UPSC ESE 2025 Paper Analysis - Section-wise Difficulty Level, Expected Cutoff, Chapterwise Weightage

Updated By Tiyasa Khanra on 19 Sep, 2024 17:18

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UPSC ESE Exam Analysis 2024

The detailed UPSC ESE Paper Analysis 2024 is available on this page. The UPSC ESE Exam 2024 took place on February 18, 2024, spanning two shifts: from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and from 02:00 P.M. to 05:00 P.M. Conducted in pen-paper mode, the UPSC CSE comprised a total of 500 marks and 167 posts. Paper 1 of the UPSC IES covered General Studies & Engineering Aptitude, while Paper 2 focused on Specific Disciplines. Based on candidate feedback, the difficulty level of the UPSC ESE Exam 2024 was rated as 'Moderate'. In terms of attempts deemed good by candidates, there were approximately 160 in Paper 1 and 250 in Paper 2.

By analyzing the UPSC ESE Prelims and Mains question papers, candidates can learn about the difficulty level of the exam. This will provide students with in-depth knowledge of the topics covered in the question paper. Candidates can also learn about the number of questions asked from all subjects. The article provides applicants with a detailed analysis covering the topic-wise weightage of different subjects, the difficulty level of the exam paper, and the expected cutoff of the Prelims and Mains

UPSC ESE Prelims 2024 Exam Analysis

The examination consists of two papers: Paper 1 covering General Studies & Engineering Aptitude, and Paper 2 focusing on Specific Engineering Disciplines such as Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering. The UPSC ESE 2024 exam analysis for the Prelims provides insights into the perceived difficulty levels of each paper and the approximate number of attempts considered favorable by candidates during the examination. The overall difficulty level of UPSC ESE Exam 2024 is of 'Moderate' level and the number of good attempts in UPSC ESE Exam 2024 was 160 in paper 1 and 250 in paper 2.Below is a table summarizing the difficulty level and number of good attempts for each paper in the UPSC Engineering Services Examination (ESE) Prelims 2024.

Name of the Paper

Difficulty Level

Number of Good Attempts

Paper 1: General Studies & Engineering Aptitude

Moderate

160

Paper 2: Specific Engineering Discipline(Civil/Electrical/Mechanical/Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering)    

Moderate to Tough

250

Section-wise UPSC ESE Prelims 2024 Exam Analysis

The section-wise exam analysis for UPSC ESE Prelims 2024 has been provided below.

Section Name

Number of Questions

Difficulty Level

Current issues of national and international importance

13-15

Moderate to Difficult

Engineering Aptitude covering Logical reasoning and Analytical ability

7-9

Easy to Moderate

Engineering Mathematics and Numerical Analysis

13-15

Easy to Moderate

General Principles of Design, Drawing, Importance of Safety

5-7

Moderate to Difficult

Standards and Quality practices

7-11

Difficult

Basics of Energy and Environment

5-9

Moderate to Difficult

Basics of Project Management

13-15

Moderate to Difficult

Basics of Material Science and Engineering

8-9

Moderate to Difficult

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based tools

8-10

Moderate to Difficult

Ethics and values in the Engineering profession

8-9

Moderate to Difficult

UPSC ESE Exam Pattern for Prelims

The major highlights of Prelims Paper 1 including the overall difficulty level, type of questions from each topic is shared in the below-mentioned points. The gist is provided based on the UPSC ESE 2024 prelims paper 1 analysis. It also has the reviews added by the candidates who appeared for the examination.

  • Overall difficulty level of UPSC ESE Paper 1 was moderate to difficult.
  • Current affairs had the maximum weightage of overall marks.
  • UPSC ESE 2024 Prelims paper-1 had equal weightage for numerical and theoretical questions in the examination.
  • The assertion and reason-based questions were fewer (four) in comparison to previous years.
  • As compared to last year, the weightage for standard quality and management was also less.
  • Engineering aptitude Ethics and Moral values had good weightage.
  • The Paper pattern was quite similar to the previous year paper.
  • Current Affairs, Engineering Mathematics, Engineering Aptitude, Numerical Analysis, had the maximum weightage of 15 marks each.

The ESE Prelims Exam consists of two papers, details are listed below.

