UPSC IES Pattern

The commission will conduct the UPSC Preliminary Exam 2025 on June 8, 2025. The prelim exam consists of two papers, namely Paper 1 (General Studies and Engineering Aptitude) and Paper 2 (Engineering Discipline Specific). 

Yes, there is negative marking in the UPSC IES/ESE 2025 Prelims exam. For each wrong answer, one-third marks will be deducted in the Prelims exam. In the Mains exam, there is no negative marking. 

Topics of high weightage in UPSC IES 2025 Prelims Paper 1 are mentioned below:

• Current Affairs
• Engineering Aptitude
• Engineering Mathematics Numerical Analysis
• Ethics Value
• Design, Drawing Importance of Safety

The UPSC IES/ESE exam is conducted in three stages:
Stage-1: Engineering Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type Papers) for the selection of candidates for the Stage2.

• Paper I: General Studies & Engineering Aptitude (200 marks)

• Paper II: Discipline-specific (Civil/Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics – 300 marks)

Stage-2: Engineering Services (Mains) Examination (Conventional Type Papers) 

Two conventional papers based on the candidate's engineering discipline (300 marks each)

Stage-3: Personality Test (200 Marks)

There are 167 vacancies for the IES 2024 examination, according to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Numerous engineering specialities, such as civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics, and telecommunications engineering, are represented among these positions. The exam for these positions is set for February 18, 2024, and the notification was made public on September 6, 2023.

The Union Public Service Commission conduct the Engineering Service Exam (ESE) every year to recruit candidates for different positions. This exam is popularly called as the IES exam among the candidates because of the name of service, the candidates are assigned to. 

The Commission conduct the IES exam every year in the following four engineering streams:

• Civil Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering

Yes, there is negative marking in the IES prelims exam. The Union Public Service Commission mention the quantum of negative marking in the official notification. The Commission also mentions the total mark of the question paper and the structure of the exam such as how many questions will be asked in the paper.

The Commission also mention the negative marketing as the following:

The penalty for the incorrect answer is one-third of the total marks assigned to the correct answer. The Commission assigns 2 marks for the correct answer. Hence, 0.66 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.