The UPSC successfully conducted the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026, on May 24, 2026, in offline mode using the OMR sheet, in which more than eight lakh aspirants have participated against a total number of 933 vacancies, and now they are all waiting for the result. The sooner they complete the answer sheet evaluation process, the sooner they will announce the result on the official website.
If you are among those who have participated in the preliminary examination, then note that the result will be available as a merit list in PDF format, which will carry the roll number, candidate name, and other details of qualified candidates. You will find your roll number only if your score in the examination meets or exceeds the minimum requirement.
To pass the preliminary examination, it is mandatory that you get at least a 33% score in Paper 2, i.e., the Civil Services Aptitude Test, and meet the cut-off marks for certain categories in Paper 1. Notably, the Union Public Service Commission prepares the results based on the candidates’ performance exclusively on the Paper 1 score. The most expected is the result release in June 2026.
The cut-off marks to pass the preliminary examination will be made public by the commission with the final results. For reference, we have prepared an expected category-wise cut-off mark by analysing different factors such as number of vacancies, reservation policy and number of candidates; please go through the table to check the same for your category.
| Category | Expected 2026 Unofficial Cutoff Range | 2025 Official Actual Cutoff | Recommended Safe Target Score |
| General | 85 – 95 Marks | 92.66 Marks | 100+ Marks |
| OBC | 83 – 94 Marks | 92.00 Marks | 98+ Marks |
| EWS | 82 – 92 Marks | 89.34 Marks | 95+ Marks |
| SC | 72 – 85 Marks | 84.00 Marks | 90+ Marks |
| ST | 68 – 82 Marks | 82.66 Marks | 86+ Marks |
Once the result for the examination is made public, you have to go through the step-by-step instructions available below.
- Go to the official website of the Union Public Service Commission at https://upsc.gov.in/.
- Find and click on the option that reads ‘Written Results’, and then click on the ‘Examination Written Results’ and get redirected to the next page.
- Now, you have to click on the ‘Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026,’ option to download the merit list in the PDF format.
- Open the result file and search for your roll number to check that you passed the examination.
After the result release on the UPSC’s website, we will update a direct link here so you can know your outcome without wondering on different third-party portals.
Candidates who will pass the preliminary examination will be called for the second stage, the main examination. The UPSC will conduct it from August 21, 2026, which will last for five days. You may check the examination schedule from the table below.
| Day | Session | Time | Paper | Subject |
| Day 1 (Friday) | Forenoon | 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Paper I | Essay |
| Day 2 (Saturday) | Forenoon | 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Paper II | General Studies I (History, Geography, Society) |
| Afternoon | 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM | Paper III | General Studies II (Polity, Governance, IR) | |
| Day 3 (Sunday) | Forenoon | 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Paper IV | General Studies III (Economy, Science, Environment) |
| Afternoon | 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM | Paper V | General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity, Aptitude) | |
| Day 4 (Next Saturday) | Forenoon | 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Paper A | Compulsory Indian Language |
| Afternoon | 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM | Paper B | English Language | |
| Day 5 (Next Sunday) | Forenoon | 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Paper VI | Optional Subject – Paper 1 |
| Afternoon | 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM | Paper VII | Optional Subject – Paper 2 |
After the main examination result, shortlisted candidates will be called for the interview, and then the UPSC will prepare the final selection list based on participants’ performance in the last two stages of the selection process.