UPSC and Central Government · Exam guide

UPSC ESE

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Source checked 25 September 2026

Exam syllabus

Official source for 2027

Source document: UPSC Engineering Services Examination 2027 notification, Section III

Civil Engineering · Paper I

6units

Building Materials
Solid Mechanics
Structural Analysis
Design of Steel Structures
Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures
Construction Practice, Planning and Management

Civil Engineering · Paper II

6units

Flow of Fluids, Hydraulic Machines and Hydro Power
Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Geo-technical Engineering and Foundation Engineering
Surveying and Geology
Transportation Engineering

Electrical Engineering · Paper I

6units

Engineering Mathematics
Electrical Materials
Electric Circuits and Fields
Electrical and Electronic Measurements
Computer Fundamentals
Basic Electronics Engineering

Electrical Engineering · Paper II

6units

Analog and Digital Electronics
Systems and Signal Processing
Control Systems
Electrical Machines
Power Systems
Power Electronics and Drives

Electronics and Telecom Engineering · Paper I

6units

Basic Electronics Engineering
Basic Electrical Engineering
Materials Science
Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation
Network Theory
Analog and Digital Circuits

Electronics and Telecom Engineering · Paper II

6units

Analog and Digital Communication Systems
Control Systems
Computer Organization and Architecture
Electro Magnetics
Advanced Electronics Topics
Advanced Communication Topics

Mechanical Engineering · Paper I

6units

Fluid Mechanics
Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer
IC Engines, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
Turbo Machinery
Power Plant Engineering
Renewable Sources of Energy

Mechanical Engineering · Paper II

6units

Engineering Mechanics
Engineering Materials
Mechanisms and Machines
Design of Machine Elements
Manufacturing, Industrial and Maintenance Engineering
Mechatronics and Robotics

Preliminary Paper I · common

10units

Current national and international issues in social, economic and industrial development
Engineering aptitude: logical reasoning and analytical ability
Engineering Mathematics and numerical analysis
Design, drawing and safety
Standards and quality practices
Energy and environment
Project management
Materials science and engineering
ICT tools and engineering applications
Ethics and values in engineering

UPSC notified the 2027 examination on 16 September 2026. Section III gives ten common General Studies and Engineering Aptitude areas and separate engineering-discipline Paper I/II headings. The 58 headings below preserve those branches; candidates study only their chosen engineering discipline. These are official top-level headings, not every subtopic in the 62-page notice.

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Exam authority source

Official paper pattern

UPSC · Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice, Appendix I · Source year 2027 · Document date 2026-09-16 · Last reviewed 2026-09-28

Stage I · objective prelims

Four discipline routes: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical or Electronics & Telecommunication. Question counts are not fixed in the notice's scheme.

Section	Questions	Marks	Minutes	Paper language
General Studies and Engineering Aptitude	—	200	120	Not specified on linked page
Chosen engineering discipline	—	300	180	Not specified on linked page
Total	—	500	300	—

Stage II · conventional mains

Two papers in the chosen engineering discipline; written in English.

Section	Questions	Marks	Minutes	Paper language
Discipline Paper I	—	300	180	English
Discipline Paper II	—	300	180	English
Total	—	600	360	—

Key rules and selection stages

Stage III is a 200-mark personality test with no minimum interview mark. Prelims, mains and interview marks all count towards final rank (1,300 maximum).
A wrong objective answer loses one-third of its allotted marks; a blank answer has no penalty. UPSC decides paper-wise qualifying marks at its discretion; the 2027 notice gives no fixed category-wise cut-off score.

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Authority source

UPSC ESE 2027 qualifying-mark policy

UPSC · ESE 2027 notice, Appendix I · Exam cycle 2027 · Source published 2026-09-16

UPSC fixes paper-wise minimum qualifying marks and shortlists after the exam. The 2027 notice does not publish a fixed category-wise preliminary, main or final selection score. Stage I, II and interview marks all count for final rank.

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