UPSC CSE Prelims Result 2026 LIVE Updates: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will release the Civil Services Preliminary Examination (CSE Prelims) results on the official website at upsc.gov.in this week. The exam was held nationwide on May 24, 2026. For about 933 positions, as many as 8,19,372 students had registered for the exam.
It was conducted offline in two shifts using an OMR-based format. The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) Paper II was held in the afternoon after the General Studies Paper I, which began at 9:30 am. It took place in 83 cities at 2,072 exam locations. For more information on toppers’ scores and DAF formalities, check here.
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Only four days after the test, on May 28, the answer key was published for the first time. Up until now, UPSC has released the answer key after the declaration of the final result, that is, about a year after the CSE Prelims. One question had been dropped in the provisional key out of 100.
Last year, the Prelims result was announced on June 11, and the exam was conducted on May 25, 2026. In 2024, the exam was held on June 16, and the result was declared on July 1.
Students must note that the CSE Prelims is only a qualifying exam, and its score is not included in the final result.
Around 5.49 lakh students had taken the exam, 67 per cent of the total 8.19 lakh who had applied (Representative Image/AI)
A total of around 5.49 lakh candidates appeared for the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026, accounting for nearly 67 per cent of the 8.19 lakh registered applicants. Both registrations and attendance saw a decline compared to last year, when approximately 9.5 lakh candidates had applied and around 5.8 lakh appeared for the examination.
Delhi emerged as the largest examination hub in the country, with 70,885 candidates appearing across 144 examination venues. Hyderabad recorded 44,209 candidates at 100 centres, while Patna saw 39,147 aspirants taking the test across 79 locations. At the other end of the spectrum, Kargil reported the lowest turnout, with just 98 candidates appearing at its lone examination centre.
According to students and coaching experts, the General Studies (GS) Paper I was lengthier and more challenging than the 2025 prelims paper. The paper featured questions from a broad range of subjects, including History, Art and Culture (20 questions), Economy (19), Science and Technology (18), Geography (13), Environment (11), Miscellaneous topics (11), and Polity and Governance (8).