Release answer key immediately after civil services prelims: Parliamentary panel to UPSC

A parliamentary committee on Thursday suggested the release of the answer key by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) immediately after the civil services preliminary examination to enhance credibility, fairness and candidate's confidence.

The civil services examination is conducted annually by UPSC in three stages — prelims, mains and interview — to select officers of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

The commission informed the panel that it publishes the preliminary examination answer key only after completing the entire selection process.

"This delays candidates' ability to challenge potential errors before advancing to the next stage, undermining transparency and fairness. Such a practice can demoralise candidates and raise concerns about the validity of the examination," said the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 145th report on the Demands for Grants (2025-26) pertaining to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

The committee also recommended that the DoPT should set a clear timeline for implementing recommendations of the Baswan Committee, which was constituted to study the impact of the changes carried out in the scheme and the syllabus of civil services examination from time to time on administration and candidates.

The department informed the panel that the expert committee has submitted its report to the government. "The report touches upon multiple aspects like age limit, syllabus, question bank, mode of examination, disclosing answer keys, etc. A two-member committee was constituted by the department for examination of the committee report along with views of UPSC. The committee has submitted its report, which is currently under examination in the department," it said.

The committee recommends that the department should set a clear timeline for implementing the Baswan Committee recommendations, reads the report.  "Stakeholder consultations, including candidates and subject experts, may be conducted for effective and visible reforms. Regular progress updates should be published to maintain transparency and accountability. If any of the recommendations require policy changes, then they should be escalated for prompt government approval," the report stated.