UPSC Exams — The Confirmed 2027 Calendar
UPSC publishes its annual calendar roughly a year ahead, which makes it the only major recruiting body you can plan around with confidence. The 2027 calendar was released on 20 May 2026.
Two windows are open or closing right now: Engineering Services applications close 6 October 2026, and Combined Geo-Scientist closed on 22 September.
UPSC Calendar 2027
| Examination | Notification | Last date to apply | Exam date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Geo-Scientist (Prelims) 2027 | 2 Sep 2026 | 22 Sep 2026 | 10 Jan 2027 |
| Engineering Services (Prelims) 2027 | 16 Sep 2026 | 6 Oct 2026 | 31 Jan 2027 |
| CBI (DSP) LDCE | 16 Dec 2026 | 5 Jan 2027 | 27 Feb 2027 |
| CISF AC (Exe) LDCE 2027 | 25 Nov 2026 | 15 Dec 2026 | 14 Mar 2027 |
| NDA & NA (I) 2027 | 2 Dec 2026 | 22 Dec 2026 | 11 Apr 2027 |
| CDS (I) 2027 | 2 Dec 2026 | 22 Dec 2026 | 11 Apr 2027 |
| Civil Services (Prelims) 2027 | 13 Jan 2027 | 2 Feb 2027 | 23 May 2027 |
| Indian Forest Service (Prelims) 2027 | 13 Jan 2027 | 2 Feb 2027 | Through CSE Prelims |
| Engineering Services (Main) 2027 | — | — | 18 Jun 2027 |
| IES / ISS 2027 | 10 Feb 2027 | 2 Mar 2027 | 18 Jun 2027 |
| Combined Geo-Scientist (Main) 2027 | — | — | 19 Jun 2027 |
| CAPF (Assistant Commandants) 2027 | 17 Feb 2027 | 9 Mar 2027 | 4 Jul 2027 |
| Combined Medical Services 2027 | 3 Mar 2027 | 23 Mar 2027 | 18 Jul 2027 |
| Civil Services (Mains) 2027 | — | — | 20 Aug 2027, 5 days |
| NDA & NA (II) and CDS (II) 2027 | — | — | 19 Sep 2027 |
| Indian Forest Service (Mains) 2027 | — | — | 21 Nov 2027, 7 days |
UPSC's own caveat applies. The Commission states that notification, commencement and duration dates are liable to alteration if circumstances warrant. Treat the calendar as firm for planning, but watch for revised notices, which occasionally appear three or four months before a specific exam.
It is not only the Civil Services Examination
Most candidates equate UPSC with CSE, which means the other exams draw far smaller fields for comparable posts:
- Engineering Services. Group A technical service for engineering graduates. See engineering jobs. Applications close 6 October 2026.
- CAPF Assistant Commandants. Direct entry to a gazetted rank in the central armed police forces, for any graduate.
- Combined Medical Services. For MBBS holders, into central health services and railways. See medical jobs.
- IES / ISS. Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service, for candidates with the relevant postgraduate qualification.
- NDA and CDS. Defence entry, NDA after Class 12 and CDS after graduation, each conducted twice a year.
Civil Services 2027 in practice
Notification 13 January 2027, applications close 2 February, Prelims 23 May, Mains from 20 August for five days, interviews after the Mains result. The Indian Forest Service Prelims is held through the CSE Prelims on the same day, so a candidate wanting both applies once and indicates the preference.
The gap that matters: roughly three months from Prelims to Mains. Candidates who begin Mains answer writing only after clearing Prelims are already behind. Serious preparation treats them as one continuous cycle.
Is UPSC the right target?
An honest framing rather than a discouraging one. CSE is a multi-year commitment with a low success rate, and the opportunity cost is real — the same two years spent on SSC, banking or railway exams would very likely produce a government job.
What makes it worth attempting is that the preparation genuinely overlaps with state PSC exams and with the general awareness sections of most other recruitment. What makes it costly is treating it as the only acceptable outcome. Candidates who prepare for CSE while sitting other exams lose very little. Candidates who sit nothing else for five years risk a great deal.
Official source
| UPSC official website and calendar PDF | upsc.gov.in |