How is the UPSC IES/ESE 2026 Prelims Exam Score?

The Engineering Services (Preliminary) Examination will consist of two objective type (multiple choices) questions papers and carrying a maximum of 500 marks. Paper I: 200 Marks Paper II: 300 Marks. Each correct answer is awarded two marks. One-third marks deducted for each wrong answers. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Mains Examination. The Marks obtained in Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will be counted for determining their final order of merit.

What are the UPSC IES 2026 exam dates?

The UPSC released the calendar for the year 2026 on the official website. The UPSC IES prelims 2026 notification and application was released on September 26, 2025 and the last date to apply was October 16, 2025. The IES prelims exam will be conducted on February 8, 2026. On the other hand, UPSC IES 2026 Mains exam will be conducted on June 21, 2026.

What subjects are covered in UPSC ESE Prelims exam?

In the IES Prelims exam, subjects covered are General Studies and Engineering Aptitude and concerned Engineering Stream.

What type of questions are asked in UPSC ESE Prelims exam?

The UPSC IES exam pattern for prelims exam consists of two papers namely Paper 1 and Paper 2. Objective type questions are asked in the examination. It is conducted in offline mode (pen and paper based). In Paper 1, 100 questions are asked of maximum 200 marks and duration is two hours. In Paper 2, 150 questions are asked with 300 maximum marks and duration is three hours.

What type of questions are asked in IES Mains exam?

In the UPSC ESE/IES Mains exam, descriptive and subjective questions are asked. The exam consists of two papers from specific engineering stream. Maximum marks of each paper is 300 and the duration of each paper is three hours.

Is there a negative marking in the ESE exam?

Yes. In the UPSC IES prelims exam, there is a negative marking of 1/3 for each incorrect answer.

IES Syllabus 2026: Download Latest Syllabus PDF Soon

174 Students Q&A

Exam On - 8 Feb '26

Updated on Oct 28, 2025 23:51 IST

By Shikha Goyal, Assistant Manager

ESE/IES 2026 Syllabus: The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC ESE (IES) syllabus 2026 along with the official notification at upsc.gov.in. Candidates are advised to go through the IES syllabus 2026 for their preparation. The syllabus consists of the important topics, chapters asked in the examination so that candidates can strategise their preparation to achieve a good score. Along with the syllabus, candidates should also refer the ESE exam pattern to understand the scheme of the examination. The UPSC IES Prelims exam will be held on February 8, 2026. The candidates can download the UPSC ESE (IES) 2026 syllabus PDF here. The ESE syllabus and IES exam pattern go hand-in-hand for the preparation of the exam.

The Commission amended the notification by including the Indian Railway Management Service (Technical Wing). Scroll down for more details about the UPSC IES 2026 syllabus.

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