Hyderabad: Ancient history, culture and unexpectedly specific static questions dominated conversations outside Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services (Preliminary) examination (CSE Prelims) centres here on Sunday, with many aspirants describing this year’s paper as tougher and more unpredictable than the 2025 exam.
The preliminary examination was conducted in two sessions across the country, including in Hyderabad and Warangal. According to official figures, 44,205 candidates were registered for the examination in Hyderabad district. Of them 29,609 candidates appeared for the first session while 14,596 were absent. In the second session, 29,262 candidates attended.
Several candidates said the General Studies (GS) Paper I moved away from conventional current affairs-heavy preparation. “It felt like they wanted us to know everything under the Sun. There were questions on ethics, practical situations, random authors and culture topics most people would not even think of preparing,” said aspirant Leesa Dorcas after the exam.
Another candidate appearing for a second attempt said the 2025 paper had been “far easier and more direct” compared to this year’s prelims. “This time there were very few straightforward eliminations. Even static questions were from corners nobody expected,” Bhargav N. Kiran said.
Candidates described the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) paper as comparatively manageable. “Paper II was easier than previous years. It does appear that the questions have been rationalised and were student-friendly,” Kiran told Deccan Chronicle.
Coaching centre founder Gopala Krishna said the paper showed a “significant departure” from previous years with greater emphasis on ancient India, culture and current affairs. He added that qualifying marks were expected to be lower this year.
“According to our primary estimates, the cutoff for GS Paper I 2026 may remain around 79 for General category, 75 for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), 76 for Other Backward Classes (OBC), 71 for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 68 for Scheduled Tribes (ST),” he said.
According to his analysis, the GS paper included 27 current affairs questions, 19 from history and national movement, 12 from polity and governance, and 11 from environmental ecology.
Hyderabad in-charge collector C. Narayana Reddy said the examination was conducted peacefully across the district. He visited the special centre for 119 visually impaired candidates at the University College of Science, Saifabad, and reviewed arrangements with officials. College Principal Karunasagar said 82 candidates attended while 37 were absent.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
