Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 Exam in progress

UPSC Mains 2026 Question Papers

Every paper of the Mains 2026 cycle in one place — Essay, General Studies 1 to 4 and the qualifying Language papers. Each is published here on the day it is written, with the official PDF.

Exam begins21 August 2026

Exam ends30 August 2026

Total papers9

Merit marks1750

All Papers — Mains 2026

Question papers go live within a few hours of each session ending.

Day 1 · Friday, 21 August 2026

EssayPaper I 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon · 250 marks View Paper

Day 2 · Saturday, 22 August 2026

General Studies IPaper II 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon · 250 marks · Heritage, History, Geography, Society View Paper

General Studies IIPaper III 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM · 250 marks · Polity, Governance, Social Justice, IR View Paper

Day 3 · Sunday, 23 August 2026

General Studies IIIPaper IV 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon · 250 marks · Economy, Environment, S&T, Security View Paper

General Studies IVPaper V 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM · 250 marks · Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude View Paper

Day 4 · Saturday, 29 August 2026

Indian LanguagePaper A · Qualifying 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon · 300 marks Coming soon

EnglishPaper B · Qualifying 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM · 300 marks Coming soon

UPSC Mains 2026 Exam Schedule

The written examination is spread over five sessions across two weekends, as notified by the Commission.

Date	Session	Paper	Subject
21 Aug 2026	9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon	Paper I	Essay
22 Aug 2026	9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon	Paper II	General Studies I
22 Aug 2026	2:30 PM – 5:30 PM	Paper III	General Studies II
23 Aug 2026	9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon	Paper IV	General Studies III
23 Aug 2026	2:30 PM – 5:30 PM	Paper V	General Studies IV
29 Aug 2026	9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon	Paper A	Indian Language (Qualifying)
29 Aug 2026	2:30 PM – 5:30 PM	Paper B	English (Qualifying)
30 Aug 2026	9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon	Paper VI	Optional Subject — Paper 1
30 Aug 2026	2:30 PM – 5:30 PM	Paper VII	Optional Subject — Paper 2

Note the compression. All four General Studies papers are written inside 48 hours. The gap between 23 and 29 August is not a break — it is the only revision window the Optional gets.

Mains 2026 Marks Structure

Seven papers count towards merit. Two qualify only.

Paper	Subject	Marks	Nature
Paper A	Indian Language	300	Qualifying
Paper B	English	300	Qualifying
Paper I	Essay	250	Merit
Paper II	General Studies I	250	Merit
Paper III	General Studies II	250	Merit
Paper IV	General Studies III	250	Merit
Paper V	General Studies IV	250	Merit
Paper VI	Optional — Paper 1	250	Merit
Paper VII	Optional — Paper 2	250	Merit
Written	Total	1750	Merit
Interview	Personality Test	275	Merit
Grand total	—	2025	—

Qualifying does not mean unimportant. Paper A and Paper B require 25% — that is 75 out of 300 — in each. Fall short in either and the merit scripts are never evaluated at all.

How to Analyse These Papers

Almost every other resource is somebody's guess about what the Commission wants. The question paper is the exam itself. Reading it once is not analysis — this is.

Map every question to the syllabus. Keep the official syllabus open alongside and write the exact syllabus phrase against each question. The lines the Commission returns to year after year become obvious quickly.
Circle the directive. Discuss, examine, critically examine, analyse, evaluate, comment, elucidate. Each demands a different answer shape, and most scripts use one shape for all seven.
Separate static from current. Mark what came from a standard textbook and what came from the last eighteen months of news. That ratio is the honest guide to how study time should be split.
List what each answer needed. An Article, a committee report, a judgment, survey data, a map. The list that emerges is a precise enrichment target rather than a vague resolution to read more.
Attempt ten questions under real conditions — timed, closed book, 150 words for the 10-markers and 250 for the 15-markers — before reading anyone's model answer.
Compare across years. Pull the same syllabus area from 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 and lay the questions side by side. A single year is never a trend.

Mains 2025 Question Papers

Last year's full set, for comparison.

Essay Paper (2025) GS Paper 1 (2025) GS Paper 2 (2025) GS Paper 3 (2025) GS Paper 4 (2025)

Explore Notes

Mains Notes

GS Paper 1 — Coming soon GS Paper 2 GS Paper 3 GS Paper 4 — Ethics Essay Hub

Prelims Notes

Polity Economy Environment International Relations Geography Science & Technology Mapping History & Culture — Coming soon

Note: question papers are reproduced as set by the Union Public Service Commission for the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026. Schedule and marks details follow the Commission's notified timetable. For the authoritative papers, refer to upsc.gov.in.