IES or Indian Engineering Services is one of the most prestigious job profiles within the country. It is conducted via a UPSC-organised national level examination, known as Engineering Services Exam (ESE) or IES entrance exam. The selection process is tough because there are about 2-3 lakh applications across the various engineering streams and out of those, only 500-1000 end up becoming an IES officer, after the long-drawn process and tough competition. Therefore, as the competition suggests, there must be a lot of benefits associated with becoming an IES officer.
An IES officer is expected to fulfil the Techno-Managerial tasks set to be accomplished by the Central Government. The ultimate objective of an IES officer should be to provide service to the country, using his/her technical brainpower. The following are the range of organisations (known as Cadres) that recruit through the IES exam: -
There is no confirmation regarding the Indian Railway Services being a recruiter through this Exam in the coming future.
There are three stages of recruitment for an IES Officer: -
We shall be looking at each stage one by one.
The preliminary exam (or Prelims) is basically divided into two sections:
The Prelims Exam Pattern is as follows:
Paper Number | Subject | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Total Duration (in hours) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paper 1 | General Studies and Engineering Aptitude | 100 | 200 | 2 |
Paper 2 | Engineering Stream Specific | 150 | 300 | 3 |
Total | 250 | 500 | - |
The candidates who clear the Prelims Exam are eligible to appear for the Mains Exam.
The Mains Exam Pattern is as follows:
Paper 3 | Conventional Mains Exam | 300 Marks |
Paper 4 | Conventional Mains Exam | 300 Marks |
Total Marks | 600 Marks |
The candidates who clear the Mains Exam are eligible to appear for the Interview.
The interview is more focused on the personality of the candidate, rather than the technical knowledge he/she possesses. It is of 200 marks, and the overall selection of the candidate is done based on the aggregate of the marks obtained in the written exams and the interview.
There is a wide range of categories of a person serving as an IES Officer, with regular promotions as per the following given table. It is an important point to note that the pay scale of an IES officer is the same as any other Civil Services. The 7th Pay Commission governs the pay scale and the benefits of an IES officer. Due to the 7th Pay Commission, there is a vast difference between the previous salary structure, where the Officer used to get an in-hand salary of INR 42,000 earlier now gets an in-hand salary of INR 55,135.
Level | Pay Scale (in INR) | Grade Pay (in INR) | Time Taken for Promotion |
---|---|---|---|
Junior Level | 15,600 - 39,100 | 5400 | Immediate Joining |
Senior Scale | 15,600 - 39,100 | 6600 | 5-6 years after joining |
Junior Administrative Grade | 15,600 - 39,100 | 7600 | Atleast 10 years after joining |
Selection Grade Scale (Chief Engineer L2/Joint GM) | 37,400 - 67,000 | 8700 | 13 years or more after joining |
Super Timegrade (Chief Engineer/Additional GM) | 37,400 - 67,000 | 8700 | 20 years or more |
Cabinet Secretary Grade | 90,000 | NA | Based on Performance and Fixed |
The various set of allowances that an IES officer is entitled to are as follows: -
Ques. What is the minimum eligibility criteria to join as an IES Officer?
Ans. The candidate should be a Bachelor’s degree holder in Engineering from the relevant discipline and can apply for any of the streams like Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or Electronics and Communication Engineering.
Ques. What is the age limit for applying for IES?
Ans. The candidate should be of minimum 21 years of age and his/her age should not be greater than 30 years.
Ques. How many times does the UPSC recruit IES officers in a year?
Ans. The recruitment exercise takes place once a year.
Ques. Is the job of a PO temporary or permanent in nature?
Ans. The job is permanent in nature; with the appointment provided for life-long by the organization, till the retirement or resignation.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.