Under the revised framework, candidates who secure a Group A service or the Indian Police Service (IPS) through CSE 2026 will be permitted only one opportunity to improve their rank in the subsequent examination. This marks a departure from earlier provisions that allowed selected candidates greater flexibility to reappear while remaining in service.
As per the new rules, a candidate selected in CSE 2026—such as for IPS—may appear for CSE 2027 solely for rank improvement, subject to a one-time exemption from joining the Foundation Course. The exemption is limited to the training phase; failure to either join training or formally avail the exemption will result in automatic cancellation of service allocation from both attempts.
The notification further clarifies that candidates appointed to IPS will not be eligible to secure the same service again through CSE 2026. Additionally, if a candidate is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) or the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) after clearing the preliminary examination but before the main examination, they will not be permitted to appear for the mains.
Importantly, while the pathway for repeated attempts has been curtailed, the Commission has retained the existing provisions for IAS and IFS candidates, allowing one chance for performance improvement. However, any attempt beyond CSE 2027 will require mandatory resignation from service to regain eligibility.
UPSC has also introduced enhanced security measures for the examination process. Entry to examination centres will be permitted only after face authentication, aimed at curbing impersonation and strengthening integrity.
The scale of the examination underscores the impact of the changes. In 2025, over 10 lakh aspirants applied for the civil services exam; 14,161 cleared prelims, 2,736 were interviewed, and 979 candidates were finally selected. Comparable volumes were recorded in 2024 and 2023, highlighting the intense competition and the implications of the revised attempt rules.
Separately, the government informed Parliament that no decision has been taken to exempt Ladakh candidates from the Indian language qualifying paper in the mains examination. Currently, candidates from six northeastern states—Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim—are exempt.
The new rules are expected to streamline cadre management, reduce repeated churn among serving officers, and reinforce fairness in the selection process.
.jpg)
