The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) recruits Deputy Collectors, Deputy SPs, Block Development Officers and dozens of other state posts through one examination: the Combined State / Upper Subordinate Services Examination, commonly called UP PCS. This guide explains the exam pattern and eligibility using the official advertisement for the 2026 cycle, and shows you how to check your own eligibility before you invest months in preparation.
All details below are from UPPSC Advertisement No. A-1/E-1/2026, dated 25 June 2026, published on the UPPSC website (look for the advertisement number under notifications and advertisements). Rules can change between cycles, so always read the advertisement for the year you are applying in.
UP PCS 2026 at a glance
| Item | What the 2026 advertisement says |
|---|---|
| Online application | 25 June 2026 to 27 July 2026 (fee and submission); corrections until 3 August 2026 |
| Vacancies | "About 500", which may increase or decrease |
| Stages | Preliminary (objective) → Main (written, conventional) → Personality test (viva-voce) |
| Final merit | Total of Main (written) marks and interview marks |
| Application route | One Time Registration (OTR) on otr.pariksha.nic.in, then apply on uppsc.up.nic.in |
The application window for the 2026 cycle has closed. If you are planning for the next cycle, watch the UPPSC website for the next A-1/E-1 advertisement and the commission's exam calendar.
Eligibility
Educational qualification
The general requirement is a Bachelor's degree from a recognised university, held by the last date for receipt of applications. Several posts carry specific qualifications listed post-wise in the advertisement. Examples include Food Safety Officer (degree in food technology, chemistry, medicine and related fields), District Probation Officer (postgraduate degree in psychology, sociology or social work, or equivalent) and posts in the Mandi Parishad (graduation in specified subjects). If you are aiming for one of these posts, read its row in the advertisement carefully.
Age limit
| Category | Age limit as on 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|
| General rule | Minimum 21 years, maximum 40 years (born not earlier than 2 July 1986 and not later than 1 July 2005) |
| SC, ST and OBC of UP, skilled players of UP and certain other UP categories listed in the advertisement | Upper age limit relaxed by 5 years |
| Persons with disabilities (PH) of UP | Upper age limit relaxed by 15 years; maximum 55 years |
| Principal, Government Intermediate College | Minimum 30 years, maximum 40 years |
Reservation and age relaxation are available only to permanent residents of Uttar Pradesh in the relevant categories. Candidates from these categories who are not UP residents are treated without the relaxation.
Physical standards for some posts
Some posts carry physical standards such as minimum height and chest measurements. In the 2026 advertisement these include Deputy Superintendent of Police, District Commandant Home Guards, Superintendent of Jail, Excise Inspector, Deputy Jailor, and District Youth Welfare and Pradeshik Vikas Dal Officer. The standards differ by post and category, so check the tables before choosing these posts.
Application fee (2026)
| Category | Total fee |
|---|---|
| Unreserved, EWS, OBC | ₹125 (₹100 exam fee + ₹25 online processing fee) |
| SC, ST | ₹65 |
| Ex-servicemen | ₹65 |
| Persons with disabilities | ₹25 (processing fee only) |
Candidates who qualify the Preliminary examination fill a separate Mains application with another fee: ₹225 for Unreserved, EWS, OBC and other-state candidates, ₹105 for SC and ST candidates of UP and ex-army personnel of UP, and ₹25 for PH candidates of UP.
Exam pattern
Stage 1: Preliminary examination
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Duration | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I – General Studies I | 150 | 200 | 2 hours | Merit for selection to Mains |
| Paper II – General Studies II | 100 | 200 | 2 hours | Qualifying; minimum 33% |
Key rules from the advertisement:
- Both papers are objective, multiple-choice, on OMR sheets. Paper I is scheduled from 9:30 to 11:30 am and Paper II from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.
- Negative marking: there are four alternatives per question, and one-third (0.33) of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer. Marking more than one answer counts as wrong; leaving a question blank carries no penalty.
