UPSC ESE Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 OUT: Check IES Both Shifts 1 & 2 Difficulty Level, Student Reaction, Answers & More

UPSC ESE Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 OUT: Check IES Both Shifts 1 & 2 Difficulty Level, Student Reaction, Answers & More

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Shikha
Shikha Goyal
Assistant Manager
Updated on Jun 9, 2025 15:17 IST

The UPSC ESE 2025 Prelims exam was held on June 8, 2025. Read on for IES 2025 prelims exam analysis based on student reactions, including the difficulty level, good attempts, topics asked, expected cutoff, questions and answers.

UPSC IES/ESE 2025 Prelims Analysis

UPSC IES/ESE 2025 Prelims Analysis

UPSC ESE 2025 Prelims Analysis: The commission conducted the prelims exam of IES 2025 on June 8, 2025 in two shifts. This year, a total of 457 vacancies were announced across disciplines such as Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. How was paper 1? What type of questions were asked? What was the difficulty level of the exam, etc.? Candidates can check answers of these questions as mentioned below. IES 2025 Paper 1 analysis based on student feedback is provided here, including the difficulty level, topics asked, good attempts, expected cut off, questions and answers.

Table of content
  • UPSC ESE 2025 Exam Analysis GS Paper 1 Questions & Answers
  • UPSC ESE 2025 Exam Analysis Shift 2 OUT (topics asked)
  • UPSC ESE 2025 Exam Analysis Shift 1 OUT (topics asked)
  • UPSC ESE/IES Prelims Exam Analysis Video (Shift 1)
  • UPSC IES Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 Overview
  • UPSC ESE/IES 2025 Result
  • UPSC IES 2025 Cut off
View More

UPSC ESE 2025 Exam Analysis GS Paper 1 Questions & Answers

Ethics Questions

Q:   Why is UPSC IES 2026 exam analysis important?
A:

The UPSC IES/ESE analysis plays a crucial role in the preparation journey. With the help of analysis, candidates come to know the difficulty level of the questions asked in the exam, question patterns, and exam trends for the future. It also helps students to identify their strengths and weaknesses, prioritize study time, and more.

Q:   What are the shift timings of the UPSC IES 2025 Prelims Exam?
A:

The UPSC IES (ESE) 2025 Prelims Exam will be conducted on June 8, 2025, in two shifts. The forenoon shift is from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM for Paper 1 (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude paper); on the other hand, Shift 2 will be from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM for Paper 2 (discipline-specific paper).

Q:   Is Computer Science B.Tech degree eligible for IES?
A:
Yes, the candidate having a degree in Computer Science can apply for the Engineering Service Exam but they need to choose the engineering branch (from the four options) for appearing in the exam and prepare the syllabus provided in the IES notification.
Q:   What are the UPSC IES 2026 exam dates?
A:

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. 

Q:   How many vacancies are notified in the UPSC ESE (IES) 2026 notification?
A:

The Union Public Service Commission notified approximately 474 vacancies in the ESE (IES) 2026 exam. The Commission will conduct the IES 2026 prelims exam on Feb 8, 2026. The Commission issued the IES 2026 notification on September 26, 2025 and the last date to apply online for the UPSC ESE (IES) 2026 is October 16, 2025.

The Commission will also provide the opportunity to change the IES 2026 application details once in the within a week after the closing of UPSC IES 2026 applications.

Q. What is teleological approach?

Ans. We can know what is good only when we fully understood the context.

Ans. C

Ans. A

Ans. C

Ans. B

Ans. D

Ans. A

Ans. C

Ans. C

Maths Questions

Ans. C

Ans. A

Ans. B

Ans.A

Ans. D

Ans. A

Ans. D

Ans. A

Ans. C

Ans. A

UPSC ESE 2025 Exam Analysis Shift 2 OUT (topics asked)

  • IES 2025 Paper 2 as compared to previous year it was moderate.
  • Mostly questions were theoretical, numerical questions were also included but most of the questions were solvable

UPSC ESE 2025 Exam Analysis Shift 1 OUT (topics asked)

As per the student reactions, the overall difficulty level is Moderate.

  • Maths was scoring
  • Ethics section was challenging
  • Biology questions was of class 12 level and easy
  • Most of the questions asked were conceptual based
  • Maths was easy and scoring
  • Questions asked from safety
  • Question asked from parallel projection
  • Biodiversity question
  • Polymer question
  • Dislocation theory
  • Alloys
  • Metal Properties
  • In current affairs, questions asked from yojana, government policies, etc.
  • Difficulty level of GS was challenging
UPSC IES 2025 Prelims Exam Analysis Paper 1

Based on the students feedback, candidates can check below the difficulty level of each subject:

Subjects Questions Asked & Difficulty Level
Current issues of national and international importance 7 Questions
Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis 9 Questions (Easy + Moderate)
Engineering Aptitude 12 Questions (Easy)
General Principles of Design, Drawing, Importance of Safety
10
Standards and Quality Practices
9 Questions (Easy + Moderate)
Basics of Energy and Environment 12 Questions 
Basics of Project Management 12 Questions (Moderate)
Basics of Material Science and Engineering
9 Questions 
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) 10 Questions
Ethics and values in the Engineering profession 10 Questions

UPSC ESE/IES Prelims Exam Analysis Video (Shift 1)

Candidates can check below the IES 2025 Prelims Exam student reactions, topics asked in the exam, ecpected cutoff and more.

UPSC IES Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 Overview

The ESE 2025 examination is conducted in three stages:
  • Preliminary Examination
  • Mains Examination
  • Personality Test (Interview)

UPSC IES/ESE Prelims exam consists of 2 papers. The Paper 1 is the General Studies & Engineering Aptitude (duration 2 hours). The Paper 2 is the Discipline-specific paper (duration 3 hours). The total marks for both the papers are 500 marks.

Exam Name
UPSC Engineering Services Examination (ESE/IES)
Conducted Body
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Selection Process
Prelims, Mains, Personality Test
Prelims Paper 1
General Studies & Engineering Aptitude
Prelims Paper 2
Discipline-Specific Paper
Total Marks (Prelims)
500 (200 + 300)
Candidates who qualify IES 2025 preliminary examination will be allowed to appear for the main examination. 

UPSC IES (ESE) 2025 Prelims Exam: Negative Marking 

There is a provision of negative marking in the USPC ESE (IES) prelims exam as per the following.

Marks assigned for correct answer Marks to be deducted for incorrect answer
2 Marks 0.66

UPSC ESE/IES 2025 Result

Candidates will be able to check the UPSC IES 2025 result by visiting the official website upsc.gov.in in the form of PDF. The result will contain the  roll numbers and the names of shortlisted candidates. The UPSC IES 2025 result will be released by the commission for the prelims and mains separately. The final result will be announced after the completion of all the rounds of the UPSC ESE 2025 recruitment.

UPSC IES 2025 Cut off

The commission will release the UPSC IES cutoff 2025 off separately for each subject. The cutoff off is the minimum qualifying marks provided by the UPSC to pass the IES exam. Those candidates who will not be able to secure the cut off marks will not be allowed to appear in the other stages of the recruitment process. The IES/ESE cut off marks will vary as per the different categories. Candidates can predict the expected cutoff with the help of the UPSC IES 2025 analysis.

 Read More: UPSC IES/ESE 2025 Answer Key

About the Author
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Shikha Goyal
Assistant Manager
Shikha Goyal is an author with expertise in various domains, especially engineering. She has postgraduate degrees in Mathematics as well as Mass Communication and Journalism. She has devoted her life to helping stud Read Full Bio
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