# UPSC exams: 5.49 lakh appear, CAT notice over 8 disputed questions 2026-08-18T03:05:37+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Nearly 5.49 lakh candidates appeared for the UPSC civil services preliminary examination on May 24, the commission said. For the first time, real-time face authentication was used at all 2,072 venues and achieved 100 per cent success, according to UPSC. Out of 8.19 lakh applicants, around 67 per cent took the exam, compared to 61 per cent last year. Separately, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has issued a notice to UPSC over eight disputed questions in the prelims paper. Four aspirants who failed to clear the cut-off petitioned on July 27, alleging errors that could cost up to 16 marks. The New Indian Express reports that this is the first time UPSC published provisional answer keys before the Mains, following a Supreme Court order. The Mains exam is scheduled from August 21 to 30. CAT has asked UPSC to reply before the next hearing on October 8. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The two sources report the same examination but with sharply different frames. millenniumpost.in leads with the government's own announcement, highlighting the 100 per cent success of a new face-authentication system and quoting the UPSC chairman's satisfaction. The New Indian Express leads with the CAT notice and aspirants' allegations of errors worth up to 16 marks, framing the story around a legal challenge. Neither source mentions the other's main fact: one omits the controversy, the other omits the biometric milestone. A measured reading notes that the disputed questions concern a small fraction of the paper and that the UPSC has already published provisional keys and invited objections, a transparency step it took for the first time. The October 8 hearing will clarify whether the errors affected the cut-off. The sources are consistent in their basic numbers, 5.49 lakh candidates, 2,072 venues, 83 centres, but diverge on which aspect of the exam is newsworthy. millenniumpost.in frames the exam as a technological success story for the government, while The New Indian Express frames it as an accountability story. Readers should watch for the CAT order on October 8, which could set a precedent for how disputed UPSC questions are handled before Mains. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 government-critical - millenniumpost.in (pro government) Leads with government announcement and quotes UPSC chairman praising the biometric system - newindianexpress.com (government critical) Leads with CAT notice and aspirants' allegations of exam errors This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-19T19:21:43+00:00. Tags: Ajay Kumar, MeitY, National e-Governance Division, UPSC Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/5-49-lakh-candidates-take-upsc-civil-services-preliminary-exam/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/5-49-lakh-candidates-take-upsc-civil-services-preliminary-exam/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/