New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) successfully implemented face authentication in the 2026 Civil Services preliminary examination, an official statement issued on Thursday said. The face-authentication protocol ensures that the candidate whose photo was uploaded at the time of filling the application form matches when they appear with the admit card to write the exam, it said.

The system enabled live, real-time authentication of candidates at examination venues through mobile-phone-based verification by invigilators, ensuring seamless identification and eliminating the possibility of impersonation and malpractice, said the statement issued by the UPSC. UPSC conducted a real-time face-authentication exercise across all 2,072 examination venues nationwide during this year’s Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations 2026, held on May 24, it said. Out of a total of 8,19,732 candidates who had applied for the examination, nearly 5.49 lakh candidates (around 67 per cent) appeared for it, as per the provisional data.