UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027: Prelims & Mains Exam Pattern, Marks & Duration

UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Engineering Services Examination (ESE) for recruitment to engineering services and posts under the Central Government.

Candidates preparing for the UPSC ESE 2027 should understand the complete exam pattern before starting their preparation. The UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027 provides details about the Prelims and Mains papers, subjects, marks, duration, marking scheme, and selection stages.

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UPSC IES Prelims & Mains Exam Pattern 2027

The UPSC Engineering Services Examination consists of three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Personality Test. Candidates must qualify at each stage to progress through the selection process.

The UPSC ESE Prelims consists of two objective-type papers. Paper I is General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, common to all candidates, carrying 200 marks and having a duration of 2 hours. Paper II is based on the candidate's chosen engineering discipline and carries 300 marks with a duration of 3 hours.

The total marks for the UPSC ESE Prelims are 500. There is a negative marking of one-third of the marks assigned to a question for each incorrect answer in the objective papers.

The UPSC ESE Mains is a conventional or descriptive examination consisting of two papers from the candidate's chosen engineering discipline. Each paper carries 300 marks and is conducted for 3 hours, making the total Mains marks 600.

Also, Read: UPSC ESE Syllabus 2027

UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027

The UPSC Engineering Services Examination is conducted for candidates from four engineering disciplines: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering.

Candidates should review the UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027 to understand the paper structure, marks distribution, exam duration, and marking scheme for both Prelims and Mains. The exam pattern can help candidates plan their preparation according to the requirements of each stage.

UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027 Overview

The key details of the UPSC ESE Exam Pattern 2027 are given in the table below:

UPSC ESE Prelims Exam Pattern 2027

The UPSC ESE Prelims is the first stage of the Engineering Services Examination. It consists of two objective-type papers carrying a combined total of 500 marks.

• The Prelims consists of two papers: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude and the candidate's chosen engineering discipline.
• Both papers are objective-type papers.
• Paper I carries 200 marks and has a duration of 2 hours.
• Paper II carries 300 marks and has a duration of 3 hours.
• The combined maximum marks for Prelims are 500.
• One-third of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for an incorrect answer.

UPSC ESE Prelims Paper I: General Studies & Engineering Aptitude

Paper I of the UPSC ESE Prelims covers General Studies and Engineering Aptitude. The paper is common to candidates from all four engineering disciplines and carries 200 marks with a duration of 2 hours.

UPSC ESE Prelims Paper II: Engineering Discipline

Paper II is based on the engineering discipline selected by the candidate. Candidates can appear for Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. The paper carries 300 marks and has a duration of 3 hours.

UPSC ESE Mains Exam Pattern 2027

Candidates who qualify for the Preliminary Examination are eligible for the Main Examination as per the conditions prescribed by UPSC. The UPSC ESE Mains consists of two conventional-type papers from the candidate's chosen engineering discipline.

• The Mains examination consists of two conventional/descriptive-type papers.
• Both papers are based on the candidate's selected engineering discipline.
• Each paper carries 300 marks.
• Each paper has a duration of 3 hours.
• The total marks for the Mains examination are 600.

UPSC ESE Total Marks 2027

The UPSC ESE examination carries a total of 1300 marks across the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Personality Test. The Prelims carries 500 marks, the Mains carries 600 marks, and the Personality Test carries 200 marks.

UPSC ESE Marking Scheme 2027

The UPSC ESE Prelims follows a negative marking scheme for incorrect answers. One-third of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each incorrect answer in the objective papers. No marks are deducted for questions that are left unanswered.

The Mains examination is conventional/descriptive in nature and consists of two engineering discipline papers carrying 300 marks each.

UPSC ESE Personality Test 2027

Candidates who qualify for the Preliminary and Main examinations are considered for the Personality Test as per the conditions prescribed by the Commission. The Personality Test carries 200 marks and forms part of the final selection process.

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