Uttarakhand Public Service Commission Combined Upper Subordinate Service
UKPSC Combined Upper Subordinate Service is a recruitment exam conducted by Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, relevant to aspirants preparing for state-level administrative civil services.
UKPSC Combined Upper Subordinate Service Study Material
The Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC), Haridwar, conducts the Uttarakhand Combined State Civil/Upper Subordinate Services Examination to recruit Group A and Group B officers for the state government. Aspirants usually call it UKPSC PCS or Uttarakhand Upper PCS. The UKPSC PCS 2026 cycle was notified on 9 September 2026 with 67 vacancies, including Deputy Collector, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Block Development Officer and State Tax Officer.
The online application window has closed and the correction window runs from 7 to 16 October 2026. The next milestone is the Preliminary Examination, which the UKPSC exam calendar lists for 29 November 2026. This page brings together the dates, post-wise vacancies, eligibility, fee, exam pattern, syllabus summary, salary and a practical preparation plan, so you can check every key detail in one place.
Table of Contents
UKPSC PCS 2026
Particular | Details |
|---|---|
Exam name | Uttarakhand Combined State Civil/Upper Subordinate Services Examination 2026 |
Conducting body | Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC), Haridwar |
Advertisement number | A-1/E-1/2026-27 |
Total vacancies | 67 (may increase or decrease) |
Minimum qualification | Bachelor's degree (some posts need a specific degree) |
Age limit | 21 to 42 years as on 1 July 2026 |
Selection stages | Prelims, Mains, Interview |
Prelims date | 29 November 2026 (proposed) |
Pay scale | Mostly Level 10 (Rs. 56,100 to Rs. 1,77,500) |
Official website |
UKPSC PCS 2026 Notification Overview
UKPSC first issued a short notice on 29 June 2026 saying it had received requisitions for 63 posts and proposed the prelims for the first fortnight of October 2026. The detailed advertisement released on 9 September 2026 replaced that notice. It raised the count to 67 posts across 16 post codes and opened online applications.
Older pages may still show 63 posts or an October prelims date, so follow the detailed advertisement and later notices on the official website. The exam pattern and syllabus remain the same as the previous cycle, with Prelims, Mains and Interview as the three stages.
UKPSC PCS 2026 Important Dates
Event | Date |
|---|---|
Short notice (63 posts) | 29 June 2026 |
Detailed notification released | 9 September 2026 |
Online application starts | 9 September 2026 |
Last date to apply and pay fee | 29 September 2026 (11:59 PM) |
Application correction window | 7 to 16 October 2026 |
Admit card | A few days before the prelims (tentative) |
Preliminary Examination | 29 November 2026 (proposed) |
Main Examination | To be announced |
The prelims date comes from the UKPSC exam calendar (Notification No. 115/2026-27, dated 1 September 2026) and can change. Track the official website and your registered email for the admit card notice.
UKPSC PCS Vacancy 2026
The Commission has notified 67 vacancies. It has also said the number may change depending on department requirements, so treat the figures below as current, not final.
Post-wise Vacancy
Post | Vacancies |
|---|---|
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) | 14 |
Deputy Collector | 10 |
Assistant Director / Audit Officer (Finance) | 8 |
Block Development Officer | 5 |
Assistant Regional Transport Officer | 5 |
State Tax Officer | 5 |
Finance Officer / Treasury Officer | 4 |
Assistant Director / Deputy Secretary (Sanskrit Education) | 4 |
Case Worker (Women Welfare) | 3 |
District Commandant, Home Guards | 2 |
Assistant Director, Factories / Boiler | 2 |
Assistant Commissioner, State Tax | 1 |
Assistant Municipal Commissioner / Executive Officer | 1 |
Deputy Education Officer / Staff Officer / Law Officer | 1 |
Assistant Labour Commissioner | 1 |
Plant (Nursery) Development Officer Grade 2 | 1 |
Total | 67 |
Category-wise Vacancy
Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
General | 37 |
OBC | 11 |
SC | 13 |
ST | 0 |
EWS | 6 |
Total | 67 |
DSP and Deputy Collector together account for 24 of the 67 posts. If you are aiming for these, note that DSP also has physical standards, covered below.