  • The first level of the selection procedure is the ESE Prelims Exam. Prelims Paper I and Paper II, there are objective questions.
  • The ESE Exam has a total of 500 marks.
  • Paper I is the same for all candidates, while Paper-II contains questions from the core engineering subject.
  • For each wrong answer marked, one-third of marks are subtracted.

Paper

Marks

Duration

Paper I: General Studies and Engineering Aptitude Paper

200 Marks

2 Hours

Paper-II: Core Engineering Paper

300 Marks

3 Hours

Total

500 Marks

5 Hours
Similar Exams :

    UPSC ESE 2023 Prelims Paper 1 Analysis - Subject-wise Weightage

    The UPSC ESE 2023 Mains exam was conducted on June 25, 2023, and the Prelims exam was conducted on 19 February 2023 to recruit engineers for various positions in central government departments of India. Paper 1 of the ESE exam includes General Studies and Engineering Aptitude exam papers. All candidates get a common paper for all engineering branches, i.e., Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, and Electronics Engineering. Candidates can go through the UPSC ESE 2023 prelims paper 1 analysis. 

    The table below represents the subject-wise weightage described as per UPSC ESE 2023 Prelims Paper 1 Analysis for the General Awareness and Engineering Aptitude Paper.

    • Students are always curious to know the subject-wise marks in ESE Paper 1. This gives them the idea to understand which subjects have the maximum weightage in the examination.
    • This provides candidates a good idea to analyse which subjects are important to study for the upcoming exam.

    S. No.

    Subjects

    Total Qs.

    1.

    Current Affairs

    15

    2.

    Engineering Aptitude

    15

    3.

    Engineering Mathematics Numerical Analysis

    15

    4.

    Basics of Project Management

    4

    5.

    Material Science

    7

    6.

    Ethics Values

    10

    7.

    Design, Drawing Importance of Safety

    8

    8.

    Energy Environment

    9

    9.

    Information Communication Technologies (ICT)

    11

    10.

    Standards and Quality Practices

    6

    Total

    100

    Top Engineering Colleges :

    UPSC ESE Exam Analysis 2023 - General Studies & Engineering Aptitude Paper Analysis

    To make it clear to candidates, we have compared the last few years' data that helps in analysing which subject's weightage is similar to previous years. The comparison with the previous year's data provides an overall trend of the examination. This helps candidates to analyse the exam's expected cutoff, difficulty level, and more.

    S.No.

    Subjects

    2023

    2022

    2021

    2020

    2019

    1.

    Current Affairs

    15

    16

    18

    10

    8

    2.

    Engineering Aptitude

    15

    11

    15

    10

    10

    3.

    Engineering Mathematics Numerical Analysis

    15

    14

    15

    12

    5

    4.

    Basics of Project Management

    4

    9

    7

    9

    6

    5.

    Material Science

    7

    5

    7

    10

    9

    6.

    Ethics Values

    10

    8

    6

    10

    12

    7.

    Design, Drawing Importance of Safety

    8

    8

    4

    12

    12

    8.

    Energy Environment

    9

    6

    8

    11

    14

    9.

    Information Communication Technologies (ICT)

    11

    10

    10

    11

    10

    10.

    Standards and Quality Practices

    6

    13

    10

    5

    14

    Total

    100

    100

    100

    100

    100

    UPSC ESE Exam Analysis for Civil Engineering Paper

    UPSC ESE CE Prelims exam was conducted for the candidates who successfully registered for the Prelims examination. UPSC ESE CE analysis 2023 was done by our expert faculty. Read the analysis to get information about difficulty level, good attempts, topic-wise weightage, and so on.

    Subject

    No of Questions

    Strength of Materials

    18

    Soil Mechanics

    14

    Engineering Hydrology

    1

    Highway Engineering

    10

    Surveying

    10

    Irrigation Engineering

    12

    Building Materials

    13

    Construction Planning and Management

    12

    Design of Steel Structures

    12

    Fluid Mechanics & Hydraulics

    12

    Open Channel Flow

    1

    Railways, Airports, and Tunneling

    1

    Structural Analysis

    7

    Design of Concrete Structures

    13

    Environmental Engineering

    13

    Total

    150

    The UPSC ESE 2023 Civil Paper highlights are provided here for candidates to understand the type of paper:

    • Assertion and Reason: 6 Questions
    • Difficulty Level: Moderate
    • Maximum weightage: Strength of Materials
    • Least weightage: Engineering Hydrology

    UPSC ESE 2023 Mechanical Paper Analysis

    The difficulty level of the UPSC ESE Mechanical Paper was  Moderate to Tough. After the UPSC ESE Mechanical Prelims exam got over, experts thoroughly analyzed the paper and provided meaningful information for candidates. Candidates can check the genuine exam analysis to focus on the essential points. 

