UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026

The IAS Exam 2026, like every year, will be conducted in three stages by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The first stage is the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, which is a qualifying test for the Mains. It consists of two objective-type papers, each with a duration of two hours. Candidates who clear the Prelims become eligible to appear for the Mains Written Examination. Those who qualify the Mains will then be called for the final stage – the Personality Test (Interview).

TIME TABLE FOR MAINS EXAMINATION 2025

Date (Day) Forenoon Session
9:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon
Afternoon Session
2:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.
22.08.2025 (Friday) Paper-I Essay No Paper
23.08.2025 (Saturday) Paper-II
General Studies-I
Paper-III
General Studies-II
24.08.2025 (Sunday) Paper-IV
General Studies-III
Paper-V
General Studies-IV
NEXT WEEKEND
30.08.2025 (Saturday) Paper-A Indian Language
{Assamese / Bengali / Bodo / Dogri / Gujarati / Hindi / Kannada / Kashmiri / Konkani / Maithilli / Malayalam / Manipuri / Marathi / Nepali / Odia / Punjabi / Sanskrit / Santhali (Devanagari / Olchiki Script) / Sindhi (Devanagari / Arabic Script) / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu}
30.08.2025 (Saturday) Paper-B English
31.08.2025 (Sunday) Paper-VI
Optional Subject - Paper 1
{Agriculture / Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science / Anthropology / Botany / Chemistry / Civil Engineering / Commerce & Accountancy / Economics / Electrical Engineering / Geography / Geology / History / Law / Management / Mathematics / Mechanical Engineering / Medical Science / Philosophy / Physics / Political Science & International Relations / Psychology / Public Administration / Sociology / Statistics / Zoology / Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese / Bengali / Bodo / Dogri / Gujarati / Hindi / Kannada / Kashmiri / Konkani / Maithilli / Malayalam / Manipuri / Marathi / Nepali / Odia / Punjabi / Sanskrit / Santhali / Sindhi / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu / English}
Paper-VII
Optional Subject - Paper 2
{Agriculture / Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science / Anthropology / Botany / Chemistry / Civil Engineering / Commerce & Accountancy / Economics / Electrical Engineering / Geography / Geology / History / Law / Management / Mathematics / Mechanical Engineering / Medical Science / Philosophy / Physics / Political Science & International Relations / Psychology / Public Administration / Sociology / Statistics / Zoology / Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese / Bengali / Bodo / Dogri / Gujarati / Hindi / Kannada / Kashmiri / Konkani / Maithilli / Malayalam / Manipuri / Marathi / Nepali / Odia / Punjabi / Sanskrit / Santhali / Sindhi / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu / English}
About 2026 Prelims

The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination for 2026 is scheduled to be held on 24th May 2026. It serves as the entry point for all aspiring IAS, IPS, IFS, and other civil service roles.

UPSC Prelims Exam Timings
Prelims Exam Time

The Prelims exam comprises two papers:

  • Paper I – General Studies (Morning Session): 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
  • Paper II – CSAT (Afternoon Session): 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Mains Exam Time

The Mains examination consists of 9 descriptive papers, held in two sessions:

  • Morning Session: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Afternoon Session: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

UPSC Civil Services Exam Schedule 2026

Exam Stage Date Day
Notification Release 12 February 2026 Thursday
Last Date to Apply 4 March 2026 Wednesday
Preliminary Exam 24 May 2026 Sunday
Main Examination 18 September 2026 (onwards) Friday
Interview / Personality Test To Be Announced -

  1. IAS preparation tips
  2. Tips for civil services preliminary exam
  3. Tips for writing answers
  4. Tips for writing Essay
  5. IAS Syllabus
  6. Tips for How to choose a Subject
  7. How to Read Effectively