UKPSC PCS Eligibility Criteria 2026
Educational Qualification
For most posts, you need a bachelor's degree from a university established by law in India. A few posts ask for a specific degree:
Post | Essential qualification |
|---|---|
Assistant Director / Audit Officer (Finance) | B.Com, or Chartered Accountant qualification |
Deputy Education Officer / Staff Officer / Law Officer | Master's degree |
Assistant Labour Commissioner | Bachelor's degree with a subject such as Economics, Sociology, Commerce, Law, Labour Welfare, Social Work or Personnel Management |
Assistant Director / Deputy Secretary (Sanskrit Education) | Master's degree in Sanskrit and Shiksha Shastri (B.Ed.) |
Assistant Director, Factories / Boiler | Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering |
Plant (Nursery) Development Officer Grade 2 | B.Sc. in Horticulture or Agriculture, or equivalent |
Case Worker (Women Welfare) | Master's degree in Sociology, Applied Sociology or Social Work |
Preference is given to candidates with an NCC "B" or "C" certificate or service in the Territorial Army, and relevant departmental experience where the notification allows it.
Age Limit
Candidates must be between 21 and 42 years of age as on 1 July 2026. Upper age relaxation applies to eligible Uttarakhand reserved categories, persons with disabilities, ex-servicemen and other groups under state rules. Check the exact years of relaxation for your category in the notification before relying on it.
Nationality and Domicile
Nationality: Indian citizens are eligible, along with certain Tibetan refugees and persons of Indian origin from specified countries who hold an eligibility certificate.
Domicile and reservation: Reservation and reduced fees apply only to candidates domiciled in Uttarakhand. Reserved-category candidates from other states apply in the General category.
Physical Standards for DSP and District Commandant
Posts such as DSP and District Commandant (Home Guards) carry physical standards. The minimum height for DSP is shown below.
Category | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
General / OBC | 167.7 cm | 152 cm |
Hill area candidates | 162.6 cm | 147 cm |
ST | 160 cm | 147 cm |
Male candidates also need to meet chest measurements, female candidates a minimum weight, and all candidates the vision and medical fitness standards in the notification.
Application Fee and How to Apply
Category | Fee (Prelims) |
|---|---|
General / Uttarakhand OBC / EWS | Rs. 166.36 |
Uttarakhand SC / ST | Rs. 76.36 |
Uttarakhand persons with disabilities | Reduced fee as per notification |
Uttarakhand orphans | Nil |
The fee includes the exam fee and online processing charges. Applications for 2026 were accepted on the UKPSC online portal from 9 to 29 September 2026. If you have already applied, use the correction window (7 to 16 October 2026) on the UKPSC application portal to fix errors.
Log in with your registration number and password.
Open the Combined State Civil/Upper Subordinate Services Examination 2026 application.
Check name, date of birth, category, domicile, qualification and post preferences.
Edit only what is wrong, re-upload documents if needed and submit.
Download and save the final form. UKPSC allows only one correction window.
Common reasons for rejection include a mismatch between the claimed category and certificates, an unpaid fee, and a qualification that does not meet the post's requirement on the cut-off date.
UKPSC PCS Exam Pattern 2026
Preliminary Examination
Paper | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
Paper I: General Studies | 150 (1 mark each) | 150 | 2 hours |
Paper II: General Aptitude Test (CSAT) | 100 (1.5 marks each) | 150 | 2 hours |
Negative marking: One-fourth of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.
CSAT is qualifying: You need at least 33% in Paper II. The merit list for Mains is drawn from Paper I.
Uttarakhand weightage: At least one-third of the 150 General Studies questions relate to Uttarakhand.
Calculators: Not allowed.
