UPSC ESE 2025 Cut Off | Engineering Services Examination
We’ve often heard that before diving into the sea, one must first know its depth. The same holds for UPSC ESE 2026 aspirants. Before jumping into the vast ocean of preparation, it’s essential to understand the exam’s pattern, competition, and most importantly, the previous years’ cut-off trends. These cut-offs act as a guiding light, helping aspirants set realistic goals, evaluate their readiness, and plan their strategy more effectively. By analysing how the cut-off has changed over the years, candidates can get a clearer picture of what it actually takes to secure a place in the final list and stay motivated throughout their journey.
On 4th September 2025, UPSC announced the mains results of the Engineering Services Examination (ESE) – 2025. Although UPSC has yet to release the cut-off marks for ESE Prelims and Mains 2025. So, before diving into the numbers, let’s first understand the ESE exam pattern in simple terms.
ESE has three stages: prelims, mains, and interview. Each stage is a knockout stage. In ESE, a candidate has to score minimum qualifying marks in every subsequent stage from the Prelims stage in order to reach the final and third stage of the exam, i.e., the interview. Hence, qualifying Prelims is very important. After prelims, there is a sufficient gap of six months for the Main examination. Candidates scoring well in the Main are called for the Personality test. Then the final result is declared out of a total of 1300 marks. The marks secured by the last recommended candidate are the cut-off marks for the Engineering Services Exam. So, after knowing the pattern, it’s important to understand the cut-off trend. So, if you are someone who is aiming for ESE 2026, then this blog will be fruitful for you. Here we have shared the last 5years ESE cut-off.
Table of Contents
Cut-off marks of three stages of ESE-2024 for respective branches are as follows:
Civil Engineering
| S. No. | Cat. | Vac. | PwBD can. | PwBD can. | Non-PwBD | ESE(P)(Out of 500) | Written Exam (Out of 1100) | Final Stage (Out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | General | 50 | 02 | 48 | 27 | 174 | 510 | 691 |
| 2. | EWS | 10 | – | 10 | 10 | 167 | 478 | 641 |
| 3. | OBC | 31 | 01 | 30 | 30 | 172 | 480 | 667 |
| 4. | SC | 15 | 01 | 14 | 14 | 151 | 411 | 576 |
| 5. | ST | 07 | – | 07 | 07 | 160 | 437 | 626 |
Mechanical Engineering
| S. No. | Cat. | Vac. | PwBD can. | PwBD can. | Non-PwBD | ESE(P)(Out of 500) | Written Exam (Out of 1100) | Final Stage (Out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | General | 10 | – | 10 | 05 | 217 | 537 | 725 |
| 2. | EWS | 02 | – | 02 | 02 | 202 | 519 | 702 |
| 3. | OBC | 06 | – | 06 | 06 | 217 | 521 | 701 |
| 4. | SC | 03 | – | 03 | 03 | 184 | 450 | 658 |
| 5. | ST | 02 | – | 02 | 02 | 153 | 348 | 491 |
Electrical Engineering
| S. No. | Cat. | Vac. | PwBD can. | PwBD can. | Non-PwBD | ESE(P) (Out of 500) | Written Exam (Out of 1100) | Final Stage (Out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | General | 14 | 01 | 13 | 10 | 199 | 489 | 655 |
| 2. | EWS | 03 | – | 03 | 03 | 180 | 432 | 632 |
| 3. | OBC | 07 | 01 | 06 | 06 | 198 | 444 | 625 |
| 4. | SC | 02 | – | 02 | 02 | 178 | 415 | 601 |
| 5. | ST | 03 | – | 03 | 03 | 159 | 407 | 568 |
Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering
| S. No. | Cat. | Vac. | PwBD can. | PwBD can. | Non-PwBD | ESE(P)(Out of 500) | Written Exam (Out of 1100) | Final Stage (Out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | General | 39 | 03 | 35@ | 23 | 129 | 343 | 546 |
| 2. | EWS | 09 | – | 09 | 07$ | 082 | 280 | 461 |
| 3. | OBC | 16 | – | 16 | 15$ | 129 | 343 | 545 |
| 4. | SC | 14 | – | 14 | 14 | 076 | 225 | 426 |
| 5. | ST | 08 | – | 08 | 08 | 076 | 230 | 389 |
Cut-off marks of the three stages of ESE-2023 for respective branches are as follows:
Civil Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut-off marks (out of 500) | Main cut-off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of the last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 78 | 218 | 590 | 783 |
| 2 | EWS | 19 | 204 | 537 | 726 |
| 3 | OBC | 61 | 213 | 551 | 752 |
| 4 | SC | 38 | 167 | 464 | 659 |
| 5 | ST | 15 | 189 | 505 | 688 |
Mechanical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut-off marks (out of 500) | Main cut-off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of the last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 29 | 173 | 445 | 661 |
