UPSC Mains 2026 Begins Tomorrow: Exam Schedule, Admit Card and Everything You Need to Know

UPSC Mains 2026: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will conduct the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 starting August 21, 2026, opening with the Essay paper. The UPSC Mains 2026 exam will be held across five days — August 21, 22, 23, 29, and 30 — as per the official timetable released on upsc.gov.in. Candidates must carry their e-admit card and a valid photo ID to the centre; face authentication has been made mandatory at exam venues for the first time this year.

The UPSC CSE Mains 2026 written examination consists of nine papers carrying a total of 1,750 marks, followed by a Personality Test (Interview) worth 275 marks, taking the grand total to 2,025 marks. As per the official Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE dated February 4, 2026, the number of vacancies was initially estimated at approximately 933. The Commission's official Prelims result press note, dated June 15, 2026, subsequently confirmed that 13,343 candidates were shortlisted for the Mains examination against 1,016 notified vacancies — the Commission has noted that final vacancy numbers can change once Cadre Controlling Authorities confirm firm figures.

UPSC Mains 2026: Exam Schedule and Timetable

Each UPSC Mains 2026 exam day, except August 21, is held in two sessions — forenoon from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and afternoon from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Only the Essay paper is scheduled for August 21, so candidates appearing tomorrow will not have an afternoon session. Each paper is of three hours' duration, as per the official UPSC Mains 2026 timetable.

UPSC Mains 2026: Exam Pattern and Marks Distribution

The UPSC Mains 2026 exam pattern consists of two qualifying papers and seven papers counted for merit ranking, as detailed in the official Civil Services Examination Rules, 2026:

Paper A (Indian Language) is not compulsory for candidates from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim, as per the official notification. Candidates must score at least 25% in both qualifying papers for their Essay, General Studies, and Optional Subject papers to be evaluated.

UPSC Mains Admit Card 2026

As per the official Examination Notice, the UPSC Mains admit card 2026 (e-Admit Card) is issued on the last working day of the week preceding the examination date — for the August 21 start date, this places the official release on or around August 14, 2026. Candidates who requested a scribe change within seven days of the exam receive their e-admit card three days before the exam instead.

Candidates can download the UPSC Mains hall ticket 2026 from upsconline.nic.in using their Universal Registration Number (URN) and password. No admit card is sent by post or email. A printed copy of the e-admit card, along with a valid original photo ID (Aadhaar, Voter ID, PAN, Passport, or Driving Licence), is mandatory at the exam centre.

UPSC Mains 2026: Exam Centres

The UPSC Mains 2026 exam will be conducted across 27 official centres, as per the notified list: Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cuttack, Dehradun, Delhi, Dispur (Guwahati), Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, and Vijayawada.

Centre allotment is on a first-apply-first-allot basis, with a capacity ceiling at every centre except Chennai, Dispur, Kolkata, and Nagpur. UPSC has stated that no request for a change of centre will be entertained once allotted.

UPSC Mains 2026: New Changes This Year

Face authentication has been introduced as a mandatory requirement at UPSC Mains 2026 exam venues for the first time, as per the official notification. Candidates must arrive early enough to complete face authentication, identity verification, and frisking before the session begins.

UPSC Mains 2026: Exam Day Instructions

• Reach the exam centre at least 30 minutes before the commencement of each session; no late entry is permitted under any circumstances.
• Carry a printed copy of the e-admit card and a valid original photo ID.
• Mobile phones (even in switched-off mode), smartwatches, Bluetooth devices, pagers, and programmable calculators are strictly banned inside the exam venue.
• Non-programmable scientific calculators are permitted for the Main Examination.
• The exam centre does not provide any storage facility for banned items; candidates carry them at their own risk.
• Candidates must write answers in their own hand; use of a scribe is permitted only for eligible Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) candidates.

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