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UPSC Prelims 2026 Answer Key (24 May 2026) — Set A, B, C, D Solutions

Complete UPSC Prelims 2026 answer key with question-by-question solutions, expected cutoff, subject-wise analysis and score calculator. Updated live on exam day.

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Exam Date
24 May 2026 (Sunday)
Conducted by
UPSC
GS Paper 1
100 Qs · 200 marks
CSAT Paper 2
80 Qs · 200 marks
Dalvoy logo
Reviewed by Dalvoy
UPSC Civil Services preparation
Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST

Answer key & question-by-question solutions

Verified answer for every question with subject and topic tags. Click any row for the full explanation, marking history, and related practice.

General Studies — Paper 1

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Score calculator

Estimate your GS Paper 1 marks under UPSC's negative marking and see whether you clear the predicted cutoff for your category.

Attempted
0
Skipped
100
Penalty
0
Estimated GS1 score
0
out of 200
Below predicted cutoff range
Predicted GENERAL: 80–90

Expected cutoff & history

Predicted cutoff band for 2026 alongside the official cutoffs of the past ten years.

YearGeneralEWSOBCSCST
2026 predicted80–9075–8580–8865–7558–68
202592.6689.3492.0084.0082.66
202487.9885.9287.2879.0374.23
202375.4168.0274.7559.2547.82
202288.2282.8387.5474.0869.35
202187.5480.1484.8575.4170.71
202092.5177.5589.1274.8468.71
201998.0090.0095.3482.0077.34
201898.00—96.6684.0083.34
2017105.34————
2016116.00————
2015107.34————

GS Paper 1 cutoff out of 200. CSAT (Paper 2) qualifying threshold is 66 / 200.

Subject-wise weightage

How GS Paper 1 distributed marks across History, Polity, Geography, Economy, Science & Tech, Environment and Current Affairs.

Subject weightage will appear here once the answer key is published.

Release timeline

Every milestone for the answer key release — published as it happens.

  1. GS Paper 1 — exam endsScheduled
    Expected 24 May 2026, 11:30 am IST
  2. GS Paper 1 answer key (all 4 sets)Scheduled
    Expected 24 May 2026, 12:30 pm IST

    Verified answers for Set A, B, C and D with the canonical shuffle map.

  3. GS Paper 1 — detailed explanationsScheduled
    Expected 24 May 2026, 1:30 pm IST
  4. CSAT — exam endsScheduled
    Expected 24 May 2026, 4:30 pm IST
  5. CSAT answer key (all 4 sets)Scheduled
    Expected 24 May 2026, 5:30 pm IST
  6. CSAT — detailed explanationsScheduled
    Expected 24 May 2026, 6:30 pm IST
  7. UPSC official provisional answer keyScheduled
    Expected 14 Jun 2026, 6:00 pm IST

    UPSC typically releases the provisional key 2-3 weeks after the exam.

  8. UPSC Prelims 2026 resultScheduled
    Expected 5 Jul 2026, 6:00 pm IST

    UPSC announces Prelims results 4-6 weeks after the exam.

How to check your UPSC Prelims 2026 score

  1. 1

    Pick your set

    Note whether you wrote Set A, B, C or D from the front page of your question paper, then select the matching set in the answer key controls.

  2. 2

    Mark correct, wrong, skipped

    Tally your answers against the reordered answer key. Each correct answer is +2; each wrong answer is -0.66; skipped questions carry no penalty.

  3. 3

    Calculate your score

    Plug your tallies into the score calculator to get your estimated GS Paper 1 total.

  4. 4

    Check the cutoff

    Compare your total against the predicted and historical cutoff for your category.

Frequently asked questions

When is the UPSC Prelims 2026 exam being held?
The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026 is scheduled for 24 May 2026. Paper 1 (General Studies) runs 09:30 to 11:30 IST and Paper 2 (CSAT) runs 14:30 to 16:30 IST.
When will the UPSC Prelims 2026 answer key be released?
Dalvoy publishes the answer key for both papers within an hour of each paper ending — GS Paper 1 by 12:30 IST, CSAT by 17:30 IST. UPSC itself releases the official provisional answer key two to three weeks later, and the final key only after the results.
Are Set A, B, C and D answer keys different?
No. The question paper content is identical across the four sets — UPSC only shuffles the order of questions. Pick your set in the answer-key controls above and the table reorders to match the paper you wrote.
How is the UPSC Prelims 2026 score calculated?
Each correct GS Paper 1 answer is worth 2 marks. Each wrong answer deducts 0.66 marks (one-third). Unattempted questions carry no penalty. Use the score calculator above to estimate your total.
What is the expected cutoff for UPSC Prelims 2026?
Based on the trailing 5-year average and current difficulty signals, the General category cutoff for 2026 is expected to land in the 80–90 band. The expected-cutoff table above breaks this down by category and will be refined once the paper has been fully analysed.
How can I challenge an answer in the official UPSC answer key?
After the official provisional key drops on the UPSC website, you can submit objections through their grievance portal within the stipulated window — typically 7 days. Include the question paper set, question number and supporting references.
Is CSAT counted towards the Prelims cutoff?
No. CSAT (Paper 2) is qualifying only — you must score 33% (66 of 200 marks) to qualify, but the cutoff for moving to Mains is decided entirely by GS Paper 1 marks.
Where can I practice UPSC PYQs after the exam?
Use our Previous Years archive (linked below) for question-wise practice with detailed solutions, subject tagging, and topic-wise analytics across every year since 1995.
All years