UPSC Expands Exam Centres, Revamps Allocation to Ensure Accessibility for PwBD Candidates

In a major reform aimed at improving inclusivity and accessibility, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has revamped its examination centre allocation framework with a special focus on candidates with benchmark disabilities (PwBD). The changes will be implemented for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026 and the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Examination 2026, alongside a series of technology-driven initiatives to strengthen examination security and enhance candidate convenience.

Under the revised system, UPSC has removed the cap on examination centre capacity for PwBD candidates. Initially, both PwBD and non-PwBD candidates will be allotted seats within the existing capacity of each examination centre. However, once a centre reaches its maximum capacity, it will no longer be available for selection by non-PwBD candidates, while PwBD candidates will continue to have the option to choose the same centre. The Commission has also assured that additional capacity will be created wherever necessary to ensure that no PwBD candidate is denied their preferred examination centre.

Explaining the rationale behind the decision, UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar said that an analysis of examination centre data over the past five years revealed that certain high-demand centres such as Delhi, Cuttack, Patna and Lucknow tend to fill up very early due to large application volumes. This often creates difficulties for PwBD candidates. With the revised mechanism, every PwBD candidate will be guaranteed their preferred examination centre, ensuring greater ease and convenience while appearing for UPSC examinations.

Kumar further stated that the Commission has adopted the latest technologies to ensure a free, fair, inclusive and accessible examination process. The reforms aim to enhance candidate convenience and ease of participation while maintaining strict merit-based selection standards. As part of this effort, UPSC has also introduced a redesigned Online Application Portal to improve efficiency, transparency and the overall application experience.

The revamped portal is designed to strengthen integrity at various stages of the examination process while simplifying application submission for candidates. It now includes a new feature related to examination centre preferences. In addition to selecting from the notified centres, candidates will be required to indicate preferred nearby cities through a dropdown list. This data will act as a survey of candidate preferences and may help the Commission identify potential locations for setting up new examination centres in the future.

To further reduce pressure on high-demand locations, UPSC has expanded its examination centre network. For the preliminary examination, Meerut has been added to decongest Delhi-NCR, Kanpur to ease pressure around Lucknow, and Bhubaneswar to supplement centres near Cuttack. With these additions, the number of prelims centres has increased from 80 to 83. For the main examination, the number of centres has been raised from 24 to 27 with the inclusion of Bhubaneswar, Srinagar and Imphal.

The application portal also incorporates technology-enabled photo verification and face recognition to enhance identity verification across different stages of the examination. This measure is aimed at strengthening the overall integrity and transparency of the examination system.

The Commission recently issued the notification for the Civil Services Examination 2026, through which 933 vacancies will be filled, including 33 posts reserved for PwBD candidates. The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages—preliminary, main and interview—for recruitment to services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others. The preliminary examination is scheduled to be held on May 24.

These initiatives form part of UPSC’s centenary year celebrations and reflect the Commission’s continued efforts to modernise its processes in line with contemporary requirements while upholding the highest standards of fairness, transparency and integrity.