The UPSC Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is the national recruitment examination for technical engineering services and posts under the Union Government. It is commonly called Engineering Services or IES by aspirants, but it is different from the Indian Economic Service and from the Civil Services Examination.

ESE 2026 at a glance

The official ESE 2026 notice was dated 26 September 2025. It scheduled Preliminary/Stage-I for 8 February 2026 and accepted applications from 26 September to 16 October 2025 until 6:00 PM through the new UPSC online application portal. The notice mentioned approximately 474 vacancies, including 26 vacancies for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, subject to alteration.

The four categories are Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. A candidate applies for one category and is considered for services and posts connected with that category. The latest UPSC notification always prevails for dates, vacancies, age cut-offs, service lists and qualifications.

Selection process

ESE has Preliminary/Stage-I objective papers, Main/Stage-II conventional engineering papers and a Personality Test. Final allocation depends on merit, preferences, vacancies, category rules and medical fitness.

Civil candidates may be considered for Central Engineering Service, Central Engineering Service (Roads), Survey of India, Border Roads, Central Water Engineering, Indian Skill Development Service and railway civil posts. Mechanical candidates may be considered for GSI engineering, Naval Material Management, Defence Aeronautical Quality Assurance, Border Roads, railway mechanical, Indian Enterprises Development Service and Corps of EME posts. Electrical candidates may be considered for Central Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Service, Central Power Engineering Service, Naval Material Management, Defence Aeronautical Quality Assurance and railway electrical posts. Electronics and Telecommunication candidates may be considered for Indian Radio Regulatory Service, Indian Telecommunications Service, Naval Material Management, Defence Aeronautical Quality Assurance, railway Signal and Telecommunication and Junior Telecom Officer posts.

The exact service list is year-specific and must be read from the notification.

Eligibility and application

A candidate generally needs an engineering degree or an equivalent qualification in the relevant discipline from a recognised institution. Final-year and result-awaiting candidates are subject to the conditions and documentary deadlines in the current rules. Check age, nationality, relaxations, medical standards, disability provisions and departmental-candidate rules in the latest notice.

Create an account on the UPSC online application portal, generate a Universal Registration Number, complete the Common Application Form and then fill the examination-specific form. The 2026 notice stated that the previous OTR module would not apply and that applicants had to use the new portal afresh. Keep a valid photo ID, recent photograph, signature, educational details and category documents ready. Review all entries before submission because changes may not be permitted.

Preparation strategy

Build preparation around the official syllabus and undergraduate fundamentals. Revise concepts, solve objective questions topic by topic, then practise conventional answers with assumptions, units, derivations, diagrams and complete calculations. Maintain a formula notebook and an error log. Prepare General Studies and Engineering Aptitude consistently instead of leaving it for the final month.

Use previous papers to identify recurring concepts and weak areas. ESE technical preparation overlaps with GATE, but ESE also requires conventional writing, common-paper preparation, UPSC-specific instructions and Personality Test preparation.

Official links

• ESE 2026 official notification
• UPSC active examinations
• UPSC online application portal
• UPSC previous question papers

FAQs

Is ESE conducted for every engineering branch?

No. The notified categories are Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.

Is there negative marking?

Yes. The notice specifies a penalty for wrong answers in objective-type papers.

Does clearing ESE guarantee one service?

No. Allocation depends on merit, preferences, vacancies, category rules and medical fitness.

Are electronic devices allowed?

No. Follow the latest venue instructions; the 2026 notice prohibited mobile phones and other electronic devices.

This evergreen guide should be used with the latest UPSC notification for the active examination cycle.

The ESE syllabus combines General Studies and Engineering Aptitude with technical papers in one of four categories: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics and Telecommunication. Use the official notification and appendices as the final syllabus source.

Common General Studies and Engineering Aptitude

Prepare current issues of national and international importance, reasoning and analytical ability, engineering mathematics and numerical analysis, design and safety, standards and quality practices, energy and environment, project management, material science, ICT and computers, ethics and values in engineering, and industrial engineering and production management.

Make short notes on infrastructure, energy, climate, technology, safety, quality, project delivery and public systems. Practise numerical reasoning, data interpretation and engineering decision-making.

Civil Engineering

Cover building materials and construction, construction planning and management, fluid mechanics, hydraulic machines and hydrology, irrigation, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural analysis, concrete technology and reinforced concrete, steel structures, transportation engineering, surveying, engineering mathematics and design principles.

Prepare sketches, load paths, soil profiles, hydraulic layouts, structural diagrams, standard formulae, units and assumptions for conventional answers.

Mechanical Engineering

Cover engineering mechanics, strength of materials, theory of machines, machine design, thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, IC engines, power plants, refrigeration and air conditioning, production engineering, industrial engineering, materials, metrology and manufacturing processes.

Connect thermodynamics with cycles, fluid mechanics with turbomachines, machine design with strength of materials, and manufacturing with materials and metrology.

Electrical Engineering

Cover circuit theory, signals and systems, electrical materials, measurements and instrumentation, power systems, generation and transmission, distribution, power-system analysis, electrical machines, power electronics, control systems, analog and digital electronics, microprocessors and electromagnetic theory.

Maintain separate revision sheets for network theorems, machine characteristics, protection, transmission parameters, control response, semiconductor devices and converters.

Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering

Cover network theory, electronic devices and circuits, analog and digital systems, signals and systems, communication systems, electromagnetic theory, microwave engineering, antennas and propagation, computer engineering, microprocessors and microcontrollers, control systems and instrumentation.

Practise derivations, frequency response, modulation, transmission lines, logic design, semiconductor circuits, control concepts and numerical problems.

Syllabus tracker and previous papers

Create one row for every official heading. Record first study, objective practice, conventional answer and revision date. Mark topics conceptually clear, formula-ready, objective-ready and conventional-answer-ready.

Download official ESE papers from UPSC. Solve without solutions, classify errors as concept, calculation, interpretation or time management, and revise the source topic. For conventional papers write complete answers, not only final numerical results.

Six-part preparation plan

1. Complete fundamentals and short notes.
2. Cover the full technical syllabus.
3. Solve topic-wise objective questions.
4. Add weekly conventional answers.
5. Take mixed tests and full mocks.
6. Revise formulas, diagrams, standards and weak chapters.

Official sources

• ESE 2026 notification
• UPSC previous question papers
• UPSC active examinations

The technical syllabus differs by category. Confirm the latest PDF before finalising a study schedule.