When is the right time to start preparing for the ESE?

Most of the candidates who prepare for the Indian Engineering Services, now known as the Engineering Services Examination (ESE) struggle hard during their preparation phase and continuously wonder about the perfect time to start preparing for the ESE. The students think that they should start preparing after completing their graduation. On the other hand, the graduates feel that they should have started preparing back in college, and now it is too late to start. Well, today we plan to break all the myths and help you understand the best time to start with your ESE preparation.

Engineering Services Examination (Indian Engineering Services)

The prestigious and renowned Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the ESE every year to recruit eligible engineers for the respective vacancies. Lakhs of aspirants appear for the UPSC ESE and only some aspirants make it to the final list. The ESE format is given below. The three stages in the ESE recruitment exam include the following:

Stage 1: This is the ESE Preliminary exam. The prelims consist of two objective papers. The total marks for Stage-I is 500 marks. Paper-I and paper-II will comprise 200 marks and 300 marks, respectively. Candidates have to clear the overall cut-off with the cut-offs of both UPSC ESE papers separately to qualify for this competitive exam.

Stage 2: This is the ESE Mains Exam. The candidates who secure the cut-off mark and pass the prelims exam are eligible to appear in this stage. It has two descriptive papers of 300 marks each.

Stage 3: The Personality Test is the final stage of the ESE 2025 exam, which is of 200 marks.

Note: An interesting aspect of the ESE for the 2025 session is that the officials will select six to seven times candidates for the Mains examination as compared to the approximate number of vacancies that must be filled in the respective year. Therefore, you need to create and follow a strong ESE preparation strategy to secure a decent rank in the UPSC ESE.

Best time to start preparing for the ESE 2025

Several factors determine the best time to start your ESE preparation with the best ESE preparation strategy. Some of those factors include:

1. Age Limit:

The lower age limit for the UPSC ESE is 21 years and the upper age limit is 30 years (calculated with reference to 1^st January 2025). Therefore, one can appear for the examination anywhere between 21 to 30 years as per the guidelines that UPSC has set for the respective UPSC ESE. The concerned UPSC authorities have offered certain reservations to the applicants in different categories. These reservations are available for the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), other backward classes, and individuals that fall into the benchmark disability category.

Here is the detailed age limit for the interested candidates planning to opt for the ESE preparation. The candidate belonging to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes receive a maximum age limit relaxation of 5 years and 3 years, respectively. Apart from this, Defence Services personnel who have been disabled in the operations during the hostilities in any disturbed area or a foreign country, and released later receive age relaxation of up to 5 years.

Ex-servicemen such as Commissioned Officers, Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECO), or Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have served at least 5 years of military service receive up to a maximum of five years in the UPSC ESE for the 2025 session. Another crucial age relaxation available is a maximum of 10 years. It is applicable for individuals with the benchmark disability, i.e., low vision, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy, mental illness, and specific learning disability.

Now that we know the age limit associated with the UPSC ESE, you can decide on when you want to start the ESE preparation.

2. Syllabus

In the Prelims stage, the examiners test the candidates’ General Knowledge and Engineering Aptitude, while in the ESE Mains examination, one is tested purely based on technical knowledge.

The technical syllabus for both the prelims and the mains is similar to the academic years’ syllabus. Therefore, starting the preparation in college will help you in getting hold of the ESE syllabus. However, there are subjects in graduation, which are not part of the ESE syllabus. Therefore, one cannot solely concentrate on the examination not worrying about the graduation degree.

You can go through the syllabus before starting with the preparation phase.

To ensure that you have a clear idea about the important topics associated with the UPSC ESE 2025 exam syllabus, we have created an in-depth syllabus analysis for the 4 engineering streams.

• ESE 2025 Exam Mechanical Syllabus: A Detailed Syllabus
• ESE 2025 Civil Engineering Syllabus, Books, and FAQs
• ESE 2025 Electrical Engineering: Syllabus, Books, and FAQs
• ESE 2025 Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering: Syllabus, Books, and FAQs

3. Guidance and Help

Being one of the toughest examinations in the country, the candidates need to make sure that they do not go off track during the ESE preparation and stay on track throughout the exam preparation journey. For this to happen, one needs proper guidance consistently and help from teachers and experienced professionals who will suggest the right books and coaching that can be of great help in the preparation phase.

