UPSC CSE Prelims 2026: Exam Date, Syllabus, Eligibility, Admit Card, and Preparation Guide

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 is a critical milestone for aspirants aiming to join prestigious civil services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Scheduled for 24th May 2026, this examination is the first stage of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

This comprehensive guide covers the exam date, syllabus, eligibility criteria, admit card details, and effective preparation strategies to help candidates excel in the UPSC CSE Prelims 2026.

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 Exam Date and Other Important Dates

The UPSC Prelims 2026 is set to take place on 24th May 2026, as per the latest updates from the UPSC. This objective-based examination is the gateway to the UPSC Mains, a descriptive test, followed by a personality test (interview). Only candidates who clear the Prelims will advance to the next stages, with the final ranking determined by performance in the Mains and interview.

S. No.	Name of the Examination	Date of Notification	Last Date for Receipt of Applications	Date of Commencement of Exam	Duration
1	Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026	14-01-2026	03-02-2026	24-05-2026 (Sunday)	1 day
2	Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 (through CS(P) Examination 2026)	14-01-2026*	03-02-2026*	24-05-2026 (Sunday)*	1 day*
3	Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2026	—	—	21-08-2026 (Friday)	5 days

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 Exam Centres

The UPSC Prelims 2026 will be conducted on 24th May across approximately 80 cities in India. To ensure that accessibility of exam centres for candidates nationwide , the city in prelims examination are more than mains. The list of cities can be changed are the per need required hence its advisable to check the notification and admit card.

Some of the Centres of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination include:

Sl. No.	Centre	Sl. No.	Centre	Sl. No.	Centre
1	Agartala	29	Gurgaon	57	Port Blair
2	Agra	30	Gwalior	58	Prayagraj (Allahabad)
3	Ahmedabad	31	Hyderabad	59	Puducherry
4	Aizawl	32	Imphal	60	Pune
5	Ajmer	33	Indore	61	Raipur
6	Aligarh	34	Itanagar	62	Rajkot
7	Almora (Uttarakhand)	35	Jabalpur	63	Ranchi
8	Ananthapuramu	36	Jaipur	64	Sambalpur
9	Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad, Maharashtra)	37	Jammu	65	Shillong
10	Bareilly	38	Jodhpur	66	Shimla
11	Bengaluru	39	Jorhat	67	Siliguri
12	Bhopal	40	Kargil	68	Srinagar
13	Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh)	41	Kochi	69	Srinagar (Uttarakhand)
14	Chandigarh	42	Kohima	70	Surat
15	Chennai	43	Kolkata	71	Thane
16	Coimbatore	44	Kozhikode (Calicut)	72	Thiruvananthapuram
17	Cuttack	45	Leh	73	Tiruchirapalli
18	Dehradun	46	Lucknow	74	Tirupati
19	Delhi	47	Ludhiana	75	Udaipur
20	Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh)	48	Madurai	76	Varanasi
21	Dharwar	49	Mandi (Himachal Pradesh)	77	Vellore
22	Dispur	50	Mumbai	78	Vijayawada
23	Faridabad	51	Mysuru	79	Visakhapatnam
24	Gangtok	52	Nagpur	80	Warangal
25	Gautam Buddha Nagar	53	Nasik
26	Gaya	54	Navi Mumbai
27	Ghaziabad	55	Panaji (Goa)
28	Gorakhpur	56	Patna

As discussed earlier the Mains examination centre are less. Because as compare to the prelims where more than 5 lakh students appear , in UPSC mains only 14-16 thousand candidates appears. Hence the examination centre are more limited set of 26–28 cities.

Candidates can find their designated exam centre details on the UPSC admit card, downloadable from the official UPSC website. A printed copy of the admit card, along with a valid photo ID, is mandatory for entry into the exam centre.

Centres of Civil Services (Main) Examination

Sl. No.	Centre	Sl. No.	Centre	Sl. No.	Centre
1	Ahmedabad	9	Delhi	17	Patna
2	Aizawl	10	Dispur (Guwahati)	18	Prayagraj (Allahabad)
3	Bengaluru	11	Hyderabad	19	Raipur
4	Bhopal	12	Jaipur	20	Ranchi
5	Chandigarh	13	Jammu	21	Shillong
6	Chennai	14	Kolkata	22	Shimla
7	Cuttack	15	Lucknow	23	Thiruvananthapuram
8	Dehradun	16	Mumbai	24	Vijayawada

UPSC CSE Prelims Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the UPSC CSE Prelims 2026, candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Nationality:
  • Indian citizens or subjects of Nepal/Bhutan are eligible to apply.
• Age:
  • Candidates must be between 21 and 32 years old as of 1st August 2026 (for the General category).
  • Age relaxations apply for reserved categories (e.g., OBC, SC/ST, PwD). For general candidate age limit is 32 years , for OBC the age limit is 35 year , SC/ST age limit is 37 years and PwD 42 years.
  • Candidate who want to aspire for UPSC exam 2026 , should make their certificated ready for the exam like EWS certificate, OBC certificate etc.
• Educational Qualifications:
  • A Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or equivalent is required.
  • Final-year students can apply, provided they submit proof of passing before the Mains exam.

