UPSC Exam Calendar 2026: Civil Services, NDA, CDS, and Other Dates

UPSC publishes its annual examination calendar every year, usually in October or November for the following year. Unlike SSC, UPSC is remarkably punctual — when they say the Civil Services Prelims will be on a specific Sunday in June, it happens on that exact date, barring extraordinary circumstances.

This reliability makes planning easier. Here is the complete UPSC exam calendar for 2026 with all the dates you need.

UPSC Exam Calendar 2026: Master Schedule

Civil Services Examination

Stage	Date	Day
Notification	February 2026	-
Application last date	March 2026	-
Prelims (GS + CSAT)	31 May 2026	Sunday
Mains	September 2026 (5 days)	Fri-Tue typically
Interview/Personality Test	January-April 2027	Weekdays
Final Result	April-May 2027	-

NDA & NA Examination

Exam	Notification	Exam Date
NDA I 2026	January 2026	19 April 2026 (Sunday)
NDA II 2026	June 2026	14 September 2026 (Sunday)

CDS Examination

Exam	Notification	Exam Date
CDS I 2026	November 2025	8 February 2026 (Sunday)
CDS II 2026	June 2026	22 November 2026 (Sunday)

Other UPSC Examinations

Exam	Notification (Approx.)	Exam Date (Approx.)
CAPF (AC)	April 2026	2 August 2026 (Sunday)
IES/ISS	February 2026	June 2026
Engineering Services (ESE)	September 2025	February 2026 (Prelims), June 2026 (Mains)
Geologist Exam	February 2026	June 2026
CMS (Combined Medical)	March 2026	July 2026
Indian Forest Service (IFoS)	February 2026	Mains: November 2026
SO/Steno (LDCE)	As notified	As notified

Civil Services 2026: The Full Timeline

The Civil Services Examination is UPSC's flagship exam and the one most aspirants are focused on. Here is the detailed breakdown:

Notification and Application

• Notification date: Usually the first or second Wednesday of February
• Application opens: Same day as notification
• Application closes: Approximately 3-4 weeks after notification
• Fee: Rs 100 (SC/ST/PwD/Female candidates exempt)
• Application mode: Online only via upsconline.nic.in

Prelims (31 May 2026)

Paper	Duration	Marks	Nature
Paper I (General Studies)	2 hours	200	Merit-determining
Paper II (CSAT)	2 hours	200	Qualifying (33% needed)

Both papers are held on the same day — Paper I in the morning, Paper II in the afternoon. Prelims Result: Expected by mid-July 2026

Mains (September 2026)

Mains is a 5-day written examination:

Paper	Subject	Marks
Paper A	Indian Language (Qualifying)	300
Paper B	English (Qualifying)	300
Paper I	Essay	250
Paper II	General Studies I	250
Paper III	General Studies II	250
Paper IV	General Studies III	250
Paper V	General Studies IV (Ethics)	250
Paper VI	Optional Paper I	250
Paper VII	Optional Paper II	250
Total (counted for merit)	1750

Mains Result: Expected by December 2026

Interview/Personality Test

• Duration: 30-45 minutes per candidate
• Marks: 275
• Total marks for final ranking: 2025 (1750 Mains + 275 Interview)
• Period: January to April 2027

Final Result

Expected by April-May 2027

NDA 2026: Key Details

NDA is conducted twice a year for admission to the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy.

NDA I 2026

Detail	Information
Exam date	19 April 2026
Eligibility	10+2 pass/appearing, age 16.5-19.5 years
Paper I	Mathematics (300 marks, 2.5 hours)
Paper II	General Ability Test (600 marks, 2.5 hours)
SSB Interview	After written qualification

NDA II 2026

Detail	Information
Exam date	14 September 2026
All other details	Same structure as NDA I

CDS 2026: Key Details

CDS recruits officers for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers Training Academy (OTA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (AFA).

CDS I 2026

Paper	Marks	Duration
English	100	2 hours
General Knowledge	100	2 hours
Elementary Mathematics	100	2 hours

Note: OTA candidates take only English and GK (no Maths).

CAPF (AC) 2026

The Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) exam recruits for BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB:

Stage	Details
Written Exam	August 2026
Paper I	General Ability & Intelligence (250 marks)
Paper II	General Studies, Essay, Comprehension (200 marks)
Physical/Medical	After written result
Interview	After physical clearance

How UPSC Dates Interact with Other Exams

A common concern: overlap between UPSC and other exams. Here is how 2026 looks:

Month	UPSC Exam	Potential Conflict
February	CDS I	SSC CGL notification period
April	NDA I	State PSC exams
May	CSE Prelims	No major conflicts typically
July-August	CAPF, CMS	SSC CHSL period
September	NDA II, CSE Mains	Banking exam season
November	CDS II	IBPS PO Mains period

If you are appearing for both UPSC CSE and banking exams, September-November is the crunch period. Plan accordingly.

Age Limits and Attempts

Exam	Age Limit (General)	Max Attempts (General)
Civil Services	21-32 years	6
NDA	16.5-19.5 years	No limit (age-bound)
CDS	20-24/25 years (varies by academy)	No limit (age-bound)
CAPF	20-25 years	No limit (age-bound)
CMS	Up to 32 years	No limit (age-bound)

Reserved categories get age relaxation: OBC (+3 years), SC/ST (+5 years).

Preparation Planning Based on the Calendar

For CSE 2026 Aspirants (If Starting Now)

You have approximately 2 months until Prelims. At this point:

• Focus entirely on Prelims — GS Paper I is your priority
• CSAT preparation should be basic unless you are weak in comprehension/maths
• Take 2-3 full mock tests per week
• Revise current affairs from October 2025 onwards
• Do not start Mains preparation until after Prelims

For NDA/CDS Aspirants

Both exams have a more defined syllabus with less ambiguity. Preparation can be completed in 3-4 months of focused study.

For CAPF/CMS Aspirants

These exams have significant overlap with CSE preparation. Many candidates appear for CAPF as a backup while primarily targeting CSE.

Tracking Calendar Updates

UPSC occasionally revises dates (rare but it happens). When changes occur, they are published on upsc.gov.in. For consolidated tracking of all UPSC exam dates, notification reminders, and application deadline alerts, follow sarkarinaukri.in.

The UPSC calendar is your strategic framework for the year. Every exam date on this list is a checkpoint — work backwards from it to build your study plan, and you will never find yourself underprepared.