Candidates will get an option to select the IAS (UPSC CSE) examination centre. The candidates can select the exam city of their choice.

UPSC exam centres are listed in the official UPSC notification released by the UPSC. The UPSC issues a separate list of centres for the Civil Services Preliminary and Mains exam. Candidates must check the list of UPSC exam centres before filling out the IAS application form. This would help them to choose the nearest and most accessible venue for the exam. IAS exam centres are allotted on a first-come-first-serve basis. Thus, candidates should register at the earliest to ensure that they are allotted the centre of their choice for the IAS exam. Once the maximum number of candidates are allotted a specific UPSC Exam Centre that particular centre gets blocked or frozen for further allotment.

UPSC Exam Centres: 2023 Prelims Exam Centres

The candidates can opt for any of the below listed IAS Exam Centres for UPSC Prelims 2023 as per their convenience. The number of IAS Prelims exam centres is more than the IAS main exam centres since the number of candidates who appear for prelims is higher. The Prelims exam centres for 2023 would only be alloted based on ‘First-Apply-First-Allot.’ The List of IAS Prelims exam centres in 2023 is as follows.

  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands
    • Port Blair
  • Andhra Pradesh
    • Anantapur (Anantpur)
    • Tirupati
    • Vijayawada
    • Visakhapatnam
  • Arunachal Pradesh
    • Itanagar
  • Assam
    • Dispur
    • Jorhat
  • Bihar
    • Gaya
    • Patna
  • Chandigarh
    • Chandigarh
  • Chattisgarh
    • Bilaspur
    • Raipur
  • Delhi
    • Delhi
  • Goa
    • Panaji
  • Gujarat
    • Ahmedabad
    • Surat
    • Rajkot
  • Haryana
    • Faridabad
    • Gurgaon
  • Himachal Pradesh
    • Shimla
  • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Jammu
    • Srinagar
  • Jharkhand
    • Ranchi
  • Karnataka
    • Banglore
    • Dharwad
    • Mysore
  • Kerala
    • Kochi
    • Kozhikode (Calicut)
    • Thiruvananthapuram
  • Madhya Pradesh
    • Bhopal
    • Gwalior
    • Indore
    • Jabalpur
  • Maharashtra
    • Aurangabad
    • Mumbai
    • Nagpur
    • Navi Mumbai
    • Pune
    • Nasik
    • Thane
  • Manipur
    • Imphal
  • Meghalaya
    • Shilong
  • Mizoram
    • Aizawl
  • Nagaland
    • Kohima
  • Odisha
    • Cuttack
    • Sambalpur
  • Puducherry
    • Puducherry
  • Punjab
    • Ludhiana
  • Rajasthan
    • Ajmer
    • Jaipur
    • Jodhpur
    • Udaipur
  • Sikkim
    • Gangtok
  • Tamil Nadu
    • Chennai
    • Coimbatore
    • Madurai
    • Tiruchirapalli
    • Vellore
  • Telangana
    • Hyderabad
    • Warangal
  • Tripura
    • Agartala
  • Uttar Pradesh
    • Agra
    • Aligarh
    • Bareilly
    • Ghaziabad
    • Gorakhpur
    • Lucknow
    • Gautam Buddha Nagar
    • Prayagraj (Allahabad)
    • Varanasi
  • Uttarakhand
    • Dehradun
    • Srinagar
    • Almora
  • West Bengal
    • Kolkata
    • Siliguri (Siligudi)
Centres of Civil Services Preliminary Examination
Centres of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination

UPSC (IAS) Mains Exam Centre

The UPSC IAS Mains Exam centres are fewer in number as compared to the Prelims. The number of candidates that are shortlisted for IAS mains is less than those who appeared for prelims. Thus, not as many exam centres are required to accommodate the candidates. All the UPSC Mains exam centres are listed in the table below.

List of UPSC IAS Mains Exam Centres:

AhmedabadDehradunMumbai
AizawlDelhiPatna
AllahabadDispur (Guwahati)Raipur
BengaluruHyderabadRanchi
BhopalJaipurShillong
ChandigarhJammuShimla
ChennaiKolkataThiruvananthapuram
CuttackLucknowVijayawada
Centres of Civil Services Main Examination
Centres of Civil Services (Main) Examination

Facts about UPSC Prelims Exam Centres

Candidates who are planning to apply for the exam will have to select an examination centre based on their preference and convenience. The UPSC allots the examination centres on a first-come-first-allot basis. Hence, there is a possibility that candidates may be allotted a centre other than their choice. Here are a few rules that the UPSC follows for allotment of IAS exam centres in Prelims:

  • Candidates who have applied first will be allotted a centre first.
  • Only Nagpur, Kolkata, Dispur and Chennai have no limit on the number of candidates who can be accommodated. All other UPSC exam centres have a ceiling on the number of candidates.
  • The UPSC can change centres at its discretion allotted to candidates based on requirements of the commission.
  • The commission will not entertain a request for a change of IAS exam centre by candidates.
  • Facilities for differently-abled candidates will be available in their respective exam centres.

Points to Remember while Reporting to IAS Exam Centre

UPSC Prelims exam centres are spread all over the country to ensure that the maximum number of candidates can appear for the exam from all parts of India. The UPSC Mains, which is held based on the results of Prelims, is held in selected cities across the country. The number of cities that will host IAS Mains exam centres is 24. Here are a few things to remember while reporting to an IAS exam centre:

  • Candidates can only bring their UPSC Admit Card, identity document and black ballpoint pen inside a UPSC exam centre. No valuables should be carried as the safety of these will not be guaranteed by the exam centre or the commission. Extra sheets for rough work will be provided by the UPSC and none should be carried from outside.
  • Books, study material, electronic devices like calculators and phones, slide rules, stencils of maps, mathematical or drawing instruments are not allowed inside the IAS exam centre. They are defined as unfair means, which would result in cancellation of candidature and being barred from all UPSC exams in the future.
  • Misbehaviour with exam centre staff will result in immediate action, such as the candidate may be barred from taking UPSC examinations in the future, and their candidature for the current IAS exam may be cancelled.

The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer to the official website of the exam.