The internally developed security application required just 6 to 8 seconds to verify each individual face against original admission records
Over 7,000 examination supervisors simultaneously processed roughly 12,000 digital face matches every single minute during peak morning entry hours for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026. This massive operational feat was confirmed in a comprehensive statement released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Thursday, highlighting a flawless technological deployment across all 2,072 national exam centers on May 24.
According to provisional commission data, approximately 5.49 lakh candidates representing an impressive 67% overall attendance turnout from 8,19,732 total registered applicants successfully cleared the mandatory live screening. The internally developed security application required just 6 to 8 seconds to verify each individual face against original admission records, eliminating bottleneck queues entirely.
Significantly reducing state logistical expenses, the innovative screening system functions smoothly on standard Android smartphones, removing any requirement for expensive proprietary biometric hardware. Invigilators utilized their personal mobile devices to execute the real-time identity verifications, following strict operational training guidelines distributed by the commission to all regional district administrations.
The specialized face-matching software was built through an intense in-house technical partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s National e-Governance Division (NeGD). Under this strict business framework, no aspirant was permitted entry into any examination hall without establishing a verified live cryptographic photo match.
Confirming the landmark security rollout, UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar stated that the strict multi-layered protocol was specifically engineered to achieve entirely impersonation-free public examinations. Kumar highly praised the combined engineering teams for flawlessly deploying a complex, highly scalable digital infrastructure framework under tight operational schedules.
