Days after the Union Public Service Commission released the provisional answer key for the exam, UPSC chairman Ajay Kumar has admitted that the preliminary civil services exam 2026 was “quite difficult and challenging” for many aspirants.In a LinkedIn post shared with answer key links, Kumar said the official provisional key was meant to give “much-needed clarity” to candidates. He also disclosed the sources used while preparing the answers.“Most answers are based on standard textbooks, official websites, official press releases, and reputable newspapers — the primary sources on which serious aspirants rely,” he wrote.
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The post immediately caught the attention of civil services aspirants, many of whom found this year’s preliminary paper long, unpredictable and difficult.Also read: UPSC Preliminary 2026 Exam Analysis- Experts term GS paper unconventional, difficult and highly unpredictable. Suggest a lower cutoff.The UPSC chairman also said that the objection process helps maintain “transparency and fairness” in the examination system. Candidates who had appeared for CSE 2026 can submit their representation challenging the answer key till 31 May 6 PM through ‘Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep)’ available at upsconline.nic.in.All the representations received from the candidates will be placed before the teams of subject experts for a comprehensive and thorough evaluation.The final answer key will be released only after the declaration of the final result. This year, around 5.49 lakh candidates appeared for CSE (prelims).
