UPSC FAQs: 40 Questions Students Ask

These are common questions aspirants ask about the UPSC Civil Services Exam, answered from UPSC's own documents: mainly the CSE 2026 notice, UPSC's calendar for 2027 and its result notes. Each answer is short and links to the guide that covers the topic in full.

Rules can change from one year's notice to the next. When the CSE 2027 notice comes out, due on 13 January 2027 according to UPSC's calendar, check it against these answers.

Eligibility

What qualification do I need?

A graduate degree from a university set up by an Act of the Central or a State Legislature, from an institution set up by an Act of Parliament or declared a deemed university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification. See eligibility criteria.

Can I apply in the final year of my degree?

Yes. The notice lets you sit the prelims and the mains if you have appeared, or intend to appear, in the qualifying exam. If you qualify for the interview, you must then show proof of passing within the time limit in the rules.

Is there a minimum percentage in graduation?

No. The notice asks only for the degree or an equivalent qualification and sets no minimum marks.

What is the age limit?

You must be at least 21 and must not have reached 32 on 1 August of the exam year. The upper limit is relaxed by up to 5 years for SC and ST candidates, 3 years for OBC and 10 years for persons with benchmark disability, and ex-servicemen and some defence personnel have their own relaxations. Try the age and attempts calculator.

Which date of birth does UPSC accept?

Only the one in your Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate, or an equivalent certificate. Horoscopes, affidavits, municipal birth extracts and service records are not accepted, and once you have submitted a date of birth, UPSC allows no change to it.

Do I have to be an Indian citizen?

For the IAS, the IFS and the IPS, yes. For the other services, subjects of Nepal and Bhutan, Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1 January 1962 to settle, and some persons of Indian origin who migrated to settle in India can also apply. They need a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India before an offer of appointment can be made.

Attempts

How many attempts do I get?

Six for General and EWS candidates and nine for OBC candidates. SC and ST candidates have no limit within their age limit. Candidates with benchmark disability get nine if they are General, EWS or OBC, and no limit if they are SC or ST. See age limit and attempts.

Does applying count as an attempt?

No. An attempt counts only when you actually appear in at least one paper of the prelims, and it counts even if your candidature is cancelled later.

What if I sit only one of the two prelims papers?

It counts as an attempt, and you are disqualified: the notice makes it mandatory to appear in both papers for your prelims to be evaluated.

Can I sit the exam again after getting a service?

Not if you are a member of the IAS or the IFS, and an IPS officer cannot opt for the IPS again. If you are allotted the IPS or a Central Group ‘A’ service through CSE 2026, you may sit CSE 2027 with a one-time exemption from training. Later exams are open only on further conditions, such as resigning from the service. The notice sets them out in full, including for those allotted a service on CSE 2025 or earlier.

Exam pattern

What are the stages of the exam?

A preliminary exam of two objective papers, which only screens candidates, and then the main exam: nine written papers followed by a personality test (interview). See the exam pattern.

Do prelims marks count towards the final rank?

No. Your final rank comes only from the seven mains papers that count and the interview.

How much do I need in CSAT?

At least 33% in General Studies Paper II, which is qualifying. If you get that, only your General Studies Paper I score is compared with the prelims cut-off. See the CSAT syllabus and the official cut-offs.

Is there negative marking?

Yes, in the objective papers: one-third of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer. Marking more than one answer counts as wrong; leaving a question blank costs nothing. See negative marking.

How many marks are the mains and the interview worth?

Seven papers of 250 marks each count, 1,750 in all, and the interview carries 275, for a total of 2,025.

Do the two language papers count?

Not towards your rank. They are qualifying, but you need 25% in each, or UPSC does not take your Essay, General Studies and optional papers into account. See the language papers.

Can I write the exam in Hindi or another Indian language?

The prelims papers are set in Hindi and English. In the mains you can answer every paper except the language papers in English or in any one language of the Eighth Schedule. See the medium of exam.

How many optional subjects are there?

You choose one optional, which has two papers of 250 marks each. The notice lists 25 subjects plus the literature of any one of 23 languages. See the optional subjects list.

Is there a pass mark in the interview?

No. The interview carries 275 marks with no minimum qualifying mark, and its marks are added to your written marks. See the interview guide.

