The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has changed the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026 eligibility rules for people already working as civil servants. If someone is already an IAS or IFS officer and still serving, they cannot appear in CSE 2026 unless they resign from that service first. This applies even if they clear the Prelims but join service before Mains — they will then be blocked from further stages.
For IPS officers, the rule is now clearer: if a candidate was selected for the IPS earlier, they cannot choose or be allocated IPS again through CSE 2026, but they can sit the exam for other services.
UPSC also allows a one-time chance to improve rank for those allocated a service in 2026 — they can appear in CSE 2027 once if they get an exemption from joining training.
Overall, the changes tighten eligibility and limit repeat attempts for serving officers.
