UPSC conducts IES (Indian Engineering Services), every year. This is the entrance exam for engineering candidates of technical graduates to serve under the government of India. UPSC ESE consists of various sectors like Railroads, Telecommunication, Public Works, Powers etc. UPSC ESE exam consists of five tests conducted in three stages by UPSC for recruiting IES personnel.
UPSC IES is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission of India and it is a National level exam. The headquarters of UPSC is located at Dholpur House, Shahjahan Rd, Pandora Rd, New Delhi-110003.
The IES examination is conducted to recruit aspiring candidates for engineering positions in various departments. Major departments of engineering involved are Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics, and Telecommunication Engineering.
Recruitment is done for Group-A and Group-B technical posts. Recruitment has three stages. Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, Personality Test.
UPSC IES Exam Date & Schedule
UPSC IES/ISS Mains Personality Test schedule has been scheduled for Dec 18, 2023. The interview will be conducted in two shifts, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. UPSC IES result 2023 was announced on Aug 7, 2023.
The entire schedule for Exam dates is given below in the table:-
UPSC IES Exam Schedule
| Scheduled Events | Dates |
| UPSC IES 2024 Application Form Availability | Nov 2023 |
| UPSC IES 2024 Last Date to Submit the Application Form | Nov 2023 |
| UPSC IES Admit Card Availability | Nov 2023 |
| UPSC IES 2024 Exam Date | Feb 2024 – Second Week |
| UPSC IES Provisional Answer Key Release | Mar 2024 – First Week |
| UPSC IES Final Answer Key Release | Mar 2024 – Fourth Week |
| UPSC IES 2024 Announcement of Result | Apr 2024 – Second Week |
| Availability of UPSC IES Scorecard to Download | Apr 2024 – Third Week |
| UPSC IES 2024 Rank List | Apr 2024 – Fourth Week |
| UPSC IES 2024 Counselling Registration | May 2024 – First Week |
What is the UPSC IES Exam?
Below are all the details and highlights of the UPSC ESE Exam:
| Events | Particulars |
| Name of the Exam | UPSC IES or ESE Exam |
| IES full form UPSC | Indian Engineering Services |
| Conducting Authority | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Level of Exam | National |
| No. of Vacancy | 167 |
| Exam frequency | Annually |
| Mode of Exam | Offline |
| Stages of Exam | Prelims; Mains; and Personal interview |
| Age Limit | 21 to 30 years |
| Application fee (Prelims) | INR 200 |
| Official website | https://www.upsc.gov.in/ |
Selection Process
UPSC IES eligibility must be satisfied by a candidate before applying for the exam. If the candidate later finds out that they are not eligible for the exam then, the fees paid will not be refunded.
To qualify for the nationality criteria for UPSC IES 2024, a candidate must be either:
- A citizen of India
- A subject of Nepal
- A subject of Bhutan
- Any Indian-origin person migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka or East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam intending to permanently settle in India.
- All the above-mentioned candidates from neighbouring candidates should hold an eligibility certificate from the Government of India.
UPSC IES Eligibility: Education Criteria
Based on educational qualification, candidates must fulfil any one criteria as mentioned below:
| Passed Sections A and B of the Institution Examinations of the Institution of Engineers, India. |
| OR |
| Obtained a Degree/Diploma in Engineering from a foreign University/College/Institution which is recognized by the Government. |
| OR |
| Passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, India. |
| OR |
| Passed Associate Membership Examination Parts II and III/Sections A and B of the Aeronautical Society of India. |
| OR |
| Passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers, London held after November 1959. |
UPSC IES Eligibility: Age Criteria
The lower and upper age limits to be eligible for the UPSC IES 2024 exam are given below:
- Upper Age Limit: Candidates must have attained the age of 21 years.
- Lower Age Limit: The candidate must not have attained the age of 30 years.
- They must have been born not earlier than Jan 2, 1991, and not later than Jan 1, 2000.
Age Relaxation
- In the case of government servants, the upper age limit of 30 years will be relaxable up to 35 years of the following categories, as mentioned in column 1 below if candidates are employed in a Department/ Office under the control of any of the authorities.
