The UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, including the Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination 2026, was conducted on 24 May 2026 across the country. The examination was held smoothly at 2,072 venues spread across 83 examination cities. As per provisional data, nearly 5.49 lakh candidates appeared for the exam, reflecting an attendance rate of around 67%, which is higher than the previous year's attendance percentage.
How Many Candidates Qualified Prelims 2026?
A total of 13,343 candidates have qualified in the UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026 and are now eligible to appear for the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026. The results were announced after evaluating the performance of nearly 5.49 lakh candidates who appeared for the Prelims on 24 May 2026. These shortlisted candidates will now compete for 1,016 vacancies notified by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
How Many Candidates Appear for UPSC? - Trend Analysis
The number of candidates appearing for the UPSC exam over time has significantly increased over the years. Here is a trend analysis of UPSC Examination selection over the past 17 years:
| Year | Number of Students applied | Number of Students Who appeared for Prelims | Number of Students Who qualified for Mains | Number of Students Who appeared for Interview | Number of Students Who Cleared the Exam |
| 2007 | 333680 | 161469 | 9158 | 1883 | 553 |
| 2008 | 325433 | 167035 | 11669 | 2136 | 734 |
| 2009 | 409110 | 193091 | 11894 | 2431 | 881 |
| 2010 | 547698 | 269036 | 12271 | 2589 | 989 |
| 2011 | 499120 | 243236 | 11837 | 2415 | 965 |
| 2012 | 550080 | 271442 | 12795 | 2674 | 999 |
| 2013 | 776604 | 324279 | 14800 | 3001 | 998 |
| 2014 | 947428 | 446623 | 16706 | 3308 | 1122 |
| 2015 | 945908 | 465882 | 15008 | 2797 | 1236 |
| 2016 | 1128262 | 459659 | 15382 | 2961 | 1078 |
| 2017 | 969065 | 462848 | 13300 | 2564 | 1056 |
| 2018 | 1065552 | 500484 | 10419 | 1992 | – |
| 2019 | 1135261 | 493972 | 11845 | 2034 | 829 |
| 2020 | 1057948 | 4,82,770 | 10,564 | 2,053 | 796 |
| 2021 | 1093948 | 508619 | 10000 | – | 761 |
| 2022 | 11,35,697 | 5,73,735 | 13,090 | 2,529 | 933 |
| 2023 | 13,00,000 | - | 14624 | 2916 | 1016 |
| 2024 | 9,92,599 | 5,83,213 | 14627 | 2845 | 1009 |
| 2025 | 9,37,876 | 5,76,793 | 14161 | 2,736 | 958 |
| 2026 | 8.19 lakh |
5.9 Lakh |
13343 | - | - |
Last updated on July, 2026
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Candidates Appeared for UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 FAQs
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