| Conducting body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Civil: Central Engineering Service, Central Water Engineering Service, Indian Defence Service of Engineers, IRMS (Civil) and other posts, Mechanical: Indian Naval Armament Service, Central Power Engineering Service, IRMS (Mechanical) and other posts, Electrical: Central Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Service, IRMS (Electrical) and other posts, Electronics and Telecom: Indian Telecommunications Service, Indian Radio Regulatory Service, Junior Telecom Officer, IRMS (S&T) and other posts |
| Qualification | A degree in engineering, or Sections A and B of the Institution of Engineers (India) exam, or another equivalent listed in the notice. For the Indian Naval Armament Service (electronics posts) and the Indian Radio Regulatory Service, an M.Sc. with wireless communication, electronics, radio physics or radio engineering is also accepted. |
| Age limit | 21–30 years on 1 January 2027 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Stage I: preliminary exam with two objective papers → Stage II: main exam with two descriptive papers in your branch → Stage III: personality test (interview) of 200 marks → Final merit adds marks from all three stages |
| Latest notification | Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice (No. 02/2027-ENGG.) · 480 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About UPSC ESE (IES)
The Engineering Services Examination, often called IES, recruits engineers into Group A and some Group B services of the central government, including the railways, defence and central water and power bodies. You apply in one of four branches: civil, mechanical, electrical, or electronics and telecom. The 2027 notice, issued on 16 September 2026, expects about 480 vacancies.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–30 years, counted on 1 January 2027.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- PwBD: 10 years
- Ex-servicemen: 5 years
- General category candidates must be born between 2 January 1997 and 1 January 2006.
- Government servants in the departments listed in the notice can apply up to 35 years for the services of their own department.
- Defence personnel disabled in operations get up to 3 years.
Qualification
A degree in engineering, or Sections A and B of the Institution of Engineers (India) exam, or another equivalent listed in the notice. For the Indian Naval Armament Service (electronics posts) and the Indian Radio Regulatory Service, an M.Sc. with wireless communication, electronics, radio physics or radio engineering is also accepted.
Other conditions
- IETE and Aeronautical Society of India qualifications taken with admission after 31 May 2013 are not accepted for ESE 2027.
- Fee is Rs 200. Women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates are exempt.
- Candidates must meet the medical and physical standards set for these services.
Selection process
- Stage I: preliminary exam with two objective papers
- Stage II: main exam with two descriptive papers in your branch
- Stage III: personality test (interview) of 200 marks
- Final merit adds marks from all three stages
Exam pattern
Stage I: preliminary exam
Mode: Objective, multiple choice with four options · Negative marking: One third of the marks for a question is cut for each wrong answer. A blank question has no penalty.
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude (2 hours) | 200 |
| Paper II: your engineering branch (3 hours) | 300 |
Stage II: main exam
Mode: Descriptive, answered in English · Duration: 3 hours for each paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: your engineering branch | 300 |
| Paper II: your engineering branch | 300 |
Stage III: personality test
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview | 200 |
UPSC ESE (IES) syllabus
Prelims Paper I: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude
- Current issues in social, economic and industrial development
- Engineering aptitude: logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Engineering mathematics and numerical analysis
- General principles of design, drawing and safety
- Standards and quality practices in production, construction, maintenance and services
- Energy and environment basics, climate change and environmental impact assessment
- Project management and material science basics
- ICT tools in engineering, and ethics in the engineering profession
Civil engineering
- Building materials, solid mechanics, structural analysis
- Design of steel, concrete and masonry structures; construction planning and management
- Fluid flow, hydraulic machines and hydro power; hydrology and water resources
- Environmental, geotechnical and foundation engineering
- Surveying and geology; transportation engineering
Mechanical engineering
- Fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer
- IC engines, refrigeration and air conditioning, turbo machinery, power plants, renewable energy
- Engineering mechanics and materials, mechanisms and machines, design of machine elements
- Manufacturing, industrial and maintenance engineering; mechatronics and robotics
Electrical engineering
- Engineering mathematics, electrical materials, circuits and fields
- Measurements, computer fundamentals, basic electronics
- Analog and digital electronics, signals and systems, control systems
- Electrical machines, power systems, power electronics and drives
Electronics and telecommunication engineering
- Basic electronics and electrical engineering, materials science
- Measurements and instrumentation, network theory, analog and digital circuits
- Analog and digital communication, control systems, computer organisation
- Electromagnetics, advanced electronics and advanced communication topics
What they ask
Prelims Paper I is common to all four branches and draws questions from all ten listed topics, each worth between 5% and 15% of the paper. Paper II and both mains papers come from the same branch syllabus, so the prelims tests it in objective form and the mains in long answers. Unlike the civil services exam, prelims marks are added to your final score. About six to seven times the number of vacancies are called to the mains, and about twice the vacancies to the interview.
How to prepare
- Give Paper I real time. All ten topics are asked, and none can carry more than 15%, so skipping topics like ethics or project management costs marks.
- Study each branch topic once for both stages: solve objective questions for Paper II, then write full answers on the same topic for the mains.
- Treat the prelims as part of your final score. Every mark from its 500 is added to the mains and interview marks.
- Solve official ESE papers from the UPSC website to see how numerical the branch papers are.
- Keep current affairs and aptitude warm with daily topic-wise practice quizzes on the free Improvam app.
Practise UPSC ESE (IES) syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
Previous papers and answer keys
UPSC ESE (IES) FAQs
21 to 30 years on 1 January 2027 for the general category. OBC candidates get 3 more years, SC and ST candidates 5, and PwBD candidates 10.
Sources
- UPSC Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice (No. 02/2027-ENGG.) ↗ (official, checked )
- UPSC exam page: Engineering Services (Preliminary) Examination 2027 ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.