- A candidate who has been continuously in a temporary service regularly in the particular Department/Office for at least 3 years on January 01, 2020.
Relaxation of certain specified years will be provided in the upper age limit for the candidates given below:
| Category | Age Relaxation |
| SC/ST | 5 Years |
| OBC | 3 Years |
| Candidates who have been domiciled in Jammu & Kashmir from Jan 1, 1980, to Dec 31, 1989 | 5 Years |
| Disabled Defence Services personnel who have become disabled in hostilities with any foreign country or a disturbed area | 3 Years |
| Ex-Servicemen | 5 Years |
| A person with benchmark disability (low visibility, deaf, hard of hearing, Locomotor Disability including Leprosy, Dwarfism, Acid Attack victims, and Muscular Dystrophy) | Up to a Maximum of 10 Years |
UPSC IES Application Process
The IES 2024 Application form was released on September 6, 2023, on its official site here. The last date to complete the IES 2024 application form is September 26, 2023 (till 6:00 PM). Aspirants can fill out the IES Application Form only in online mode. To complete the application process, candidates first need to register themselves on its official site.
How to Apply Online for the UPSC IES Exam?
The steps to apply online for the IES exam are mentioned below:
Step 1: Go to the official website of the Union Public Service Commission i.e., https://upsc.gov.in/.
Step 2: Click on the ‘Indian Engineering Service (IES) 2024 Exam’ Notifications tab.
Step 3: A new window will appear on the screen mentioning IES 2024 Notification.
Step 4: Download the IES 2024 Notification PDF and read the instructions carefully.
Step 5: Now, to complete “One Time Registration”, candidates need to click on the tab “New Registration.”
Step 6: Fill in all basic information like Name, Date of birth, Gender, Educational qualification, Category, Contact number, Permanent address, etc.
Step 7: Upload all the required documents like signature, and photograph in the given size and format.
Step 8: Now, candidates need to pay the application fees in online mode. After making the payment, candidates need to click on the button “Final Submit.”
Step 9: Lastly, download the IES 2024 application form and take a printout of it for future use.
UPSC ESE Exam Application Fee
IES Application Fee varies with the categories of the students. The Application Fee for the IES 2024 exam can be paid in both online and offline mode. Online payment can be done through Net Banking/ Debit Card/ Credit Card, whereas Offline payment can be done through an SBI Bank Challan of INR 200.
The application fee for all the categories is given below:
| Categories | IES Application Fee |
| General/ OBC/ EWS | INR 200 |
| Female | Exempted |
| SC/ ST/ PH | Exempted |
UPSC IES Exam Pattern
UPSC IES 2024 exam will be held in offline mode. The IES Prelims exam comprises objective-type questions, while the Mains exam will be descriptive.
The details of the IES Exam Pattern for both the Preliminary and main exams are discussed below:
Prelims Exam Pattern
- The IES Prelims exam will be a pen and paper-based test.
- There will be two papers in the IES Prelims exam. Both papers will comprise multiple-choice questions.
- One-third mark will be deducted for every wrong attempt
| Papers | Number of Questions | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| Paper 1 (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude) | 100 | 2 hours | 200 |
| Paper 2 (Engineering Discipline) | 150 | 3 hours | 300 |
| Total | 250 | 5 | 500 |
Mains Exam Pattern
- IES Mains comprises two papers. Both papers will have questions from the opted Engineering discipline i.e., Mechanical Engineering/ Civil Engineering/ Electrical Engineering,/ Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.
- A total of 8 questions will be asked out of which candidates need to attempt any 5 questions.
- There will be no negative marking in the IES Mains exam.
| Papers | Number of Questions | Duration | Maximum Marks |
| Paper 1 (Engineering Discipline) | 5 out of 8 Optional Questions | 3 hours | 300 |
| Paper 2 (Engineering Discipline) | 5 out of 8 Optional Questions | 3 hours | 300 |
| Total | 10 | 6 | 600 |
UPSC IES Syllabus
The syllabus of IES 2024 comprises four disciplines- Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.