Read About UPSC Exam Eligibility Criteria in detail : UPSC Exam Eligibility Criteria

UPSC Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern

The UPSC CSE Prelims consists of two objective-type papers, both conducted on the same day:

1. General Studies Paper 1 (GS-I):
   • Marks: 200
   • Questions: 100
   • Duration: 2 hours
   • Marks: Each question is of 2 Marks.
   • Negative Marking: 1/3rd of the marks for incorrect answers
   • Tests knowledge in history, geography, polity, economy, environment, and current affairs.
2. General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT):
   • Marks: 200
   • Questions: 80
   • Duration: 2 hours
   • Marks : Each question of 2.5 Marks
   • Negative Marking: 1/3rd of the marks for incorrect answers
   • Tests reasoning, comprehension, decision-making, and basic numeracy (Class X level).

Both papers are compulsory, but CSAT is qualifying in nature, requiring a minimum of 33% to pass.

Read about the Exam Pattern : UPSC Exam Pattern

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 Cut-Off

A candidate clear the UPSC Prelims when they cross the cut off for GS 1 paper. The UPSC Prelims cut-off varies by category and is announced after the final results. Candidate have to just pass the CSAT exam and score more than 33% marks in the exam. If candidate fail to pass CSAT than GS paper 1 marks are not counted.

Below are the cut-off marks for recent years:

Year	Gen	OBC	SC	ST	EWS	PwBD 1	PwBD 2	PwBD 3	PwBD 5
2024	87.98	87.28	79.03	74.23	85.92	69.42	65.30	40.56	40.56
2023	75.41	74.75	59.25	47.82	68.02	40.40	47.13	40.40	33.68
2022	88.22	87.54	74.08	69.35	82.83	49.84	58.59	40.40	41.76
2021	87.54	84.85	75.41	70.71	80.14	68.02	67.33	40.03	45.80
2020	92.51	89.12	74.84	68.71	77.55	70.06	63.94	40.82	42.86

UPSC Prelims 2026 Syllabus

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 syllabus is vast and requires thorough preparation. Below is a detailed breakdown:

General Studies Paper 1 (200 Marks)

• Current Events: National and international importance.
• History:
  • Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Indian history.
  • Indian National Movement.
• Geography:
  • Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance:
  • Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues.
• Economic and Social Development:
  • Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives.
• Environment:
  • Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate Change (general awareness, no specialization required).
• General Science: Basic concepts and recent developments.

General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT) (200 Marks)

• Comprehension.
• Interpersonal and communication skills.
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
• Decision-making and problem-solving.
• General mental ability.
• Basic numeracy (Class X level).
• Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, etc., Class X level).

For a detailed syllabus, candidates can download the official UPSC Prelims 2026 syllabus PDF from https://upsc.gov.in/.

You can explore detailed Syllabus here : UPSC Syllabus

How to Apply for UPSC Prelims 2026

To apply for the UPSC CSE Prelims 2026, follow these steps:

1. Visit the official UPSC website: https://upsc.gov.in/.
2. Navigate to the “Apply Online” tab.
3. Select the link for “Civil Services Part-I registration”.
4. Read the instructions carefully and click “Yes”.
5. Complete Part I of the application form with details such as:
   • Name
   • Date of Birth
   • Category
   • Gender
   • Email ID
   • Contact Number
   • Permanent Address
   • Educational Qualifications
6. Click “Continue” to proceed to Part II.
7. Upload a scanned photograph and signature.
8. Pay the application fee:
   • General/OBC: INR 100
   • SC/ST/Women: Exempted
9. Review and submit the application.
10. Save the confirmation email containing the application number and exam centre details.

Payments can be made via debit card, credit card, or net banking.

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 Admit Card

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 admit card will be available for download on the official UPSC website approximately 2–3 weeks before the exam date. Candidates must:

• Download and print the admit card.
• Carry it to the exam centre along with a valid photo ID (e.g., Aadhaar, PAN, or passport).
• Check the admit card for details such as exam centre, date, and time.