Main Examination
Paper | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|
General Hindi | 150 | 3 hours |
Essay | 150 | 3 hours |
GS I: Indian Heritage, History, Geography and Society | 200 | 3 hours |
GS II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, IR | 200 | 3 hours |
GS III: Technology, Economy, Environment, Security, Disaster Management | 200 | 3 hours |
GS IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude | 200 | 3 hours |
GS V: Knowledge of Uttarakhand (history, society, polity) | 200 | 3 hours |
GS VI: Knowledge of Uttarakhand (geography, economy, development) | 200 | 3 hours |
Total | 1,500 | 24 hours |
The Interview (Personality Test) carries 150 marks, so the final merit is out of 1,650 marks.
What This Means for You
Accuracy beats volume in prelims: A wrong answer in Paper I costs 0.25 marks, so four wrong guesses wipe out one correct answer.
Do not ignore CSAT: It is only qualifying, but scoring under 50 out of 150 ends your attempt regardless of your GS score.
Uttarakhand is decisive: It shapes a third of prelims GS, two full Mains papers (400 marks) and one essay section.
General Hindi needs attention: The paper requires a minimum score (generally 35%) and its marks also count in the Mains total.
For the full paper-wise breakdown, see the UKPSC PCS exam pattern guide.
UKPSC PCS Syllabus Summary
Subject | Stage | Important topics |
|---|---|---|
History and culture | Prelims, Mains GS I and V | Ancient to modern India, national movement, Katyuri, Chand and Parmar dynasties, Gorkha rule, Tehri State |
Geography | Prelims, Mains GS I and VI | World and Indian physical geography, Uttarakhand rivers, glaciers, climate, forests, disasters |
Polity and governance | Prelims, Mains GS II and V | Constitution, Parliament, Panchayati Raj, Uttarakhand political system, Lokayukta, RTI |
Economy | Prelims, Mains GS III and VI | Budget, agriculture, banking, Uttarakhand economy, tourism, migration, MSME policy |
Science and environment | Prelims, Mains GS III | General science, IT, biodiversity, climate change, disaster management |
Ethics | Mains GS IV | Values, attitude, emotional intelligence, probity, case studies |
Aptitude and language | Prelims Paper II | Reasoning, numeracy, data interpretation, English and Hindi comprehension |
Selection Process
Preliminary Examination: An objective screening test. Marks are not added to the final merit.
Main Examination: Eight descriptive papers worth 1,500 marks, including the qualifying requirement in General Hindi.
Interview: A 150-mark personality test on general awareness, communication, leadership, decision-making and understanding of Uttarakhand.
Physical and medical tests: Physical standards for DSP and District Commandant, and a medical examination for all selected candidates.
Document verification: Final allotment of posts by merit, category and post preference.
UKPSC PCS Salary and Career Growth
Posts | Pay level | Pay scale |
|---|---|---|
Deputy Collector, DSP, Finance Officer, BDO, ARTO, Assistant Commissioner (State Tax) and most other posts | Level 10 | Rs. 56,100 to Rs. 1,77,500 |
State Tax Officer | Level 7 | Rs. 44,900 to Rs. 1,42,400 |
Case Worker (Women Welfare) | Level 6 | Rs. 35,400 to Rs. 1,12,400 |
Allowances such as DA, HRA and others are added as per Uttarakhand government rules, so in-hand pay is higher than the basic pay and varies by posting. Deputy Collectors in the state civil service can be considered for promotion to the Indian Administrative Service after the required years of service, and DSPs can move into the Indian Police Service through the state quota.
How to Prepare for UKPSC PCS 2026
With the prelims proposed for late November, you have a short window, so focus on revision rather than starting new sources.
Prelims Strategy
Revise the static core: Use NCERT-level history, geography, polity and economy, then one standard source per subject.
Give Uttarakhand daily time: Spend at least an hour a day on state history, geography, economy, schemes and current affairs.
Practise CSAT weekly: Attempt at least one timed Paper II set every week so you clear 33% comfortably.
Solve previous year papers: They show how deep UKPSC goes on Uttarakhand topics and the level of science questions.
Mains Strategy
Start answer writing early: Write two to three answers a day for GS papers and one essay a week from each section.
Build Uttarakhand notes: Keep separate notes for GS V and VI with data on migration, disasters, tourism and the state budget.
Do not skip Hindi: Practise letters, precis, translation and grammar so you clear the minimum mark with a margin.