UPSC Adds Three New Centres for Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2026 to Ease Candidate Rush
New Delhi, May 21(TNT): Union Public Service Commission has introduced three new examination centres at Bhubaneswar, Kanpur and Meerut for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026 in an effort to decongest existing centres and improve accessibility for candidates.
With the addition of the new centres, the total number of examination centres for the Preliminary Examination has increased from 80 to 83.
Nearly 23,000 candidates have opted for the newly established centres, significantly reducing pressure on adjoining cities.
UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar said the initiative was aimed at making the examination process more candidate-friendly, accessible and efficient.
“Our objective is to make the examination process more candidate-friendly, accessible, and efficient. The addition of three new centres is aimed at easing congestion and providing greater convenience to aspirants,” he said.
Dr. Kumar further said the Commission was committed to inclusivity and accessibility for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD), ensuring that such candidates receive examination centres of their choice, even if additional capacity needs to be created.
According to UPSC, the newly introduced Bhubaneswar centre received 10,656 applications, substantially reducing the burden on the Cuttack centre.
The Kanpur centre attracted 6,938 applications, easing pressure on Lucknow, while the Meerut centre received 5,902 applications and reduced dependence on Ghaziabad in western Uttar Pradesh.
The Commission said that under the revised mechanism, around 805 PwBD candidates were allotted examination centres of their preference in the Delhi region alone.
This year, UPSC has received a total of 8,19,372 applications for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026.
To further strengthen examination infrastructure, UPSC introduced a dropdown option in the application form enabling candidates to indicate their preferred nearby cities.
The data collected through the exercise will help the Commission identify feasible locations for establishing additional centres in the future.
The Commission said the measures reflect its continued efforts to modernise examination processes while maintaining fairness, transparency and integrity.
TNT KS
