The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Indian Engineering Service (IES) exam to recruit engineers for various departments under the government of India. The IES exam is considered to be one of the most competitive exams in India. In order to sit for this, candidates have to fulfill the exam criteria, such as the age limit for ESE, educational qualifications, and some other important criteria.
A Comprehensive Guide: UPSC IES Examination 1
Exam Pattern of UPSC ESE Examination 4
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 5
Basic Eligibility Criteria
Age Criteria
The age limit for ESE exam varies on a category basis. Below given is the age criteria for the different categories:
General Category: The candidate must have reached the age of 21 years and must not have completed the age of 30 years on the 1st of January of the year in which the examination is held.
OBC Category: The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 33 years on the 1st of January of the year in which the examination is held.
SC/ST Category: The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 35 years on the 1st of January of the year in which the examination is held.
Ex-Servicemen: The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 35 years on the 1st January of the year in which the examination is held.
PH Category: The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 40 years on the 1st of January of the year in which the examination is held.
The age limit for the UPSC IES exam is calculated as of 1st January of the year in which the examination is held. Candidates should note that the age limit varies based on their category, and they should check the official notification for the latest age limit criteria.
Physical Standards
Aside from age criteria while applying for the UPSC IES exam, candidates also need to fulfill certain conditions in terms of physical standards. The candidate must be physically sound as per the physical standards mentioned in the official notifications of the Rules of the Engineering Service Examination which is published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary.
Height
The minimum height required for male candidates is 157 cm, while 152 cm is required to be the minimum height for female candidates.
Vision Standards
The visual standards for the IES exam are as follows:
- The candidate should not have color blindness.
- The candidate should have binocular vision.
- The candidate should not have night blindness.
- The candidate should comprise normal vision in each eye
Nationality Criteria
Along with the UPSC age limit for ESE, candidates also need to fulfill the nationality criteria. In order to sit for this examination, a candidate must be either
- A citizen of India, or
- A subject of Nepal, or
- A subject of Bhutan, or
- A Tibetan refugee who arrived in India before 1st January 1962, with the intention of permanently settling up in India
Moreover, Indian-origin candidates who have migrated from countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Burma, East African countries of Kenya,, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zaire, Malawi, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, with an intent to permanently settle in India, can also sit for the UPSC ESE exam, provided that they should have the eligibility certificate possessed by Government of India.
Exam Pattern of UPSC ESE Examination
The UPSC Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is conducted in three stages:
Preliminary Stage
In the preliminary stage, there are two papers of objective type with a total of 500 marks conducted. The duration of each paper is two hours. Paper-I consists of questions from General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, while Paper II consists the questions which focus on engineering discipline-specific questions.
Main Stage
Candidates who qualify for the preliminary exam are eligible to appear for the main examination. The main exam consists of two conventional-type papers in the respective engineering discipline, each carrying 300 marks. The duration of each paper is three hours.
Interview Stage
Those candidates who qualify for the main stage are called for an interview. In this stage, a personality test is conducted for 200 marks to check the knowledge of candidates in their specified subjects. Moreover, confidence, problem-solving skills, etc., are also checked.
Final Thoughts
The UPSC IES exam is a highly competitive exam. In order to sit for this examination, candidates need to fulfill the basic eligibility criteria. In this blog, we provided the important eligibility criteria, such as the max age limit for IES, nationality, educational qualifications, and the pattern of exams.
Aside from this, you also need to be updated with the exam criteria as they may change from year to year. You can check all the important details of the UPSC IES exam on their official website.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is the age limit for the UPSC IES exam?
Ans. The minimum age limit for the UPSC IES exam is 21 years, and the maximum age limit is 30 years. However, the age limit criteria vary according to the candidates belonging to certain categories such as SC/ST, OBC, etc.
Q2. Can Candidates of Any Stream Apply for UPSC ESE Exam?
Ans. No, the candidate of any stream is not allowed to sit in the exam of IES. Only the candidates who have graduated in the streams of mechanical, civil, electrical, and telecommunications are eligible to apply for the UPSC ESE exam as long as they fulfill the criteria of eligibility.
Q3. What are the Subjects in the UPSC IES exam?
Ans. Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering are the subjects included in the UPSC IES exam.
Leave a comment