| 2 | EWS | 3 | 173 | 367 | 640 |
| 3 | OBC | 15 | 173 | 445 | 623 |
| 4 | SC | 7 | 153 | 362 | 555 |
| 5 | ST | 3 | 138 | 382 | 593 |
Electrical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut-off marks (out of 500) | Main cut-off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of the last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 40 | 173 | 458 | 666 |
| 2 | EWS | 4 | 173 | 447 | 653 |
| 3 | OBC | 21 | 173 | 458 | 633 |
| 4 | SC | 11 | 151 | 346 | 562 |
| 5 | ST | 4 | 168 | 435 | 586 |
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut-off marks (out of 500) | Main cut-off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of the last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 58 | 124 | 372 | 594 |
| 2 | EWS | 15 | 77 | 258 | 534 |
| 3 | OBC | 36 | 118 | 360 | 566 |
| 4 | SC | 21 | 77 | 241 | 463 |
| 5 | ST | 8 | 77 | 241 | 490 |
Cut-off marks of the three stages of ESE-2022 for respective branches are as follows:
ESE 2022
Civil Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut off marks (out of 500) | Main cut off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 54 | 233 | 551 | 756 |
| 2 | EWS | 9 | 233 | 534 | 711 |
| 3 | OBC | 34 | 233 | 525 | 729 |
| 4 | SC | 19 | 197 | 474 | 646 |
| 5 | ST | 11 | 198 | 476 | 698 |
Mechanical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut off marks (out of 500) | Main cut off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 20 | 236 | 581 | 745 |
| 2 | EWS | 1 | 236 | 571 | 735 |
| 3 | OBC | 10 | 232 | 524 | 716 |
| 4 | SC | 4 | 211 | 490 | 660 |
| 5 | ST | 4 | 170 | 440 | 592 |
Electrical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut off marks (out of 500) | Main cut off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 13 | 231 | 552 | 714 |
| 2 | EWS | 1 | 231 | 538 | 729 |
| 3 | OBC | 6 | 231 | 509 | 697 |
| 4 | SC | 4 | 194 | 452 | 650 |
| 5 | ST | 1 | 230 | 532 | 658 |
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cut off marks (out of 500) | Main cut off marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 26 | 184 | 479 | 651 |
| 2 | EWS | 5 | 184 | 459 | 631 |
| 3 | OBC | 16 | 184 | 434 | 610 |
| 4 | SC | 7 | 158 | 394 | 524 |
| 5 | ST | 1 | 169 | 397 | 520 |
Cut-off marks of the three stages of ESE-2021 for respective branches are as follows:
ESE 2021
Civil Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out of 500) | Main cutoff marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 41 | 249 | 617 | 804 |
| 2 | EWS | 7 | 246 | 581 | 772 |
| 3 | OBC | 18 | 243 | 582 | 762 |
| 4 | SC | 11 | 196 | 484 | 642 |
| 5 | ST | 8 | 213 | 519 | 667 |
Mechanical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out of 500) | Main cutoff marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 20 | 247 | 597 | 761 |
| 2 | EWS | 3 | 247 | 532 | 749 |
| 3 | OBC | 9 | 247 | 555 | 739 |
| 4 | SC | 6 | 213 | 477 | 688 |
| 5 | ST | 1 | 214 | 563 | 719 |
Electrical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out of 500) | Main cutoff marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 26 | 235 | 567 | 746 |
| 2 | EWS | 6 | 225 | 534 | 633 |
| 3 | OBC | 18 | 235 | 522 | 717 |
| 4 | SC | 6 | 199 | 484 | 651 |
| 5 | ST | 4 | 230 | 508 | 684 |
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out of 500) | Main cutoff marks (out of 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out of 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 19 | 208 | 449 | 617 |
| 2 | EWS | 5 | 200 | 428 | 579 |
| 3 | OBC | 11 | 208 | 449 | 606 |
| 4 | SC | 3 | 202 | 403 | 553 |
| 5 | ST | 3 | 155 | 358 | 482 |
Cut-off marks of the three stages of ESE-2020 for respective branches are as follows:
ESE 2020:
Civil Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out off 500) | Main cutoff marks (out off 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out off 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 53 | 238 | 651 | 807 |
| 2 | EWS | 13 | 238 | 600 | 759 |
| 3 | OBC | 47 | 238 | 576 | 762 |
| 4 | SC | 27 | 202 | 486 | 688 |
| 5 | ST | 7 | 227 | 575 | 725 |
Mechanical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out off 500) | Main cutoff marks (out off 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out off 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 12 | 262 | 624 | 800 |
| 2 | EWS | 5 | 255 | 575 | 752 |
| 3 | OBC | 14 | 250 | 577 | 748 |
| 4 | SC | 4 | 214 | 545 | 698 |
| 5 | ST | 6 | 202 | 506 | 653 |
