UPSC: Real time face-authentication system in CSE prelims 2026 to curb malpractice

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 : This year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) successfully implemented face authentication during the UPSC Civil Services preliminary examination 2026. UPSC introduced a face-authentication protocol that verifies the identity of candidates by matching their photograph submitted during the application process with their physical appearance at the examination centre on the day of the exam.

According to UPSC, the new authentication system allows invigilators to verify candidates in real time using mobile phones, ensuring accurate identification and eliminating the risk of impersonation and exam malpractice.

UPSC conducted the face-authentication exercise across all 2,072 exam venues across the country during the CSE prelims exam , held on May 24. As per the UPSC's provisional data, out of a total of 8,19,732 candidates who had applied for the examination, nearly 5.49 lakh candidates (67%) appeared for it.

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026: SOP for all states

UPSC's face-scan system has been developed with technical support from the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The process required each candidate to undergo face verification before entering the exam hall.

UPSC has also devised a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as part of this process, which has been shared with all states, districts and venues where the examination is proposed.

"Multiple rounds of training were imparted to the invigilators. The beauty of the solution lies in the fact that it does not require any expensive hardware. It works on any Android smartphone, and invigilators used their own mobile phones for the purpose, thereby reducing hardware costs and easing the logistical burden," the UPSC said.

Also read UPSC, SSC Exams: Government job seekers demand students’ panel, tight monitoring in appeal to commission, DoPT

UPSC: 12,000 authentications per minute

According to UPSC, another significant factor was the speed of the new application. Each candidate's face authentication was completed in just 6-8 seconds, enabling entry at exam centres and eliminating the problem of long queues.

The application also demonstrated remarkable scalability. It supported over 7,000 invigilators operating simultaneously at peak entry times, and it was capable of processing around 12,000 authentications per minute.

Speaking on the new initiative, UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar said that the new step has been taken to ensure impersonation-free exams.

"However, the challenge also lay in deploying the solution at scale, leveraging the existing invigilation workforce for face authentication, training them, and accomplishing all this within a short span of time. UPSC, NeGD and MeitY teams have done a great job in developing and implementing this solution successfully on such a large scale with nearly 5.5 lakhs candidates across 2000-plus venues," Kumar said.