Highlights

Notification

The UPSC has released the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026 notification on 4 February 2026. Candidates who are aiming for the All India Services along with other services can apply online between 4 February – 27 February 2026. The CSE notification was released for a total of 712 vacancies which include 22 vacancies for persons with the benchmark disability category.

Dates

The IAS (UPSC CSE) Online Application form was closed on 27 February 2026. To know more about the important dates of IAS Exam 2026, go through the following table:

Vacancy

The IAS (UPSC CSE) vacancy has been notified 4 February 2026. Here is a tabular on the latest vacancy announcement of the IAS and IFoS (Indian Forest Services) Exam:

There are 22 vacant posts reserved for the PWD candidates in UPSC Civil Service Exam and 6 vacant posts are reserved for PWD candidates in UPSC Indian Forest Service Exam.

Eligibility

IAS (UPSC CSE) Eligibility Criteria is released along with the official notification. The Eligibility criteria for IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Exam has been classified into 5 sections such as:

• Age criteria and relaxation
• Educational Qualification
• Nationality
• Physical Standard
• Number of attempts allowed

Applications

The application form of the IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 exam and UPSC IFoS 2026 Exam was released 4 February 2026.

Step 1 – IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Registration

• Visit the official website and click on the ‘UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026’
• Candidates have to fill in their Personal, Educational, Parental, and Employment details.
• You can make changes before the final submission. No changes would be possible after the final submission, hence filling the IAS 2026 Application Form very carefully.
• These details cannot be changed, however, in case of any error, separate representation can be made to the commission.

Step 2 – IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Application Fee

IAS (UPSC CSE) Application fees can be paid offline as well as online. For online payment, candidates may use a credit card/debit card/Rupay card or Internet Banking Services.

For offline payment, download the e-challan and submit the fee in cash at SBI bank branches on the next day itself. Here is the specified payable amount for all candidates:

Step 3 – IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Exam Center Selection

Candidates will get an option to select the IAS (UPSC CSE) examination center. Here, the candidates can select the exam city of their choice.

Step 4 – Uploading Photograph and Signature

Candidates have to upload the following documents in IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Application Form in the prescribed specifications:

Step 5 – Agreeing to Declaration

The last step is to Click On ‘I Agree’ and after that candidates can submit their online application form.

Candidates can take a printout of the application form for future reference.

Admit Card

• IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Prelims Exam has been scheduled for 24 May 2026. Therefore, the admit card for the prelims exam should be available three weeks before the exam date.
• The visible details on the IAS (UPSC CSE) admit card is the candidate’s name, father’s name, DOB, photograph, signature, address of the allotted IAS Exam Centre, etc.
• After downloading the admit card, candidates must check and verify all the details mentioned in it. In case of any discrepancy, you must report it to the authorities by email to uscsp- upsc@nic.in.
• It is mandatory to carry the admit card along with ID proof to be allowed in the exam center.

Exam Centers

IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains Exam Centres Mains

Exam Pattern and Selection Process

There are 2 written tests in the IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam - Prelims and Mains Exam. The Prelims exam is qualifying in nature while the IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains exam and Personality test together will decide the candidates' place in the Merit List.

IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Prelims Exam Pattern

The UPSC CSE Prelims exam will be the same for both IAS and UPSC Indian Forest Service Exam (IFoS) Exam. The exam is to test the analytical skills of the candidates. Here is the UPSC CSE prelims exam pattern:

• There are 2 compulsory papers - General Ability Test (GAT) and the Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT).
• All questions are objective in nature. There are 4 options among which any one of the 4 answer choices is given for each question.
• Questions are set in both Compulsory English Language Paper and Hindi Language.
• Questions from the English Language Comprehension are of the class 10th level.
• IAS (UPSC CSE) Prelims is a qualifying exam. Candidates have to get a minimum of 33% to be qualified for the Mains.
• The number of candidates to be admitted to Mains is about twelve to thirteen times the total, an approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year through this examination.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme for Prelims

• In the General Studies Paper-I, each question carries 2 marks.
• In the Civil Service Aptitude Test Paper, each question carries 2.5 marks.
• For each wrong attempt, there will be a deduction of one-third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question.
• If a candidate gives more than one answer, it will be treated as a wrong answer even if one of the given answers happens to be correct and the penalty will be the same as mentioned above for that question.
• If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is given by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
• Paper-II (CSAT) in the IAS exam is qualifying and candidates should score a minimum of 33 percent in this paper to qualify for the next stage of the IAS exam i.e. the Mains.

IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026: Mains Exam Pattern

• IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains is also an offline exam.
• Each paper of the main exam will carry 250 marks.
• Each paper is for 3 hours. 30 minutes are given extra to blind students.
• IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains exam has 9 papers among which there are 2 qualifying papers, 4 general studies papers, 2 optional papers, and 1 essay paper.
• Questions will be subjective in nature. They will be given in both Hindi and English language.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme for Mains

• The total marks in IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains exam are 1750 marks.
• Candidates can choose two optional papers in the application process.
• Candidates will be given marks based on opinion, content flow, understanding the problems and situation, offering feasible solutions or strategies, presentation of the answers, and language as well.

IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Exam Pattern for Interview

• All candidates who secured the cutoff marks of the Mains examination will proceed towards the IAS Personality Test which includes psychological test, physical and medical test.
• This is the final stage of the IAS (UPSC CSE) Selection process which consists of 275 marks.
• At the Exam Centre’s entrance hall, verification of documents like educational certificates, Caste certificates, etc takes place.
• The Interview is a completely different experience and tests the inner psychological state of the interviewee(candidate).

Syllabus

As the IAS Prelims exam is the primary stage of the selection process. It is an online screening stage. Here is the IAS (UPSC CSE) Prelims syllabus:

IAS (UPSC CSE) Prelims: General Ability Test (GAT) Paper I Syllabus

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization
• General Science

IAS (UPSC CSE) Prelims: Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) Paper-II

• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision-making and problem solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) – Class X level)
• Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)

IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Mains Syllabus

The Mains exam of the IAS (UPSC CSE) Exam comprises 9 theoretical papers among which there are 4 general studies papers, 2 language papers, and 1 essay paper, and 2 optional subject papers.

Here is the complete syllabus of the IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains Exam along with the syllabus of optional papers.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains Language Papers: Indian language and English Syllabus

There are two language papers in the IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains exam, which are qualifying in nature. Therefore, candidates must score above 25% in either of them to qualify.

• One essay question carries 100 marks – candidates have to select one among the given topics.
• Reading comprehension and related five-six questions which carry a total of 60 marks
• Precis writing for 60 marks – the answer sheet will have a separate grid structure where this has to be written
• Translation from English will be done in the chosen language. This section carries 20 marks.
• The Translation from chosen language to English carries for 20 marks
• A total of 40 marks are allotted to the Grammar and basic language usage such as synonyms, sentence correction, etc.

IAS (UPSC CSE) 2026 Mains: Essay Paper

The essay paper has a marks weightage of 250 out of the total 1250 marks of the entire Mains test. It contains 12.5 % of the total. The word limit for the essay is 1000-1200 words.

The following are a few examples of the essay topics that IAS mains often set. Having a clear conception of the essay topics will help you make a study plan accordingly:

• How is both human intelligence and technical intelligence crucial in combatting terrorism with context to India?
• Are science and mysticism compatible?
• Managing home and work- is it a fair deal for Indian working women?
• Indian cinema is the reflection of the popular culture of the country and not influencing shaping society.
• Status, opportunities, and challenges of the credit-based higher education system.

IAS (UPSC CSE) General Studies Paper I Syllabus

For UPSC Mains 2026 Exam, the syllabus of IAS (UPSC CSE) General Studies Paper I has been discussed here for better understanding.

Indian Culture

Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Modern Indian History -

• Significant events, issues, personalities during the middle of the eighteenth century (the 1750s) until the present.
• Different stages and important contributors and contributions from various parts of the country in ‘The Freedom Struggle’.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

World History

• Events, forms, and effects on society since the 18th century such as world wars, the industrial revolution, colonization, redraw of national boundaries, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, etc.

Society

• Indian society and diversity – Salient aspects.
• Role of women and women’s organizations, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems, and remedies.
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
• Effects of globalization on Indian society.

Geography

• The geography syllabus basically consists of the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world including India.
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones, etc are also important.
• Geographical features and their location, changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and polar ice caps) and, flora and fauna, and the effects of such changes.
• Salient features of the world's physical geography are also crucial for this exam.

IAS (UPSC CSE) General Studies Paper-II Syllabus

For IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains exam, the syllabus of General Studies Paper-II is basically covered by the Polity, Governance, and Indian Governance. In the following tabular the detailed topics are elaborated:

IAS (UPSC CSE) General Studies Paper III Syllabus

The IAS (UPSC CSE) Syllabus for General Studies III is focused on Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management. Here are the details in the following table:

IAS (UPSC CSE) General Studies Paper IV Syllabus

The UPSC mainly included Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude in the syllabus of IAS (UPSC CSE) General Studies Paper IV to test the candidate’s approach to the issues of integrity and probity.