Electrical Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out off 500) | Main cutoff marks (out off 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out off 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 30 | 238 | 578 | 746 |
| 2 | EWS | 07 | 226 | 548 | 693 |
| 3 | OBC | 20 | 229 | 550 | 718 |
| 4 | SC | 11 | 187 | 496 | 663 |
| 5 | ST | 6 | 194 | 510 | 655 |
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
| S.No. | Category | Vacancy | Prelims cutoff marks (out off 500) | Main cutoff marks (out off 1100) | Marks of last recommended candidate (out off 1300) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gen | 40 | 245 | 516 | 677 |
| 2 | EWS | 10 | 226 | 459 | 606 |
| 3 | OBC | 19 | 245 | 491 | 645 |
| 4 | SC | 11 | 205 | 451 | 598 |
| 5 | ST | 5 | 202 | 442 | 554 |
Coding Dispensation Applied for Various PwBD Disability Categories
| PwBD-1 | Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy |
|---|---|
| PwBD-2 | Blindness and low vision |
| PwBD-3 | Deaf and Hard of hearing |
| PwBD-4 | Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness |
| PwBD-5 | Multiple disabilities |
So, aspirants, it is very important to understand the UPSC ESE cut-off trends, as it is one of the smartest ways to plan and refine your preparation strategy. As the data from the past five years (2020–2024) clearly indicates, the cut-off marks vary every year depending on several dynamic factors such as exam difficulty, number of vacancies, and candidate performance. However, a consistent pattern can be observed: candidates with strong conceptual clarity, balanced performance in both Prelims and Mains papers, and a confident personality test score generally find their place in the final merit list.
So, those are aiming for ESE 2026; analyzing these numbers isn’t about comparison; it’s about having a fair idea about the exams and ESE trends. The cut-off gives you a realistic benchmark for how much effort is required to stay competitive. For instance, Civil and Electrical Engineering branches generally witness higher cut-offs due to tougher competition, while Mechanical and Electronics streams show more fluctuations based on yearly trends. The key takeaway is that even a difference of 10–15 marks can significantly impact your rank and selection. Hence, every single mark counts in this highly competitive exam.
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Why cut off marks is of OBC candidate is higher than general candidate in ESE Mechanical 2018 resut ( UPSC).
I am studying b.tech 3rd year everyone. Am I eligible to write ese/ies exam in my fourth year
Dear Vineeth,
Thanks for writing to us. Yes, you are eligible to apply for ESE/IES in the final year of your graduation. The only clause regarding this is that you should have completed your graduation while fulfilling the required eligibility criteria at the time of joining.
For detailed information regarding the eligibility criteria, please visit the following link:
https://www.madeeasy.in/ese
Regards,
Team MADE EASY
There has been no guidance for 3rd students from MADE EASY team of how to start sidewise;for ese !
Like starting preparation in your 3rd year because most of the subjects are from your 3rd year if college ;please do make a video on that
Dear Muzamil,
Thanks for writing to us. We will take your suggestion into consideration while making future videos.
Regards,
Team MADE EASY
Please correct it. Cutoff for civil engg ST candidate is 188 not 169 in prelims.
Dear Pushpendra,
Thanks for writing to us. Your observation is correct. There has been a slight mistake from our side. We will rectify it at the earliest.
Regards,
Team MADE EASY
Sir, why did there is no cutoff provided for ECE in PH3 category for last two years in IES.
Sir one eyed person are eligible for ese in ee
Dear Candidate,
Thanks for writing to us. The following is an excerpt from the medical standards required by UPSC:
“If a person has one eye or if he/she has one eye which has normal vision and the other eye is ambiopic or has subnormal vision, the usual effect is that the person lacks stereoscopic vision for perception of depth. Such vision is not necessary for many civil posts. ”
The medical board may recommend as fit such person provided the normal eye has
(i) 6/6 distant vision and J-I near vision with or without glasses, provided the error in any meridian is not more than 4 diopters for distance vision.
(ii)full field of vision
(iii) Normal colour vision wherever required”
Regards,
Team MADE EASY