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How to Prepare for ESE Along with Job, Complete Roadmap

Explore the comprehensive guide for How to Prepare for ESE Along with Job in this article. Follow the most effective tips and tricks to ace the UPSC ESE with a job.
authorImageSiddharth Pandey8 Oct, 2025
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How to Prepare for ESE Along with Job

How to Prepare for ESE Along with Job: Preparing for the UPSC ESE exam along with a job can be a daunting task to manage the studies and job responsibilities simultaneously. The Union Public Service Commission administers the Engineering Services Examination every year to appoint desirable professionals for Group A & B services to different departments of the Government of India. The UPSC ESE is a prestigious examination that offers a prominent post of IES Officer to aspirants in the civil, mechanical, electrical, and electronics & telecommunication branches.

Balancing the study schedule and job requires a strategic approach with meticulous planning and time management. Individuals who are planning to ace the UPSC ESE Exam along with a job must follow the most effective tips and strategies. This article delves into the roadmap for a comprehensive guide to aspirants to gauge the UPSC ESE Preparation along with a job.

How Can I Prepare for ESE with Job

The Engineering Services Exam recruits Engineering graduates for Group A services to different engineering departments. The UPSC ESE exam is conducted for four engineering streams including Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication. The exam comprises preliminary, mains, and personal interview stages to hire the most suitable candidates. The UPSC ESE Job offers great career exposure to engineers with a competitive salary.

The UPSC ESE is a highly sought-after competitive exam for engineering aspirants to seek a promising career in the government sector. The exam requires consistent learning and an effective approach to secure the highest marks. Candidates can ace the UPSC ESE with a disciplined daily schedule, regular practice, and utilization of study resources.

How to Prepare for ESE Along with College

Being a job holder you are responsible for meeting the wide range of requirements of the working organization and aligning the preparation strategy to secure success in the Engineering Services Examination requires proper guidance. In order to manage your study schedule and job, this article provides the most effective guidance.

Read: UPSC ESE Preparation Tips for Freshers

Tips to Prepare for ESE Along with Job

You should have effective strategies to allocate the time for studies along with your job. Follow the time management guide will contribute to focusing on managing both effectively. Below, some tips and tricks are outlined which will help you to prepare for ESE along with a job:

Tip 1: Time Management

Effective time management is crucial for aspirants to prepare for UPSC ESE with a job. You must allocate specific hours for regular studies after the job hours. Prioritize your daily tasks to utilize more time for preparation. Avoid continuous long hours of study, take short breaks, and divide the time into manageable chunks. Don't waste your time on irrelevant activities during the preparation journey to significantly improve your performance.

Tip 2: Understand the UPSC ESE Syllabus and Exam Pattern

Candidates must have a thorough understanding of the UPSC ESE Syllabus to get familiar with the difficulty level, allocation of marks for specific topics, and key focus areas. The UPSC ESE Syllabus comprises a wide range of core technical subjects along with general studies and current affairs to test the comprehensive understanding of aspirants in their respective domains. Moreover, a proper understanding of the syllabus will guide you to identify the subjects which require more focus.

Additionally, you must review the UPSC ESE Exam Pattern to get familiar with the scheme of question paper. The exam pattern indicates the number of questions to be asked from specific subjects, the time duration for the exam, and the marking scheme. The UPSC ESE exam involves three stages viz. Preliminary Examination, the Mains Examination, and the Personality Test. All these stages are subsequently carried out after completion of each. You can check out a brief exam pattern from the table below:

UPSC ESE Prelims Exam Pattern
Subject Duration Maximum marks Type of paper
General Studies and Engineering Aptitude 2 hours 200 Objective
Civil/Electrical/Electrical /Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering 3 hours 300
Total 5 hours 500 marks
UPSC ESE Mains Exam Pattern
ESE/IES Exam Duration Maximum Marks Type of paper
Paper-I (Civil/Electrical/ Mechanical/ Electronics & Telecommunication) 3 hrs. 300 Descriptive
Paper-II (Civil/Electrical/ Mechanical/ Electronics & Telecommunication) 3 hrs. 300
Total 6 hrs. 600 marks