The subject-wise syllabus of the IES exam is mentioned below:
UPSC IES Prelims Exam Syllabus
General Studies and Engineering Aptitude:
The topics for the General Studies and Engineering Aptitude Paper are as follows:
- Current issues of national and international importance
- Basics of Energy and Environment
- Basics of Project Management
- Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis
- Engineering Aptitude covering Analytical ability and Logical reasoning
- Basics of Material Science and Engineering
- Information and Communication Technologies based tools and their Applications in Engineering
- General Principles of Drawing, Design, Importance of Safety
- Ethics and values in the engineering profession.
- Standards and Quality practices in construction, production, maintenance, and services
UPSC IES Mains Exam Syllabus
Civil Engineering:
The detailed paper-wise topic of Civil Engineering is given in the below table:
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
| Building Material; Structural Analysis; Design of Steel Structures; Solid Mechanics; Design of Concrete and Masonry structures; Construction Practice, Management, and Planning | The Flow of Fluids, Hydro Power, and Hydraulic Machines; Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering; Geo-technical Engineering and Foundation Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Surveying and Geology and Transportation Engineering. |
Mechanical Engineering:
Below is the syllabus of Mechanical Engineering for both Paper 1 and Paper 2:
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
| Fluid Mechanics; IC Engines, Air conditioning, and Refrigeration; Thermodynamics and Heat transfer; Turbo Machinery; Renewable Sources of Energy and Power Plant Engineering | Engineering Mechanics; Mechanisms and Machines; Engineering Materials; Design of Machine Elements; Mechatronics and Robotics; Manufacturing, Industrial and Maintenance Engineering |
Electrical Engineering:
The syllabus of Electrical Engineering is given below:
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
| Engineering Mathematics; Electric Circuits and Fields; Electrical and Electronic; Electrical Materials; Measurements; Basic Electronics Engineering and Computer Fundamentals | Analog and Digital Electronics; Control Systems; Electrical Machines; Systems and Signal Processing; Power Systems and Power Electronics and Drives |
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering:
The paper-wise syllabus of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering is given below:
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
| Basic Electronics Engineering; Materials Science; Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation; Basic Electrical Engineering; Network Theory and Analog and Digital Circuits | Analog and Digital Communication Systems; Electro Magnetics; Advanced Electronics TopicsControl Systems; Computer Organization and Architecture and Advanced Communication Topics |
UPSC IES Result and Cutoffs
The cutoff marks of the IES exam will be declared separately for all the categories. Candidates who secure marks equal to or higher than the cutoff marks will be regarded as qualified by the conducting authority.
UPSC IES Cutoff 2023
The previous year’s category-wise cutoff 2023 is provided below:
| Disciplines | General | OBC | SC | ST |
| Civil Engineering | 260-270 | 250-260 | 220-230 | 220-230 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 280-290 | 270-280 | 230-240 | 220-230 |
| Electrical Engineering | 250-260 | 240-250 | 210-220 | 200-210 |
| Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering | 270-280 | 260-270 | 220-230 | 210-220 |
UPSC IES Salary and Job Profile
The UPSC Indian Engineering Service examination is one of the most aspired examinations in India. Every year a huge number of engineers appear for this examination. Through this examination, the candidates can get an opportunity to serve the country with the help of his/her engineering skills.
The salary of UPSC IES officers is quite attractive and is decided based on the Pay Matrix Level 10 of the 7th Pay Commission. The starting basic pay of a newly recruited IES officer is Rs. 56,100. Along with the basic pay, they are entitled to several other benefits such as Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, Transport Allowance, and many more.
Overall, the UPSC IES salary is considered to be one of the highest-paying jobs for engineers in India. The IES officers are entitled to a handsome payment package as per the recent 7th CPC.
UPSC IES has divided cities into 3 classes and candidates will receive the salary according to the class of the city they are posted in. The Entry-level Pay Scale will depend upon the allotted locations.