Recommended Books for UPSC Prelims 2026 Preparation

To ace the UPSC Prelims 2026, candidates should refer to the following resources:

History

• Basic:
  • NIOS course books (Classes XI and XII) on Ancient, Medieval, Modern India, and National Movement.
• Advanced:
  • India’s Ancient Past by R.S. Sharma
  • History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
  • History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra
  • The Story of Civilization, Part 2 by Arjun Dev (NCERT)

Geography

• Certificate Physical & Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong
• NCERTs (Classes VI to XII)
• School Atlas by Orient Black Swan

Indian Polity

• Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
• Constitution of India at Work (Class XI, NCERT)

Indian Economy

• Indian Economic Development (Class XI, NCERT)
• Introductory Macroeconomics (Class XII, NCERT)
• Indian Economy by Jayant Parikshit
• Economic Survey Highlights

Environment

• Certificate Physical & Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong
• NCERT Biology (Class XII, Ecology chapters)

Science & Technology

• NCERT Biology (Classes VIII–X)
• Science Reporter magazine

Current Affairs

• The Hindu or Indian Express newspapers
• Yojana and Kurukshetra magazine summaries

Additionally, candidates should solve UPSC Prelims previous year question papers (2014–2024) to understand the exam pattern and question trends.

Read the Detailed Preparation Strategy :

1. Prelims through PYQs
2. How to Balance UPSC Preparation with a Job or College, Lessons from UPSC Toppers ?
3. UPSC Toppers Expose the Top 10 Mindsets That Took Them to UPSC Rank 1 !
4. Coaching vs. Self-Study for UPSC CSE: The Shocking Truth About What Really Works
5. Shakti Dubey UPSC Rank 1 , 2024 Preparation Strategy

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 Answer Key

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 answer key will be released post-exam on the official UPSC website. It allows candidates to estimate their scores and identify areas for improvement. Candidates should cross-check their answers with the official key to gauge their performance accurately.

How to Prepare for UPSC Prelims 2026

To excel in the UPSC CSE Prelims 2026, follow these tips:

1. Understand the Syllabus and Exam Pattern: Familiarize yourself with the syllabus and structure of both GS-I and CSAT papers.
2. Gather Study Materials: Use recommended books, NCERTs, and current affairs resources like AnswerIAS.
3. Create a Study Plan: Allocate time for each subject, ensuring coverage of the entire syllabus with regular revisions.
4. Start Early: Begin preparation at least 12–18 months in advance to master the vast syllabus.
5. Be Consistent: Study daily, even if for a short duration, to build momentum.
6. Revise Regularly: Revisit notes and key concepts to retain information.
7. Solve Previous Year Papers: Practice papers from 2014–2024 to understand question patterns and improve time management.
8. Join Test Series: Enroll in a reliable test series to simulate exam conditions.
9. Stay Updated: Follow current affairs through newspapers and monthly magazines.

Conclusion

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2026, scheduled for 24th May 2026, is a crucial step toward a rewarding career in civil services. With a well-structured preparation plan, the right resources, and consistent effort, candidates can navigate the vast syllabus and excel in the exam. Regularly check the official UPSC website for updates on the admit card, application process, and other announcements. Start early, stay focused, and leverage resources like NCERTs, and previous year papers to boost your chances of success.

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 FAQ

1. When is the UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 scheduled, and what are the key dates?
The UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 will be held on 24th May 2026. The notification will be released on 14th January 2026, and the last date to apply is 3rd February 2026.

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2. What is the eligibility criteria for the UPSC CSE Prelims 2026?
Candidates must be Indian citizens aged 21–32 years as of 1st August 2026 (age relaxation applies for OBC, SC/ST, PwD). A Bachelor’s degree is required. Final-year students can apply provisionally.

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3. What is the exam pattern for the UPSC Prelims 2026?
The Prelims consists of two objective-type papers:

• GS Paper I (200 marks, 100 questions, 2 hours)
• CSAT (200 marks, 80 questions, 2 hours) – Qualifying paper with 33% minimum to pass.
  Both have 1/3rd negative marking for wrong answers.

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4. How many exam centres are there for UPSC Prelims and Mains 2026?
The Prelims will be held in around 80 cities, while the Mains will be conducted in a more limited set of 26–28 centres. Exact centre details are on the admit card.

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5. What resources are recommended for UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 preparation?
Suggested resources include:

• NCERTs (Class VI–XII), Laxmikanth (Polity), Bipin Chandra (Modern History)
• The Hindu/Indian Express, Yojana, Science Reporter
• Previous Year Papers (2014–2024) and a good test series