UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 Schedule

UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026

The UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 is the second stage of the Civil Services Examination and is conducted over five days across two weekends. It consists of nine papers, of which seven papers are counted for merit, while two language papers (Indian Language and English) are qualifying in nature.

Examination Schedule

• 21 August 2026 (Friday): Paper I – Essay
• 22 August 2026 (Saturday):
  • Morning: Paper II – General Studies I
  • Afternoon: Paper III – General Studies II
• 23 August 2026 (Sunday):
  • Morning: Paper IV – General Studies III
  • Afternoon: Paper V – General Studies IV
• 29 August 2026 (Saturday):
  • Morning: Paper A – Indian Language (Qualifying)
  • Afternoon: Paper B – English (Qualifying)
• 30 August 2026 (Sunday):
  • Morning: Paper VI – Optional Subject Paper I
  • Afternoon: Paper VII – Optional Subject Paper II

Exam Paper Pattern

• Essay (Paper I): Tests the candidate’s ability to express ideas clearly, logically, and analytically.
• General Studies I: Covers Indian Heritage and Culture, History, Geography, and Society.
• General Studies II: Focuses on Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations.
• General Studies III: Includes Economy, Science and Technology, Environment, Agriculture, Internal Security, and Disaster Management.
• General Studies IV: Assesses Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude.
• Paper A (Indian Language): Qualifying paper in one of the recognized Indian languages.
• Paper B (English): Qualifying paper testing comprehension and writing skills.
• Optional Subject Papers I & II: Two papers based on the candidate’s chosen optional subject from the UPSC list.

Key Features

• Each paper duration for 3 hours.
• Morning Session: 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon.
• Afternoon Session: 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
• The examination is over two consecutive weekends, allowing a break between the General Studies papers and the Language/Optional papers.
• The final merit is on the basis of Essay, four General Studies papers, two Optional papers, and the Personality Test (Interview). The Indian Language and English papers are only qualifying and their marks are not included in the final merit, provided the candidate secures the minimum qualifying marks.

This schedule ensures a balanced assessment of candidates’ analytical ability, knowledge across diverse subjects, language proficiency, ethical understanding, and specialization in an optional subject.

Faqs

Q1. How many papers are there in the UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026?

Answer: The Main Examination consists of nine papers. Seven papers (Essay, four General Studies papers, and two Optional Subject papers) are for merit, while two papers (Indian Language and English) are qualifying in nature.