Here are details on the syllabus:

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Papers Syllabus

There are 2 optional papers that are required to be chosen at the time of the IAS (UPSC CSE) Application process out of the UPSC subject list.

The UPSC Optional Subject list consists of 48 subjects including 23 literature subjects. Here is the syllabus of the optional subjects for the Mains exam:

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional History Syllabus

The IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional History Syllabus comprises Ancient Indian, Medieval Indian, Modern Indian, and World History. Here are the details:

• Optional History Paper-I Syllabus: Here are the crucial topics: Pre-history and Proto-history, Indus Valley Civilization, Megalithic Cultures, Aryans and Vedic Period, Period of Mahajanapadas, Mauryan Empire, Post - Mauryan Period (Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas, Western Kshatrapas), Early State and Society in Eastern India, Deccan and South India: Kharavela, Guptas, Vakatakas and Vardhanas, the Regional States during Gupta Era, Themes in Early Indian Cultural History, Early Medieval India, 750-1200, Cultural Traditions in India, 750- 1200, The Thirteenth Century, The Fourteenth Century, Society, Culture, and Economy in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries, The Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Century, Akbar, Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century and The Eighteenth Century
• Optional History Paper-II Syllabus: European Penetration into India, British Expansion in India, Early Structure of the British Raj, Economic Impact of British Colonial Rule, Social and Cultural Developments, Movements in Bengal and Other Areas, Indian Response to British Rule, Factors leading to the birth of Indian Nationalism, Rise of Gandh, Colonial India between 1858 and 1935, National Movements, Politics of Separatism, Consolidation as a Nation; Nehru’s Foreign Policy, Caste and Ethnicity after 1947, Enlightenment and Modern ideas, Origins of Modern Politics, Industrialization, Nation-State System, Imperialism and Colonialism, World Wars and after-effect, Decolonization, and Underdevelopment, etc.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Geography Syllabus

Geography is an important subject as far as the following topics cover both the IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains and Prelims Geography section. The major topics are mentioned here:

• Geomorphology, Climatology, Oceanography, Biogeography, Environmental Geography, Perspectives in Human Geography, Economic Geography, Population and Settlement Geography, Regional Planning, Models, Theories and Laws in Human Geography and Geography Of India including Physical Setting, Resources, Agriculture, Industry, Transport, Communication, and Trade.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Economics Syllabus

• Optional Economics Paper-I Syllabus: Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Money - Banking and Finance, International Economics, Growth and Development, Development of less developed countries.
• Optional Economics Paper-II Syllabus: Indian Economy in PreIndependence Era and Indian Economy after Independence.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Sociology Syllabus

• Sociology Optional subject is quite popular among the IAS (UPSC CSE) Mains appearing candidates. To prepare for this subject, here is a glimpse of the Sociology Optional syllabus:
• Sociology Optional Paper-I Syllabus: The Discipline, Sociology as Science, Research Methods and Analysis, Sociological Thinkers, Stratification and Mobility, Works and Economic Life, Politics and Society, Religion and Society, Systems of Kinship, Social Change in Modern Society.
• Sociology Optional Paper-II Syllabus: Perspectives on the study of Indian society, Impact of colonial rule on Indian society, Rural and Agrarian Social Structure, Caste System, Tribal communities in India, Social Classes in India, Systems of Kinship, Religion and Society, Visions of Social Change, Rural and Agrarian transformation, Industrialization and Urbanisation, Politics and Society, Social Movements, Population Dynamics, and Challenges of Social Transformation.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Philosophy Syllabus

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Philosophy is a popular optional subject. On average, between 800 and 1000 candidates select this subject as the optional subject.

• Philosophy Paper-I can be divided into two sections – Indian Philosophy and Western Philosophy. Here is a glimpse of the IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Philosophy syllabus:
• Philosophy Optional Paper-I Syllabus: Plato and Aristotle, Rationalism, Empiricism, Kant, Hegel, Logical Positivism, Later Wittgenstein, Phenomenology, Existentialism, Quine and Strawson, Ca-rva-ka, Buddhism, Nya-ya- Vais'esika, Sa-mkhya, Yoga: Citta, Mima-msa, Aurobindo, etc.
• Philosophy Optional Paper-II Syllabus: Socio-Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Political Science Syllabus

IAS (UPSC CSE) Political Science and International Relations Optional syllabus majorly covers topics related to the Constitution of India, social justice, international organizations, the international economic system and trade, and India’s foreign policy.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Agriculture Syllabus

