IES 2024 Exam Pattern

Aspirants should ensure that they fulfill the eligibility criteria and admission at all the stages of the examination. Candidates are advised to check the complete details about IES Exam Pattern before kick-starting the application form and preparation.

The examination shall be conducted according to the following plan:

  • Stage-I: Engineering Services (Preliminary/Stage-I) Examination (Objective Type Papers) for the selection of candidates for the Main Exam
  • Stage-II: Engineering Services (Main/Stage-II) Examination (Conventional Type Papers)
  • Stage-III: Personality Test.

UPSC IES 2024 Selection Process

The selection process for UPSC IES 2024 will consist of the following stages:

Preliminary Exam: The first stage of the selection process is the preliminary exam. This exam consists of two papers - Paper I and Paper II - each of which carries 200 marks. The exam is conducted in offline mode.

Main Exam: Candidates who qualify the preliminary exam will be eligible to appear for the main exam. This exam consists of two papers, each of which carries 300 marks. The main exam is also conducted in offline mode.

Interview: Candidates who clear the main exam will be called for an interview. The interview will be conducted by a panel of experts and will carry 200 marks.

Final Selection: The final selection of candidates will be based on their performance in the main exam and the interview. The marks obtained in the preliminary exam will not be counted for the final selection.

The final selection will be based on the total marks obtained by the candidates in the main exam and the interview. The merit list will be prepared based on the marks obtained by the candidates in the main exam and the interview, and the number of vacancies available. Candidates who make it to the merit list will be appointed to various engineering services in the government.

UPSC ESE Prelims Exam Pattern

The ESE Prelims exam is the first stage of the selection process. The ESE Prelims Exam has two papers as tabulated below.

  • It has only objective questions in paper-I and paper II.
  • The total mark in the UPSC ESE exam is 500 marks.
  • Paper I is common to all candidates, while paper II will have questions from the core engineering subject.
  • The total duration of the ESE Prelims exam is 5 hours.
  • ⅓ marks assigned to a question are deducted for an incorrect answer.

PaperSubjectMarksDuration
Paper-I General Studies & Engineering Aptitude Paper 200 Marks 2 Hours
Paper-II Engineering Discipline – Specific Paper 300 Marks 3 Hours
  Total 500 Marks 5 Hours

UPSC ESE Mains Exam Pattern

Candidates who qualify for the UPSC ESE Prelims exam will be called to appear for the Mains exam.

  • The Mains exam of the IES exam will also have 2 papers. However, both papers will be conventional in nature.
  • Further, both the papers will have subjects based on the core engineering subject chosen by you while filling the application form, i.e. Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electronics Telecommunication Engineering.
  • The commission has the right to deduct up to 5% of the total marks if your handwriting is illegible.

PaperSubjectMarksDuration
Paper-I Engineering Discipline – Specific Paper – I 300 Marks 3 Hours
Paper-II Engineering Discipline – Specific Paper – II 300 Marks 3 Hours
  Total 600 Marks 6 Hours