UPSC Prelims Result 2026 LIVE Updates: Civil Services Prelims results expected this week

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) introduced a significant change in 2026 by releasing a provisional answer key for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination (CSE Prelims) on May 28, just four days after the exam on May 24. This marks a departure from the previous practice of releasing the answer key only after final results, which were announced nearly a year later. The provisional key included 99 questions out of 100 in General Studies Paper 1, as one question was dropped. The exam was conducted offline in two shifts across 2,072 centers in 83 cities, with General Studies Paper 1 held in the morning and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) Paper II in the afternoon. A total of 8,19,372 candidates registered for the exam, but only 5.49 lakh (67%) appeared, reflecting a decline from last year’s 9.5 lakh registrations and 5.8 lakh appearances. The number of vacancies also dropped to 933 in 2026, down from 1,087 in 2025, contributing to the lower turnout. Delhi was the largest exam hub, with 70,885 candidates across 144 centers, followed by Hyderabad (44,209 candidates) and Patna (39,147 candidates). Kargil had the fewest participants, with just 98 candidates appearing at its sole center. Educators reported that the General Studies Paper 1 was notably more difficult and lengthy than the 2025 exam, covering topics like Economy (19 questions), Environment (11), Geography (13), History & Art & Culture (20), Polity & Governance (8), Science & Technology (18), and Miscellaneous (11). Results for the 2026 CSE Prelims are expected to be announced by June 15 on the official UPSC website, upsc.gov.in. The final list will be published as a PDF of qualifying roll numbers, without individual scores. The decline in both registrations and appearances this year is the lowest in the past two years, aligning with the reduced number of vacancies.