UPSC CSE
Union Public Service Commission
The Civil Services Examination is UPSC's annual three-stage recruitment for the IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign Service, the Indian Revenue Services and oth…
26 papers · up to 2025View Papers
UPSC ESE Previous Year Question Papers
Engineering Services Examination
Union Public Service Commission2 papers · 2024–2025Verified 3 Oct 2026
Papers by year
About UPSC ESE
The Engineering Services Examination recruits Group A and Group B engineers into central services such as railway management, central engineering, defence and telecom cadres. Candidates compete in one of four disciplines: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. Marks from all three stages count towards the final merit, which sets it apart from CSE. The 2026 cycle advertised about 474 vacancies.
Eligibility (summary)
Degree in Engineering (or specified equivalents such as AMIE / IETE graduate membership; M.Sc. with specified subjects for certain posts); age 21-30 as on 1 January 2026 (relaxations apply). Read the latest notification for exact age limits, relaxations and qualifications.
Stages & subjects
- 1
Preliminary/Stage-I Examination
Two objective papers: General Studies & Engineering Aptitude and a discipline-specific paper
- 2
Main/Stage-II Examination
Two descriptive discipline-specific engineering papers
- 3
Stage-III Personality Test
Interview of candidates qualifying Stage-I and Stage-II
General Studies and Engineering AptitudeCivil EngineeringMechanical EngineeringElectrical EngineeringElectronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Exam pattern
Summarised from the official notification. Patterns change; confirm in the latest notice.
| Stage | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Preliminary/Stage-I Examination | 2 objective papers, 500 marks (Paper I 200, Paper II 300); one-third negative marking per wrong answer; marks count for final meritESE 2026 notification (Exam Notice 02/2026-ENGG.) · source |
| Main/Stage-II Examination | 2 conventional discipline papers, 300 marks each (600), 3 hours each; answered in EnglishESE 2026 notification (Exam Notice 02/2026-ENGG.) · source |
| Stage-III Personality Test | 200 marks with no minimum qualifying marksESE 2026 notification (Exam Notice 02/2026-ENGG.) · source |
Preparing with UPSC ESE papers
- Start with the most recent paper (2025) to see the current style, then work backwards.
- Practise each stage separately: Preliminary/Stage-I Examination, Main/Stage-II Examination, Stage-III Personality Test.
- Re-check the syllabus in the latest notification before relying on older papers.
FAQs
Where can I download UPSC ESE previous year papers?
PYQSathi lists 2 UPSC ESE papers from 2024 to 2025, each linked to its official source. Open the paper library above and pick a year.
Who conducts UPSC ESE?
UPSC ESE is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Notifications, dates and results are published on its official website.
Is this information official?
No. PYQSathi is independent. We summarise official documents and link to them, last checked 3 Oct 2026. Always confirm on the official website before applying.
Official sources
- Union Public Service Commission — official website
- UPSC ESE 2026 Examination Notice No. 02/2026-ENGG.
Last verified 3 Oct 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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