Prelims & Mains centres — done; interview next
The Prelims (24 May 2026) and the Mains written exam (21–30 August 2026) were held at the venues printed on candidates’ e-Admit Cards. The next stage, the Personality Test, follows the Mains written result, for which UPSC has not announced a date. Candidates called for it get an e-summon letter.
UPSC issues e-Admit Cards only on upsconline.nic.in — nothing is sent by post or email. Keep the email ID in your application active, as the Commission may contact you electronically. Report any discrepancy in a Prelims e-Admit Card to uscsp-upsc@nic.in at once.
How exam centres are allotted
Once a centre reaches its capacity, it is no longer offered to non-PwBD applicants, who must pick one of the remaining centres; PwBD applicants can still choose it. Applying early is the only way to improve your chance of getting the centre you want. If you turn up at any venue other than the one on your e-Admit Card, you will not be allowed to take the exam.
How to download the e-Admit Card
- Open upsconline.nic.inUPSC uploads e-Admit Cards there, on the last working day of the week before the exam. There is no paper admit card.
- Log in and downloadUse the e-Admit Card link for the examination and log in with your registration details.
- Check every detailCheck your name, photograph and QR code. If the photo is unclear, carry a photo ID and two passport-size photographs (one per session) with an undertaking.
- Report errors at onceEmail uscsp-upsc@nic.in immediately if anything on the e-Admit Card is wrong.
- Print and keep itCarry the printout to each session with the photo ID whose number is on the card, and keep it safe until the final result.
Prelims vs Mains centres
The Mains has far fewer centres than the Prelims — and both are fixed when you apply:
| Prelims | Mains | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of centres | 83 | 27 |
| When you choose | In the exam-specific module of the online application | Also while filling the exam-specific form; it cannot be changed afterwards |
| Venue shown on | Prelims e-Admit Card | Mains e-Admit Card, generated after the Mains form window |
| Change of centre | Not entertained | Not entertained |
| PwBD candidates | Every centre caters to PwBD candidates | Every centre caters to PwBD candidates |
Prelims centres (83): Agartala, Agra, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Ajmer, Aligarh, Almora (Uttarakhand), Ananthapuramu (Andhra Pradesh), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar [Aurangabad (Maharashtra)], Bareilly, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), Dharwar, Dispur, Faridabad, Gangtok, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Gaya, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Gurugram, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kanpur, Kargil, Kochi, Kohima, Kolkata, Kozhikode (Calicut), Leh, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), Meerut, Mumbai, Mysuru, Nagpur, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Panaji (Goa), Patna, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Prayagraj (Allahabad), Puducherry, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shillong, Shimla, Siliguri, Srinagar, Srinagar (Uttarakhand), Surat, Thane, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli, Tirupati, Udaipur, Varanasi, Vellore, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Hanumakonda (Warangal Urban).
Mains centres (27): Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Dispur (Guwahati), Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada.
Everything about the e-Admit CardPrepare for UPSC Prelims with your own daily plan
Daily targets, PYQ practice sets & timed practice mocks for your UPSC Prelims prep.
Exams done — keep the momentum
With the Prelims and the Mains written exam behind you, use the wait for the Mains result well: stay in practice for the next stage or for CSE 2027, rather than starting from scratch later.
Practice mocks
Timed practice mocks to build speed and accuracy. They are general practice tests, not full-length 2-hour UPSC papers.
PYQ practice sets
Timed practice sets to lock in accuracy. For the actual past question papers, use upsc.gov.in.
Weak-area report
Find the two or three topics costing you the most marks.
Daily plan
A daily target across GS Paper I topics and CSAT practice, so you never wonder what to study next.
