UPSC Prelims Answer Key 2026 – How to Download UPSC Prelims Answer Key at upsc.gov.in

UPSC Prelims Answer Key 2026: The UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam 2026 was held today, May 24th. The first shift of the exam ran from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, while Paper 2 was conducted from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. The exam is now over. With the exam now complete, students are awaiting the UPSC Prelims Answer Key. This will be the first time in UPSC history that the official answer key will be released immediately after the Civil Services Preliminary Exam. Until now, students had to wait months to see the official answer key.

When will the provisional answer key be released?
According to the new rule, the UPSC will release the provisional answer key immediately after the exam is completed, and students who appeared in the exam will be able to download it through the Commission’s official website, upsc.gov.in. You can estimate your result by downloading the answer key and comparing the questions and answers.

Opportunity to File Objections
If a candidate is not satisfied with any answer provided in the answer sheet, they can file an objection until May 31st. If your claim is found to be correct, marks will be awarded for that answer.

How to Download the Provisional Answer Key at upsc.gov.in?

To download the UPSC Prelims answer key, students must visit the official website at upsc.gov.in.
Click on the PDF link for the answer key located in the ‘What’s New’ section of the homepage.
The answer key will now open on your screen.
Finally, download the Answer Key and cross-check your answers against the provided solutions.

Click Here to Download Answer Key PDF

Marking Scheme
Paper 1 of the Prelims exam consists of 100 questions. 2 marks are awarded for each correct answer. 1/3 (0.33) marks are deducted for each incorrect answer. Additionally, Paper 2 consists of 80 questions. Each correct answer carries 2.5 marks. An incorrect answer in Paper 2 will result in a 1/3 (0.83) mark deduction.

Every year, after the exam, UPSC candidates worry about how many of their answers were correct and how many were incorrect. During this time, students relied on unofficial answer keys released by coaching institutes to estimate their scores, which often contained many errors.