IES (ESE) Exam Pattern 2022: Check Prelims/Mains Paper Pattern, Marking Scheme

IES (ESE) Exam Pattern 2022: The Indian Engineering Services are being recruited by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) (Engineering Services Examination). It is one of India’s most difficult exams and a fantastic opportunity for candidates interested in pursuing a career in engineering. Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronics & Tele-communication Engineering are the four branches for which UPSC is recruiting this year.

Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Personality Test are the three stages of the selection process. Objective-type questions make up the Preliminary examination. Candidates who pass the UPSC IES preliminary exam will be shortlisted for the main exam, which will be descriptive. Continue reading to learn more about the UPSC IES exam pattern for both the preliminary and main examinations.

Overview of IES Exam Pattern 2022

The IES exam is given in offline mode. The IES Preliminary Exam consists of two objective papers, while the Mains Exam consists of two descriptive papers. Paper 1 is the same for all students in the Prelims, while Paper 2 is the candidate’s chosen engineering discipline from Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, and Telecommunication engineering. The Mains exam, on the other hand, is entirely based on the candidate’s chosen engineering discipline. The highlights of the IES Exam Pattern are shown in the table below:

Particulars	Details
Full Form of IES (ESE)	Indian Engineering Services are also known as Engineering Services Exam
Name of Organisation	UPSC (Union Public Service Exam)
Exam Level of IES	National level
Mode of Exam	Offline
Selection Process	Prelims Mains Interview
Number of Papers	Prelims – 2 Mains – 2
Total Marks	Prelims – 500 Marks Mains – 600 Marks Interview – 200 marks

Exam Pattern IES (ESE) 2022

The IES recruitment exam is divided into three stages.

• Stage 1 is also known as the IES Preliminary Examination. It consists of two 500 marks objective papers. To pass the exam, candidates must pass the overall cutoff as well as the cutoffs for both papers separately.
• Stage 2 is also known as the IES Mains Exam. This stage is only open to those who have passed the preliminary exams. It consists of two 300 markst descriptive papers.
• Stage 3 is the Personal Interview or Personality Test. It is of total 200 marks. The IES 2022 exam concludes with this stage.

To advance to the next stage, the candidate must score higher than the IES Cutoff in each exam. The IES Final Merit List will be determined by the candidates’ scores on the Preliminary exam, Mains exam, and Interview round.

Exam Pattern for IES Prelims (Stage 1)

• The IES Prelims exam will be held in offline mode, which means it will be a pen and paper test.
• The Prelims exam will consist of two papers. Multiple-choice questions will appear on both papers
• .For both papers, candidates are given OMR sheets on which they must colour in the correct answer.
• One-third mark is deducted for each incorrect answer.

IES Prelims Paper Names	Number of Questions	Exam Duration	Maximum Marks
Paper 1 (General Studies & Engineering Aptitude)	100	2 hours	200
Paper 2 (Engineering Discipline)	150	3 hours	300
Total	250 Questions	5 hours	600 marks

Exam Pattern for IES Mains (Stage 2)

The IES Mains Exam is a written examination that takes place offline.

• There will be two papers in IES Stage 2. Questions from the chosen Engineering discipline (Civil Engineering/ Mechanical Engineering/ Electrical/ Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering) will appear on both papers.
• There will be a total of eight questions, of which you must answer five.
• This exam will not have any negative marking.
• Candidates are only allowed to respond in English.
• If your handwriting is illegible, you may end up losing up to 5% of your grade.
• Exact, to-the-point answers with a minimum of words will receive credit.

IES Mains Paper Names	Number of Questions	Exam Duration	Maximum Marks
Paper 1 (Engineering Discipline)	5 out of 8 Optional Questions	3 hours	300
Paper 2 (Engineering Discipline)	5 out of 8 Optional Questions	3 hours	300
Total	10 Questions	6 hours	600 marks

Personal Interview of IES (Stage 3)

• Personality Test is another name for this stage.
• The IES recruitment exam has reached its conclusion.
• Only those who pass the written exams are invited to the interview round.
• The candidates are given a score out of 200.

The following skills of the candidates are assessed during the IES Interview round:

1. Initiative & Intellectual Curiosity
2. Other social traits and interesting current affairs
3. Mental caliber or Mental alertness
4. Leadership Qualities
5. Suitability of candidate for a career in the public service sector
6. Mental & Physical energy

Exam Guidelines for IES 2022

Applicants should remember the following important instructions when taking the IES 2022 exam:

• Candidates must answer questions according to the instructions on the question paper.
• Candidates must follow the instructions on the Question Paper and Answer Book provided in the exam hall.
• To darken the circles on the OMR sheet, candidates must use only a black ball pen.
• Mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, and other communication devices are not permitted inside the IES exam centre.
• Non-programmable calculators and other engineering drawing instruments are among the items permitted inside the exam room.
• There is negative marking in the IES 2022 exam, so candidates should keep this in mind when answering questions.

Unfair exam practises are strictly prohibited inside the examination hall and will result in the immediate cancellation of an applicant’s candidature and, as a result, that candidate will not be permitted to take the exam. Candidates are not permitted to leave the exam room before the time limit has expired.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques. Is the final merit list determined solely by the Mains exam and Interview round?

Ans. No, the IES Final Merit List is determined by candidates’ performance in all three stages of the examination: preliminary, mains, and interview.

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Ques. What engineering disciplines are available for the IES 2022 exam?

Ans. Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electronics, and Telecommunication Engineering are the engineering disciplines that applicants can choose from.

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Ques. Is there a word limit for candidates to follow when writing answers in the Mains exam?

Ans. No, there are no word limits; however, credit is given for short, precise answers that use fewer words, and no credit is given for superficial knowledge.

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Ques. Is it possible for a candidate to write the answers in Hindi?

Ans. No, the IES exam is entirely conducted in English; question papers will be set in English only in both the Prelims and Mains exams, and candidates must write their answers in English only in the Mains exam.