How UPSC civil services selection works
UPSC fills the IAS, IFS, IPS and 20 other Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ services through one exam. Your GS Paper I score in the Prelims (with at least 33% in CSAT) decides whether you reach the Mains. Your Mains written score decides whether you’re called for the Personality Test. The final merit list adds your seven Mains merit papers and the Personality Test, and services are then allotted by rank and the preferences you gave.
Stage-by-stage flow
- Prelims: two objective papersUPSC draws the Mains list on GS Paper I marks, from candidates who score at least 33% in GS Paper II (CSAT). About 12–13 times the vacancies are admitted to the Mains. In 2026, 13,343 candidates qualified against 1,016 vacancies.
- Mains form windowEveryone who qualifies must log in during a 10-day window to confirm their details, pay the ₹200 Mains fee (unless exempt), update scribe details and fill their cadre preference. In 2026 this ran from 19 to 29 June. Without it, no e-admit card is generated.
- Mains: written examNine essay-type papers. Your Essay, General Studies and Optional papers are counted only if you get 25% in each of the two language papers.
- Personality Test windowCandidates called for the Personality Test get a 15-day window to upload proof of passing their degree and update other details. If they don’t, their candidature is cancelled and no e-summon letter is issued.
- Personality Test & final meritA 275-mark interview by a Board. Your Mains merit papers and Personality Test marks make up the final ranking out of 2,025, and services are allotted by rank and preference.
Prelims — the gateway
Two compulsory objective papers of 200 marks and two hours each, set in Hindi and English. GS Paper I had 100 questions and GS Paper II (CSAT) had 80 in 2026. GS Paper II is qualifying: you need 33% in it. UPSC then draws the Mains list on GS Paper I marks, at a qualifying total it decides. Each wrong answer costs one-third (0.33) of that question’s marks. Appearing in even one paper counts as an attempt. The 2026 Prelims were held on 24 May, and the result came out on 15 June. No mark sheets are issued at this stage. Prelims marks, cut-offs and answer keys are published only after the final result.
Mains written — the decider
Seven papers count for merit, each worth 250 marks: Paper I (Essay), Papers II–V (General Studies I–IV) and Papers VI–VII (Optional Subject, Papers 1 and 2). That makes 1,750 marks. UPSC may also fix qualifying marks in any of these papers. In 2026 the Mains was held on 21 August (Essay), 22 August (GS-I and GS-II), 23 August (GS-III and GS-IV), 29 August (Paper A and Paper B) and 30 August (Optional Papers 1 and 2), in sessions from 9 AM to 12 noon and 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. The question paper representation window ran from 31 August to 4 September 2026. As of 12 October 2026, UPSC had not announced a date for the Mains written result.
Paper A & Paper B — the language papers
Paper A is one Indian language from the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution, and Paper B is English. Each carries 300 marks at Matriculation (or equivalent) standard. They are qualifying only, so their marks don’t count for rank. They are evaluated at the same time as your other papers, but your Essay, General Studies and Optional papers are taken into account only if you score at least 25% in each of them.
Personality Test & documents
Candidates who reach the minimum marks UPSC fixes for the written part are called for a Personality Test, about twice the number of vacancies. It carries 275 marks with no minimum qualifying marks. A Board that has your career record asks questions on matters of general interest, to judge your personal suitability for public service. The notice lists qualities such as mental alertness, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity. It is meant to be a directed, purposeful conversation, not a strict cross-examination. UPSC checks your eligibility against original documents only after you qualify for the Personality Test, and candidates who applied before finishing their degree must show proof of passing by then.
As of 12 October 2026, UPSC had not announced the dates of the CSE 2026 Mains result, the Personality Test or the final result. Carry the photo ID card you gave in your application to the Personality Test.
Final merit & service allocation
Your final rank comes from your marks in the seven Mains merit papers (out of 1,750) plus the Personality Test (out of 275), a total of 2,025. Prelims marks and the language papers aren’t added. If two candidates have the same total, the one with more marks in the compulsory papers (Essay and GS I–IV) plus the Personality Test ranks higher. If that’s also equal, the compulsory papers alone decide, and after that the older candidate ranks higher. Services are then allotted by rank and the order of preferences you gave. If you didn’t give any service preference, you aren’t considered for allocation. Preferences can’t be changed except in the windows UPSC provides.
Prepare for UPSC Prelims with your own daily plan
Daily targets, practice mocks & PYQ practice sets — mapped to the GS Paper I and CSAT syllabus.
Get through the Prelims, then build for the Mains
Nothing counts until you clear the Prelims, so JobSafal’s UPSC Prelims plan focuses on GS Paper I, the paper that decides the Mains list, while keeping your CSAT above the 33% line.
Prelims plan
Daily targets across the GS Paper I and CSAT syllabus.
Practice mocks
Timed practice mocks from the app’s mock catalogue.
Date alerts
Notice, result and next-stage reminders.
PYQ practice sets
Practice sets in the app’s PYQ section.
