UPSC DAF-II 2026: CSE Mains qualifiers must apply by November 25

Candidates who cleared the written stage of the UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 must fill in their Detailed Application Form-II (DAF-II) online at upsconline.nic.in between Wednesday, 11 November and Wednesday, 25 November 2026, till 6 pm, the Union Public Service Commission has said. The window, which opens today, is the step that leads to the Personality Test, or interview. The UPSC declared the written result on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and published the list of qualified candidates by roll number and name. The main examination was held from 21 to 30 August 2026, and this year's examination is for 1,016 vacancies.

For about 2,500 candidates, the DAF-II is not a formality. It is the detailed application that the UPSC requires from everyone who has cleared the written stage before the Personality Test can be scheduled, and the commission has set a fixed online window for it. The form is submitted only through upsconline.nic.in, and the window closes at 6 pm on 25 November, so candidates who leave it to the last hours risk running into problems with uploads or details they cannot correct in time.

The written result itself was published as a list of roll numbers and names of the candidates who qualified, and candidates can check whether their roll number appears on the list posted on the UPSC website, dated 5 November 2026. Only those on that list are eligible to fill the DAF-II and move on to the Personality Test.

The numbers show how narrow the funnel is. From 13,343 candidates who sat the main examination, only about one in five reached the interview list, and roughly two interview candidates are in contention for each of the 1,016 vacancies. The interview carries real weight in the final merit list, which decides not just selection but which service, such as the IAS, IPS or IFS, a candidate gets.

For students preparing for the next cycle, this year's timeline is a useful guide: the main examination in late August, the written result in early November and interviews to follow, with the final result after the interview stage.

Peepals calculation: Of the 13,343 candidates who qualified for the main examination, the reported 2,526 who made the interview list are about 19% (2,526 ÷ 13,343 ≈ 0.19). Against 1,016 vacancies, that is about 2.5 interview candidates per post (2,526 ÷ 1,016 ≈ 2.49). The DAF-II window runs for 15 days, from 11 to 25 November inclusive. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Qualified candidates have until 6 pm on 25 November 2026 to submit the DAF-II online, after which the UPSC will schedule interviews.

Long-term: The interview results will decide final selection and service allocation for the 2026 batch of civil servants.

Who is affected: Candidates who cleared the CSE Mains 2026, their families and coaching mentors, and future aspirants planning their own timelines.

What to watch next: The DAF-II deadline on 25 November 2026 and the UPSC's announcement of Personality Test dates and e-summon letters.

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