FREE GUIDEESE 2027 notice · Updated 11 Oct 2026 · Applications closed 6 Oct 2026

UPSC ESE 2027: Eligibility by Department and How Selection Works

The four engineering categories in UPSC's ESE 2027 notice, which departments each one takes, and how the three stages work.

Applications for ESE 2027 closed on 6 October 2026. The Preliminary is on 31 January 2027 and the Main on 18 June 2027. The notice asks for a degree in Engineering, in one of four categories, and marks from all three stages decide the ranking.

Updated 11 October 2026

ESE 2027: eligibility by department

ESE 2027: eligibility by department
Department	Eligible under this notice?
ECE	Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering is Category IV, with posts such as Indian Radio Regulatory Service Gr 'A' and Indian Telecommunications Service Gr 'A'. UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university. For Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics Engg. Posts) it also lists an M.Sc. with Wireless Communication Electronics, Radio Physics or Radio Engineering as a special subject.
EE	Electrical Engineering is Category III, with posts such as Central Power Engineering Service Gr 'A' (Electrical Engineering Posts). UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university. The notice allows one category per candidate.
AEIE	UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice names four categories: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. It has no category named Applied Electronics & Instrumentation. It asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university and allows one category per candidate.
CSE/IT	UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice names four categories: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. It has no category named Computer Science or IT. It asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university and allows one category per candidate.
DS & AI	UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice names four categories: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. It has no category named Data Science or AI. It asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university and allows one category per candidate.
BT	UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice names four categories: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. It has no category named Biotechnology. It asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university and allows one category per candidate.
CE	Civil Engineering is Category I, with posts such as Central Engineering Service and Survey of India Group 'A' Service. UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university. The notice allows one category per candidate.

Source: UPSC, Engineering Services Examination 2027: Examination Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG (16.09.2026).

ESE 2027: how selection works

ESE 2027: how selection works
Topic	Details
How selection works	There are three stages: a Preliminary objective test, a Main conventional test and a Personality Test/Interview. Marks from all three decide the final ranking. About 480 vacancies are expected, including 19 for PwBD.
The written test	The Preliminary has two objective papers, 200 and 300 marks, with four options per question. A wrong answer loses one-third of the question's marks. The Main has two conventional papers of 3 hours and 300 marks each, and the Interview carries 200 marks.
Minimum marks	The Commission may fix minimum qualifying marks in any or all papers. The Interview has no minimum qualifying marks.
Age limit	You must be at least 21 and under 30 on 1 January 2027. The upper limit is relaxed by up to five years for SC/ST, three years for OBC, five years for ex-servicemen and 10 years for PwBD.
Dates in this notice	Applications ran from 16 Sep 2026 to 6 Oct 2026, 6:00 P.M. The Preliminary is on 31 Jan 2027 and the Main on 18 Jun 2027.
Syllabus	The Preliminary General Studies and Engineering Aptitude paper is set at the level expected of an Engineering/Science graduate. Other papers are at about the level of an Engineering degree exam of an Indian University. UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice lists syllabi for Electrical Engineering and for Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, and there is no practical exam.
Past papers	For each of 2024, 2025 and 2026, UPSC's previous papers page lists the Engineering Services (Preliminary) Paper I, General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, and the Engineering Services (Main) Civil Engineering Paper I. The same page lists Paper II in Electrical Engineering and in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. UPSC, Previous Year Question Papers: Engineering Services

Source: UPSC, Engineering Services Examination 2027: Examination Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG (16.09.2026); UPSC, Previous Year Question Papers: Engineering Services.

The ESE syllabus, and where to study it

Sections of the ESE 2027 syllabus and the study subjects whose topic notes teach their lines.

General Studies and Engineering Aptitude: 2 sections

Preliminary Paper I, common to every discipline

General Studies and Engineering Aptitude: ESE 2027 syllabus sections and where to study them
Section	Study here
Engineering Aptitude	General Aptitude (1 line)
Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis	Engineering Mathematics (1 line)

Electrical Engineering: 12 sections

Preliminary Paper II covers Papers I and II together; the Main examination sets them as two papers

