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NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at regulating repeated attempts at Civil Services Examination (CSE) by candidates selected for IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) or IPS, the updated rules for the elite recruitment exam bar candidates already appointed to IAS or IFS, from appearing in CSE 2026. Even if such an appointment happens after ‘prelims’ 2026, the candidate will not be allowed to write the ‘mains’ exam or be considered for service from CSE-2026, as per the CSE 2026 rules notified on Wednesday.A candidate already appointed to IPS from an earlier CSE can apply for and appear in CSE-2026, but cannot relist IPS as his service preference. If a candidate is allocated IPS or any Group ‘A’ central service through CSE-2026, they will be allowed one improvement attempt in CSE-2027 by using a one-time training exemption. If a candidate selected through CSE-2026 neither joins training nor avails of exemption, his 2026 service allocation shall stand cancelled. Where a candidate selected through CSE-2026 reappears in CSE 2027 and obtains a better service, he must choose between 2026 and 2027 batch. If the candidate does not get any service in 2027 exam, he will be allowed to go back and join the service allocated based on CSE 2026. If the candidate does not join training of the finally chosen service (2026 or 2027), both the allocations shall get cancelled. After availing one improvement attempt (CSE-2027), the candidate cannot appear in CSE-2028 onwards unless he/she resigns from service. Candidates already in service from CSE-2025 or earlier, will have one chance to reappear in CSE 2026 or CSE 2027 without resigning. If they wish to appear for CSE 2028 and beyond, they must first resign from the allocated service.UPSC in its CSE 2026 notification has also done away with the cap on examination centre capacity for ‘persons with benchmark disabilities’ (PwBD) candidates , allowing them to be accommodated on priority. Initially, the existing capacity of each centre will be utilised by both PwBD and non-PwBD candidates. However, once a centre reaches full capacity, it will no longer be available for selection by non-PwBD candidates, while PwBD candidates will continue to have the option to select the same centre. CSE 2026 will also have more examination centres — Meerut to decongest Delhi-NCR, Kanpur to ease pressure around Lucknow, and Bhubaneswar to supplement centres near Cuttack. It further allows candidates to indicate their preferred nearby cities from a dropdown menu, in addition to the notified examination centres. This data will serve as a survey of candidate preferences and may be used to identify locations for the creation of new examination centres, where feasible.
