UPSC ESE Exam Pattern

UPSC ESE Exam Pattern: Engineering Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is consists of two sections of written examination and Personality Test. Exam pattern of Engineering Services Examination are given below…

UPSC ESE Exam Pattern:
Engineering Services Examination comprises of two stages:
1. Written Examination
2. Personality Test 

I. Written Examination: The written Examination will comprise of three stages.

(i) Stage-I: Engineering Services (Preliminary/ Stage-I) Examination (Objective Type Papers) for the selection of candidates for the Stage-II: Engineering Services (Mains/ Stage-II) Examination.
(ii) Stage-II: Engineering Services (Mains/ Stage-II) Examination (Conventional Type Papers) and
(iii) Stage-III : Personality Test

2. The Engineering Services (Preliminary/Stage-I) Examination will consist of two objective type (multiple choices) questions papers and carrying a maximum of 500 marks (Paper 1 – 200 Marks & Paper II – 300 Marks). Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary/Stage-I Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main/Stage-II Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible for admission to the Main/StageII Examination. The Marks obtained in Preliminary/Stage-I Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main/Stage-II Examination will be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main/Stage-II Examination will be about six to seven time the total approximate number of
vacancies to be filled in the year through this examination.

Note I : The Commission will draw a list of candidates to be qualified for Engineering Services (Main/Stage-II) Examination
based on the criterion of minimum qualifying marks in General Studies and Engineering Aptitude Paper (Paper-I) and
Engineering Discipline specific paper (Paper-II) of Preliminary/Stage-I Examination.

Note II: There will be penalty (Negative Marking) for wrong answers marked by a candidate in the objective type question
papers.

(i) There are four alternative for the answers to every question. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate, one-third (1/3rd) of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty.
(ii) If a candidate gives more than one answer, it will be treated as a wrong answer even if one of the given answers happen to be correct and there will be same penalty as above for that question.
(iii) If a question is left blank i.e. no answer is given by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.

3.Candidates should note that if any irrelevant matter/signages/marks etc. are found written in the answer script(s),
which would not be related to any question/answer and/or would be having the potential to disclose the candidate’s identity,
the Commission will impose a penalty of deduction of marks from the total marks otherwise accruing to the candidate or will
not evaluate the said script(s) on this account

4.1 The Engineering Services (Main/stage-II) Examination will consist two conventional type papers in Engineering
Discipline specific with duration of three hours and maximum marks of 600 (300 Marks in each paper).

4.2 The Stage-III will consist of Personality Test carrying 200 Marks. 

5.1 Candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the Stage-I: Engineering Services (Preliminary/Stage-I) and
Stage-II: Engineering Services (Main/Stage-II) Examination as may be fixed by the Commission as per its discretion, shall be
summoned by them for Stage-III (Personality Test). The number of candidates to be summoned for Personality Test will be
about twice the number of vacancies to be filled. The Personality Test will carry 200 marks (with no minimum qualifying
marks)

5.2 Marks obtained by the candidates in the Stage-I:(Preliminary/Stage-I) Examination, Stage-II:(Main/Stage-II)
Examination and Stage-III (Personality Test) would determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the various
services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and the preference expressed by them for the various services/posts

6. Candidates are advised to read carefully special instructions to candidates for conventional type tests and objective
type tests given in Appendix-III (Part A and Part B) including the procedure regarding filing in the Answer Sheet of objective
type tests in the Examination Notice uploaded on the Commission’s website (www.upsc.gov.in) on 18.09.2024

7.In the Personality Test special attention will be paid to assessing the candidate’s capacity for leadership, initiative and
intellectual curiosity, tact and other social qualities, mental and physical energy, powers of practical application and integrity of
character

8.Conventional papers must be answered in English. Question paper will be set in English only

9.Details of the syllabi for Stage-I: (Preliminary/stage-I) and Stage-II :(Main/Stage-II) are at Section III. 