    Subject-wise Analysis

    S.No.

    Topics

    Questions

    1

    Fluid Mechanics

    17

    2

    Thermodynamics

    9

    3

    Heat transfer

    4

    4

    Refrigeration and Air conditioning

    2

    5

    I. C. Engines

    12

    6

    Power Plant Engg.

    22

    7

    Engineering Mechanics

    6

    8

    Strength of Materials

    13

    9

    Theory of Machines & Vibrations

    11

    10

    Machine Design

    12

    11

    Manufacturing & Engineering Materials

    11

    12

    Industrial Engineering

    8

    13

    Renewable Sources of Energy

    9

    14

    Mechatronics & Robotics

    14

    UPC ESE Exam Analyis 2023 - Electrical Engineering Paper Analysis

    UPSC ESE 2023 electrical paper is designed to test the problem-solving and analytical skills of the candidates. The questions are structured to examine the in-depth understanding of the concepts and their practical applications. Hence, candidates possessing a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of Electrical Engineering and their practical applications can perform well.

    Go through the detailed weightage analysis of the EE Prelims exam in the table shown below:

    Subject

    No. of Questions

    Electromagnetic Fields

    0

    Electric Circuits

    9

    Measurements

    10

    Power Electronics

    12

    Communication Systems

    8

    Basic Electronics Engineering

    10

    Digital Electronics

    1

    Power Systems

    13

    Electrical Machines

    14

    Materials Science

    10

    Microprocessors

    1

    Control Systems

    13

    Signals and Systems

    13

    Analog Electronics

    10

    Computer Fundamentals

    11

    Engineering Mathematics

    12

    ESE 2023 Electronics Paper Analysis

    Candidates from the ECE Engineering branch can find the detailed UPSC ECE exam analysis here. According to the experts, in-depth information like good attempts, topic-wise weightage, expected cutoff, and more aspects are available for students.

    Subject-wise ESE ECE Exam Analysis

    The subject-wise analysis of the ECE exam is provided below:

    Subject

    No. of Questions

    Control Systems

    13

    Electromagnetic Field Theory

    23

    Networks

    15

    Analog Circuits

    7

    Basic Electronics

    16

    Microprocessor

    6

    Digital Circuits

    7

    Communication Systems

    14

    Material Science

    1

    Advanced Electronics

    10

    Advanced Communication

    3

    Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation

    7

    Basic Electrical Engineering

    15

    Computer Organization and Architecture

    13

    Total

    150

    UPSC ESE / IES Paper Analysis 2023 Highlights

    Check out the UPSC ESE ECE Paper Analysis 2023 highlights provided here:

    • Difficulty level: Easy to Moderate
    • Most Questions: Electromagnetics
    • Least Questions: Material Science
    • Assertion and Reasoning questions: 6

    UPSC ESE Exam Analysis 2023 - Mains Paper Analysis

    UPSC IES ESE 2023 Mains Question Paper Analysis Highlights

    Some of the major highlights of UPSC IES ESE 2023 Mains Question Paper Analysis have been updated in the table below:

    Overall Difficulty Level

    TBA

    Paper 1 Difficulty Level

    TBA

    Paper 2 Difficulty Level

    TBA

    Time Duration

    3 Hours

    Papers

    Paper 1 and Paper 2

    Engineering Streams

    Civil Engineering/ Mechanical Engineering/ Electrical/ Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering

    Marks Distribution

    Paper I: 200 Marks

    Paper II: 300 Marks

    Total: 500 Marks

    Negative Marking

    0.66

    UPSC IES ESE 2023 Mains Question Paper Analysis: Stream Wise Difficulty Level

    The streamwise difficulty level of UPSC IES ESE 2023 Mains Question Paper Analysis has been updated in the table below:

    Streams

    Difficulty Level

    Number of Questions

    Questions with Highest Weightage

    Civil Engineering

    TBA

    TBA

    TBA

    Mechanical Engineering

    TBA

    TBA

    TBA

    Electrical Engineering

    TBA

    TBA

    TBA

    Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering

    TBA

    TBA

    TBA

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