The UPSC Engineering Services Examination (ESE), also known as the Indian Engineering Services (IES) exam, is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to recruit engineers for key technical and managerial positions in various departments and ministries of the Government of India.

The purpose of this exam is to select highly qualified engineers who will design, manage, and maintain the nation’s large-scale public infrastructure and technical systems across diverse sectors such as railways, power, defence, roads, and telecommunications.

Preliminary examination schedule

The UPSC Engineering Services Preliminary Examination 2026 is scheduled for February 8, 2026. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has also released the detailed exam schedule for this government exam. As per the official schedule, the exam will be held on February 8, 2026.

A two-hour objective exam for 200 marks will be conducted from 9:30 to 11:30 am.

This will be for General Studies and Engineering Aptitude (Paper-I).

After that, the exam for Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering (Discipline-Specific Paper) (Paper-II) will be held between 2 pm and 5 pm on the same day.

This will be three-hour-long objective type exam, for a total of 300 marks.

Date: 8th February, 2026 (Sunday)

Morning Session:

- Time: 09:30 AM – 11:30 AM

- Subject: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude (Paper-I)

- Type & Duration: Objective (2 hours)

- Marks: 200

Afternoon Session:

- Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

- Subject: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering (Discipline-Specific Paper) (Paper-II)

- Type & Duration: Objective (3 hours)

- Marks: 300

Subsequent stages and notification

Notification for this was earlier released on September 26, 2025. After the Prelims exam, the Main exam will be conducted on June 21, 2026.

A total of 474 vacancies have been advertised for this post.

The selection process includes three stages: Preliminary, Mains, and Personality Test.

The Preliminary exam consists of two objective papers: Paper I (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude) and Paper II (Engineering Discipline-specific).

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, candidates must have a BE/ BTech degree from a recognised university and be between 21 and 30 years old as of January 1, 2026 (with relaxation available).

Branch-wise subject details

Paper-I (Common to All Branches):

- Subject: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude

- Type: Objective

- Code: 01

Paper-II (Discipline-Specific):

- Civil Engineering: Objective, Code 11

- Mechanical Engineering: Objective, Code 21

- Electrical Engineering: Objective, Code 31

- Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering: Objective, Code 41