UPSC ESE Prelims 2026 Exam Solutions
ESE 2026 Prelims Paper I and Paper II Answer Key with Detailed Solutions
The Engineering Services Prelims examination 2026 was successfully conducted on 8th Feb 2026 at multiple centres across the country. MADE EASY offers a huge congratulations to all the aspirants on completing the first stage of the UPSC ESE preliminary stage.
Your hard work since choosing the ESE journey, along with your dedication and strategic planning, will positively reflect in your results.
Although your journey to ESE 2026 has just begun, after the official preliminary results, candidates will be selected for the mains exam, which will be conducted on 21st June 2026. Till then, ESE prelims examinees must be looking for the answer key and solutions. Rest assured, UPSC will be releasing the preliminary results soon.
ESE Prelims 2026 Question Papers and Exam Solutions
In addition to being a very demanding exam, the Engineering Services Examination (ESE) expresses candidates’ desire to pursue careers in engineering.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in engineering, particularly in fields like Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, ESE can help you achieve your goals and use your skills for the good of society.
MADE EASY faculties have come up with the answer key and solutions for ESE 2026 prelims questions for the examinees, who must be eagerly waiting to know the solutions and the right choices for the questions attempted.
The solutions will calm your nerves and help you get clarity in your answers. The ESE prelims were in two stages, comprising Paper I- General Studies and Engineering Aptitude with 2 hours of duration and Paper II- Engineering Discipline with 3 hours of duration. The preliminary exam had a total of 500 marks and was held on Sunday, February 8th, 2026, in two slots, i.e.
| 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | General Studies And Engineering Aptitude Paper (Paper-I) (Objective) |
| 2.00 p.m. To 5:00 p.m. | Discipline- Specific Paper (Paper-II) (Objective) |
👉🏻 ESE, GATE, and SES 2026-27 Online Courses: What do you need to know?
ESE Prelims 2026 LIVE SOLUTIONS- MADE EASY EXPERTS
As ESE prelims are concluded, MADE EASY expert faculty will be providing solutions to all four streams, including general studies Paper I, on the official YouTube MADE EASY channel. Our experts will also be analyzing the difficulty level of the preliminary exam.
- ▶️ General Studies Prelims Paper 1 Solutions
- ▶️ Civil Engineering Paper 2 Solutions
- ▶️ Mechanical Engineering Paper 2 Solutions
- ▶️ Electrical Engineering Paper 2 Solutions
- ▶️ Electronics and Communication Engg Paper-2 Solutions
ESE 2026 Prelims Paper I and Paper II Answer Key with Detailed Solutions
MADE EASY experts are working on providing comprehensive solutions for the ESE Prelims exam for all four engineering subjects. You can check the solutions for all papers of the ESE Prelims 2026 exam by clicking on the link given below.
ESE 2026 Prelims Exam: Detailed Solutions
| Branches | Detailed PDF |
|---|---|
| General Studies & Engineering Aptitude | 👉🏻 LINK |
| Civil Engineering | 👉🏻 LINK |
| Mechanical Engineering | 👉🏻LINK |
| Electrical Engineering | 👉🏻LINK |
| Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering | 👉🏻 LINK |
ESE 2026 Prelims: Expected Cut Off
The ESE 2026 cut-off will be announced soon; in the meantime, review the other years’ cut-offs and their comparisons to get a general understanding of all the years’ marks.
Below is the cutoff of last year’s ESE 2025 Prelims, from which you will be able to estimate what the cutoff for the ESE exam might be in 2026.