- You must appear in both papers. Merit is decided by Paper I marks alone, provided you clear 33% in Paper II.
- About fifteen times the number of vacancies are declared successful for the Main examination.
Paper II covers comprehension, interpersonal and communication skills, logical reasoning, decision making, general mental ability, elementary mathematics up to Class X, and General English and General Hindi up to Class X level.
Stage 2: Main (written) examination
| Paper | Marks |
|---|---|
| General Hindi | 150 |
| Essay | 150 |
| General Studies I | 200 |
| General Studies II | 200 |
| General Studies III | 200 |
| General Studies IV | 200 |
| General Studies V | 200 |
| General Studies VI | 200 |
| Total | 1,500 |
All papers are conventional (descriptive) and three hours long. There is no optional subject in this scheme. The Essay paper has three sections, and you write one essay of about 700 words from each section. General Hindi carries a minimum qualifying requirement set by the government or commission.
General Studies V and VI are Uttar Pradesh-specific. According to the syllabus in the advertisement, GS V covers UP's history, culture, freedom-struggle contributions, political system, local government, governance, security, law and order, health and education. GS VI covers UP's economy and budgets, industry, government schemes including One District One Product, agriculture, forests, geography, environment, energy, demography and science and technology efforts in the state.
Stage 3: Personality test
The interview carries 100 marks. About three times the number of vacancies are called for interview, based on Main results. Original certificates are verified at the interview stage.
So the final merit is out of 1,600 marks (1,500 written + 100 interview).
Minimum standard for the select list
The advertisement also sets a "minimum efficiency standard": candidates of other categories are not placed in the merit or select list if they score below 40% in the Preliminary or Main examination, and SC and ST candidates below 35%.
Worked example: what a prelims score looks like
This is an illustrative calculation using the 2026 marking rules, not a cut-off prediction.
Paper I has 200 marks for 150 questions, so each question is worth 200 ÷ 150 ≈ 1.333 marks. A wrong answer costs one-third of that, about 0.444 marks.
Suppose a candidate attempts 110 questions with 80 correct and 30 wrong:
- Marks for correct answers: 80 × 1.333 ≈ 106.67
- Penalty: 30 × 0.444 ≈ 13.33
- Net score ≈ 93.33 out of 200
Paper II has 200 marks for 100 questions, so each question is worth 2 marks and a wrong answer costs about 0.667. The qualifying mark is 33% of 200 = 66. A candidate with 40 correct and 15 wrong scores (40 × 2) − (15 × 0.667) ≈ 80 − 10 = 70, which clears the qualifying mark.
The lesson: in Paper I every mark counts towards merit, so careless wrong answers are expensive. In Paper II, the aim is to clear 66 comfortably, not to maximise the score at the cost of time on Paper I preparation.
Eligibility self-check before you start preparing
Work through this list with the current advertisement open:
- Do I hold (or will I hold by the last date) a bachelor's degree from a recognised university?
- Do my target posts need a specific qualification or physical standard?
- Was I born within the date range given for my category? Am I claiming a relaxation that applies only to UP residents?
- Do I have valid category, domicile and other certificates in the format prescribed in the advertisement's appendix?
- Have I completed OTR and kept my registration details, fee receipt and application printout safely?
How to use the pattern to plan preparation
- Build GS I for both stages. The Paper I syllabus (history, geography, polity, economy, environment, science, current events) overlaps heavily with Mains GS papers.
- Treat UP-specific content as a full subject. Two of the six Mains GS papers are about Uttar Pradesh, so UP's economy, schemes, geography and governance need dedicated reading from official state sources.
- Practise writing early. Mains is entirely descriptive, including a 150-mark Essay and a 150-mark General Hindi paper.
- Use previous papers from the commission. UPPSC's website has a section for previous years' question papers; start with those before coaching material.
UP PCS rewards steady, syllabus-led preparation. Read the advertisement for your cycle line by line, confirm your eligibility first, and plan your study around the actual paper structure rather than rumours or old patterns.