Engineering Services · Union Public Service Commission
UPSC ESE (IES) — Engineering Services Examination (Indian Engineering Services)
The complete UPSC ESE (IES) blueprint: tier-wise pattern, topic weightage from previous-year analyses, and free chapter-by-chapter study material.
3 stages: Prelims (objective), Mains (conventional) and Personality Test800 marks that decide final merit: Mains 600 plus Personality Test 200, with Prelims used only to shortlist4 streams: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Electronics & Telecommunication Free · tutor-verified
UPSC ESE (IES) at a glance
Conducted byUnion Public Service Commission
CycleUPSC notifies the examination once a year, with the Prelims for the 2026 cycle reported for 8 February 2026. Confirm the dates of the live notification.
ModePrelims: objective, offline, with negative marking. Mains: pen-and-paper conventional papers, where calculations and derivations are written out. Personality Test: board interview.
EligibilityA degree in engineering from a recognised university or an equivalent qualification listed in the notification, with an upper age limit that varies by category and a minimum age. Eligibility for individual services, including vacancies for each stream, is set each year, so read the live notification.
LanguagesEnglish. The technical papers are set in English, so confirm any language provision on the notification.
Selection intoSelected candidates join central Group A services and are paid on the central government pay matrix with the usual allowances. Confirm the level and the service allocation on the notification.
Where ESE leads
Civil: Indian Railway Service of Engineers, Central Engineering Service and other civil services of the Government of IndiaMechanical: Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers and other mechanical servicesElectrical: Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers and central electrical and power servicesElectronics and Telecommunication: services such as the Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers and other telecom or electronics cadres, as notified
⚡ What changed recently
- The syllabus lists Paper I topics as current issues, engineering aptitude, engineering mathematics and numerical analysis, design, drawing and safety, standards and quality, energy and environment, project management, material science, ICT and ethics.
- Check the live notification each year for the services and the number of vacancies, since both change.
- Standards and codes (IS 456, IS 800) have been under periodic review, so confirm the editions your question paper uses.
How UPSC ESE (IES) selection works
Know what each stage is for before you spend a single hour preparing.
SCREENING GATE
Prelims: objective screening
Paper I, General Studies and Engineering Aptitude (200 marks), and Paper II, the stream paper (300 marks). Marks only shortlist for Mains.
THE SCORING STAGE
Mains: two conventional stream papers
Two papers of 300 marks each in your chosen stream, written in full with derivations and calculations.
FINAL STAGE
Personality Test
A 200-mark interview. Final merit adds Mains and Personality Test marks, and service is allotted by rank and preference.
The exam pattern, tier by tier
Marks, timing and negative marking exactly as per the official notification.
Prelims Paper I: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude
Objective, negative marking200 marks
2 hours
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current issues: economic and industrial development | — | ~10-30 | 2 hours |
| Current issues: science and technology | — | ~10-30 | 2 hours |
| Engineering aptitude, mathematics and numerical analysis | — | ~10-30 | 2 hours |
| Design, drawing, safety, standards and quality | — | ~10-30 | 2 hours |
| Energy, environment and climate change | — | ~10-30 | 2 hours |
| Project management and ethics | — | ~10-30 | 2 hours |
| Material science and ICT | — | ~10-30 | 2 hours |
💡 Common to all streams, with 100 questions. The syllabus says each topic can carry roughly 5 to 15 percent of the paper, and UPSC publishes no exact split.
Prelims Paper II: Stream paper
Objective, negative marking300 marks
3 hours
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering | — | — | Stream choice |
| Mechanical Engineering | — | — | Stream choice |
| Electrical Engineering | — | — | Stream choice |
| Electronics and Telecommunication | — | — | Stream choice |
💡 One paper for your stream, with 150 questions. Choose Civil, Mechanical, Electrical or Electronics and Telecommunication.
Mains Paper I: Stream paper I
Conventional (descriptive), 300 marks per paper300 marks
3 hours
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
| Mechanical Engineering | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
| Electrical Engineering | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
| Electronics and Telecommunication | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
💡 Conventional paper in your stream, with numerical and derivation questions. The syllabus is deeper than Prelims on the same topics.
Mains Paper II: Stream paper II
Conventional (descriptive), 300 marks per paper300 marks
3 hours
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
| Mechanical Engineering | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
| Electrical Engineering | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
| Electronics and Telecommunication | Descriptive | — | Stream choice |
💡 Second conventional paper in your stream. Both papers are written in full, so working and units carry marks.