ESE 2025: Cut-off Marks (All Stages)
| Stream | CE | ME | EE | E&T | |
| General | Stage I | 233 | 238 | 210 | 176 |
| Stage II | 498 | 570 | 484 | 447 | |
| Stage III | 719 | 758 | 686 | 661 | |
| EWS | Stage I | 210 | 208 | 169 | 141 |
| Stage II | 443 | 419 | 330 | 327 | |
| Stage III | 662 | 632 | 527 | 602 | |
| OBC | Stage I | 230 | 236 | 209 | 167 |
| Stage II | 498 | 511 | 475 | 422 | |
| Stage III | 704 | 709 | 678 | 605 | |
| SC | Stage I | 210 | 197 | 177 | 135 |
| Stage II | 441 | 425 | 359 | 270 | |
| Stage III | 633 | 662 | 587 | 506 | |
| ST | Stage I | 216 | 211 | 194 | 77 |
| Stage II | 466 | 468 | 404 | 270 | |
| Stage III | 664 | 698 | 646 | 512 | |
| PH-1 | Stage I | 77 | 100 | 154 | 53 |
| Stage II | 237 | 243 | 246 | 185 | |
| Stage III | 449 | 487 | 423 | 374 | |
| PH-3 | Stage I | 78 | 72 | 73 | 116 |
| Stage II | 150 | 291 | — | — | |
| Stage III | 271 | 605 | — | — | |
ESE 2024: Cut-off Marks (All Stages)
| Stream | CE | ME | EE | E&T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Stage I | 174 | 217 | 199 | 129 |
| Stage II | 510 | 537 | 489 | 343 | |
| Stage III | 691 | 725 | 655 | 546 | |
| EWS | Stage I | 167 | 202 | 180 | 82 |
| Stage II | 478 | 519 | 432 | 280 | |
| Stage III | 641 | 702 | 632 | 461 | |
| OBC | Stage I | 172 | 217 | 198 | 129 |
| Stage II | 480 | 521 | 444 | 343 | |
| Stage III | 667 | 701 | 625 | 545 | |
| SC | Stage I | 151 | 184 | 178 | 76 |
| Stage II | 411 | 450 | 415 | 225 | |
| Stage III | 576 | 658 | 601 | 426 | |
| ST | Stage I | 160 | 153 | 159 | 76 |
| Stage II | 437 | 348 | 407 | 230 | |
| Stage III | 626 | 491 | 568 | 389 | |
| PH-1 | Stage I | 71 | — | 106 | 54 |
| Stage II | 202 | — | 231 | 159 | |
| Stage III | 391 | — | 361 | 499 | |
| PH-3 | Stage I | — | — | 77 | 62 |
| Stage II | — | — | 203 | 318 | |
| Stage III | — | — | — | 455 | |
ESE 2023: Cut-off Marks (All Stages)
| Stream | CE | ME | EE | E&T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
General |
Stage I | 218 | 173 | 173 | 124 |
| Stage II | 590 | 445 | 458 | 372 | |
| Stage III | 783 | 661 | 666 | 594 | |
|
EWS |
Stage I | 204 | 173 | 173 | 77 |
| Stage II | 537 | 367 | 447 | 258 | |
| Stage III | 726 | 640 | 653 | 534 | |
|
OBC |
Stage I | 213 | 173 | 173 | 118 |
| Stage II | 551 | 445 | 458 | 360 | |
| Stage III | 752 | 623 | 633 | 566 | |
|
SC |
Stage I | 167 | 153 | 151 | 77 |
| Stage II | 464 | 362 | 346 | 241 | |
| Stage III | 659 | 555 | 562 | 463 | |
|
ST |
Stage I | 189 | 138 | 168 | 77 |
| Stage II | 505 | 382 | 435 | 241 | |
| Stage III | 688 | 593 | 586 | 490 | |
|
PH-1 |
Stage I | 79 | 107 | 64 | 102 |
| Stage II | 250 | 255 | 180 | 218 | |
| Stage III | 513 | 376 | 357 | 323 | |
|
PH-3 |
Stage I | 102 | 76 | 59 | — |
| Stage II | 276 | 208 | — | — | |
| Stage III | 376 | 404 | — | — | |
ESE 2022: Cut-off Marks (All Stages)
| Stream | CE | ME | EE | E&T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
General |
Stage I | 233 | 236 | 231 | 184 |
| Stage II | 551 | 581 | 552 | 479 | |
| Stage III | 756 | 745 | 714 | 651 | |
|
EWS |
Stage I | 233 | 236 | 231 | 184 |
| Stage II | 534 | 571 | 538 | 459 | |
| Stage III | 711 | 735 | 729 | 631 | |
|
OBC |
Stage I | 233 | 232 | 231 | 184 |
| Stage II | 525 | 524 | 509 | 434 | |
| Stage III | 729 | 716 | 697 | 610 | |
|
SC |
Stage I | 197 | 211 | 194 | 158 |
| Stage II | 474 | 490 | 452 | 394 | |
| Stage III | 646 | 660 | 650 | 524 | |
|
ST |