• Agriculture Optional Paper-I Syllabus: Ecology and its relevance to man, natural resources, their sustainable management and conservation, Cropping patterns in different agro-climatic zones of the country, various types of forestry plantations, Weeds, various crops, Soils of India, Farm management, and Agricultural extension
• Agriculture Optional Paper-II Syllabus: Cell structure, function and cell cycle, plant breeding, seed production, Plant Physiology, Enzymes, and plant pigments; photosynthesis, Major fruits, plantation crops, vegetables, spices, and flower crops, plantation crops, and food industry.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Botany Syllabus

• Botany Optional Paper-I Syllabus: Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Cryptogams, Phanerogams: Gymnosperms, Plant Resource Development and Morphogenesis
• Botany Optional Paper-II Syllabus: Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Plant Breeding, Biotechnology and Biostatistics, Physiology and Biochemistry, Ecology and Plant Geography.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Law Syllabus:

The syllabus of Law Optional Papers majorly includes Constitutional and Administrative Law, International Law, Law of Crimes, Law of Torts, and Contemporary Legal Developments.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Optional Mathematics Syllabus

This optional subject is often chosen by the candidates who have studied mathematics in their graduation or studied engineering.

• Mathematics Optional Paper-I Syllabus: Linear Algebra, Calculus, Analytic Geometry, Ordinary Differential Equations, Dynamics & Statics, and Vector Analysis.
• Mathematics Optional Paper-II Syllabus: Algebra, Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Linear Programming, Partial differential equations, Numerical Analysis and Computer programming, Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.

IAS (UPSC CSE) Hindi Literature Optional Syllabus

• Hindi Literature Optional Paper-I Syllabus: Apbhransh, Awahatta & Arambhik Hindi, Khari-boli and Nagari Lipi, Development of Braj and Awadhi, Siddha-Nath Sahitya, Khusero, Sant Sahitya, Rahim, etc. and Dakhni Hindi, freedom movement, Scientific & Technical development, Prominent dialects, and History of Hindi Literature.
• Hindi Literature Optional Paper-II Syllabus: Kabir, Surdas, Tulsidas, Jayasi, Bihari, Maithili Sharan Gupta, Prasad, Nirala, Dinkar, Agyeya, Muktiboth, Nagarjun, Bharatendu, Mohan Rakesh, Ramchandra Shukla, Dr. Satyendra, Premchand, Prasad, Yashpal, Phaniswar Nath Renu, Mannu Bhandari, and Rajendra Yadav

IAS (UPSC CSE) English Literature Optional Syllabus

• English Literature Optional Paper-I Syllabus: William Shakespeare, John Donne, John Milton, Alexander Pope, William Wordsworth, Alfred Tennyson, Henrik Ibsen, Jonathan Swift, Jane Austen, Henry Fielding, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and Mark Twain
• English Literature Optional Paper-I Syllabus: William Butler Yeats, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, John Osborne, Samuel Beckett, Philip Larkin, and A.K. Ramanujan.

Study Material

Preparation books for Prelims

To get the minimum of 33% in the General Studies Paper-II and the desired maks in the General Studies Paper-I, candidates should follow an organized list of books which is given in the following tabular:

Preparation Books for Mains Exam

The books for the IAS (UPSC CSE) Preliminary are the primary elements for studying. To go in advance, candidates have to choose section-wise books. Try to read the old and new NCERT books on each subject.

Result

The IAS Preliminary result is announced Yet To Be Announced, the IAS Main exam result Yet To Be Announced, and the IAS final result was announced Yet To Be Announced

Salary

IAS (UPSC CSE) officers are one of the highest-paid employees under the Central Government of India.

• As per the new pay structure, for an officer who will be joining as an IAS officer or any other civil services, the basic salary is INR 56,100/-.
• The starting salary of an IAS officer is INR 70,000 approximately as per the 7th Pay Commission.
• Along with the IAS (UPSC CSE) salary, the officers receive numerous allowances such as Dear Allowances, Travel Allowances, House Rent Allowances, Tiffin Allowances, Medical Allowances, Ration, Medical Insurance, etc which are variable due to the place of posting and designation.
• The IAS (UPSC CSE) Officers face a 2 years probationary period which will start from the training period after joining. The newly recruited candidates will be called for a “100-day foundation course,” which is the first step of two years of training.
• During the training, the candidates must maintain the records of the learning process and the training process will end with an examination.

The candidates who will qualify for the exam of the probationary period will receive the pay structure and promotions which have been categorized in the following tabular.

FAQs