UPPSC PCS Answer Key 2026: Prelims Marking and Score Check

No UPPSC PCS 2026 answer key exists yet: the Prelims is scheduled for 6 December 2026, and keys are only posted after the paper is held. The Commission lists "View Answer Key" in the Candidate's Help Desk section of uppsc.up.nic.in. What you can do now is learn the marking rules, because the PCS Prelims scoring is unusual: only Paper I counts for merit.

How is the PCS Prelims marked?

The PCS 2026 advertisement (A-1/E-1/2026) sets these rules:

• Two objective papers of 200 marks each: Paper I has 150 questions and Paper II has 100 questions, each with four alternatives.
• For every wrong answer, one third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question is deducted.
• Marking more than one answer counts as wrong and attracts the same penalty, even if one of the marked options is correct.
• A question left blank carries no penalty.
• Paper II is qualifying: you need at least 33%. Merit is decided on Paper I marks alone.
• A minimum efficiency standard also applies: 35% for SC and ST candidates and 40% for other categories in the Preliminary/Main examination.

How to check your score against the key

Use your blue candidate's copy of the OMR sheet. The advertisement says the OMR sheet is printed in three copies and the candidate keeps the blue one, so you have a record of every circle you darkened.

1. For Paper I, add the marks for correct answers and subtract one third of a question's marks for each wrong or multiple answer.
2. For Paper II, apply the same rule only to confirm you cross 33%; it does not add to merit.
3. The Commission declares fifteen times the number of vacancies successful for the Mains.

Objections and what happens after the key

UPPSC has not announced any answer-key or objection schedule for the PCS 2026 Prelims. For reference, a UPPSC notice of 4 November 2025 for another examination (Architectural-cum-Planning Assistant Pre 2024) asked for objections in a prescribed format with evidence, sent in a sealed envelope by post or at the Commission's counter. Do not assume the same dates apply to PCS.

Two PCS-specific points are certain from the 2025 cycle:

• The Commission does not release candidates' marks or cut-offs at the Prelims stage. Its result press note of 1 December 2025 said these would be published after the final selection result, and RTI requests on them would not be entertained.
• The question papers are released later. The PCS Pre. Examination-2025 General Studies-I and General Studies-II papers appear on UPPSC's previous question papers page with a published date of 15 March 2026. The Mains 2025 papers followed with a published date of 7 April 2026.

UPPSC PCS Prelims answer key and paper release in past cycles

In 2025, 2,67,340 candidates sat the first session and 2,65,270 the second, against 920 posts. That is the field your Paper I score is ranked against.