In addition to the Civil Service exam notification, UPSC also releases the Civil Services exam conducting rules with the notification. The rules and procedures for IAS exam are provided in that notification.

IAS Application 2026

The last date to apply for the UPSC exam 2026 is February 24, 2026. The IAS form link will be activated after the notification.

IAS Prelims Exam

The IAS prelims exam 2026 will be conducted on May 24, 20256. The IAS prelims exam is a screening test that filters out and limits the number of candidates for the IAS main exam. The marks secured in the IAS prelims exam is not considered for the final merit list.

UPSC IAS Prelims Result

The IAS prelims result will be released online in the first/second week of June 2026. The UPSC prepares an IAS Prelims to answer key for the prelims exam but releases it only after the exam process is over. The Commission will release the IAS answer key after the completion of the exam process next year.

IAS Main DAF

The candidates, who clear the IAS prelims exam, need to fill out the Detailed Application Form (DAF) for the IAS main exam. The DAF is a very important document and plays a very important role in the IAS Interview and during the service allocation process. It is important because the candidates mention their service preference and state preference in this form only. Based on the information given in the DAF and the IAS vacancies, the services and the state cadres are allotted to the candidates after the IAS result.

IAS Main Exam

Candidates need to appear for the IAS mains exam as per the details mentioned on the admit card. IAS mains exam consists of a total of nine descriptive papers. Out of nine, two papers are qualifying in nature. The qualifying IAS question papers are General English and General Language papers. Apart from that, there are four general studies papers, one essay paper and two optional subject papers. The marks of each paper are as follows:

Sl.No.	Name of the Paper	Marks allotted
A	One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution	300 (qualifying only)
B	English	300 (qualifying only)
1	Essay	250
2	General Studies I	250
3	General Studies II	250
4	General Studies III	250
5	General Studies IV	250
6	Optional Subject Paper I	250
7	Optional Subject Paper I	250
IAS Main (written) total		1750
Personality Test (IAS Interview)		275
Total		2025

After the IAS main (written) exam, the candidates will be called for the IAS interview based on the IAS main (written) result. The UPSC interview will be conducted at the UPSC Bhawan, New Delhi.

IAS Personality Test

IAS personality test is the official name of the interview. The candidates who clear the IAS main exam will be called for the personality test. IAS personality test will be conducted at the UPSC office premises in New Delhi only. The candidates must prepare dedicatedly for the personality test because it can make or break the dream of becoming IAS. The candidates can see here the IAS interview preparation tips in detail.

Medical Examination after IAS Interview

Each candidate has to undergo a medical examination after the IAS personality test. There will be a Central Standing Medical Board (CSMB) which will examine the mental and physical status of the candidate based on which the service will be allocated. The UPSC has empanelled the below-given hospitals and the candidates are sent to these designated hospitals for IAS candidates' medical examinations. The list of hospitals is given below.

Safdarjung Hospital
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital
Sucheta Kriplani Hospital
Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital
B.R. Ambedkar Hospital
AIIMS, New Delhi

IAS 2026 Exam Centres

The number of IAS exam centres will be notified in the official notification. Last year, the exam was conducted in 79 exam cities across the nation. UPSC has added two more exam centres for the IAS Prelims Exam. The IAS mains exam is conducted in a total of 24 cities across India. The UPSC IAS exam centres for prelims and main exams are notified in the official UPSC notification every year.

UPSC CSE (IAS) Result 2026

DeskCalendar Result: Nov ' 25 - Apr ' 26

The UPSC will conduct the IAS prelims exam on May 24, 2026. The Commission will release the UPSC IAS result by June 10, 2026. The Commission will also release the final UPSC IAS result 2025 in April 2026.

The UPSC Civil Service Exam (IAS) main 2025 result was released in November. The Commission selected 2,736 candidates for the UPSC interview round. The candidates will be called to appear in the face-to-face interview at UPSC Bhawan, New Delhi.

Download Here UPSC Civil Service (IAS) main result 2025 PDF with Names

Download Here UPSC Civil Service (IAS) main result 2025 PDF with Roll Numbers

The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC IAS prelims result on its official website, mentioning the roll number and names of the candidates eligible for the main exam. The UPSC Result 2025 PDF is available here for the candidates.

Download Here - UPSC CSE (IAS) Prelims Result 2025 PDF (with Roll Numbers)

Download Here - UPSC CSE (IAS) Prelims Result 2025 PDF (with Names)

UPSC IAS Toppers List

The UPSC Toppers list has been released by the Commission on its official website - upsc.gov.in. Shakti Dubey topped the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 exam. The candidates can see below the details of other UPSC toppers

All India Rank	Roll Number	Name of the UPSC Toppers 2024
1	0240782	SHAKTI DUBEY
2	0101571	HARSHITA GOYAL
3	0867282	DONGRE ARCHIT PARAG
4	0108110	SHAH MARGI CHIRAG
5	0833621	AAKASH GARG
6	0818290	KOMAL PUNIA
7	6902167	AAYUSHI BANSAL
8	6613295	RAJ KRISHNA JHA
9	0849449	ADITYA VIKRAM AGARWAL
10	5400180	MAYANK TRIPATHI
11	8200949	ETTABOYINA SAI SHIVANI
12	5809367	ASHI SHARMA
13	5912548	HEMANT
14	0818331	ABHISHEK VASHISHTHA
15	1010403	BANNA VENKATESH
16	6907627	MADHAV AGARWAL
17	0810414	SANSKRITI TRIVEDY
18	2604936	SAUMYA MISHRA
19	0833456	VIBHOR BHARDWAJ
20	2200688	TRILOK SINGH

The candidates can see the success stories of these candidates soon.

