UPSC Calendar 2027: Notification, Prelims and Mains Dates

UPSC's calendar for 2027 puts the Civil Services Examination 2027 notification on 13 January 2027, with applications closing on 2 February 2027. The preliminary exam is on 23 May 2027, and the main exam starts on 20 August 2027 and lasts five exam days. The Indian Forest Service preliminary exam is held through the same prelims.

These dates are from UPSC's programme of examinations for 2027, as it stood on 20 May 2026. UPSC notes on the calendar that the dates of notification, commencement and duration of its exams can change if circumstances warrant, so check the notice when it is published.

What each date means

• Notification. The date UPSC publishes the exam notice. For CSE 2026 the notice was dated 4 February 2026, and the online application could be filled from that day.
• Last date. The last day on which UPSC receives applications. The notice fixes the time as well: for CSE 2026 it set 6:00 pm on 24 February 2026, and UPSC's page for the exam later listed the last date as 27 February 2026, 6:00 pm.
• Preliminary exam. One day with two papers. If you also want the Indian Forest Service, you sit its preliminary stage through this same exam.
• Main exam. The written papers, on five exam days from the start date. These may not be back to back: UPSC's 2026 calendar also gave the CSE 2026 mains five days from 21 August 2026, and its time table then spread them over 21–23 and 29–30 August 2026. The Indian Forest Service has a separate main exam, which the calendar starts on 21 November 2027.

The calendar does not date the results or the interviews. The notice explains what happens between the stages, as in the next section.

Between the stages

The notice builds two windows into the year, and missing either ends your candidature for that exam:

• After the prelims result: a 10-day window in which everyone who qualified for the mains must log in, update or reconfirm their details and submit the form, so UPSC can issue the mains e-Admit Card. Candidates who pay a fee pay the mains fee in this window.
• After the mains written result: a 15-day window in which candidates who qualified for the interview must fill in their details, including proof that they passed their degree. Only then is the e-summon letter for the interview issued.

The notice says the e-Admit Card is issued on the last working day of the week before the exam, for download from UPSC's application site. UPSC does not send admit cards by post or email.

Where CSE 2026 stands

The CSE 2026 prelims was held on 24 May 2026, the date fixed in its notice. UPSC declared its result on 15 June 2026: 13,343 candidates qualified for the mains, against 1,016 vacancies. The mains was then held on the dates in UPSC's time table, 21–23 and 29–30 August 2026. To show how long the later stages take: for CSE 2025, UPSC's final-result note says the written mains was held in August 2025 and the interviews from December 2025 to February 2026.

How to plan around these dates

• Check the certificate dates early. The notice ties category certificates to fixed dates: for CSE 2026, OBC (non-creamy layer) and EWS certificates had to be issued on or after 1 April 2025 and not later than the closing date. Look for the CSE 2027 notice's dates as soon as it is out, so you have time to get a certificate that fits them.
• Apply early in the window. Prelims centres have a ceiling on candidates, except Chennai, Dispur, Kolkata and Nagpur, and are allotted on a first-apply-first-allot basis. Once a centre is full, it is no longer offered to candidates other than PwBD candidates.
• Prepare for the mains before the prelims. The calendar leaves less than three months between the prelims on 23 May 2027 and the mains from 20 August 2027, so plan to have covered the mains papers before the prelims. See the exam pattern for what each stage tests.

To check whether you can sit CSE 2027 at all, see eligibility and the age calculator. For the form itself, see notification and application form.