UPSC Conducts Civil Services Preliminary Examination Across 83 Cities with Real-Time Face Authentication
Nearly 5.49 lakh candidates appeared for the examination out of 8.19 lakh applicants, registering an attendance of around 67 percent.
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar described the implementation of the technology-enabled authentication system as one of the most complex operational exercises undertaken by the Commission.
New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Sunday conducted the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026, including the Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination, across 2,072 venues in 83 cities nationwide, introducing real-time face authentication technology for the first time to strengthen examination integrity.
According to provisional data released by the Commission, nearly 5.49 lakh candidates appeared for the examination out of 8.19 lakh applicants, registering an attendance of around 67 percent. In comparison, around 61 percent of nearly 9.5 lakh applicants had appeared for the preliminary examination in 2025.
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar described the implementation of the technology-enabled authentication system as one of the most complex operational exercises undertaken by the Commission.
“This was possibly the largest real-time face-authentication exercise conducted by UPSC and its successful implementation marks a major step forward in strengthening examination integrity,” he said.
The indigenously developed face authentication system, implemented in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Informatics Centre (NIC), was deployed across all examination venues.
The examination was conducted in two sessions, with General Studies Paper-I held in the morning and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) Paper-II conducted in the afternoon under strict institutional protocols.
Delhi recorded the highest number of applicants with 70,885 candidates appearing across 144 venues, followed by Hyderabad with 44,209 candidates across 100 venues and Patna with 39,147 candidates across 79 venues. Kargil registered the lowest number of applicants with 98 candidates at a single venue, while Port Blair and Leh also recorded relatively low participation.
UPSC said all centres were equipped with facilities including drinking water, power backup, medical support, sanitation arrangements and accessibility assistance for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD), particularly in view of prevailing summer conditions in several regions.
The Commission also deployed mobile signal jammers and trained security personnel at all venues to ensure secure and fair conduct of the examination.
In a significant reform aimed at improving transparency, UPSC announced that it would release the provisional answer key shortly after completion of the examination for the first time. Candidates will be allowed to submit representations and supporting documents till May 31, 2026, before the Commission finalises the answer key.
To reduce congestion at major examination centres, UPSC added three new centres this year at Bhubaneswar, Kanpur and Meerut. The Commission has also introduced a candidate preference mechanism to identify potential future examination centres based on applicant demand patterns.
Among the total applicants, 11,224 candidates belonged to categories of Persons with Benchmark Disability and Persons with Disability. Eligible candidates were provided compensatory time and accessibility support in accordance with examination guidelines.
The Commission stated that the successful conduct of the nationwide examination reflected coordinated efforts among multiple agencies and the continued strengthening of institutional systems aimed at ensuring fairness, efficiency and credibility in India’s premier civil services recruitment process.
