Preparation Strategy for ESE Civil Engineering

The Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is one of the highly demanded and toughest exams. It is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to provide various job opportunities to engineering graduate individuals in the government sector. The reason why most of the individuals opt for this exam is that it provides a handsome salary, work-life balance, additional allowances, etc. Hence, it is important to prepare for this exam effectively. In this article, we will discuss the detailed ese civil engineering preparation strategy. 

Things to know before starting the preparation of the Exam:

1. This exam is conducted in three stages i.e. Prelims, Mains and Interview.
2. The Prelim exam consists of general aptitude & engineering aptitude for 200 marks and specific engineering discipline questions for 300 marks(objective questions). 
3. Only those candidates are eligible to appear for the mains exam who clear the prelims exam. 
4. The mains exam consists of subjective questions that are based on a particular engineering discipline only.
5. There are only four disciplines for which the ESE is applicable i.e. Civil, Mechanical, electrical and electronics & telecommunication. 

The Ideal time to start the preparation:

Most of the candidates are not sure when to start the exam preparation and end up wasting their time. Well, the ideal time is when the candidates have just finished their engineering. This will help them to study efficiently as they still have the topics in their mind. It would be easy to memorize the topics which will boost their preparation. The more delay in starting, the more they will lose the grip over the topics and have to start the preparation from scratch again. 

The Correct Syllabus and the Reference Books:

It is essential to know the exam syllabus and reference books. It is an important aspect as wrong reference books or no knowledge of the exam syllabus will hinder their preparation. To study on point and avoid gaining the wrong information, the candidates should check the syllabus and refer the correct reference books. 

The topics for ESE Civil Engineering are: 

Paper 1: Building Materials, Solid Mechanics, Structural Analysis, Design of Steel Structures, Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures, Construction Practice, Planning & Management.

Paper 2: The flow of fluids, Hydraulic Machines, and Hydro Power, Hydrology & Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Surveying & Geology, Geotechnical Engineering & Foundation Engineering.

These are just the main topics. Each topic covers more in-depth details. Do not use different Reference books for different topics. Refer to standard textbooks for each topic to gain a better understanding and avoid confusion. 

Make a study plan/strategy:

A fixed daily study plan will be beneficial for candidates as they can keep track of their progress. Make a study plan that will give enough amount of time to each topic. Adjust the time span according to the learning pace and importance of each topic. 

Make Mini Notes:

Mostly candidates face the issue of studying at the last moment and they do not have any go-to notes to refer at that time. Hence, they end up referring to the entire book again. To avoid this, they should make mini notes that will help them to refer at the last moment. Also, civil engineering has a lot of formulas that need to be memorized. So, to do this making mini notes are very important. 

Solve previous years papers & Mock tests:

To get an idea of the exam pattern, the type of questions, difficulty level of the questions, etc, one needs to solve the previous year’s question papers. Sort out the easiest and important topics that are likely to be included in the paper. Similarly, take online mock tests which will help in time management and to get a thorough practice of giving the exam. 

The importance of Revision: 

Revision is the main glue that will hold the preparation. The preparation should be followed by a proper revision. Candidates can either start revising 30-40 days before the exam or revise daily i.e. dedicate at least 30 minutes after studying. Note that, a last-minute revision approach is very wrong as the candidates can forget the topics which they have learned.

To conclude, the ese civil engineering could be cleared with good marks if candidates follow this approach. An important thing to remember here is clearing the prelims exam is the entry-point for mains exams. This approach will be helpful for both the type of exams. The level of this exam is very tough and so to clear this exam, one needs to put a lot of effort to secure a good job.