UPSC CSE (IAS) Answer Key 2026: Prelims Key, QPRep, Final Key

Unlike CSE 2025, the CSE 2026 rules let candidates challenge the Prelims answer key: representations could be made on the questions and on the answer key of the two objective papers held on 24 May 2026. The final keys, together with Prelims marks and cut-off marks, will be released only after the final result of CSE 2026 and the Indian Forest Service Examination 2026. The Mains papers are descriptive, so there is no Mains answer key.

How were objections to the CSE 2026 Prelims key made?

• Portal: only the Online Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep) on upsconline.nic.in, under Examinations > Representations on Question Paper. Representations by email, post or hand are not accepted, and UPSC enters into no correspondence on them.
• Window: five days, from the third day of the examination date to 6:00 p.m. of the seventh day, as the CSE 2026 notice puts it. UPSC's own QPRep notice illustrates the count with an exam on 1 March and representations from 4 March to 8 March (till 6:00 p.m.).
• Deadline is final: nothing is accepted after the five days end.

This is a change from CSE 2025. That year's notification gave seven days from the day after the exam and allowed representations only on the questions asked, through upsconline.gov.in/miscellaneous/QPRep/.

How to work out your Prelims score from the key

Prelims has two objective papers of 200 marks each, two hours each, set in Hindi and English. For each wrong answer, one-third (0.33) of the marks for that question is deducted. Marking more than one option counts as wrong even if one option is right, and a blank question costs nothing. So for each paper: add the marks of your correct answers, then subtract one-third of the marks of every wrong answer.

The two totals are used differently. General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) only has to be cleared at 33%, while General Studies Paper-I decides the Mains shortlist through a cut-off the Commission fixes. Prelims marks do not count towards the final merit. For CSE 2026, 13,343 candidates were shortlisted for Mains against 1,016 vacancies; the rules aim for about twelve to thirteen times the number of vacancies.

What happens after the representations?

The Prelims result press note of 15 June 2026 says the marks, cut-off marks and answer keys of CS (P) 2026 will go up on upsc.gov.in only after the final result. UPSC does not send Prelims mark sheets to any candidate, successful or not. For Mains 2026, a separate QPReP window from 31 August to 4 September 2026 took representations on the Mains question papers. Mains marks are released only after the final result: the marks sheets of all candidates go online within 15 days of it and stay there for 30 days.

UPSC CSE answer key: past cycles