ESE aspirants can start their ESE preparation with the best ESE preparation strategy as per different timelines. The choice of a particular timeline depends on the daily routine of the students, personal commitments with other aspects associated with their college or professional life. We have mentioned some of them below along with tips about how one can make the best use of that time.

Timeline for ESE preparation

1. During graduation:

The engineering graduation takes 4 years to complete, if you are sure right from the start that you want to prepare for the Indian Engineering Services, then you can start your preparation right from the first year of your graduation. Though you may not be able to appear for the examination until your final year, you can polish yourself, and get a hold of the syllabus and the pattern of the ESE in your graduation years and go fully prepared to clear the examination in the final year.

Graduation also gives immense time to prepare for the non-technical part of the ESE. During graduation, you do not have to rush through the entire syllabus, thanks to ample time present during the academic years. Make it a point to learn all the concepts at college and supplement them with the ESE Test papers, previous years’ questions, and study material, if necessary.

Tips to make the most of your graduation time, if you are preparing for the ESE include the following:

Create a base: During the first year of your college, start working towards creating a base for the examination by getting yourself familiar with the syllabus and other necessary details. Apart from this, start reading the non-technical part of the examination with books for ESE preparation, so that you can get perfect at it by the time you graduate. Also, make sure that you start practicing the previous years’ questions and make a timetable dedicated to the ESE preparation. Thus, the first year of graduation is an important part of your preparation. You can use the MADE EASY’s Postal Study Package for this purpose as the experts have designed it to give you the fundamental level of knowledge along with an ample amount of questions to practice.

Introduction to the technical aspect: In the second academic year, students are introduced to the core technical aspects of their engineering stream. In this way, they are acquainted with the topics associated with the main syllabus of the ESE. Therefore, once you enter the second year, you can start your ESE preparation in full swing by supplementing your college studies with study material for ESE in the form of expert-recommended books for ESE. It will lead to a strong pathway for your ESE preparation.

Time to get serious: After completing two academic years, the third year is a great time for the ESE preparation. The students finally get into the engineering groove and maximum important subjects are introduced. Along with this comes a little distraction with various events happening around the college. This time tests your sincerity and once you are past this phase, you are good to go and ready to sit for the ESE. You can even join classroom programs or Online Test Series such as MADE EASY Test Series to complement your preparation.

The Final Test: The four years of hard work pay in the final year when the students are finally ready to give the ESE. By the final year, students are ready with their college exam syllabus. Moreover, the final-year students have enough time for revision and practice. Therefore, the final year can be a turning stone in your life where you can prepare yourself and become an ESE officer right after graduation.

It indicates that the graduation period (college academic years) is a great time to start your preparation. You have enough time and you do not have to put in extra effort to study, as the subjects are already part of your syllabus. Therefore, if you are still pursuing graduation, you can begin today and aim for a bright future ahead.

2. Post Graduation

Some UPSC ESE aspirants start their preparation after they have completed their graduation. It is an advantage for such students that they already have a base set at college. They already know the subjects in the syllabus. All they need to do is strengthen their base for the final UPSC ESE, i.e., the Mains exam and they are good to go. Apart from this, such aspirants can also join a coaching institute online or opt for a classroom course.

These coaching institutes, with their experienced faculty, help you in understanding the important topics and implementing them during the Indian Engineering Services. Grasping technical subjects is usually a challenging task for most ESE aspirants. Therefore, it is important to take guidance from experienced faculties who have created winners over the years. In this way, you will make the journey simple and easy. You can also opt for the interview guidance programme to ace the final stage of the ESE selection process.

Some tips to remember if you are planning to prepare after graduation include the following:

Have a Plan: If you are solely preparing for the exam after your graduation, make a concrete plan of six months to one year and decide on how you want to go about the ESE preparation phase. As you have enough time, you can easily be distracted and mismanaged. Therefore, plan your time and make a practical and feasible plan as per your routine.

