UPSC exam calendar 2026 out on upsc.gov.in; CSE, IFS prelims on May 24
UPSC Calendar 2026: The Engineering Services preliminary exam will be held on February 8. Notification, applications and exam dates for CISF, IES, medical services and other UPSC recruitment exams 2026.
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Vikas Kumar Pandit | May 15, 2025 | 04:09 PM IST
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has issued the annual exam calendar for various recruitment exams to be held in 2026. As per the official schedule, the commission will conduct UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) prelims 2026 and Indian Forest Service prelims exam 2026 on May 24.
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The notification for the UPSC CSE and IFS prelims will be released on December 10, 2025. The application window will be open till February 3, 2026. The recruitment process for UPSC 2026 will commence with two slots reserved for examinations and recruitment tests, scheduled to begin on January 10 and January 17, 2026, respectively. These will each be conducted over two days.
The Combined Geo-Scientist prelims exam will be conducted on February 8, 2026, with its notification set to be released on September 3, 2025, and the application deadline on September 23, 2025. The Engineering Services preliminary exam will also be held on February 8, 2026. Its notification will be issued on September 17, 2025, and applications will be accepted till October 7, 2025.
“The dates of notification, commencement and duration of Examinations/ RTs are liable to alteration, if the circumstances so warrant,” the official calendar read.
UPSC Exam Calendar 2026
The UPSC recruitment exam calendar 2026 is provided in the table below. Candidates can also download the UPSC exam calendar 2026 from the commission’s official website at upsc.gov.in.
Name of Examination | Date of Notification | Last Date for Receipt of Applications | Date of Commencement of Exam |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | — | — | January 10, 2026 |
Reserved for UPSC Examination | — | — | January 17, 2026 |
Combined Geo-Scientist (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 | September 3, 2025 | September 23, 2025 | February 8, 2026 |
Engineering Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 | September 17, 2025 | October 7, 2025 | February 8, 2026 |
CBI (DSP) LDCE | December 24, 2025 | January 13, 2026 | February 28, 2026 |
CISF AC(EXE) LDCE-2026 | December 3, 2025 | December 23, 2025 | March 8, 2026 |
N.D.A. & N.A. Examination (I), 2026 | December 10, 2025 | December 30, 2025 | April 12, 2026 |
C.D.S. Examination (I), 2026 | |||
Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 | January 14, 2026 | February 3, 2026 | May 24, 2026 |
Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 (through CS(P) Examination 2026) | |||
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | — | — | June 6, 2026 |
I.E.S./I.S.S. Examination, 2026 | February 11, 2026 | March 3, 2026 | June 19, 2026 |
Combined Geo-Scientist (Main) Examination, 2026 | — | — | June 20, 2026 |
Engineering Services (Main) Examination, 2026 | — | — | June 21, 2026 |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | — | — | July 4, 2026 |
Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination, 2026 | February 18, 2026 | March 10, 2026 | July 19, 2026 |
Combined Medical Services Examination, 2026 | March 11, 2026 | March 31, 2026 | August 2, 2026 |
Reserved for UPSC Examination | — | — | August 8, 2026 |
Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2026 | — | — | August 21, 2026 |
N.D.A. & N.A. Examination (II), 2026 | May 20, 2026 | June 9, 2026 | September 13, 2026 |
C.D.S. Examination (II), 2026 | |||
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | — | — | September 26, 2026 |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | — | — | October 10, 2026 |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | — | — | October 31, 2026 |
Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, 2026 | — | — | November 22, 2026 |
S.O./Steno (GD-B/GD-I) LDCE | September 16, 2026 | October 6, 2026 | December 12, 2026 |
Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination | — | — | December 19, 2026 |
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