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UPSC ESE Success Ratio Data Insights And Preparation Strategy

The success ratio for UPSC Engineering Services Exam (ESE) remains extremely low, consistently below 1% in recent years, reflecting its fierce competition among lakhs of aspirants for limited vacancies.
authorImageNazish Fatima7 Nov, 2025
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UPSC ESE Success Ratio Data

UPSC ESE Success Ratio: The UPSC ESE (Engineering Services Examination) Success Ratio is understood to be the proportion of candidates who pass the exam among those who take the exam. It is a very competitive test, and engineering graduates every year vie against each other in the lakhs against a few hundred opportunities. 

Traditionally, the success rate has been less than 1 in many cases, and it was 0.3 to 0.5. This is in the sense that fewer than 1 in 200 candidates make it each year. This ratio is low because there are few vacancies and a high multi-stage selection process, which includes prelims, mains and personality tests. Strategic planning, excellent preparation, and hard work are important.

This is one of the most competitive examinations in India, of which lakhs of engineering graduates dream of getting government engineering jobs in a year. Nevertheless, the test pass rate of this exam is very low, which proves how difficult this test is for aspirants.

UPSC ESE Success Ratio Overview

UPSC ESE success ratio has been standing at less than one percent. As a case in point, 213 candidates were recommended out of the approximately 48,453 that took the exam in 2022, equating to a success rate of 0.44 percent. Equally, in 2021, it had a success rate of 0.42% and 22,222 shortlisted candidates were recommended among more than 52,500 applicants.

 
UPSC ESE Success Ratio Overview
Exam Name UPSC ESE 2026
Conducting Body Union Public Service Commission
Posts Offered IES Officers (Grade A) & Managerial Posts
Advt. No. 02/2026
Vacancies 474
Disciplines Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering
Exam Mode Offline
Exam Frequency Once a year
Notification Release Date

26th September 2025

Online Registration Dates 26th September 2025 TO October 16, 2025
Stages
  1. Preliminary Exam (Objective)
  2. Mains Exam (Descriptive)
  3. Personality Test/Interview
Qualification B.E./B.Tech (related disciplines)
Age Limit 21-30 years
Application Fees Rs. 200/- (for UR/OBC/EWS)
Pay Scale Level 10 in the Pay Matrix of 7th CPC
Official Website upsc.gov.in

Check: Can an Average Student Crack IES Exam​?

UPSC ESE Cracking Rate

The success rate of cracking is the percentage of candidates who pass the exam compared to the number of applicants. This is comparatively lower than 1 percent in the past, with fluctuation depending on the number of posts and candidates per year. The candidates pass through several phases, which include Prelims, Mains and Personality Test phase,s with many getting eliminated at every stage.

 Although technical knowledge, time management together with consistency are needed to crack the exam, the aspirants can increase their chances with focused preparation. 

UPSC ESE Success Ratio Data Insights

Some of the major findings of the recent data are:

  • A slow decrease in the number of candidates that come out after 2020, where there were 1.5 lakh candidates per year before 2018 and 48,000 in 2022.

  • The vacancies have not been very high or low and have been able to stay at an average of 200 to 600 posts annually, despite the number of candidates changing.

  •  Records of the highest success ratio was approximately 0.75% in 2016 yet it has been stagnating within the 0.3-0.4% range.

  • Conclusion: These trends indicate that the exam is very competitive as far as selection is based on performance and empty posts.

Check: How to Prepare for ESE Along with College?

Why is the UPSC ESE Success Ratio So Low

The poor success rate in UPSC ESE is due to many reasons:

  • Extremely Competitive Character: Over one thousand graduates of the engineering field are competing against several hundred government jobs annually.

  • Multi-Stage Exam, Extensive Syllabus: The syllabus deals with the fundamental engineering subjects in great detail and the exam is in three stages (Prelims, Mains, Interview), in which they have to demonstrate knowledge in all things.

  • Strategy and Time: It is a long-term, regular preparation and time management to be successful.

  • Limited Vacancies: Despite the great candidates not all of them get successful because of the low number of vacancies that are offered against the number of people that apply.

  • High Cutoffs: The candidates have to score extremely high in each phase to proceed, and therefore, many are filtered at a very early stage. 

UPSC ESE Preparation Strategy

In order to increase the probability of passing the UPSC ESE, it is important that candidates use a successful preparation plan. The ability to remain motivated despite the lengthy period of preparation, consistency, and commitment are the key to success. 

  • Stress on the Syllabus: Start with your subjects of engineering pertaining to your stream and their weightage.

  • Review Past Question Paper: Practise past question papers regularly to know the patterns of the exam and the level of difficulty of the questions.

  • Quality Study Material: You should use the recommended standard textbooks and materials rather than use a number of reference books.

  • Time Management: Design a timetable of study with a balance between syllabus study, revision, and practice test.

  • Mock Tests and Test Series: To gain speed and accuracy in exam conditions, take regular mock tests to prepare.

  • Revision: To memorize key subjects and formulae, revise them regularly.

  • Preparation of Personality Test: Interview skills, communication, and knowledge of the subject matter are the main areas of focus during the last stage, because overall suitability is the evaluation area.

Excel your UPSC ESE 2026 preparation journey with PW’s UPSC ESE Online Coaching. The Physics Wallah offers well-structured study material, mock tests, e-books, and more to scale up the aspirant's preparation.

UPSC ESE Success Ratio Data FAQs

How successful is the UPSC ESE?

UPSC ESE has a low success rate of about 1 percent with an average of 0.3 to 0.5 percent, meaning that one applicant in 200 successfully passes the exam every year because it is very challenging and the number of vacancies is quite low.

What is the reason why the success rate of the UPSC ESE is so low?

This can be attributed to the fact that the success is low because of stiff competition, the lengthy syllabus, the multi-stage examination process, and the low number of vacancies offered in the engineering services post.

Q. How many vacancies will be released for UPSC ESE 2026?

Ans. There are a total of 474 UPSC ESE Vacancies 2026.

Q. How many stages are there in UPSC ESE?

Ans. The UPSC ESE exam will comprise Prelims, Mains, and Personality Test.

What is the number of candidates who appear in UPSC ESE every year?

It fluctuates, although in the past, there were more than 1 lakh engineers appearing annually. This was reduced in recent years down to approximately 48,000 candidates in 2022.
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