An IES officer is an engineer who works under the Central Government in the Indian Engineering Service (IES). An IES officer is a Class I or Group A public servant. As an IES officer, you’ll be responsible for managing engineering related technical functions throughout the country. While the exact nature of work depends on your particular branch of engineering and the cadre or department you’re recruited in, IES officers have to oversee the sectors like the Indian Railways, Power and Utilities, Defense and Army, and Telecommunications.
To become an IES officer, you firstly need to pass the Engineering Service Examinations. Upon successfully clearing the ESE, you are appointed as an Assistant Executive Engineer or Assistant Director in your respective branch, service or department.
UPSC ESE/IES Exam 2021
Table of Contents
Eligibility Criteria
In order to give the ESE, you will first need to satisfy the eligibility criteria in terms of age, education and nationality. These criteria are outlined in the official notifications published by UPSC on their website.
Eligibility Criteria | Parameters |
Nationality | A candidate must be:
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Education | A candidate must have:
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Age | A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have crossed the age of 30 years on 1st January 2020. A candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd January 1990 and not later than 1st January 1999. |
A relaxation on the maximum age limit is provided for any prospective candidate is provided in the notifications by UPSC. These age relaxations include but aren’t limited to:
- SC/ST Candidates
- OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates
- Ex-servicemen including ECOs, SSCOs
- Deaf, mute or orthopedically disabled
- Govt. servants employed in certain departments and services
Application Process
If you meet all the eligibility criteria then you can apple for the ESE through UPSC’s official website. The online application forms will be available after 4th April 2021 until 27th April 2021.
For your ease, we have briefly outlined the registration process:
- Visit UPSC’s official website, upsc.gov.in
- Use the link on the right side of the webpage, “Apply Online”
- Use the link, “Online Application for Various Examinations”
- Look for the Engineering Service Examination or ESE form
- After carefully reading the instructions, Part-I of the form is to be filled up with your details
- Again, after reading the instructions, upload the documents like photograph and signature in Part-II of the form.
- Pay the Rs. 200 application fee and save the receipt
- Submit the online form and then download/print it for future requirements
Application Fees
You need to pay Rs. 200 in order to successfully submit the examination application forms. The fees can be submitted by depositing cash in any SBI branch or by net banking through SBI, or by paying through any Visa/Rupay/Mastercard credit card or debit card.
In case you withdraw your application, your fees won’t be refunded.
Female candidates, along with SC, ST and physically handicapped candidates, are exempt from paying the application fees.
Exam Pattern
The ESE examination is conducted in three phases, Preliminary, Mains and Personality Test. Only those candidates who pass the Preliminary Exam are called for sitting the Main Exam. Both the exams are conducted offline and in the English language.
In Preliminary Exams, there are two paper, one testing your general aptitude and the other testing your knowledge of engineering. The questions are MCQ variety and in total, it is a 5-hour examination.
You should be aware that there is negative marking in the Preliminary exams. For each incorrect answer, 1/3rd of the questions marks are deducted (0.66 marks). However, there is no penalty for not attempting a question.
Preliminary Exam
Subject | Marks | Duration | No. of Questions |
PAPER-I – General Studies and Engineering Aptitude | 200 | 2 hours | 100 |
PAPER-II – Civil/Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering | 300 | 3 hours | 150 |
Total | 500 | 5 hours | 250 |
If you clear the Preliminary exam, then you are called for the Main exam. Just like the Preliminary exam, there are two papers in the Main exam. However, the questions are subjective type questions and there is no penalty for incorrect answers any longer.
Main Exam
Subject | Marks | Duration | No, of Questions |
PAPER-I – Civil/Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering | 300 | 3 hours | 8 |
PAPER-II – Civil/Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering | 300 | 3 hours | 8 |
Total | 600 | 6 hours | 16 |
Syllabus
USPC sets the syllabus of the ESE so that only the best candidates with the best pool of engineering knowledge get selected into this prestigious service. You should always clearly look through the syllabus in order to have a clear cut studying plan to successfully pass the exams.
You can also find papers of previous years on UPSC’s website so that you can prepare after going through the syllabus.
The syllabus for both Preliminary and Main exams is as follows depicted in the tables below.
Preliminary Exams
Subject | Syllabus |
PAPER-I – General Studies and Engineering Aptitude |
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PAPER-II – Civil/Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering |
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Mains Exam
Subject | Syllabus |
Civil Engineering |
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Mechanical Engineering |
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Electrical Engineering |
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Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering |
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Salary
As an IES officer is a Class I or Grade Officer, they have a very respectable and appreciable salary. Just upon joining, the minimum basic salary of an IES officer is Rs. 39,100.
When calculating the gross salary by adding in Dearness Allowance, HRA, Transport Allowance, the amount comes out to be around Rs. 65,000. This amount is being calculated with the minimum basic salary in the pay grade so the upper range of salary is much, much higher than this.
An IES officer’s job is a respectable and lucrative one. While not as flashy as an IAS officer, there are plenty of opportunities for an ambitious and talented individual to make their name.
Famous IES officers like E. Sreedharan, the chairman, and director of Delhi Metro, and Narender Singh Kapany, the inventor of Fibre-optics come to mind.
Finally Some Important Dates for ESE.
Important Dates
Events | Dates |
IES Notification for 2021 | 4th April 2021 |
Online Applications for ESE open | 4th April 2021 |
Last date for ESE application | 27th April 2021 |
Preliminary Examinations | July 18th, 2021 |
Preliminary Examinations’ Result | September 2021 |
Main Examinations | October 2021 |
Main Examinations’ Result | November 2021 |
Call for Interview | December 2021 |
Final Selection | January 2022 |
Keep in mind that these dates are subject to change. Always keep an eye on the latest IES and ESE notifications from UPSC official website and at getjobalerts.in.