AspirantGoal is an independent app. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Union Public Service Commission or any exam authority. This page repeats what the exam body’s own documents print, as checked on 23 October 2026. The exam body’s current notice is the authority, so read it before you plan around any figure.
UPSC ESE in brief
Recruitment to the Services and Posts listed in the notice under four categories: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.
Stage-I: Engineering Services (Preliminary) Examination, objective type
| Item | What the document says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Question types | Two objective type papers of multiple choice questions, with a maximum of 500 marks in all. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, p. 36 |
| Paper-I | General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, common to all candidates: 200 marks, 2 hours. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A, p. 38; Section I, para 2, p. 36; Section III, p. 42 |
| Paper-II | Engineering discipline specific paper of the chosen category: 300 marks, 3 hours. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A, pp. 38 to 39; Section I, para 2, p. 36 |
| Negative marking | Wrong answer: one-third of the question’s marks deducted. More than one answer counts as wrong. Blank answer: no penalty. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, Note II, p. 36; Appendix III Part B, para 3, p. 54 |
| Answer sheet | Answers are marked on an OMR answer sheet with a black ball pen only. | [1] Para 5, p. 3; Appendix III Part B, para 9, p. 55 |
| Calculators | Calculators are not permitted for answering objective type papers. | [1] Appendix I, Section II, item 7 after Note 6, p. 41; Appendix III Part B, para 2, p. 53 |
| Standard of Paper-I | General Studies and Engineering Aptitude is of the standard expected of an Engineering/Science Graduate; there is no practical examination in any subject. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, p. 42 |
| Standard of other papers | Papers in other subjects are approximately of the standard of an Engineering Degree Examination of an Indian University. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, p. 42 |
| Topic coverage of Paper-I | Questions are set from all 10 topics; marks for each topic may range from 5% to 15% of the paper’s total marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, Note, p. 42 |
| Counts toward final merit | Stage-I marks of candidates admitted to Stage-II are counted for their final order of merit. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, p. 36 |
Stage-II: Engineering Services (Main) Examination, conventional type
| Item | What the document says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Question types | Two conventional type papers, both engineering discipline specific. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 4.1, p. 36 |
| Papers | Paper-I and Paper-II of the chosen discipline: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, pp. 39 to 40 |
| Marks and duration | Each paper is of 3 hours and 300 marks, making 600 marks in all. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 4.1, p. 36; Section II B, pp. 39 to 40 |
| Language or medium | Conventional papers must be answered in English. The question paper is set in English only. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 8, p. 37 |
| Calculators | Non-programmable battery operated pocket calculators are permitted for conventional type papers only. | [1] Appendix I, Section II, item 7 after Note 6, p. 41; Appendix III Part A, para 1, p. 52 |
| Handwriting | Up to five per cent of the maximum marks for the written papers is deducted for illegible handwriting. | [1] Appendix I, Section II, item 4 after Note 6, p. 41 |
Stage-III: Personality Test/Interview
| Item | What the document says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Marks | 200 marks, with no minimum qualifying marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, paras 4.2 and 5.1, pp. 36 to 37; Section II C, p. 40 |
| Who is summoned | Candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks in Stage-I and Stage-II that the Commission fixes at its discretion. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 5.1, p. 37 |
| What is assessed | Special attention to leadership, initiative, intellectual curiosity, tact, social qualities, mental and physical energy, practical application and integrity of character. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 7, p. 37 |
| Final ranking | Marks in Stage-I, Stage-II and Stage-III together determine the final ranking. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 5.2, p. 37 |
The four engineering disciplines
| Item | What the document says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Categories | Category-I Civil Engineering; Category-II Mechanical Engineering; Category-III Electrical Engineering; Category-IV Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. | [1] Para 2, p. 6; Appendix I, Section II A, p. 38 |
| Choice | A candidate may apply for any one of the four categories. | [1] Para 2(A), p. 8 |
