In compliance with the judgment of Supreme Court in W.P. (C) No. 118/2024, UPSC has formulated guidelines to release the Provisional Answer Key on its official website after the Preliminary Examination is conducted. This will be implemented from the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026 onwards, for all structured examinations conducted by UPSC. Marks of the Preliminary Examination shall be released only after the declaration of final result of the Examination.

In order to ensure level playing field across optional subjects, UPSC applies inter-subject moderation to ensure that no candidate, regardless of the optional subject chosen, is placed at any disadvantage. Detailed information on the processes involved in moderation/evaluation of conventional/descriptive-type answer scripts can be accessed on the UPSC website at: https://upsc.gov.in/content/method-moderation-adopted-commission-cannot-be-faulted-  subjective-or-un-scientific

CSAT is a qualifying paper and its purpose is to ensure a minimum standard of quality and analytical competence. The level of questions corresponds to the matriculation level.

For challenging factual errors, UPSC has a dedicated portal named Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep) accessible on its website https://upsconline.nic.in. Candidates can submit representations regarding discrepancies in question paper and provisional answer keys (with effect from Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026 onwards) through the portal. UPSC also deals with grievances submitted by candidates on Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) and emails.

This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

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NKR/AV