UPSC major policy change: CSE Prelims answer keys to be published right after exam, says SC

In a significant move to boost transparency in India’s most competitive recruitment process, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has informed the Supreme Court that it will now publish the answer keys of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination immediately after the test, according to Live Law.

The Commission disclosed the decision in an affidavit filed on September 20 in response to a writ petition seeking reforms to make the Civil Services Examination process more transparent. Until now, UPSC has released answer keys only after the entire examination cycle—spanning nearly a year—was completed and the final results were declared.

Shift from the previous policy

The affidavit marks a major reversal of the UPSC’s earlier position. In May this year, the Commission had opposed suggestions to publish a provisional answer key soon after the exam, calling such a step “counter-productive” and likely to “lead to uncertainty and delay in the finalisation of the exam.”

However, the latest affidavit states that UPSC has taken a “conscious and well-considered decision” to publish the provisional answer key after the preliminary examination.

How the new system will work

Once the provisional answer keys are published, UPSC will invite representations or objections from candidates who appeared in the exam. Each objection must be supported by at least three authoritative sources.

The representations and the provisional keys will be reviewed by a panel of subject experts, which will finalise the official answer keys. The Commission clarified that the final answer keys will still be published only after the final results are declared, but candidates will now have an opportunity to contest or clarify questions earlier in the process.

In its affidavit, UPSC said the move would “effectively address the grievances raised by the petitioner” and “enhance the level of transparency in the functioning of the UPSC.”

Background of the case

The writ petition, filed in 2024, challenged UPSC’s practice of publishing marks, cut-offs, and answer keys only after the entire Civil Services Examination cycle concluded. Petitioners argued that this delay left aspirants “completely clueless” about their performance and deprived them of a chance to understand or challenge the basis of their disqualification.

They contended that withholding the answer keys and cut-offs creates an opaque evaluation process. The petition cited examples such as the 2021 prelims, where late-released answer keys revealed discrepancies; some correct responses were marked wrong, while others with errors were accepted.

Petitioners alleged that the Commission deliberately delayed releasing answer keys to make objections “infructuous.” They pointed to the Civil Services Prelims 2022 answer key, which was still pending publication at the time of the filing, as evidence of this lack of transparency.