| Civil Engineering papers | Stage-I: Paper-II Civil Engineering. Stage-II: Paper-I Civil Engineering and Paper-II Civil Engineering. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A and B, pp. 38 to 40 |
| Civil Engineering syllabus | Printed in the notice: Paper-I on pp. 42 to 43 and Paper-II on pp. 43 to 44. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, pp. 42 to 44 |
| Mechanical Engineering papers | Stage-I: Paper-II Mechanical Engineering. Stage-II: Paper-I Mechanical Engineering and Paper-II Mechanical Engineering. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A and B, pp. 38 to 40 |
| Mechanical Engineering syllabus | Printed in the notice: Paper-I on p. 45 and Paper-II on pp. 45 to 46. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, pp. 45 to 46 |
| Electrical Engineering papers | Stage-I: Paper-II Electrical Engineering. Stage-II: Paper-I Electrical Engineering and Paper-II Electrical Engineering. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A and B, pp. 38 to 40 |
| Electrical Engineering syllabus | Printed in the notice: Paper-I on pp. 46 to 47 and Paper-II on pp. 47 to 48. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, pp. 46 to 48 |
| Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering papers | Stage-I: Paper-II Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. Stage-II: Paper-I and Paper-II Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A and B, pp. 38 to 40 |
| Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering syllabus | Printed in the notice: Paper-I on pp. 48 to 49 and Paper-II on pp. 49 to 50. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, pp. 48 to 50 |
| Stage-I Paper-II syllabus | For Stage-I Paper-II the syllabi of the discipline’s Paper-I and Paper-II are taken together. Stage-II papers use them separately. | [1] Appendix I, Section III, pp. 42, 45, 46 and 48 |
Qualifying rules
- Admission to Stage-II is decided on minimum qualifying marks in Paper-I and Paper-II of Stage-I. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, Note I, p. 36
- The Commission has discretion to fix minimum qualifying marks in any or all the papers of the examination. [1] Appendix I, Section II, item 2 after Note 6, p. 41
- Candidates are summoned for Stage-III on minimum qualifying marks in Stage-I and Stage-II as fixed by the Commission at its discretion. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 5.1, p. 37
- The Personality Test/Interview carries 200 marks with no minimum qualifying marks. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 5.1, p. 37
Syllabus, as the Union Public Service Commission prints it
The notice prints ten topics for Stage-I Paper-I in one numbered paragraph. Questions are set from all ten, and each topic carries 5% to 15% of the paper’s marks. The discipline syllabi for Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering run to several pages each. This page does not copy them and points to the pages instead.
Stage-I Paper-I
General Studies and Engineering Aptitude
- Current issues of national and international importance relating to social, economic and industrial development
- Engineering Aptitude covering Logical reasoning and Analytical ability
- Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis
- General Principles of Design, Drawing, Importance of Safety
- Standards and Quality practices in production, construction, maintenance and services
- Basics of Energy and Environment: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, Climate Change, Environmental impact assessment
- Basics of Project Management
- Basics of Material Science and Engineering
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based tools and their applications in Engineering such as networking, e-governance and technology based education
- Ethics and values in engineering profession
Stage-I Paper-II and Stage-II Paper-I and Paper-II
Civil Engineering
This page does not copy the syllabus for Civil Engineering. The document prints it at: Appendix I, Section III, pp. 42 to 44; printed in the notice, deliberately not copied [1]
Mechanical Engineering
This page does not copy the syllabus for Mechanical Engineering. The document prints it at: Appendix I, Section III, pp. 45 to 46; printed in the notice, deliberately not copied [1]
Electrical Engineering
This page does not copy the syllabus for Electrical Engineering. The document prints it at: Appendix I, Section III, pp. 46 to 48; printed in the notice, deliberately not copied [1]
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
This page does not copy the syllabus for Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. The document prints it at: Appendix I, Section III, pp. 48 to 50; printed in the notice, deliberately not copied [1]
A free tracker for these 10 units
Download the UPSC ESE tracker as a CSV file. It has one row for each unit above, in the same columns as the printable syllabus tracker: minutes studied and the date you finish the first pass sit in separate columns, so a long session cannot pass for a finished unit. Add a row with Round 2 when you go through a stage again. It is free and needs no sign-up.
