UPSC aspirants question fairness of 2026 prelims over “vague” and lengthy papers

Concerns over the Union Public Service Commission’s Civil Services Preliminary Examination intensified after candidates described this year’s paper as unusually difficult, lengthy and unpredictable. Nearly 5.5 lakh aspirants appeared for the examination on May 24, which was conducted in two stages — General Studies Paper 1 and the Civil Services Aptitude Test. Soon after the examination concluded, candidates began raising complaints on social media regarding the structure, language and overall difficulty level of the papers.

Many aspirants alleged that the General Studies Paper 1 contained long and complex questions that consumed significantly more time than previous years. Several candidates claimed the paper included fewer direct questions from conventional subjects and required extensive interpretation before answers could be attempted. Some candidates also stated that even experienced mentors and former bureaucrats found the paper difficult to solve.

The debate has emerged amid broader national discussions regarding examination systems following controversies related to competitive examinations in recent months. In Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, a major preparation centre for Civil Services aspirants, candidates expressed frustration over what they described as a changing and increasingly unpredictable examination pattern. Aspirant Abhishek Pandey said many questions required repeated reading due to complicated wording and unfamiliar presentation.

Concerns were also raised regarding the experience of Hindi-medium candidates during the examination. Aspirant Nandan Pandey alleged that translations of several questions were difficult to understand and created additional challenges for candidates relying on Hindi versions of the paper. He claimed there was a noticeable difference between the experience of English-medium and Hindi-medium aspirants during the examination process.

Candidates additionally highlighted time-management difficulties in the CSAT paper, particularly in mathematics and comprehension sections. Aspirants said several questions were lengthy and multi-layered, while some comprehension passages contained dense academic language. Another candidate, Kaustubh Vajpayee, said the issue extended beyond difficulty and involved concerns regarding accessibility and equal opportunity in the examination system. The Union Public Service Commission has not yet issued any official response regarding the concerns raised by aspirants.