New Delhi, March 23: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will begin releasing provisional answer keys on its official website after the Civil Services Preliminary Examination from 2026 onwards, the government informed Parliament on Monday, following directions from the Supreme Court.
According to a written reply in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh, the decision has been taken in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment in a petition related to transparency in the examination process.
Under the new guidelines, the provisional answer key will be published after the Preliminary Examination is conducted. The measure will apply not only to the Civil Services Examination but also to all structured examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.
However, the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination will continue to be released only after the final results of the entire examination cycle are declared.
Moderation to Ensure Level Playing Field
The government said the commission follows an inter-subject moderation system to ensure fairness among candidates opting for different optional subjects. The process is aimed at ensuring that no candidate is placed at a disadvantage because of the subject chosen.
Detailed information about the evaluation and moderation process for descriptive answer scripts is available on the UPSC website.
CSAT Remains Qualifying Paper
The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT), which forms part of the preliminary stage, will continue to remain a qualifying paper designed to ensure a minimum standard of analytical ability among candidates. Officials said the level of questions in the paper corresponds to the matriculation level.
Portal for Raising Objections
To address concerns about factual errors or discrepancies in question papers, UPSC has also created a dedicated portal known as the Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep). From the 2026 Civil Services Preliminary Examination onward, candidates will be able to submit representations regarding discrepancies in question papers and provisional answer keys through this portal.
In addition, the commission continues to handle candidate grievances through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System as well as via email, the government said.