UPSC CSE Toppers 2024 - Shakti Dubey

The candidates can see below the details of Shakti Dubey

The candidates can see above the details the UPSC Toppers.

UPSC IAS Tie-Resolution

The UPSC has notified new tie-breaking resolution rules for the UPSC IAS exam. These rules come into play when two or more candidates have the same marks in the UPSC IAS exam. The UPSC defined the resolution mechanism as follows.

1. If the marks secured by two or more candidates are the same in the aggregate total (out of 2025), the candidate who had secured more marks in the compulsory papers (Essay, GS I, GSII, GS III, GSIV) and the personality test (IAS interview) combined will be given preference over the others.

2. In case, the candidates are tied in the above situation also, the candidate who is older will be given preference over the younger one.

Also Read: UPSC tie-breaking rules

UPSC CSE (IAS) Admit Card 2026

DeskCalendar Admit Card: May ' 26

The Union Public Service Commission will release the Civil Service (IAS) admit card by May 1, 2026. The Commission will release the UPSC IAS admit card online only at upsc.gov.in. The candidates are required to download their UPSC e-admit card to appear in the exam. The UPSC admit card will be the official authority letter which permits the candidate to appear in the UPSC main exam. The candidates will get all the information about their exam centre from the admit card. The UPSC IAS exam will be held on May 24, 2026.

How to Download UPSC CSE (IAS) 2026 Admit Card?

The candidates can see below the steps to download IAS admit card 2026.

Visit the official website of UPSC (http://www.upsc.gov.in/).
Click on the Admit Card link available on the Home page of the website.
Read the instructions given on the page and click on the Yes button.
Select any of the given two options – By Registration ID or By Roll Number.
Enter registration ID and date of birth (if ‘By Registration ID’ is selected) or roll number and date of birth (if ‘By Roll Number’ is selected).
Click on the Submit button.
Download the IAS admit card

Check all the details mentioned in the IAS admit card and report in case of any discrepancies in the IAS admit card.

Direct Link to Download UPSC IAS admit card 2026 will be released in May

The candidates will be required to read the instructions and click on the declaration that they have read the instructions before moving to the downloading screen.

UPSC CSE (IAS) Exam Analysis 2026

The Union Public Service will conduct the IAS prelims exam on May 24, 2026. The candidates will get here the IAS Prelims exam analysis after the first session of exam. Till then the candidates can see below the UPSC IAS 2025 prelims exam analysis.

Subject (Section)	Number of Questions Asked	Difficulty Level
History	14	Moderate with Some Difficult Questions
Geography	23	Difficult
Indian Economy	13	Moderate to Difficult
Indian Polity	14	Moderate
General Science	12	Easy to Moderate
Current Events of National & International importance	24	Moderate to Difficult
Total	100	Moderate to Difficult

The candidates should note that the UPSC IAS exam analysis is important to know the frequently asked topics in the exam.

UPSC IAS Preparation 2026

The UPSC IAS preparation is guided by current affairs and its backlinks with the state General Studies topics. The current affairs section is the tip of the iceberg and the candidates need to prepare the background of the current events. IAS toppers and mentors suggest effectively preparing the current affairs to get a grip on the general studies topics. The candidates should plan for preparing the Current Affairs for UPSC IAS exam because it is the most important section in the UPSC exam. The CSE preparation is the interplay of current events of national and international importance and general studies topics. The Current Affairs syllabus is very vast and unique. There is a need to correlate the developing events with past experiences and government approaches towards an issue. The candidates can see here the steps involved in IAS preparation.

How to Start IAS Preparation?

The candidates can see here the video that can solve their questions regarding how to start IAS preparation.

UPSC CSE (IAS) Answer Key

The UPSC Prelims answer key 2025 will be available here for downloading purposes after its official debut. The candidates will get the answers to all the questions asked by the Commission in the UPSC 2025 prelims exam in the official answer key.

UPSC CSE (IAS) 2024 Answer Key

The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC IAS Answer key 2025 for the 2024 session. The Commission dropped three questions from the UPSC IAS Prelims exam 2024. The Union Public Service Commission dropped one question from the IAS Prelims question paper and only 99 questions were considered for scoring purposes. The Commission dropped question number 34 (SET A) of the General Studies paper. No question was dropped from the aptitude paper.

