UPSC Civil Services IAS Pre Answer Key 2026

This page tracks UPSC Civil Services IAS Pre Answer Key 2026, a answer key release. The key figures are an application window closing 27 February 2026 and a fee of ₹100 for unreserved candidates. Everything below — dates, eligibility, fee and the official links — is set out in the order you will need it.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts central civil services and specialist recruitment. UPSC timelines and criteria are rarely relaxed, and only upsc.gov.in should be treated as authoritative for the application, admit card and result.

Applications open on 04 February 2026 and close on 27 February 2026, giving candidates 24 days to complete the process. The 24-day window is comfortable, though last-day traffic still causes portal failures every cycle — applying in the first half avoids it. Fee payment closes on 27/02/2026 — note that this can fall on a different day from the form deadline, and an unpaid form is not a submitted form. A correction window is listed (28/02/2026 to 03/03/2026), so errors in the submitted form can be fixed within that period rather than by re-applying. The exam is currently shown for 24/05/2026; treat this as provisional until the admit card confirms it.

The age limit runs from 21 to 32 years for unreserved candidates. That is an 11-year band, so candidates near either edge should confirm the exact cut-off date the notification measures age against — it is usually a fixed reference date, not the date you apply. On qualifications, the notification states: Bachelor Degree as one of Subject Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Zoology, Agriculture or Equivalent. If your degree is an equivalent under a different name, look for the equivalence clause in the official PDF before paying the fee — a form rejected for a qualification mismatch is not usually refundable.

SC / ST / PH and All Category Female are exempt from the application fee under this notification. All fee-paying categories are charged the same ₹100. Payment is accepted via debit card, credit card, net banking, and offline bank challan. Pay only through the official portal linked on this page; the fee is normally non-refundable once the form is submitted.

Work out a provisional score from the official key before the objection window closes. Objections generally require a fee per question and supporting evidence, and are only worth raising where you can cite a source. Do not use unofficial keys circulating on social media to estimate cut-offs — they are frequently wrong on exactly the disputed questions.