FAQ's

• Who can apply for ESE?

  To apply for Engineering Services Examination (ESE), a candidate should hold a Bachelor’s degree in the field of engineering from a recognized University. The four core engineering branches whose students write ESE are Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Electronics Engineering. As far as age limit is concerned, the candidate who wishes to write ESE must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years as mentioned in that particular year’s ESE notification released by UPSC.

• How can one apply for ESE?

  The online registration window for ESE opens in the month of September every year at the official website of UPSC by clicking on the link that says ‘Apply Online’.

• What is the difference between ESE and IES?

  There is no difference between ESE and IES. UPSC conducts Engineering Services Examination (ESE), and the engineers recruited as class ‘A’ officers are commonly known as IES (Indian Engineering Service) officers.

• How many times can a candidate appear for ESE?

  A candidate who wishes to write ESE must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on the dates as mentioned in that particular year’s UPSC ESE notification. The maximum age limit is relaxed for candidates from different categories.

• How is ESE conducted – Online or Offline?

  The Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is conducted in three stages – ESE Prelims, ESE Main, and finally Personality Test. Both the Prelims and Main stage papers are offline i.e. pen and paper-based tests

• Is calculator allowed in ESE?

  In ESE Prelims papers calculators are not allowed. However, candidates are allowed to use calculator while writing ESE Main papers

• Is there any negative marking in ESE?

  Negative marking is there in ESE Prelims stage papers only. The questions asked in ESE Prelims papers are objective type. In ESE Prelims papers, there are four options 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. 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 in this case also negative marking is applicable. If a question is not attempted by the candidate then there would not be any penalty.

• How many papers a candidate has to write in ESE?

  In ESE Prelims stage, a candidate has to write two objective papers – Paper-I and Paper-II. The Paper-I is of General Studies & Engineering Aptitude, and the Paper-II is of Engineering Discipline. In ESE Main stage too, a candidate has to write two papers – Paper-I and Paper-II. Here both the papers are conventional type papers of Engineering Discipline.

• Which exam is more difficult, GATE or ESE?

  ESE consists of three stages – ESE Prelims, ESE Main, and Personality Test. All the three stages take almost the entire year. Whereas GATE is a one-day exam of three hours. Secondly, the syllabus of ESE is very vast, completing almost the entire engineering syllabus. GATE syllabus includes only those subjects that are important from higher studies point of view. Also, the objective of GATE is to test a candidate’s conceptual clarity, problem-solving skills and in-depth knowledge, ESE on other hand is more of a speed test and it tests a candidate’s ability to cover the entire syllabus of General Studies and Engineering.

• What is the difference between GATE and ESE syllabus?

  The syllabus of GATE and ESE is almost similar. The only difference between these two exams is how a candidate approaches the exams. To crack GATE, which includes objective type questions, a candidate should have perfect conceptual clarity and understanding of subjects, and should know short tricks to deduce the correct answer from the given options. In the case of ESE, which includes subjective type questions in the Mains stage, a candidate should have good answer writing skills as well as speed and accuracy in solving numerical problems.

• How can one prepare for ESE?

  To begin preparation for ESE, one should first go through the complete UPSC ESE notification of that particular year to understand the exam, know about the number of vacancies, go through the syllabus, check the physical and medical requirements for various posts, and also go through other important details. Evaluate how much time you have in your hands to prepare for the exam, do a self-analysis of your strengths and weaknesses by browsing through previous years question papers, etc. Once done, decide whether you need ESE coaching, research about the best ESE coaching, watch the videos of previous years ESE toppers, take the ESE test series, plan ESE preparation strategy, choose the best ESE preparation books, and then proceed accordingly.

• What is ESE test series?

  The ESE Online Test Series includes mock tests that match the level and orientation of the ESE Prelims and ESE Main papers. ESE test series consists of a good number of topic-wise tests, subject-wise tests, mixed subject tests, and full-length tests to equip ESE aspirants in the most complete manner to accept, attempt and challenge the UPSC Engineering Services Examination. By writing full-length tests, ESE aspirants get an opportunity to write ESE before the real ESE.