UPSC Result: Prelims, Mains, Final and Reserve List Explained

UPSC declares three results for each Civil Services Examination. The prelims result and the mains result are lists of roll numbers that move on to the next stage; the final result is the merit list of candidates recommended for appointment, with names. Marks, cut-offs and the final prelims answer key follow only after the final result.

Here is what each result contains, taken from UPSC's own notices, with the dates on which each one came for CSE 2025.

The CSE 2025 results, step by step

Step	CSE 2025
Prelims held	25 May 2025
Prelims result (roll numbers)	11 June 2025
Mains written exam	22 to 31 August 2025
Mains result (roll numbers)	11 November 2025
Interviews	December 2025 to February 2026
Final result (merit list)	6 March 2026
Marks of recommended candidates uploaded	10 March 2026

The prelims result

The prelims result is a press note followed by the roll numbers of everyone who qualified for the mains. The CSE 2026 note, dated 15 June 2026, came about three weeks after the exam of 24 May 2026; a version with names followed on 18 June 2026. The note says:

• The candidature of everyone on the list is provisional.
• Qualified candidates must log in during a window, 19 to 28 June 2026 for CSE 2026, to pay the mains fee of ₹200 (women, PwBD, SC and ST candidates are exempt), give scribe details if needed and fill in their cadre preference. Those who do not log in and submit are not allowed into the further stages.
• Marks, cut-off marks and answer keys of the prelims will be uploaded only after the final result.

The note also gives the size of the list: 13,343 candidates shortlisted for the CSE 2026 mains, against 14,161 the year before. Prelims marks are not sent to anyone. The notice calls the prelims a screening test and says no marks sheets are supplied; the marks go on UPSC's website after the final result.

The mains result

The mains result is again a list of roll numbers: those called for the personality test. The CSE 2025 notice of 11 November 2025 adds that:

• candidature is provisional, and original certificates for age, education and any reservation claim must be shown at the interview;
• a window, 13 to 27 November 2025 that year, is opened to update the application, including service and cadre preferences, which are then final;
• e-summon letters for the interview are downloaded from UPSC's website, with no paper letters;
• the marks sheets of all the candidates go on UPSC's website within 15 days of the final result and stay there for 30 days.

The final result and the reserve list

The final result is a press note with the list, in order of merit, of everyone recommended for appointment. For CSE 2025 it recommended 958 candidates: 317 General, 104 EWS, 306 OBC, 158 SC and 73 ST. It also printed the vacancies reported by the Government, 1,087 in all, by service and category, and said that the candidature of 348 recommended candidates was provisional and the result of two was withheld.

Alongside, UPSC keeps a consolidated reserve list under Rule 20 (4) and (5) of the examination rules: 258 candidates for CSE 2025, by category. Names from it can be recommended later. For CSE 2022, UPSC recommended 89 candidates from its reserve list on 1 November 2023.

If you reached the interview but were not recommended, the notice explains Pratibha Setu: with your consent, your details can be shared with registered organisations looking to hire, but only after the reserve list has been used.

The final result does not tell you your service. The Government allots services afterwards, by rank, preference and vacancies; see rank-wise service allocation and the toppers list for the top of each year's merit list.

Marks, cut-offs and answer keys

• Marks of recommended candidates: the final-result notice says these will be on the website within 15 days. For CSE 2025 they were uploaded on 10 March 2026. See topper marks.
• Cut-offs: one notice per year with the prelims, mains and final cut-off for every category. See the cut-off guide and each year's page below.
• Prelims answer key and marks: the final answer key and the prelims marks come after the final result. From CSE 2026, UPSC also publishes a provisional answer key soon after the prelims; see UPSC prelims answer key.

How to check a result

Every result is a PDF on upsc.gov.in, listed under What's New and on the Written Results and Final Results pages. Open the PDF and search for your roll number as the list prints it, including any leading zeros. Each year's cut-offs and the numbers behind the result are on the year pages: