The Union Public Service Commission has further strengthened its Civil Services Examination rules for 2026, making it stricter for candidates who have already been allotted to services to reappear in the examination. The new rules will ensure that candidates do not reappear multiple times without resigning from their services and will also provide a clear definition of the “rank improvement” window for candidates who are already in service or have been newly selected.
According to the CSE 2026 notification, candidates who are already appointed to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) or the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) are completely prohibited from reappearing for as long as they remain in service. This applies to all stages of the examination.
Candidates who have been appointed to the IAS or IFS after the Preliminary stage but before the Mains will not be allowed to sit for the Mains examination, and those who have been appointed after the Mains examination has started but before the final result will be excluded from being allocated under CSE 2026. This means that candidates who are already in the IAS and IFS can reappear only after resigning.
For the Indian Police Service (IPS), the criteria are more stringent. Candidates who have already been selected or appointed to IPS through a previous examination are not eligible to choose or are not allotted IPS again in CSE 2026. However, they are not barred from the examination as a whole and can apply for other services, as per eligibility.
There is also a one-time opportunity for improvement. Candidates allotted to IPS or Central Services Group ‘A’ in CSE 2026 can take the examination of CSE 2027 once they obtain a one-time exemption from training. If allotted again, they have to choose between the two selections, 2026 and 2027, with the other being cancelled. Failure to join the training leads to the cancellation of both.
Candidates who have already been allotted services in CSE 2025 or earlier will also get a one-time chance to appear in CSE 2026 or 2027 without resigning. After that, resignation becomes mandatory.