The file holds the ten Paper-I topics. For your discipline, copy the units from the notice pages listed above into new rows.
How AspirantGoal handles UPSC ESE
AspirantGoal ships a syllabus template for UPSC ESE, checked against app version 1.0.0 on 22 October 2026. It is an editable study aid built from published exam information, so compare it with the units above and edit what differs. You can also set the exam up as a goal of your own, which plans, times and tracks the same way.
Questions
What are the stages of the Engineering Services Examination?
Three stages: Stage-I Preliminary with objective type papers, Stage-II Main with conventional type papers, and Stage-III Personality Test/Interview. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 1, p. 36
What does Stage-I of the ESE contain?
Two objective type papers. Paper-I is General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, 200 marks, 2 hours. Paper-II is your engineering discipline, 300 marks, 3 hours. Together 500 marks. [1] Appendix I, Section II A, pp. 38 to 39
Is there negative marking in the ESE Preliminary papers?
Yes. Every question has four alternatives. For a wrong answer, one-third of the marks for that question is deducted. More than one answer counts as wrong. A blank answer carries no penalty. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, Note II, p. 36
Do Stage-I marks count in the final rank?
Yes, for candidates admitted to Stage-II: their Stage-I marks are counted for the final order of merit. Marks in Stage-I, Stage-II and Stage-III together determine the final ranking. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, p. 36 and para 5.2, p. 37
In which language are the ESE Main papers written?
Conventional papers must be answered in English, and the question paper is set in English only. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 8, p. 37
Can I use a calculator in the ESE?
Battery operated pocket calculators are permitted for conventional type papers only, and only the non-programmable type. Calculators are not permitted for objective type papers. [1] Appendix I, Section II, item 7 after Note 6, p. 41; Appendix III Part A, para 1, p. 52
Is there a minimum score in the Personality Test?
No. The Personality Test/Interview carries 200 marks with no minimum qualifying marks. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 5.1, p. 37
Do I choose my engineering discipline?
Yes. A candidate may apply for any one of four categories: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. Stage-I Paper-II and both Stage-II papers are in that discipline. [1] Para 2(A), p. 8; Appendix I, Section II A and B, pp. 38 to 40
What this page leaves out
Dates, fees, age limits, attempts, eligibility and cut-offs change every cycle, so this page does not repeat them. Read them in the current notice.
Notes on the documents:
- Number of questions in Stage-I Paper-I and Paper-II: not stated. Looked at Appendix I Sections I and II (pp. 36 to 41) and Section III (p. 42). The only count printed is on the answer sheet, where serial numbers 1 to 160 are printed (Appendix III Part B, para 10, p. 55), and the notice does not tie it to either paper.
- Language of the Stage-I question papers: the notice states a language only for conventional papers (English only, para 8, p. 37). Nothing is said for the objective papers in pp. 36 to 42 or Appendix III.
- Minimum qualifying marks for Stage-I and Stage-II: no figures printed. The Commission fixes them at its discretion (p. 36 Note I, p. 37 para 5.1, p. 41 item 2).
- Negative marking is worded two ways in the same notice: one-third (1/3rd) on p. 36 and one third (0.33) on p. 54. Both are shown as one-third.
- Corrigendum or revised notice: UPSC’s page for this examination, https://www.upsc.gov.in/examinations/Engineering%20Services%20%28Preliminary%29%20Examination%2C%202027, read on 2026-10-23, lists one document, the Notice of 1.54 MB notified 16/09/2026, which is the size of the file read. No corrigendum is listed.