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Calling the initiative “a new beginning,” UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar said the Commission will now issue provisional answer keys for the examination for the very first time.
This year’s UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam is scheduled to be held on May 24. (AI Image)
For the first time, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has decided to publish a provisional answer key for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026 soon after the exam is conducted. The Commission announced the decision on Monday, stating that the initiative is intended to improve transparency and maintain the highest standards in the examination process, reported PTI.
Calling the initiative “a new beginning,” UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar said the Commission will now issue provisional answer keys for the examination for the very first time. This year’s Civil Services Preliminary Examination is scheduled to be held on May 24.
After the provisional answer key is released, candidates will be allowed to raise objections or submit representations through the dedicated “Online Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep)” available on the UPSC website. The objection window will remain open until 6 pm on May 31, 2026.
According to the UPSC, the move also addresses a long-pending demand from aspirants seeking early access to provisional answer keys. In its official statement, the Commission said the new policy reflects its commitment to openness, accountability, and building greater trust among candidates in the examination system.
The UPSC conducts the Civil Services Examination every year in three stages — Preliminary, Main, and Interview — for recruitment to prestigious services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and other central services.
Kumar noted that the step is part of the UPSC’s broader effort to ensure greater transparency, prompt communication, and better responsiveness towards candidates. Kumar further said the policy aims to make the examination process more participative while safeguarding its fairness, integrity, and merit-driven nature.
Candidates submitting representations will need to specify the answer they believe is correct, provide a brief justification, and attach supporting references from three authentic sources.
The Commission said this mechanism will help candidates evaluate their performance at an early stage while also giving them adequate time to present any concerns regarding the answer key.
All objections received will then be examined thoroughly by teams of subject experts. According to the UPSC, these experts will carefully review every representation, assess the supporting evidence submitted, and provide their considered opinion on the correctness of the answers in question.
The Commission clarified that the final answer key will be published only after all representations have been reviewed and appropriately considered.
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