History · 3 Oct 2026

UPSC centenary history of civil services

Consider the following events in the history of civil services recruitment in India:

  1. The first Indian Civil Service examination held on Indian soil, at Allahabad
  2. The Public Service Commission becomes a constitutional body under Part XIV of the Constitution
  3. The House of Commons resolves that the ICS examination be held simultaneously in India and England
  4. The first Public Service Commission is established under Sir Ross Barker
A3-4-1-2
B1-3-4-2
C3-1-4-2
D1-4-3-2
This question is based on: A Century of Gatekeeping: Why the UPSC's Next Reform Is About Time, Not Merit
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 3 Oct 2026
About this question

Why in news

The UPSC completed 100 years on 1 October 2026. At the centenary event at Bharat Mandapam, the Prime Minister called for shorter examination cycles ("time certainty") as an equity reform.

Why for UPSC

UPSC regularly asks chronology questions on the evolution of institutions in modern India. The centenary makes the 1926 founding and the earlier campaign for simultaneous examinations a likely target.

Prelims summary

The ICS exam was held only in London from 1855. The 1893 Commons resolution for simultaneous exams went unimplemented until the first Indian centre opened at Allahabad in 1922.
The first Public Service Commission was set up on 1 October 1926 under the Government of India Act, 1919. It became a constitutional body under Part XIV (Articles 315-323) in 1950.

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