New Delhi: In a significant u-turn, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has now has agreed to release the provisional answer key soon after the prelims and not at the end of the entire exam cycle. Currently, the candidates have to wait for almost a year for the final answer key.

But in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on 20 September, the UPSC agreed to release the provisional answer key—a significant policy shift and something UPSC candidates have been demanding for long.

A group of civil services aspirants had moved the Supreme Court seeking an order that the UPSC publish its preliminary exam answer keys soon after the test, arguing that the current practice—releasing final keys only after the entire recruitment cycle—leaves candidates without a fair chance to challe

See Full Page