UPSC exam 2020: UPSC defers civil services prelims exam due to COVID-19; new date to be announced after 20 May

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has postponed the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020 due to the extension of the coronavirus lockdown. The exam was scheduled to be held on 31 May. [caption id=“attachment_3933145” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. upsc.gov.in[/caption] Since the Civil Services (Preliminary) exam also serves as the screening test for the Indian Forest Service Examination, that too has been deferred. The UPSC will review the situation on 20 May and new dates for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020 will be “notified on the UPSC website in due course," according to a report in the Hindustan Times. Candidates should visit the official website of the UPSC at regular intervals for updates. **Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak** The Commission had earlier postponed personality test for remaining candidates for the Civil Services examination 2019 due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the virus. The personality test was slated to be held from 23 March to 3 April. The Civil Services exam is conducted in three stages - prelims, main and interview (personality test)– for the recruitment of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, among others. It has already posted postponement notices for the Combined Medical Services Examination, the Indian Economic Service and the Indian Statistical Service Examination 2020. The UPSC had earlier announced dates for Civil Services-2020 (Prelim), Engineering Services (Main) and the Geologist Services (Main) Examinations. It is yet to release notification for the Central Armed Police Forces examination, the NDA and Naval Academy exam. The Commission is also contributing in the fight against the pandemic. In a meeting held in April, it decided the chairman and members of the commission will voluntarily forego 30 per cent of the basic pay for a period of one year, with effect from April 2020.