The UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination 2026 entered its penultimate day on August 29, with the nine-day exam window set to close on August 30.
This year’s cycle offers 933 vacancies across the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central civil services, drawn from among roughly 10 lakh applicants.
Each exam day runs in two sessions, forenoon from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and afternoon from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM, covering the Essay, four General Studies papers and two optional subject papers.
Thirty-three of the 933 vacancies are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, in line with UPSC’s standard reservation policy.
Only around 900 to 1,000 candidates are ultimately selected each year out of roughly 10 lakh applicants, making the Civil Services Examination one of India’s toughest competitive exams.
The Mains exam covers the Essay paper, four General Studies papers, two qualifying language papers and two optional subject papers spread across the nine-day window.
Each exam day runs in two sessions, a forenoon slot from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and an afternoon slot from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM, except the opening day, which was reserved solely for the Essay paper.
The UPSC released the Mains admit card on August 14, 2026, allowing candidates to download their e-admit cards using their registration ID or roll number.
Roughly 10 lakh candidates apply for the Civil Services Examination each year, with only around 900 to 1,000 ultimately selected across the IAS, IPS, IFS and other allied services.
The 933 vacancies for this year’s cycle include 33 posts reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, part of UPSC’s broader reservation framework for the exam.
Candidates who clear the Mains stage will proceed to the Personality Test, commonly known as the interview round, the final stage of the three-tier Civil Services Examination process.
The Civil Services Examination remains one of the most competitive recruitment processes in India, with a selection ratio of roughly one in a thousand applicants in a typical year.
Photo via Unsplash, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (representative exam-writing image)