The UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination 2026 has commenced on 21 August 2026. The examination begins with Paper-I: Essay, followed by the General Studies papers, qualifying language papers and Optional Subject papers.
For UPSC aspirants, the UPSC Mains 2026 question paper is an important resource for understanding the latest examination trends, question patterns, important topics and the level of difficulty. Candidates can use the question papers for answer-writing practice and to analyse the changing nature of the Civil Services Examination.
This article provides the UPSC Mains 2026 question paper PDF for Essay and General Studies papers at one place. The page will be updated as the examination progresses and authentic question-paper PDFs become available.
UPSC Mains 2026 Question Paper PDF Download
The question papers will be added paper-wise after the respective examination is conducted. Candidates can check the table below for the latest UPSC Mains 2026 question paper PDF updates.
| Date | Paper | Question Paper PDF |
| 21 August 2026 | Essay | Download Now |
| 22 August 2026 | General Studies-I | Coming Soon |
| 22 August 2026 | General Studies-II | Coming Soon |
| 23 August 2026 | General Studies-III | Coming Soon |
| 23 August 2026 | General Studies-IV | Coming Soon |
UPSC Mains 2026 Complete Timetable
The complete schedule for the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination 2026 is given below:
| Date | Day | Forenoon Session (9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon) | Afternoon Session (2:30 PM – 5:30 PM) |
| 21 August 2026 | Friday | Essay | — |
| 22 August 2026 | Saturday | General Studies-I | General Studies-II |
| 23 August 2026 | Sunday | General Studies-III | General Studies-IV |
| 29 August 2026 | Saturday | Indian Language (Qualifying) | English (Qualifying) |
| 30 August 2026 | Sunday | Optional Subject: Paper I | Optional Subject: Paper II |
UPSC Mains Previous Year Question Papers
Candidates preparing for upcoming Civil Services examinations should also practise previous years’ question papers. Year-wise UPSC Mains question papers can help aspirants understand how topics and questions have evolved over time.
UPSC Mains Previous Year Question Papers: Year-Wise Download
Share this articles