Parliament Question: Enhancing transparency in UPSC exams

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING) RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3166 (ANSWERED ON 19.03.2026) ENHANCING TRANSPARENCY IN UPSC EXAMS

3166. SHRI KARTIKEYA SHARMA:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

(a) the specific steps taken to introduce real-time disclosure of preliminary examination marks and official answer keys immediately after result declaration to enhance UPSC transparency;

(b) the details of steps taken at standardising difficulty levels across optional subjects and the CSAT paper; and

(c) whether Government proposes a 'Single-Window Grievance Portal' specifically for candidates to challenge factual errors in recruitment examinations? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a): In compliance with the judgment of Supreme Court in W.P. (C) No. 118/2024, UPSC has formulated guidelines to release the Provisional Answer Key on its official website after the Preliminary Examination is conducted. This will be implemented from the Civil Services

(Preliminary) Examination 2026 onwards, for all structured examinations conducted by UPSC. Marks of the Preliminary Examination shall be released only after the declaration of final result of the Examination.

(b): In order to ensure level playing field across optional subjects, UPSC applies inter-subject moderation to ensure that no candidate, regardless of the optional subject chosen, is placed at any disadvantage. Detailed information on the processes involved in moderation/evaluation of conventional/descriptive-type answer scripts can be accessed on the UPSC website at:

https://upsc.gov.in/content/method-moderation-adopted-commission-cannot-be-faulted- subjective-or-un-scientific CSAT is a qualifying paper and its purpose is to ensure a minimum standard of quality and analytical competence. The level of questions corresponds to the matriculation level.

(c): For challenging factual errors, UPSC has a dedicated portal named Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep) accessible on its website https://upsconline.nic.in. Candidates can submit representations regarding discrepancies in question paper and provisional answer keys (with effect from Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026 onwards) through the portal. UPSC also deals with grievances submitted by candidates on Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) and emails.

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