UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 Admit Card Released – Download Hall Ticket for 24 May Exam

UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 Admit Card – Overview

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026 and the Indian Forest Service Preliminary Examination 2026 Admit Card on 15 May 2026 — exactly nine days before the scheduled examination date of 24 May 2026. Candidates who applied for 1,013 total vacancies — 933 under Civil Services (IAS and allied services) and 80 under the Indian Forest Service (IFS) — can now download their hall ticket at upsconline.nic.in by logging in with their registration number and date of birth. The prelims are held at authorised centres across India; candidates must carry a printed admit card alongside a valid original photo ID on exam day.

Source: Official UPSC Civil Services Pre 2026 Notification (Advt. No. 05/2026) & IFS Pre 2026 Notification (Advt. No. 06/2026), Union Public Service Commission. upsc.gov.in

UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 – Important Dates & Full Schedule

The UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 application window opened on 04 February 2026 and closed on 27 February 2026. The admit card for the Preliminary Examination was released on 15 May 2026, with the exam itself falling on 24 May 2026. The complete schedule from application start to exam day is listed below.

Source: UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 Notification (Advt. No. 05/2026 & 06/2026), Union Public Service Commission – upsc.gov.in.

How to Download UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 Admit Card – Step by Step

The UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 Admit Card (hall ticket) is accessible only through the official UPSC online portal at upsconline.nic.in. No physical dispatch is made — candidates must download and print the admit card themselves before the exam date of 24 May 2026. Follow these steps exactly to retrieve your hall ticket without errors.

1. Open the Official UPSC Portal: Go to upsconline.nic.in on your computer or mobile browser. Avoid any third-party or unofficial website — only the official UPSC portal issues valid hall tickets.
2. Click "Login": On the UPSC online services homepage, click the "Login" button to access the candidate portal where your application and admit card are stored.
3. Enter Your Credentials: Type your Registration ID (assigned when you completed OTR / online registration) and your Date of Birth in the login fields. Ensure the date format matches what you entered during registration.
4. Navigate to the e-Admit Card Section: After logging in, look for the link or tab labelled "UPSC IAS / IFS Prelims 2026 e-Admit Card" in your dashboard. Click it to open the admit card page.
5. Download the Admit Card PDF: The admit card will open as a PDF document. Click Download and save the file. Take a clear printout on A4 paper — screenshot copies or mobile images are not accepted at UPSC examination centres.
6. Verify All Printed Details: Immediately after downloading, confirm your name, roll number, photograph, exam centre address, and reporting time. If any detail is incorrect, raise a query at upsc.gov.in well before 24 May 2026 — no corrections are possible on exam day.

UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 – What Appearing Candidates Should Know

The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026 consists of two objective-type papers held on the same day — 24 May 2026. Paper I (General Studies) carries 200 marks across 100 questions in 2 hours and covers history, geography, polity, economics, environment, and current affairs. Paper II (CSAT – Civil Services Aptitude Test) carries 200 marks across 80 questions in 2 hours but is a qualifying paper only: candidates must score at least 33% (minimum 66 out of 200) to have their Paper I evaluated for the merit list. Both papers carry negative marking of one-third marks for each wrong answer (−0.66 marks per incorrect response on a 2-mark question).

For the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Preliminary Examination 2026, Paper I is identical to the CSE General Studies paper (200 marks, 100 questions, 2 hours). Paper II is a subject-specific paper of 200 marks and 2 hours, drawn from one of the IFS-notified subjects: Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Zoology, or Agriculture. Both IFS papers carry identical negative-marking rules. Candidates who applied for IFS (Advt. No. 06/2026) must appear in both papers at the designated IFS prelims centres.

The Preliminary Examination is purely a screening round — its marks do not count toward the final civil services merit list. Candidates who clear the UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 cutoff (declared separately after the exam) qualify to sit the Civil Services Main Examination, a written descriptive exam of 9 papers. Those who pass the Mains are called for the Personality Test (Interview) carrying 275 marks. The final rank and service allocation — IAS at Pay Level 10 (₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500, 7th Pay Commission), IPS, IFS, and all other allied services — are determined by the combined Mains + Interview score.

UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 – Official Links

All official links for downloading the UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 Admit Card, accessing notification PDFs, and visiting the UPSC portal are listed below. Use only the official government portals upsc.gov.in and upsconline.nic.in for all actions related to this recruitment.

Source: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) – upsc.gov.in. Advt. No. 05/2026 (Civil Services IAS) & 06/2026 (Forest Services IFS).

UPSC IAS / IFS Pre 2026 – Frequently Asked Questions