This page lists UPSC ESE previous year question papers for 8 years, 2019 to 2026, with 104 official PDFs (question papers and answer keys). UPSC ESE (Engineering Services Examination) is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and covers Prelims: GS and Engineering Aptitude + discipline paper and Mains: two papers per discipline. Pick a year below for the paper, answer key and a timed practice plan; confirm dates and pattern on upsc.gov.in.
Explore: Question papers by year · Syllabus & pattern · All exams · How to use PYQs
UPSC ESE is the UPSC Engineering Services Examination, also called IES or ESE, which recruits civil, mechanical, electrical and electronics and telecommunication engineers for central government technical services. This hub hosts every question paper UPSC has posted for the exam from 2019 to 2026, with a link to the original on upsc.gov.in.
Exam pattern at a glance
Stage I (Prelims) has two objective papers: Paper I, General Studies and Engineering Aptitude (2 hours, 200 marks), and Paper II, the engineering discipline paper (3 hours, 300 marks). Stage I only screens candidates. Stage II (Mains) has two conventional papers per discipline of 300 marks each (3 hours each), 600 marks in total, followed by a 200-mark Personality Test. The final merit list uses Mains plus Personality Test, 800 marks.
| Stage or paper | Subject | Marks and format |
|---|---|---|
| Stage I, Paper I | General Studies and Engineering Aptitude | 2 hours, 200 marks, objective, common to all disciplines |
| Stage I, Paper II | Civil, Mechanical, Electrical or E&T | 3 hours, 300 marks, objective, your chosen discipline |
| Stage II, Papers I and II | Same discipline, conventional | 3 hours and 300 marks each, 600 total |
| Stage III | Personality Test | 200 marks |
Year-wise question papers
UPSC ESE 2026
Latest cycle posted by UPSC, with both Stage I and Stage II sets.
UPSC ESE 2025
Thirteen papers: Stage I General Studies plus four discipline papers, and the eight Mains papers.
UPSC ESE 2024
A full cycle, good for timing the 2-hour and 3-hour Stage I papers.
UPSC ESE 2023
Use the discipline paper for a first full objective attempt.
UPSC ESE 2022
Use the Mains papers for answer-writing practice in your branch.
UPSC ESE 2021
Both stages, with the discipline papers for CE, ME, EE and E&T.
UPSC ESE 2020
Pre-pandemic Stage I and the Mains papers that followed.
UPSC ESE 2019
UPSC labelled Stage I as ‘Preliminary - Stage I’ in this year.
What is hosted per year
| Year | Papers hosted | Total size |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 | 131.1 MB |
| 2025 | 13 | 143.8 MB |
| 2024 | 13 | 168.2 MB |
| 2023 | 13 | 147.5 MB |
| 2022 | 13 | 156.2 MB |
| 2021 | 13 | 95.8 MB |
| 2020 | 13 | 8.4 MB |
| 2019 | 13 | 129.0 MB |
UPSC’s previous-papers page lists question papers only for this exam. It carries no answer keys, so none are hosted here.
How to use these papers
- Pick the paper or papers your path needs from the pattern table above and ignore the rest.
- Sit one full paper at the real duration, then stop when the clock ends.
- Mark each miss as concept, calculation, time or misread, and revise only the logged items.
- Move to an older year only after the newest paper is reviewed.
FAQ
Is ESE Prelims marks counted in the final merit?
No. Stage I is a screening round. The final merit rank is built from Mains (600 marks) and the Personality Test (200 marks), 800 in all.
Which papers must I solve for my branch?
Paper I General Studies and Engineering Aptitude, plus the one discipline paper for your branch in Prelims. In Mains, both papers of your branch. Papers of other branches are not needed.
Is there negative marking in ESE Prelims?
Yes. Wrong answers lose a fraction of the question’s marks as stated in the notification, so treat blind guesses with care.
Are ESE Mains papers objective?
No. Stage II is conventional, with derivations, numericals and short descriptive answers, so practise writing against the clock.
Does UPSC publish ESE answer keys with the papers?
The keys are not posted on the UPSC previous-papers page, so this site hosts only the official question papers. Solve and check against standard texts.
Where do these papers come from?
Every PDF on this hub is UPSC’s own file from upsc.gov.in, with a link to UPSC’s original on each year page.