The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has agreed to release provisional answer keys for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination immediately after the test, ending its long-standing practice of withholding them until the entire exam cycle concludes.

The policy reversal came in response to a petition before the Supreme Court, which argued that the delay prevented genuine grievances of unsuccessful candidates from being addressed.

Earlier, UPSC had resisted the idea, cautioning that it would create “uncertainty and delay.” But in a fresh affidavit filed on September 20, the Commission said it had “arrived at a conscious and well-considered decision” to publish provisional answer keys after prelims.

Candidates will now be able to raise objections or representations against the answers, provided each is backed by at least three authoritative sources. These objections will be examined by subject experts, and the revised key will form the basis for declaring prelims results. The final answer key will still be published after the entire CSE process is over.

Calling the move a step to “enhance transparency” and “further the cause of public interest,” UPSC said it intends to implement the new system expeditiously.

The Supreme Court had earlier appointed senior advocate Jaideep Gupta as amicus curiae, who recommended publishing the key within a day of the exam. The petitioners argued that withholding answer keys, cut-offs, and marks until the very end frustrated unsuccessful candidates’ right to seek effective remedies.

By agreeing to release the provisional key earlier, UPSC has effectively addressed a long-standing demand from aspirants, who have often complained of opacity in the evaluation process of India’s most high-stakes examination.