Civil Services are jobs directly related to public service and are widely considered prestigious in India.
UPSC conducts Civil Service Exams for Central Government job vacancies while PSC in each state fills the State Government job vacancies. There are about 24 services which come under the Civil Services Exam conducted by UPSC every year. These services include IAS, IFS, IPS etc.
Civil Services Examination (CSE)
Though popularly known as ‘IAS exam’, the official name of the exam is UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE). There are many who consider this exam as the toughest exam in India (and even at the world-stage!). The exam is attempted by around 5 Lakh candidates each year. UPSC CSE is conducted in 3 phases: 1) Prelims and 2) Mains 3) Interview. The exam window extends over a year (from June month of a year to June month next year when the results are announced).
UPSC CSE 2026 Date
| The official notification will be out on: | 12 February 2026 |
| The final date for submitting the application form: | 03 March 2026 |
| The Civil Services Exam 2026 (Prelims): | 04 October 2026 |
| The Civil Services Exam 2026 (Main Exam): | 08 January 2026 |
UPSC CSE 2026 Date
| The official notification will be out on: | 10 February 2026 |
| The final date for submitting the application form: | 02 March 2026 |
| The Civil Services Exam 2026 (Prelims): | 27 June 2026 |
| The Civil Services Exam 2026 (Main Exam): | 17 September 2026 |