How is a tie in the final marks broken?

First, the candidate with more marks in the compulsory papers (Essay and GS I to IV) and the interview together ranks higher. If still tied, the one with more marks in those compulsory papers alone; then the older candidate; and after that, the Commission decides.

Can I use a calculator?

Not in the prelims. In the mains, which are essay-type papers, scientific non-programmable calculators are allowed; programmable ones count as unfair means.

Application and exam day

How do I apply?

Online only, on upsconline.nic.in. The portal has four parts: account creation, universal registration, the Common Application Form and the exam-specific form. See the application guide.

What is the application fee?

₹100 for the prelims; if you qualify for the mains, ₹200 more. Women, SC, ST and benchmark-disability candidates pay no fee. A fee once paid is not refunded. See exam fees.

Can I correct or withdraw my application after submitting it?

The notice allows neither. For CSE 2026, UPSC announced in February 2026 that it would open a three-day correction window after applications closed, as a one-time measure.

When is the next exam?

UPSC's calendar puts the CSE 2027 notification on 13 January 2027, the last date to apply on 2 February 2027, the prelims on 23 May 2027 and the mains from 20 August 2027, on five exam days. UPSC says these dates can change. See the UPSC calendar.

When does the admit card come out?

On the last working day of the week before the exam, online only; nothing is sent by post. See admit card and exam-day rules.

When should I reach the venue?

The notice says at least 30 minutes before each session, with no late entry. For the 2026 prelims, entry closed at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm, and UPSC advised arriving an hour and a half early for face authentication and frisking.

Can I change my exam centre?

No. Seats are allotted first-apply-first-allot, every centre except Chennai, Dispur, Kolkata and Nagpur has a cap, and the notice entertains no request to change. See the exam centres list.

Can a candidate with a disability have a scribe?

Yes, on the conditions in the notice, and eligible candidates also get 20 minutes of extra time for every hour of the paper. The exam-day guide explains who qualifies.

Results

How many candidates qualify for the mains?

The notice says about 12 to 13 times the number of vacancies. For CSE 2026, UPSC shortlisted 13,343 candidates against 1,016 vacancies. See UPSC results.

How many are called for the interview?

About twice the number of vacancies. In CSE 2025, 2,736 candidates qualified for the interview and 958 were finally recommended. See the success rate.

When will I see my prelims marks and the answer key?

Your marks, the cut-offs and the final answer key come only after the whole exam is over: UPSC's note on the 2026 prelims result said they would be uploaded after the final result. For CSE 2026, UPSC also released a provisional answer key for the first time, on 27 May 2026, soon after the prelims. See the prelims answer key.

Can I challenge a question or the answer key?

Yes, but only online, through UPSC's Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep), within the five days it is open after the exam. Nothing sent by email, post or hand is accepted.

What is the reserve list?

Along with each final result, UPSC keeps a consolidated reserve list, in order of merit below the last candidate recommended in each category. When the Department of Personnel and Training asks, it recommends more candidates from it: 120 for CSE 2023, for example. See vacancies year-wise.

What if I reach the interview but am not selected?

If you consented in your application, UPSC shares your details, with your percentile but not your marks, on its Pratibha Setu portal with registered companies and public organisations looking to hire.

Services

How many services can I join through the exam?

23 in the CSE 2026 notice: the IAS, the IFS, the IPS, 15 Group ‘A’ services and 5 Group ‘B’ services. See the other services.

Who decides which service I get?

The Government, keeping in view your rank and the order of preference you gave. You are considered only for the services you list, and the notice allows no change to your preferences once submitted, except in the update window it provides after the mains result. See service preferences.

How many vacancies are there?

The CSE 2026 notice expected about 933; UPSC's note on the prelims result in June 2026 gave 1,016. For CSE 2025, the final result reported 1,087, of which 180 were for the IAS. See vacancies year-wise for every year.

Is the Indian Forest Service filled through the CSE?

No. UPSC holds the Indian Forest Service preliminary exam through the Civil Services prelims, but the service has its own main exam. See the Indian Forest Service guide.

Where do IAS officers train?

At the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, which runs a common Foundation Course for the All India Services, the Indian Foreign Service and the Group ‘A’ services, followed by professional training for the IAS. See the IAS career journey.