Avoid Distraction: You have kept your future at stake, so stay away from distractions like social media, unnecessary outings, and web series. These things will not only be a distraction but before you know they will start affecting your preparation adversely.

Learn and Discuss: During the preparation phase, some students stay alone, and some stay in groups. However, it is always good to have friends or a group with whom you can discuss the studied topics and increase your knowledge accordingly.

Practise and revise:  The students who prepare after graduation have a fair idea of the subjects included in the syllabus. Therefore, keep practicing the test series and the previous years’ papers. Apart from this, keep revising the topics that you learn and practice during your ESE preparation journey.

3. Job and Studies

Studying for the ESE with a job is also an option. Students must have a backup when they start preparing for the UPSC ESE. Talking about this, several professionals working in full-time jobs need to balance their jobs with studies. While they have less time when compared to aspirants currently in their college or pursuing post-graduation, they can make the most of it. If you are sailing in the same boat, you must get rid of the complaining habit of lack of availability of time to study properly with the right ESE preparation strategy. Instead, you must use your hard-earned money to join quality test series, weekend classes, and books for ESE preparation.

ESE aspirants starting their preparation with a job must refer to the following points:

Use your travel time: Instead of wasting your travel time talking or watching shows, utilize it to read something or watch online videos to acquire concepts and knowledge for the ESE. Due to lack of time, you will have to utilize small sections of time available that are in your hands.

Use the holidays: Ditch the habit of treating holidays (Sundays, festive holidays, and/or public holidays) as a day off or for going on outings. Instead, you must utilize these days to the fullest to cover the maximum syllabus of the ESE and practice in the decided manner.

Invest in books and courses: Working folks have the opportunity to invest in important books for ESE preparation to give an edge to the ESE preparation strategy. Do not buy a lot of stuff, but make sure that you buy the necessary study material. You can also join weekend classes, which will help you balance your studies with your work.

As a working ESE aspirant, you must remember that determination and persistence are everything. Whether you start preparation during graduation or later with a job, all you have to do is manage your time. Therefore, no matter when you begin your studies, make sure to remember the important aspects and you are good to go.

 

Some important points that are important, no matter when you start preparation are:

1. Know your syllabus
2. Manage your time well
3. Have a plan
4. Stay motivated through the preparation
5. Learn, revise and practice these are three spells, which everyone must follow.

Keep going, and before you know it, you will succeed in the ESE and be ready to receive the beneficial and mandatory training. We hope this blog post will help in clearing your misconception about the ‘perfect time’ to start with the UPSC ESE preparation. Now, you know that you have to make it perfect with your hard work and determination. If you have started your ESE preparation, make every minute count and if you are still waiting for the right moment, start today.

Now, let us dive into finding the answers to some necessary yet unaddressed questions.

FAQs:

1. When is UPSC ESE 2025 Prelims exam?

Ans. UPSC will conduct the Prelims (Stage-I) part of the ESE 2025 on 9^th February 2025.

2. What are the engineering streams or categories that have vacancies in the UPSC ESE ?

Ans. The engineering streams or categories that have vacancies w.r.t. UPSC ESE include civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and electronics and telecommunication engineering.

3. What are the best books that ESE aspirants must start?

Ans. Although several books are available for ESE aspirants, it is crucial to choose a few recommended books for ESE preparation and stick to them for the ESE preparation.

1. Engineering Mathematics for GATE and ESE 2025
2. Reasoning and Aptitude for GATE and ESE 2025
3. GS and Engineering Aptitude 3300+ MCQs

Find more useful resources for each eligible engineering stream here.

4. What is the best test series for the ESE Preparation?

Ans. With a lot of offline and online test series available in the market, ESE aspirants must choose the test series that suits their study and ESE preparation strategy-related requirements. MADE EASY test series for ESE ensures that students and professionals aspiring to score a top rank in the competitive exam can attempt routine test series and understand their performance and required improvements.

Hope you found this blog post useful!

All the best for the exam prep!

Stay tuned for more interesting information to succeed in the UPSC ESE and other competitive exams for engineers!

 

Dear Aspirants,

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