The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC 2025 answer key on its official website - upsc.gov.in after the declaration of final result (next year). The Commission will mention the official answers to the questions asked in the IAS prelims exam 2025 and the questions dropped from the IAS prelims exam. The UPSC prelims answer key 2024 will be released soon.

The Commission has released the UPSC answer key 2025 for the 2024 prelims exam. The candidates should note that the Commission dropped three (3) questions from the UPSC 2024 Prelims General Studies paper 1. The final scoring was done from 97 questions only. In the set A, the dropped questions are as follows

UPSC CSE 2024 Question Paper	SET A	SET B	SET C	SET D
Questions Dropped from Marking	Question No. 20 is dropped	Question No. 30 is dropped	Question No. 42 is dropped	Question No. 32 is dropped
	Question No. 52 is dropped	Question No. 82 is dropped	Question No. 47 is dropped	Question No. 37 is dropped
	Question No. 57 is dropped	Question No. 87 is dropped	Question No. 90 is dropped	Question No. 80 is dropped

The Commission did not drop any questions from the General Studies paper 2. The Commission released the UPSC answer key on its official website - upsc.gov.in.

UPSC CSE (IAS) Question Paper

The Commission releases the IAS question paper on the same day of the exam. It is one of the critical and important components in IAS preparation. IAS question paper provides a clear outline of the syllabus and works as an eye-opener for the IAS aspirants. The candidates should practise with the previous years' question papers of IAS so that they can tackle the actual question paper in a better way.

How to download IAS Question Paper?

The candidates can check here the steps to download IAS question papers:

Go to the official website of UPSC - upsc.gov.in
Click on the Examination tab given in the top navigation
Select the previous year question paper from the list

A new page will appear, click on the Civil Service Exam Click on the IAS question paper link to download

IAS Cutoff

The Union Public Service Commission release the IAS cutoff for all the stages after the declaration of final result. The candidates can only anticipate the exam cutoff based on the difficulty level of the paper.

The candidates can see below the expected cutoff for the UPSC IAS prelims exam 2025, predicted based on the difficulty level of the question Paper.

Category	UPSC 2025 Prelims Expected Cutoff
General	86+5
EWS	85+5
OBC	83+5
SC	74+5
ST	70+5

The IAS cutoff mentions the minimum marks required to clear the IAS prelims, IAS main(written) and the IAS main exam separately. The candidates can see here the UPSC CSE (IAS) Previous Year's Cutoff.

UPSC IAS 2026 FAQs

The candidates can see below some of the most important questions related to IAS exam.

Q: Who is the Cadre Controlling Authority of IAS?

Ministry of Personnel, which works under the supervision of the Prime Minister of India, is the Cadre controlling authority for the IAS. The IAS officers serve in the states and their salary is provided by the State governments. The state government can suspend the IAS officer on valid grounds but cannot dismiss them from service.

Q: How can I download previous year's results of IAS exam?

The Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS result after the completion of IAS interview stage. The Commission releases the IAS result PDF on its official website. The Commission releases the rank, name and the roll number of the candidates in the final result.

The Commission maintain the UPSC IAS result pdf for two months after the declaration of result. The Commission can remove the UPSC IAS result pdf after some times when it thinks fit. The candidates can download the IAS result of previous year's from Shiksha.com.

Q: How can I download the IAS syllabus PDF?

The candidates should note that the IAS syllabus is not released separately on the official website. The Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS syllabus as a section in the IAS notification. The candidates can download the IAS syllabus pdf as given here for all their preparation references.

The candidates can check the subject-wise IAS main syllabus in the official pdf.

Q: Does the UPSC releases the IAS syllabus in a separate PDF?

The Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS syllabus as a part of the Civil Service Exam notification PDF. The candidates are required to download the Notification PDF to get the IAS syllabus PDF. The candidates can download the IAS syllabus PDF available here.

The candidates can download here the IAS Syllabus PDF

Q: Why Ethics syllabus is important for IAS main exam?

The Union Public Service Commission introduced the Ethics paper in 2013. The ethics paper is an essential component of the IAS Main Examination. The Ethics syllabus is important because the right strategy can fetch good marks in the paper. The Ethics papers is designed to check the Integrity and Moral principles in the candidates.

Q: 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.

Q: Can I cover the IAS Prelims Syllabus in 6 months?

The candidates can cover the IAS prelims syllabus if in six months if they are appearing for it for the first time. In case, the candidate has cleared the prelims earlier, he or she can prepare it in three months.

Q: When will UPSC IAS 2026 Syllabus be released?

The Union Public Service Commission will notify the UPSC IAS Syllabus 2026 in its official notification. The Commission will release the Civil Service 2026 notification soon at upsc.gov.in.

Q: 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.

Q: 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.

Q: Is Indian Foreign Service a All India Service?

No, the Indian Foriegn Service is a Central Civil Service. It is organised and controlled by the Ministry of External Affairs. It is recruited through the UPSC Civil Service Exam conducted annually.