Tip 3: Follow the Effective Study Timetable

Candidates must have a robust study plan to ace the Engineering Services Examination with a good score. Create an effective study timetable allocating specific time to prepare all the subjects and stick to it. Set daily targets in your studies and make efforts to achieve them to improve your preparation. Utilize the digital planner to manage the time for your job tasks and studies. Plan the short breaks in studies to enhance productivity. Discuss with your employer to allow flexible work hours or leave options to focus on preparation.

Tip 4: Focus On Core Subjects

You must gain a comprehensive knowledge about the most important subjects and focus on them. Prioritize the technical subjects of your core discipline and also allocate sufficient time for general studies, current affairs, and engineering aptitude. Don't take any subject lightly, it will affect your performance. Prepare a list of important subjects that cover a higher weightage of marks and focus more on preparing them.

Tip 5: Improve Writing Skills

Candidates are advised to improve their writing skills as the UPSC ESE Mains is a pen-paper-based examination that requires good writing abilities. You must practice the numerical problems on paper and write the important formulas, and pointers to mug up the entire syllabus. Focusing on writing skills will improve your speed and accuracy to achieve the desired score in the examination.

Tip 6: Utilize Weekends for Revision

The working professionals are advised to utilize their weekends effectively for revision and practicing the UPSC ESE Previous Year’s Question Papers . Use short notes, flashcards, and online lectures to revise the complete syllabus.

You can plan long hours of studies on weekends to strengthen your concepts in the respective subjects. Follow your hobby and travel to nearby places during the holidays to refresh your brain. Set the entire day timetable for holidays to utilize it effectively in exam preparation. Contribute some time to family and other tasks on weekends.

Furthermore, maintain a good confidence level to perform well in the examination. Set short-term and long-term goals to maintain your motivation. Reward yourself for achieving study milestones to boost your confidence level. Follow your hobby and be social to improve productivity.

UPSC ESE Previous Year Papers PDF
Branch Download PDF
Civil Engineering Click Here
Mechanical Engineering Click Here
Electrical Engineering Click Here
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering Click Here

Tip 7: Maintain Your Health

Preparing for UPSC ESE along with a job can be stressful and affect your health. You should maintain your physical and mental health during the preparation journey to significantly boost your performance. Follow regular exercise and meditation to boost your outcome. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, eat a nutritious diet, and get enough hours of sleep to keep your mind and body fit.

Tip 8: Join Online ESE Coaching by PW

To explore the PW study plan and guidance of our dedicated faculties to execute your ESE preparation along with a job, you must enroll for ESE Online Coaching by PW . Physics Wallah offers comprehensive study material via online classes, practice sessions, and doubt classes for working professionals to prepare for the exam effectively.

How to Prepare for ESE Along with College FAQs

Q. Can I prepare for the UPSC ESE Exam Along with Job?

Ans. You must follow a realistic study plan and the right approach to manage the preparation of the exam along with a job. Seek guidance from experts and enroll in online coaching by Physics Wallah to explore the highly-structured learning.

Q. How much time should I give daily for UPSC ESE Preparation?

Ans. The working professionals should allocate 5 to 6 hours regularly to UPSC ESE Preparation to cover the comprehensive syllabus and revise all the concepts.

Q. How should I manage long hours of studies for ESE along with a job?

Ans. To allocate long hours for studies, you must utilize your holidays and weekends. Plan the weekend priorly and set the study targets to improve your preparation.

Q. Which is the best to choose for job holders, GATE or ESE?

Ans. It depends on the individual's career goals and aspirations. The GATE and ESE both are the engineering exams that offer promising careers to aspirants. The ESE offers a reputed government job within top departments while GATE offers PSU jobs and opportunities for higher studies.
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