In a first, UPSC to release Civils prelims provisional key after exam

The UPSC will, for the first time, release the provisional answer key for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination immediately after the test on May 24. Candidates can submit representations until May 31, which will be reviewed by subject experts. This move aims to enhance transparency and provide timely feedback to aspirants.

Hyderabad: In a significant departure from the convention of confidentiality, for the first time the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will be releasing the provisional answer key for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination immediately after the examination, which is scheduled for May 24.

Terming it as “a new beginning”, UPSC Chairman Dr. Ajay Kumar said, “For the first time, the UPSC will release the Provisional Answer Key for the Civil Services Examination. This initiative reflects the Commission’s ongoing endeavour to bring greater transparency, responsiveness, and timely communication with candidates”.

---

The UPSC Chairman said the policy is aimed at making the examination process more participative while upholding its sanctity, integrity, and merit-based framework.

After the release of the provisional answer key, candidates can submit their representations, if any, till May 31 through a dedicated online portal. All representations will be placed before the team of subject experts who will examine each representation and finalise the key.

“This is a significant development in the history of the Civil Services Examination. To date, there was no mechanism for students to get immediate feedback about their performance at the examination. This was a major hindrance to correcting their mistakes and improving their performance for their subsequent attempts,” said Gopalakrishna V, Director, Brain Tree

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination was introduced in the year 1979 and underwent a major change in 2010 in the form of CSAT. The UPSC never provided any information regarding the key for the examination or the minimum qualifying marks for many years.

For the last decade, the number of aspirants has increased exponentially and the demands for transparency have increased. This move is the result of all the demands.