The UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination 2026 held its penultimate day on August 29, with the nine-day exam set to conclude on August 30.
This year’s exam has 933 vacancies at stake across the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central services, drawing candidates from across the country.
Exam sessions run twice daily, forenoon from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and afternoon from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM, covering the Essay, General Studies papers and two optional subject papers.
Of the 933 vacancies, 33 posts are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities under UPSC’s standard reservation framework.
The Civil Services Examination remains one of India’s most competitive recruitment processes, with roughly 10 lakh applicants and only about 900 to 1,000 candidates selected annually.
Aspirants have flagged the exam’s demanding nine-day format, spanning nearly two full weeks including a mid-exam gap, as one of the toughest stretches of the entire selection process.
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.
Photo via Unsplash, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (representative exam-writing image)