Stage I | 198 | 170 | 230 | 169 |
| Stage II | 476 | 440 | 532 | 397 | |
| Stage III | 698 | 592 | 658 | 520 | |
|
PH-1 |
Stage I | 127 | – | 120 | 114 |
| Stage II | 345 | – | 201 | 210 | |
| Stage III | 506 | – | 443 | 334 | |
|
PH-3 |
Stage I | 077 | – | 107 | – |
| Stage II | 263 | – | 201 | – | |
| Stage III | 519 | – | – | – | |
ESE 2021: Cut-off Marks (All Stages)
| Stream | CE | ME | EE | E&T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
General |
Stage I | 249 | 247 | 235 | 208 |
| Stage II | 617 | 597 | 567 | 449 | |
| Stage III | 804 | 761 | 746 | 617 | |
|
EWS |
Stage I | 246 | 247 | 225 | 200 |
| Stage II | 581 | 532 | 534 | 428 | |
| Stage III | 772 | 749 | 633 | 579 | |
|
OBC |
Stage I | 243 | 247 | 235 | 208 |
| Stage II | 582 | 555 | 522 | 449 | |
| Stage III | 762 | 739 | 717 | 606 | |
|
SC |
Stage I | 196 | 213 | 199 | 202 |
| Stage II | 484 | 477 | 484 | 403 | |
| Stage III | 642 | 688 | 651 | 553 | |
|
ST |
Stage I | 213 | 214 | 230 | 155 |
| Stage II | 519 | 563 | 508 | 358 | |
| Stage III | 667 | 719 | 684 | 482 | |
|
PH-1 |
Stage I | 159 | 182 | 124 | 132 |
| Stage II | 264 | 381 | 237 | 257 | |
| Stage III | 553 | 541 | 423 | 421 | |
|
PH-3 |
Stage I | 059 | – | 089 | – |
| Stage II | 156 | – | 228 | – | |
| Stage III | 272 | – | 356 | – | |
Important notes regarding ESE cut-off:
- Stage I: Preliminary Stage (Objective type papers) Minimum qualifying marks out of 500
- Stage II: Mains Stage (Conventional type papers) Minimum qualifying marks out of 1100
- Stage III: Final Stage (Interview) Minimum qualifying marks out of 1300 (Marks secured by the last recommended candidate for final selection).
FAQs:
Below are some commonly asked questions related to ESE 2026.
Q.1- What is the important date for ESE 2026?
Ans. UPSC will be conducting ESE prelims on 8th Feb 2026 and mains exam is scheduled on 21th June 2026 as per the official schedule.
Q.2- How many vacancies are there for ESE 2026?
Ans. There are in total 474 vacancies for ESE 2026.
Q.3- What is the pattern of ESE 2026?
Ans. The ESE 2026 is patterned in three stages – Preliminary exam, Mains exam and Interview Stage.
Q.4- Is there a negative marking in the UPSC ESE Prelims 2026?
Ans. Yes. Negative marking is present in the UPSC ESE Prelims 2026. Therefore, you need to attempt your answers accordingly in this examination.
Q.5- When will I receive the UPSC ESE 2026 Prelims result?
Ans. As per the latest updates, it is expected that the UPSC ESE 2026 Prelim exam results will be available in March 2026 (tentative).
Q.6- What is the age limit for the ESE exam?
Ans. The age limit of the ESE exam starts from 21 years and continues until 30 years for unreserved candidates.
MADE EASY ESE and GATE Exam Preparation Books
Study material forms an important part of everyone’s preparation. You can accumulate a thousand books and still face difficulty or you can choose one of the best books and gain everything that you need from an examination perspective.
MADE EASY offers study material and books that are developed by the continuous efforts of our R&D team and are exam-oriented as per the latest syllabus and pattern of the exam to ensure that no you do not have to refer to multiple books or study material. We make it a one-stop shop for you, where you will find all the books as per your requirements.
- MADE EASY ESE Exam Preparation Books
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