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The prelims exam is the first stage in the UPSC exam, which is qualifying in nature.
How many papers are there in UPSC prelims?
There are two papers, General Studies and CSAT, in the UPSC prelims worth 200 marks each.
Is 2 months enough to prepare for UPSC Prelims?
No, given the difficulty level, it is not possible to prepare for UPSC Prelims from scratch in two months. Candidates with a good prior understanding of the prelims syllabus may prepare in 2 months.
How many months are sufficient to study for UPSC Prelims?
Candidates need to study for a minimum of 6 to 8 months to prepare for UPSC Prelims due to the vast syllabus and level of difficulty.
Is UPSC prelims easier than mains?
It depends on the candidate's approach; the UPSC prelims have only two papers where candidates need to choose the correct option, whereas the UPSC mains have nine descriptive papers, making it more challenging.
UPSC Prelims 2026, Exam Pattern, Syllabus and Preparation Tips
UPSC Prelims 2026 will be held on 24th May 2026, as per the latest update. Candidates can check out syllabus, exam pattern, eligibility, previous year's paper, and other details regarding UPSC Prelims here.
Deeksha Dixit9 Jul, 2025
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UPSC Prelims 2026 exam will take place on May 24, 2026. In India, it is the first step in the selection process for a number of respected civil services, such ason the IAS, IPS, and IFS, among others. The UPSC Prelims exam is an objective test. The General Studies and Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) are its two main papers. Among the many subjects covered in the General Studies paper are Indian history, geography, politics, economics, and science and technology.
The CSAT paper assesses the candidate's thinking, understanding, and decision-making abilities. To succeed in UPSC 2026 Prelims, it’s crucial to understand the key aspects, such as the detailed syllabus, pattern, and the structure of the question paper. Read on to learn about UPSC Prelims 2026 in detail.
UPSC Prelims 2026 Highlights
The UPSC Prelims 2026 are scheduled for May 24, 2026.The Union Public Service Commission conducts the CSE and IFoS exams annually to recruit candidates for central services in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and the Interview. UPSC Prelims is the first and common stageof both exams and has two objective-type qualifying papers worth 200 marks each. UPSC Mains and Interviews for the IFoS exam are conducted separately from CSE. Here are key highlights:
UPSC Prelims 2026 Highlights
Particular
Detail
Exam Name
Civil Services and Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Exam 2026
Authority
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Frequency
Annual
Exam Mode
Pen and paper-based
Application Mode
Online
Exam Centres
80
Total Papers
Two, GS and CSAT
Total Marks
200/Each
Duration
2 Hours/Each
Nature of Exam
Qualifying
Exam Date
May 24 th, 2026
Negative Marking
1/3rd
Official Website
upsc.gov.in
UPSC Prelims 2026 Schedule
The UPSC Prelims exam date is 24th May 2026. With the exam approaching, candidates are encouraged to focus on their UPSC Prelims study plans. The notification for the exam will be released on January 14, 2026.The IAS Prelims 2026 exam date is as follows:
UPSC Prelims 2026 Schedule
Event
Information
Exam Date
24 May 2026
UPSC Prelims Eligibility 2026
The UPSC Prelims is the first stage and only eligible candidates can apply for this stage. Candidates who have completed graduation and are not more than 32 years old are eligible for the IAS prelims exam. The UPSC Eligibility Criteria is as follows for future reference:
UPSC Prelims Eligibility Criteria
Particular
Detail
Nationality
Indian for IAS, IPS, IRS
Indian/Subject of Nepal/ Bhutan/Tibetan refugee/PIO under specified conditions for other services.
General category candidates have six attempts, while OBC candidates have nine attempts. There are no limits for SC/ST candidates.
UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
The UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2026 has been detailed in the official notification. There will be twopen-and-paper-based papersconducted on the same day: GS 1 and CSAT. Since UPSC Prelims are qualifying in nature, candidates need to score minimum qualifying marks in both papers. Here is the UPSC exam pattern 2026 for Prelims :
The question format is of the objective type in the UPSC preliminary exam.
Candidates need to attempt 200 questions on each paper.
The total duration of UPSC prelims is 4 hours, which is divided into two shifts.
Generally, Paper 1 is General Studies, which is held in the morning shift, while Paper 2 is CSAT, which is held in the afternoon shift.
The question paper is bilingual in Hindi and English.
Candidates must score 33% in the CSAT exam; otherwise, their GS 1 score will not be considered.
UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern
Paper
Total Questions
Total Marks
Negative Marking
General Studies Paper I
100
200
-0.66 marks
CSAT Paper II
80
200
-0.83 marks
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026
UPSC has provided the syllabus for the IAS prelims exam in the official notification. Candidates need to refer to standard resources while preparing the UPSC Prelims Syllabus The question-paper-wise syllabus for UPSC prelims is as follows:
Paper I General Studies Syllabus:
Current Affairs: Events of national and international importance.
Geography of India and World: Physical, Economic, Social, Geography of India and the World.
History: India History and Indian National Movement.
Economic and Social Development: Social Sector Initiatives, Inclusion, Sustainable Development, Poverty, Demographics, etc.
Indian Polity and Governance: Constitution of India, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Rights Issues, Public Policy, etc.
Environment and Science: General Science, General issues on Environmental ecology, Climate Change, and Biodiversity.
Paper II CSAT Syllabus:
Reading Comprehension: Interpersonal skills including communication skills
Reasoning: Logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making, and problem-solving.
General mental ability: Class X level topics on basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.)
Data interpretation: Class X level charts, tables, graphs, data sufficiency, etc.
UPSC Prelims Previous Year Question Paper PDF
Previous years' UPSC Prelims question paper PDFs are invaluable resources for candidates preparing for the civil services and Indian forest service examinations. Candidates should make use of these PDFs to enhance their preparation and increase their chances of success in the UPSC Prelims 2026 exam. Candidates preparing for the next session are advised to download the UPSC Prelims Question Paper PDFs to identify important topics, understand the scope of the syllabus, and assess their own preparation level.
The UPSC Prelims Result 2026 is expected to be announced a few weeks after the examination, which is scheduled for May 24, 2026. Candidates can check their results on the official UPSC website, where the results will be published in a PDF format listing the roll numbers of successful candidates. This result is crucial as it determines eligibility for the next stage of the selection process, the UPSC Mains examination.
Candidates can go through previous years’ UPSC Prelims cutoffs to understand the trends and set realistic expectations for their performance. Analyzing past cutoffs helps candidates gauge the level of competition and the difficulty of the exam. Here is the official UPSC prelims cutoff for the last 5 years:
Previous Year UPSC Prelims Cut Off
Year
General
EWS
OBC
SC
ST
2023
75.41
68.02
74.75
59.25
47.82
2022
88.22
82.83
87.54
74.08
69.35
2021
87.54
80.14
84.85
75.41
70.71
2020
92.51
77.55
89.12
74.84
68.71
2019
98
90
95.34
82
77.34
2018
98
-
96.66
84
83.34
UPSC Prelims 2026 Preparation Tips
The UPSC preliminary stage is crucial, as candidates will not be allowed to attempt the mains exam without qualifying for this stage. This stage has evolved as an eliminator of non-serious candidates in recent years, as evidenced by the cutoff. Candidates nowadays struggle to qualify at this stage, even on the CSAT paper. Here are some tips for UPSC prelims exam preparation:
Make a daily schedule to study for the prelim exam.
Have a good UPSC Booklist that covers the syllabus for CSE prelims.