The three classes are listed below:
- Class A: Metropolis
- Class B: Metropolis + Other Big Cities
- Class C: Village + Small Cities
| Component | Class A Cities (In Rupees) | Class B Cities (In Rupees) | Class C Cities (In Rupees) |
| Basic Pay | 15,600 | 15,600 | 15,600 |
| Grade Pay | 5,400 | 5,400 | 5,400 |
| Net Basic Pay | 21,000 | 21,000 | 21,000 |
| Dearness Allowance (125% of Basic) | 26,250 | 26,250 | 26,250 |
| House Rent Allowance | 6,300 (30% of Basic) | 4,200 (20% of Basic) | 2,100 (10% of Basic) |
| Transport Allowances ((15% of Basic + DA) | 7,087 | 7,087 | 7,087 |
| IES Gross Salary | 60,637 | 58,537 | 56,437 |
| IES Deductions (Approx.) | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| IES Salary in Hand | 50,637 | 48,537 | 46,437 |
Roles and Responsibilities of IES Officers
The career profile and job responsibilities of UPSC IES candidates are determined by the service to which they are assigned. The job roles and responsibilities of IES officers vary based on the service and department in which they are appointed.
Some of the responsibilities of IES officers are as follows:
- IES officers are typically responsible for performing various managerial and technical tasks.
- Their work is mainly administrative.
- As the employee gains experience, the scope of their supervision increases.
- They may be responsible for project management and execution.
- IES officers may need to navigate bureaucratic procedures by contacting government representatives.
- As they progress in designation and experience, they are given the power to contact concerned ministers.
The following is a list of organisations and cadres where IES officers work:
- Indian Railway Service
- Indian Supply Service
- Indian Navy Armaments Service
- Central Water Engineering
- Central Power Engineering Service
- Indian Army Engineering Service
- Indian Ordnance Factory
- Defense Service Engineering Corps
- Geological Survey of India
- Border Roads Engineering Service
- Central Electrical and Mechanical Service
- Central Engineering Service for Roads
Career Growth & Promotion
Unlike many other jobs, the IES officers climb the ladder of hierarchy with experience. The following are the various posts offered to the IES officers with experience. The officers will be initially inducted as Assistant Executive Engineers and can end up being Chairpersons or Cabinet-level officers.
- The candidate will be selected as an Assistant Executive Engineer or Assistant Director.
- After an experience of 3 to 4 years, the candidate will be promoted to Executive Engineer or Director.
- After 13 years of experience, the candidate will be appointed as a Joint General Manager or Chief Engineer of level 2.
- After 20 years of experience, the candidate will be promoted to the post of Additional General Manager or Chief Engineer.
- After 30 years of experience, the candidate will become a Senior General Manager.
- The final promotion will come after gaining experience of 34 years when the candidate will become a Managing Director or Chairperson of the governmental organisation.
If you are preparing for the exam then you can download the UPSC IES exam previous year papers here.
FAQs
Q1. Who is eligible for the IES 2024 exam?
To be eligible for the IES 2024 exam, aspirants must have achieved the age between 21 years to 30 years as of January 1, 2024. They must have been born after January 2, 1994, and not later than January 1, 2003, to be eligible to appear for the IES 2024 exam.
Q2. How many papers are there in the IES 2024 exam?
The IES Preliminary and Main exams consist of 2 papers each – Paper 1 and Paper 2. IES Prelims Paper 1 is common for all the aspirants, which is the General Studies and Engineering Aptitude paper. Prelims Paper 2 and Mains Paper 1 and Paper 2 are the engineering disciplines i.e., Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering papers opted by the aspirants.
Q3. Is the UPSC IES exam easy or tough?
The Indian Engineering Services is considered one of the most difficult recruitment exams in the Indian Government. However, with a proper preparation strategy, determination, and dedication, aspirants can easily crack the IES 2024 exam.
Q4. What is the highest post of IES?
The highest post of IES is Managing Director. Aspirants, after completing 34 years of service, will be promoted to the highest or last promotion i.e., Managing Director or Chairperson.
Q5. What is the application fee for the IES 2024 exam?
The application fee for the IES 2024 exam for general category candidates is INR 200, whereas reserved category candidates and female candidates do not have to pay the application fee. They are exempted from the application fee.
Q6. How many attempts can a candidate make for the IES 2024 exam?
There are no restrictions on the number of attempts to appear in the IES 2024 exam. Aspirants can appear for the exam until they fulfil the age criteria mentioned in the IES notification.
