Union Public Service Commission IES

UPSC IES, officially the Engineering Services Examination (ESE), is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to recruit engineers for Group A and Group B technical services of the Government of India. Selected candidates join services such as the Central Engineering Service, Indian Railway Management Service, Central Water Engineering Service, Indian Telecommunications Service and the Indian Defence Service of Engineers. The exam is held in four streams: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.

The UPSC IES 2027 cycle is under way. UPSC issued the notification on 16 September 2026, applications closed on 6 October 2026, and the preliminary exam is scheduled for 31 January 2027. This page brings together the dates, vacancies, eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus, cut-offs, pay and a preparation plan, with links to a detailed page on each topic.

Table of Contents

UPSC IES 2027 at a glance

UPSC IES 2027 notification overview

UPSC published Examination Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG. on 16 September 2026, along with the Rules of the Engineering Services Examination, 2027 notified by the Department of Telecommunications. The notice expects about 480 vacancies, of which 19 are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities. The final number can change once departments confirm their requirements.

The scheme of examination is the same as in the 2026 notice: two objective papers in the preliminary stage, two conventional papers in the main stage and a 200-mark personality test. Applications are made only through the UPSC online portal, which uses a Universal Registration Number (URN), a Common Application Form and an exam-specific form. Read the full ESE 2027 notification on the UPSC website before relying on any summary, including this one.

UPSC IES 2027 important dates

Tentative dates come from the notification and the UPSC calendar and can change. Track the examination pages on upsc.gov.in and your registered email. For reference, the ESE 2026 cycle held its main exam on 21 June 2026, declared the main result on 24 July 2026 and began personality tests on 21 September 2026.

UPSC IES vacancy details

UPSC announces one overall vacancy figure in the notice. The discipline-wise and category-wise split appears later, in the final result and the cut-off notice.

Notification figures are indicative. The discipline-wise split for 2026 and 2027 had not been published when this page was written.

UPSC IES eligibility

Educational qualification

Candidates need a degree in engineering from a university or institution recognised under Indian law, or an accepted equivalent such as Sections A and B of the Institution of Engineers (India) examinations or an approved foreign engineering degree. For two posts, an M.Sc. with Wireless Communication Electronics, Radio Physics or Radio Engineering is also accepted: Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics Engineering Posts) and Indian Radio Regulatory Service. Final-year students can apply, but must show proof of passing within the window given after the main result.

Age limit

Candidates must be 21 to 30 years old as on 1 January 2027, which means born between 2 January 1997 and 1 January 2006 (both dates included). Government servants in the listed departments can apply up to 35 years.

Other conditions

• Nationality: Citizens of India, subjects of Nepal or Bhutan, and certain Tibetan refugees and persons of Indian origin, the last three groups with a certificate of eligibility.

• One discipline only: You apply in one of the four streams and cannot change it at the exam centre.

• Medical and physical standards: Recommended candidates undergo a medical examination as per the Rules.

For the full rules, see the UPSC IES eligibility guide.

Application fee and how to apply

Fees are paid online by net banking, Visa, Mastercard or RuPay card, or UPI. Fees are not refunded.

1. Create an account and generate your Universal Registration Number (URN) on upsconline.nic.in.

2. Fill in the Common Application Form, upload your photograph and signature, and capture a live photograph.

3. Fill in the ESE exam-specific form: discipline, centre and fee.

4. Submit before the deadline and keep your URN and application number.

Common reasons for rejection are a missing fee without a valid exemption, details that do not match the matriculation certificate, and unclear photographs or signatures. Applications cannot be withdrawn or edited after submission, so check every field before you submit.

UPSC IES exam pattern

Stage I: Preliminary exam

Stage II: Main exam

Stage III: Personality test

The interview carries 200 marks, with no minimum qualifying marks. In objective papers, one-third of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer, and a blank answer carries no penalty. Calculators are allowed in the conventional main papers only.

What this means for you:

• Prelims marks count: Your 500 prelims marks are added to the final merit, so prelims is not only a screening test.

• Discipline papers carry most weight: 900 of the 1,300 marks come from your engineering stream, across one objective and two conventional papers.

• Guessing has a cost: Three wrong answers cancel one correct answer, so attempt questions only where you can rule out options.

Older pages may still show outdated paper names, marks or durations, so follow the current notification. See the UPSC IES exam pattern page for a worked example.

UPSC IES syllabus summary

The discipline syllabus for prelims Paper II is the combined content of mains Papers I and II, so one preparation covers both stages. The UPSC IES syllabus page lists each paper topic by topic.

UPSC IES selection process

1. Preliminary exam (500 marks): UPSC sets minimum qualifying marks in both papers. About six to seven times the number of vacancies are admitted to the main exam.

2. Main exam (600 marks): Two conventional papers in your discipline, answered in English. About twice the number of vacancies are called for the personality test.

3. Personality test (200 marks): Assesses leadership, initiative, intellectual curiosity, tact, practical application and integrity.

4. Final merit (1,300 marks): Prelims, mains and interview marks are added. Services are allotted by rank, preference, vacancies and medical fitness.

UPSC IES salary and career growth

The ESE notification does not state pay. Group A services recruited through ESE generally start at Level 10 of the 7th Pay Commission pay matrix, where the basic pay begins at Rs. 56,100 a month, plus dearness allowance, house rent allowance and other allowances. Junior Telecom Officer is a Group B post and starts at a lower level.

These figures are not from the ESE notice, and in-hand pay varies by service, city and allowances. Check the cadre rules of the service you prefer.

How to prepare for UPSC IES

Prelims

• Build the discipline base first: Paper II and the main papers share one syllabus, so strong concepts serve both stages.

• Do not skip General Studies: Paper I is 200 marks and covers 10 fixed topics, each worth 5 to 15 percent of the paper.

• Practise without a calculator: Objective papers do not allow calculators, so build quick approximation habits.

Mains

• Write answers early: Practise derivations, neat diagrams and step-by-step numericals in timed sessions.

• Start mains preparation before the prelims result: The gap between prelims and mains is about four and a half months.

Mock tests and revision

Full-length mocks in the current pattern show you how much time each paper needs and how negative marking affects your score. Concise UPSC IES study notes on Testkart can help with fast revision in the last weeks.

UPSC IES cut-off reference

Marks of the last recommended candidate in ESE 2025, General category, from the official UPSC notice:

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat these figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them. All categories and stages are on the UPSC IES cut-off page.