The UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 e-admit card was reported available on 13 May 2025, and the examination took place on 25 May 2025. The 2025 exam is over; its dates and entry rules below are historical, not guidance for a current UPSC cycle.
Release date and exam date
A copy of the UPSC press note reporting the e-admit cards as available is dated 13 May 2025. The official UPSC archive lists the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2025 for 25 May 2025, with a one-day duration. The release date is based on the dated notice copy; the original press-note PDF was not directly retrievable. UPSC examination archive
What candidates were required to bring
UPSC instructed candidates to bring a printout of the e-admit card and the original photo identity card named on it to each session. The instructions said: “Bring the print out of e-Admit Card along with the original Photo Identity Card, as mentioned in the e-Admit Card, in each session to secure admission to Examination Hall.” Candidates were advised to keep the admit card until final results.
Check the admit-card details
Review the name, photograph, QR code, examination venue and other particulars on the card. UPSC’s 22 January 2025 examination notice said candidates should report mistakes to the Commission immediately; the candidate instructions gave the contact email [email protected]. Correspondence should include the candidate’s name, roll number, registration ID, examination name and year. UPSC CSE 2025 examination notice
Photo-related exception
This applied only if the admit-card photograph was unclear, or did not show the candidate’s name and the date the photograph was taken. In that case, UPSC instructed candidates to bring a photo ID, two passport-size photographs bearing their name and date (one for each session), and an undertaking.
Entry cutoffs and venue preparation
Entry closed at 9:00 AM for the forenoon session and 2:00 PM for the afternoon session—30 minutes before each scheduled session start. UPSC advised candidates to arrive early for identity verification and frisking, and to check the location of the examination centre at least a day beforehand. Candidates were to attend only the venue printed on their admit card.
Items allowed and prohibited
UPSC required a black ballpoint pen for marking answers. Its instructions stated: “Answers other than those marked by Black Ball Point Pen will not be evaluated.” Candidates could bring only materials allowed by the instructions. Phones, smart or digital watches, other IT gadgets and communication devices, books, bags and valuables were prohibited. The venues did not provide safekeeping for banned items, so candidates should not have brought them.
Historical checklist for the 2025 exam
- Print the e-admit card and bring it, with the original photo ID named on the card, to each session.
- Check the card’s personal details, photograph, QR code and venue; report discrepancies promptly to UPSC.
- Use the venue printed on the admit card and check its location in advance.
- Arrive early; entry closed at 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM for the respective sessions.
- Bring a black ballpoint pen and leave prohibited items at home; the venue offered no storage.
- Bring the additional ID, two dated and named photographs, and undertaking only if the specified photo issue applied.
- Retain the admit card until final results.
For a current UPSC examination cycle
Do not apply the 2025 dates or entry cutoffs to a later examination. For current application or admit-card information, use UPSC’s official examination page and e-admit-card portal, and follow the instructions for that specific cycle. UPSC’s 2025 notice said e-admit cards were online and paper admit cards were not sent by post.
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