UPSC tightens exam security with mandatory face verification for candidates

Candidates appearing for Union Public Service Commission recruitment examinations will now have to complete mandatory face authentication at examination centers, officials said, marking a tightening of identity verification norms.

The UPSC said the measure is intended to reinforce the integrity and security of its examination system. In a notification uploaded on its website, the commission stated that facial authentication will be compulsory for all candidates at exam venues.

The UPSC conducts several competitive recruitment tests for central government services, including the Civil Services Examination, which selects officers for the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service, among others.

The decision comes after a pilot run of an artificial intelligence-based facial authentication system during the NDA and NA II Examination 2025 and the CDS II Examination 2025, held on Sept 14 last year. The trial was carried out at selected examination centers in Gurugram.

As part of the process, facial images captured at the examination center are digitally matched with photographs submitted by candidates during the application stage.

UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar had said the system significantly improved efficiency, cutting verification time to about 8 to 10 seconds per candidate, while also adding an extra safeguard against impersonation.