look news india
All the district administrations across the country have geared up to conduct the country’s most prestigious Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), in a completely peaceful, fair and transparent manner. Strict security arrangements have been made to strictly deal with any irregularities, high-tech copying or law and order situation during the examination. In this series, while tightening the security, the administration has issued a major order to implement Section 163 of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS), 2023 (which was earlier Section 144 of CrPC) within a radius of 100 meters around all the examination centres.
Strict restrictions will remain in effect from morning till night; Ban on gathering of more than 4 people
The security cordon around the examination centers has been made impenetrable. This prohibitory order issued by the district administration has started from 12:00 pm on the day of examination i.e. Sunday, 24 May 2026, which will remain in full effect till 8:00 pm. Under this order, there will be a complete ban on gathering of four or more persons together, forming groups or forming any kind of crowd within a radius of 100 meters of the examination centres.
However, the administration has also clarified that this restriction will not apply to the actual candidates coming to appear for the examination, invigilators authorized by the Commission, government officials and security personnel deployed on examination duty. The main objective of this advance and strict action is to prevent illegal gathering of people, public nuisance, use of unfair means (copying) and any suspicious activity affecting the integrity of the examination.
Hi-tech security guard: Electronic jammers installed at examination centers
In today’s digital and AI era, the administration has made stringent technical arrangements to prevent any untoward or illegal incidents like high-tech copying, use of Bluetooth devices and paper leaks. Under this, special electronic jammers have been installed at all sensitive and general examination centres. Due to activation of these jammers, any mobile network, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or any other electronic device inside the examination hall will be completely blocked and will not be able to function. Along with this, adequate number of male and female police forces have been deployed at the entry gates of the examination centres, who are allowing the candidates to enter the examination center only after thorough physical and biometric checking.
Exam is being conducted in two shifts: Know the exact timing
As usual, UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination is being conducted today in two different sessions (shifts), the details of which are as follows:
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First Question (General Studies – Paper I): It was conducted from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, in which the candidates’ general knowledge and understanding of current affairs were tested.
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Second Paper (CSAT – Paper II): It will be held from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. This is a qualifying paper, in which questions related to reasoning, maths and aptitude are asked.
Provisional answer key will be released immediately after Prelims; Objections can be lodged till 31st May
This time, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is going to release its official Provisional Answer Key immediately after the Civil Services Prelims Examination to make the examination process more transparent. After the release of the answer key, if any candidate has any doubt or objection on any question or its answer, then they will be able to register their objections online till 6:00 pm on 31 May 2026.
Candidates will have to use the special digital portal of UPSC ‘Online Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep)’ to lodge their objection. This portal will be made available to the candidates on the official login website of UPSC https://upsconline.nic.in/login. Objections sent through any medium after the stipulated time limit will not be considered by the Commission.