Electrical Engineering: ESE 2027 syllabus sections and where to study them
Section	Study here
Paper I · 1. Engineering Mathematics	Engineering Mathematics (18 lines) Probability and Statistics (3 lines) Signals and Systems (2 lines)
Paper I · 2. Electrical Materials	Electromagnetics (5 lines) Electronic Devices (3 lines) Electrical Machines (1 line)
Paper I · 3. Electric Circuits and Fields	Networks (Electric Circuits) (14 lines) Electromagnetics (7 lines) Engineering Mathematics (1 line)
Paper I · 4. Electrical and Electronic Measurements	Electrical and Electronic Measurements (13 lines) Digital Electronics (1 line)
Paper I · 5. Computer Fundamentals	Digital Electronics (6 lines) Computer Organization and Architecture (4 lines) Programming in C (2 lines)
Paper I · 6. Basic Electronics Engineering	Analog Electronics (6 lines) Electronic Devices (2 lines)
Paper II · 1. Analog and Digital Electronics	Analog Electronics (7 lines) Digital Electronics (7 lines) Signals and Systems (1 line)
Paper II · 2. Systems and Signal Processing	Signals and Systems (13 lines)
Paper II · 3. Control Systems	Control Systems (17 lines) Signals and Systems (1 line)
Paper II · 4. Electrical Machines	Electrical Machines (6 lines) Control Systems (1 line)
Paper II · 5. Power Systems	Electrical Machines (1 line) Electronic Devices (1 line) Networks (Electric Circuits) (1 line)
Paper II · 6. Power Electronics and Drives	Analog Electronics (1 line) Electrical Machines (1 line)

Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering: 12 sections

Preliminary Paper II covers Papers I and II together; the Main examination sets them as two papers

Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering: ESE 2027 syllabus sections and where to study them
Section	Study here
Paper I · 1. Basic Electronics Engineering	Analog Electronics (6 lines) Electronic Devices (5 lines) Digital Electronics (1 line)
Paper I · 2. Basic Electrical Engineering	Networks (Electric Circuits) (4 lines) Electrical Machines (3 lines) Electromagnetics (3 lines)
Paper I · 3. Materials Science	Electromagnetics (4 lines) Electronic Devices (1 line)
Paper I · 4. Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation	Electrical and Electronic Measurements (10 lines) Digital Electronics (1 line)
Paper I · 5. Network Theory	Networks (Electric Circuits) (6 lines) Signals and Systems (2 lines) Control Systems (1 line)
Paper I · 6. Analog and Digital Circuits	Analog Electronics (9 lines) Digital Electronics (8 lines)
Paper II · 1. Analog and Digital Communication Systems	Analog Electronics (1 line) Digital Electronics (1 line) Electromagnetics (1 line) Probability and Statistics (1 line) Signals and Systems (1 line)
Paper II · 2. Control Systems	Control Systems (13 lines) Signals and Systems (4 lines)
Paper II · 3. Computer Organization and Architecture	Computer Organization and Architecture (5 lines) Programming in C (2 lines) Database Management and Warehousing (1 line) Digital Electronics (1 line)
Paper II · 4. Electro Magnetics	Electromagnetics (6 lines) Engineering Mathematics (2 lines)
Paper II · 5. Advanced Electronics Topics	Computer Organization and Architecture (5 lines) Digital Electronics (5 lines) Signals and Systems (2 lines) Control Systems (1 line)
Paper II · 6. Advanced Communication Topics	Electromagnetics (2 lines)

We matched the ESE syllabus to these topics ourselves; UPSC does not.

Source: UPSC Examination Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG, 16 September 2026, pp. 42, 46–50

Sources

Sources
Source	Link
UPSC, Engineering Services Examination 2027: Examination Notice No. 02/2027-ENGG (16.09.2026)	upsc.gov.in (PDF)
UPSC, Previous Year Question Papers: Engineering Services	upsc.gov.in

Source: Accessed 11 October 2026.

About this resource

This page covers UPSC's Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice and UPSC's previous papers page.

Frequently asked questions

Under the ESE 2027 notice, is an AEIE or CSE degree eligible?+

The ESE 2027 notice asks for a degree in Engineering from a recognised university. Its four categories are Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. It has no category named Applied Electronics & Instrumentation or Computer Science, and it allows one category per candidate.

How is the ESE 2027 final ranking decided?+

By marks from all three stages: the Preliminary objective test, the Main conventional test and the Personality Test/Interview. The Interview carries 200 marks and has no minimum qualifying marks.

What is the age limit for ESE 2027?+

At least 21 and under 30 on 1 January 2027. The upper limit is relaxed by up to five years for SC/ST, three years for OBC, five years for ex-servicemen and 10 years for PwBD.

Where are past ESE papers?+

For each of 2024, 2025 and 2026, UPSC's previous papers page lists the Engineering Services (Preliminary) Paper I and the Engineering Services (Main) Civil Engineering Paper I. The same page lists Paper II in Electrical Engineering and in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. The link is in the selection table above.

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