UPSC Exam Pattern 2026 for Prelims, Mains & Interview, PDF

The UPSC CSE Exam 2026 is among the most prestigious and competitive exams in India. It serves as the entry point to the nation’s top services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and many others. For aspirants beginning this journey, understanding the UPSC Exam Pattern 2026 is the first and most important step. The exam is conducted in three stages: Prelims Examination, Mains Examination, and the Personality Test (Interview). Each stage tests different skills, from analytical ability to subject knowledge to personality traits.

Services Under UPSC CSE 2026

1. Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
2. Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
3. Indian Police Service (IPS)
4. Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
5. Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
6. Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’
7. Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
8. Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’
9. Indian Information Service, Group ‘A’
10. Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’
11. Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service, Group ‘A’
12. Indian Railway Management Services (Traffic, Personnel, Accounts), Group ‘A’
13. Indian Railway Protection Force Service, Group ‘A’
14. Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes), Group ‘A’
15. Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax), Group ‘A’
16. Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’ (Grade III)
17. Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’
18. Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS), Group ‘B’
19. Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS), Group ‘B’
20. Pondicherry Civil and Police Service, Group ‘B’

UPSC Exam Pattern 2026 Overview

The selection of candidates for the UPSC CSE Exam 2026 takes place in three stages, Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Personality Test (Interview). The Prelims consists of two papers with objective-type questions, while the Mains includes nine descriptive papers that assess a candidate’s depth of knowledge and analytical ability.

UPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims 2026

The UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern consists of two papers: General Studies Paper 1 and Civil Services Aptitude Test or GS Paper 2. The GS paper 1 assesses a candidate's grasp of diverse subjects, including History, Geography, Polity, etc., while the CSAT evaluates the logical reasoning and analytical skills of the candidate. The Prelims serve as a filtering mechanism, allowing a limited number of candidates to progress to the Mains Examination.

UPSC Exam Pattern for Mains 2026

The UPSC Mains paper pattern is the core evaluation phase, comprising a mix of compulsory and optional papers. It includes language papers, essay writing, general studies papers, and optional subject papers. This stage delves deep into a candidate's understanding of subjects, their ability to articulate ideas, and their analytical prowess.

The written examination consists of 9 papers out of which 2 papers are qualifying in nature. The marks obtained in the remaining 7 papers and the interview test together are considered for making the final merit.

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UPSC Exam Pattern 2026 for Interview Round

The final stage, the UPSC Interview or Personality Test, is where aspirants' personalities are evaluated. A panel of experts assesses qualities such as mental alertness, clear and logical exposition, critical powers of assimilation, balance of judgement, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity. The number of candidates selected for the Interview will be around twice the number of vacancies to be filled. This stage aims to determine the candidate's suitability for the dynamic and diverse responsibilities of civil services. The interview process typically follows a structured pattern:

• Duration: The interview usually lasts for about 20-30 minutes.
• Panel: The interview is conducted by a panel of experts, including experienced bureaucrats, academicians, and subject-matter specialists.
• Venue: The interviews are usually conducted at the UPSC office in New Delhi.

Negative Marking in UPSC Prelims & Mains

Negative Marking is a significant aspect of the UPSC Prelims exam, which cannot be ignored. It is important to note by the aspirants that there is no negative marking in the UPSC Mains exam as it is a subjective paper, and the assessment is based on the quality of your descriptive answers.

Negative Marking in UPSC Prelims

In the UPSC Prelims exam pattern, there are two papers - GS paper 1 and CSAT. Each paper consists of objective-type questions. The negative marking pattern for both papers is as follows:

• For each incorrect answer, there is a penalty of 1/3rd of the assigned marks to that question.
• If a candidate provides multiple answers to a single question, even if one of the given answers is correct, it will still be considered an incorrect response. In such cases, the same penalty as mentioned above will apply to that particular question.
• Unattempted questions do not have any penalty.

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