Where your ESE score comes from
The Engineering Services Examination recruits Group A engineers to central services. Prelims has two objective papers: Paper I (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, 200 marks, 2 hours, common to all streams) and Paper II (the stream paper, 300 marks, 3 hours), reported with negative marking of one-third of the marks for a wrong answer. Prelims marks only shortlist candidates for Mains. Mains has two conventional papers in the chosen stream, each of 300 marks and 3 hours, for 600 marks, and the Personality Test carries 200 marks, so final merit rests on 800 marks. UPSC does not publish marks per topic, so the shares shown are indicative and based on the syllabus; confirm the scheme, the services on offer and the vacancies on the live notification. Click any block to open its chapters:
Subjects in UPSC ESE (IES)
Chapter-by-chapter study material built to the exam's own blueprint.
Topic-wise weightage — what to study first
Question counts per topic, distilled from previous-year paper analyses. Click any topic with a link to open its full chapter.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis | ~10-30 | High |
| Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability for Engineers | ~10-30 | High |
🎯 Do reasoning first to bank time, and learn the numerical formulas as a card.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Design, Drawing, Safety, Standards and Quality | ~10-30 | High |
🎯 Learn conventions as one-line cards and do the capability and clearance sums in two lines.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Energy, Environment, EIA and Climate Change for Engineers | ~10-30 | Medium |
🎯 Keep a list of Acts with years, and treat capacity and target figures as time-sensitive.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Project Management, CPM and PERT, and Engineering Ethics | ~10-30 | High |
🎯 Draw the network first, and choose the safe, honest, proper-channel option on ethics.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Materials Science and ICT in Engineering | ~10-30 | Medium |
🎯 Make a one-page numbers card and place each protocol in its layer.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Strength of Materials and Structural Analysis | ~Large share | Very high |
| Reinforced Concrete, Prestressed Concrete and Steel Design | ~Large share | Very high |
| Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations | ~Large share | Very high |
| Hydraulics, Hydrology and Irrigation Engineering | ~Large share | High |
| Transportation and Environmental Engineering | ~Medium share | High |
🎯 Write the governing formula, then substitute in consistent units; keep code factors on one card.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Thermodynamics, Power Cycles and IC Engines | ~Large share | Very high |
| Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machines | ~Large share | Very high |
| Heat Transfer, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning | ~Large share | High |
| Machine Design, Mechanisms, Vibrations and Manufacturing | ~Large share | Very high |
🎯 Sketch the cycle or draw the network first, and test every result against a known limit.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Circuits, Three-Phase Power and Electrical Measurements | ~Medium share | High |
| Electrical Machines: Transformers, DC, Induction and Synchronous | ~Large share | Very high |
| Power Systems: Transmission, Faults, Stability and Protection | ~Large share | Very high |
| Control Systems and Power Electronics | ~Medium share | High |
🎯 Reduce to Thevenin or per-unit first, and name the machine or converter before quoting a formula.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Analog Electronics, Amplifiers and Operational Amplifiers | ~Large share | Very high |
| Digital Electronics, Data Converters and Microprocessors | ~Medium share | High |
| Signals, Systems and Communication Engineering | ~Large share | Very high |
| Electromagnetics, Transmission Lines, Waveguides and Antennas | ~Medium share | High |
🎯 Write the formula before the numbers, and convert decibels to ratios.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|
🎯 This subject aliases UPSC CSE content directly, since the underlying syllabus matches closely enough to share chapters rather than duplicate them.
| Topic | Share | Priority |
|---|
🎯 This subject aliases UPSC CSE content directly, since the underlying syllabus matches closely enough to share chapters rather than duplicate them.
UPSC ESE (IES) resources
Everything you need to prepare.
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FAQs
Frequently asked questions
No. Prelims marks only shortlist candidates for Mains. Final merit is Mains plus the Personality Test.
Read the Paper I subjects and the subject for your own stream. The streams do not share a technical syllabus, except for the common Paper I.
The Prelims has negative marking of one-third of the marks for a wrong answer, as reported for recent notifications. Confirm on the live notification.
Chapters give the standard values, and the hub tells you to confirm editions of codes and any scheme figures against the live notification.
On the UPSC notification for the year, which lists the services and number of vacancies for each stream.
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