A. Stage-I (Preliminary/ Stage-I) Examination:

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-I Civil Engineering
Paper-I (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude)	2 hrs	200
Paper-II (Civil Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		500

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-II Mechanical Engineering
Paper-I (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude)	2 hrs	200
Paper-II (Mechanical Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		500

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-III Electrical Engineering
Paper-I (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude)	2 hrs	200
Paper-II (Electrical Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		500

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-IV Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Paper-I (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude)	2 hrs	200
Paper-II (Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		500

 B. Stage-II(Mains/Stage-II) Examination:- 

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-I Civil Engineering
Paper-I (Civil Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Paper-II (Civil Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		600

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-II Mechanical Engineering
Paper-I (Mechanical Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Paper-II (Mechanical Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		600

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-III Electrical Engineering
Paper-I (Electrical Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Paper-II (Electrical Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		600

Subject	Duration	Maximum Marks
Category-IV Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Paper-I (Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Paper-II (Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering)	3 hrs	300
Total		600

(C) Stage-III (Personality Test) – 200 Marks.
Note: Candidates must write the papers in their own hand. In no circumstances will they be allowed the help of a scribe to
write the answers for them. The Persons with Benchmark Disabilities in the categories of Low Vision will be provided the
facility of scribe, if desired by the person. In case of other category of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities as defined under
section 2(r) of RPwD Act, 2016, the facility of scribe will be allowed to such candidates on production of a certificate to the
effect that the person concerned has physical limitation to write, and scribe is essential to write examination on behalf, from
the Chief Medical Officer, Civil Surgeon/Medical Superintendent of a Government Health Care institution as per proforma at
Appendix-IV.

Further, for persons with specified disabilities covered under the definition of Section 2(s) of the RPwD Act, 2016 but not
covered under the definition of Section 2(r) of the said Act, i.e. persons having less than 40% disability and having difficulty in
writing will be provided the facility of scribe subject to production of a certificate to the effect that person concerned has
limitation to write and that scribe is essential to write examination on his/her behalf from the competent medical authority of
a Government healthcare institution as per proforma at Appendix-V

The candidates have discretion of opting for his/her own scribe or request the Commission for the same. The details of
scribe i.e. whether own or the Commission’s and the details of scribe in case candidates are bringing their own scribe, will be
sought at the time of filling up the application form online as per proforma at Appendix-V

The qualification of the Commission’s scribe as well as own scribe not be more than the minimum qualification criteria
of the examination. However, the qualification of the scribe should always be matriculate or above

The Persons with Benchmark Disabilities in the category of Low Vision will be allowed Compensatory Time of twenty
minutes per hour of the examination. In case of other categories of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, the facility will be
provided on production of a certificate to the effect that the person concerned has physical limitation to write, from the Chief
Medical Officer/Civil Surgeon/Medical Superintendent of a Government Health Care institution as per proforma at Appendix IV

Further, for persons with specified disabilities covered under the definition of Section 2(s) of the RPwD Act, 2016 but not
covered under the definition of Section 2(r) of the said Act, i.e. persons having less than 40% disability and having difficulty in
writing will be provided compensatory time subject to production of a certificate to the effect that person concerned has
limitation to write from the competent medical authority of a Government healthcare institution as per proforma at
Appendix-VI

The eligibility conditions of a scribe, his/her conduct inside the examination hall and the manner in which and extent to
which he/she can help the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities(PwBD) candidates in writing the Engineering Services
Examination shall be governed by the instructions issued by the UPSC in this regard. Violation of all or any of the said
instructions shall entail the cancellation of the candidature of the PwBD candidate in addition to any other action that the
UPSC may take against the scribe

2.The Commission have discretion to fix minimum qualifying marks in any or all the papers of the examination. 

3.Marks will not be allotted for mere superficial knowledge.

4.Deduction upto five per cent of the maximum marks for the written papers will be made for illegible handwriting.

5.Credit will be given for orderly, effective and exact expression combined with due economy of words in the
conventional papers of the examination.

6.In the question papers, wherever required, SI units will be used.
Note.—Candidates will be supplied with standard tables/charts in SI units in the Examination hall for reference purpose,
wherever considered necessary

7.Candidates are permitted to bring and use battery operated pocket calculators for conventional (essay) type papers
only. Loaning or inter-changing of calculators in the Examination Hall is not permitted

It is also important to note that candidates are not permitted to use calculators for answering objective type papers (Test
booklets). They should not therefore, bring the same inside the Examination Hal

8.Candidates should use only International form of Indian numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc.) while answering question
papers

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