The PRESS Pad

The UPSC Civil Services Mains Essay Paper 2026 was conducted on August 21, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. This paper is crucial as it evaluates a candidate’s ability to structure thoughts, present balanced arguments, and showcase multidimensional perspectives. Candidates were required to write two essays of 1000–1200 words each—choosing one topic from Section A and one topic from Section B. Each essay carried 125 marks, making the total weightage 250 marks. UPSC Mains 2026