The Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026 Paper – I was considered one of the toughest in recent years, with a heavy focus on current affairs and case-study-based governance questions. Aspirants struggled, and experts predict lower qualifying marks across categories.
Published Date – 24 May 2026, 07:19 PM
Hyderabad: The Civil Services preliminary examination 2026 paper – I conducted on Sunday turned out to be one of the toughest in the last three to four years. Aspirants who appeared for the general studies paper in the city were stumped by questions’ difficulty level.
The paper – I had a mix of questions from the different areas but current affairs questions dominated in number. This time, governance-related questions were converted into case studies, which were lengthy and time-consuming. Many questions, as per aspirants, focused on topics that directly impact common people.
While the paper – I comprised 100 questions, a staggering 27 questions were from Current Affairs. In addition, there were 10 questions from Economic and Social Development, 19 from History and Culture, 8 from General Science, 12 from Indian Polity and Governance, 11 from Environment and Ecology, 6 from Geography and 7 from General Knowledge.
“I attempted the prelims three times previously but this exam is one of the toughest. I correctly attempted little over 50 questions and I did guesswork on the remaining questions,” said P Akash, an aspirant who appeared for the exam at a centre in Hyderabad.
Attempting this year’s questions, according to coaching experts, required moving away from predictable coaching-centred preparation. It required regular reading of current affairs from authentic sources.
However, paper – II (Civils Services Aptitude Test), was reported as easier as compared to previous years. After many years, there were a few questions on interpersonal skills and communication. Comprehension was easy, while the mathematics section was doable even for students from a humanities background.
According to Brain Tree Director V Gopalakrishna, the Civil prelims paper – I had questions from all the areas but the majority were from Current Affairs.
“The number of questions on Ancient History and Culture was more as compared to the previous years. Given the questions’ toughness, the minimum qualifying mark is expected to be far lower for all categories of aspirants as compared to previous years,” he said.
An expected qualifying mark in paper – I for general category could be (78), EWS (73), OBC (77), SC (70) and ST (68). The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is likely to release the results on or before June 10. A total of 933 vacancies were notified this year as against 979 last year.
