# UPSC Mains 2026: carry two photos per session, no phones allowed 2026-08-19T11:57:08+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will hold the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026 from August 21 to 23 and August 29 to 30. Candidates must bring two recent passport-sized photographs for each session. The admit cards were released on August 15 at upsc.gov.in. The Essay paper is on August 21, General Studies on 22 and 23, and Indian Language, English, and Optional subjects on 29 and 30. Mobile phones, smartwatches, Bluetooth devices, and any electronic gadgets are strictly banned inside the exam hall, even in switched-off mode. Candidates who fail face authentication, lack original ID proof, or forget photographs may have to sign an undertaking at the venue. The Question Paper Representation Portal (QPReP) will be open from August 31 to September 4 for candidates to submit objections to any question or paper. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources provide near-identical wire-style reporting of the UPSC notice, with no slant. Hindustan Times leads with the photograph requirement and the undertaking form, while India Today leads with the exam schedule and mentions the Question Paper Representation Portal, a distinction of emphasis, not stance. The careful reader should note the five-day QPReP window (31 Aug, 4 Sep) as a key procedural step for candidates challenging question papers, a detail Hindustan Times omits. No substantive disagreement exists. Watch for UPSC's response to any representations submitted through the portal in early September. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with photograph rules and undertaking form, omits QPReP portal entirely - indiatoday.in (neutral report) Leads with exam schedule and QPReP details, aligns with official instructions This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-20T07:55:41+00:00. Tags: Civil Services Examination, UPSC, UPSC Mains 2026 Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/upsc-mains-2026-what-to-carry-what-is-banned-at-exam-centre/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/upsc-mains-2026-what-to-carry-what-is-banned-at-exam-centre/#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/