In a major change of policy, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has agreed to release the provisional answer key for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination soon after the test, as reported by The Print.

Until now, candidates had to wait nearly a year for the final key, which was published only after the entire recruitment cycle.

The decision was revealed in an affidavit filed by UPSC before the Supreme Court on September 20. The case, initiated by a petition from civil services aspirants represented by advocate Rajeev Dubey, is scheduled to be heard on October 14 by a bench led by Justice PS Narasihma.

How the new system will work

According to the affidavit accessed by The Print, “Publishing the provisional answer key, after the preliminary examination is conducted…. Representations/objections will be sought from the candidates…. Each such representation/objection should be supported by three authoritative sources…. The Provisional Answer Key and objections… shall be placed before a set/team of experts.”

Candidates will now be allowed to file objections against the key, but only if supported with references from at least three credible sources such as textbooks or research papers. Valid objections will be examined by a panel of subject experts, whose review will shape the final answer key used to declare results.

The reform has sparked optimism in the UPSC community.

Shift from earlier stance

In May, UPSC had defended its system, saying there was “neither any violation of principles of natural justice nor any opaqueness” in prelims evaluation. It argued that since the prelims was only a screening test, publishing the answer key much later did not affect transparency.

The latest affidavit, however, marks a clear shift in approach, aiming to bring more accountability to a stage of the exam where most candidates are eliminated.