If you're an engineering graduate from UP looking for a government job that actually uses your degree, UPPSC Assistant Engineer is probably already on your radar. It's one of the few state-level exams where a civil, mechanical, electrical or agricultural engineer can walk straight into a gazetted post with real site responsibility, not a desk job pushing files.
This post lays out where the recruitment stands right now, what the last cycle looked like, and how to prepare if you're serious about cracking it. We'll also tell you honestly where this exam is tough and where it's manageable.
Latest notification and important dates
As of August 2026, UPPSC has not released a fresh Assistant Engineer notification for this cycle. The most recent completed recruitment (604 posts) ran through 2024-25, with mains held in September 2025 and interviews expected to follow. Until UPPSC opens a new cycle, use the table below as your reference point for how the timeline usually plays out.
| Event | Last Cycle (2024-25) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Notification released | 17 December 2024 | Check uppsc.up.nic.in for new AE notice |
| Application start | 17 December 2024 | Online only |
| Application deadline | 17 January 2025 | Extended sometimes by a few days |
| Prelims exam | 20 April 2025 | Qualifying stage |
| Mains exam | 28-29 September 2025 | Two papers per branch |
| Interview | Tentative, post-mains | Yet to be scheduled at time of writing |
| Next AE notification | Not yet announced (as of Aug 2026) | Watch UPPSC's official site |
Since a new cycle hasn't opened yet, keep this page bookmarked and check UPPSC's official website every few weeks. We also track fresh notifications on our exam news page, so you don't have to keep refreshing government sites yourself.
What the job actually is
An Assistant Engineer under UPPSC is not a soft government job where you sit and stamp files. You get posted in departments like PWD, Irrigation, Rural Engineering Services, Housing, Energy (UPPCL side has its own separate exam though), or Agriculture, depending on your branch and the vacancy you're recruited against.
Day to day, you're looking at site inspections, checking construction quality, verifying measurements against approved drawings, preparing estimates, and signing off on work done by contractors. If you're in Irrigation, you might be dealing with canal systems and water distribution. If you're in PWD, it's roads and buildings. It's fieldwork mixed with paperwork, and you report to an Executive Engineer above you. It's a genuinely technical role, and that's exactly why the exam tests engineering knowledge in depth, not just general aptitude.
Vacancy details
In the last completed cycle, UPPSC advertised 604 Assistant Engineer posts spread across engineering disciplines and departments:
- Civil Engineering — the largest chunk, spread across PWD, Irrigation, and Rural Engineering Services
- Mechanical Engineering — smaller numbers, mainly Irrigation and PWD mechanical wings
- Electrical Engineering — limited seats
- Agricultural Engineering — a separate, dedicated stream with its own vacancy count
Vacancy numbers change every cycle based on how many posts each department reports as vacant that year. Don't assume the next notification will repeat 604. It could be higher or lower. Once the new notification drops, we'll update the post-wise breakdown here.
Eligibility
Age limit
You need to be between 21 and 40 years old as on the cut-off date fixed in the notification (1 July of the notification year in the last cycle). That's a comfortable window compared to many other government exams.
| Category | Age relaxation | Effective upper limit (last cycle) |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved / General | None | 40 years |
| OBC / SC / ST of UP | 5 years | 45 years |
| Persons with disabilities | 15 years | 55 years |
| Ex-servicemen | 3 years + service rendered | Case by case |
| UP government employees / trainee AEs | 1 year (case dependent) | 41 years |
Educational qualification
You need a B.E. / B.Tech degree in the relevant branch (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or Agricultural Engineering) from a recognised university. Alternatively, Associate Membership of the Institution of Engineers (India) with Sections A and B cleared in the relevant discipline also works. If you're still in your final year and haven't got the degree in hand by the application deadline, you're not eligible to apply for that cycle — don't take a chance on this.
Domicile
There's no UP-domicile restriction for this exam. Any Indian citizen, from any state, can apply as long as they meet the age and qualification criteria.
Application process and fee
Applications go through UPPSC's official online portal only. There's no offline mode.
| Category | Application fee |
|---|---|
| General / EWS / OBC | ₹125 |
| SC / ST | ₹65 |
| PwD (persons with disabilities) | ₹25 |
| Ex-servicemen | ₹65 |
Steps to apply, once the notification is out:
- Register on the UPPSC online portal with basic details and get your registration ID.
- Fill the application form carefully — branch selection, category, educational details.
- Upload scanned photo, signature, and required certificates as per the format specified.
- Pay the fee online through the accepted payment modes.
- Review the form before final submission — UPPSC rarely allows major corrections after submission.
- Download and save the confirmation page and print a copy for your records.
Exam pattern
Selection happens over three stages: Prelims (screening), Mains (main written exam), and Interview.
Prelims
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General Hindi | 25 | 50 | Combined 2 hours |
| Paper 1 | General Knowledge | 25 | 50 | — |
| Paper 1 | Engineering Aptitude (your branch) | 100 | 200 | — |
| Total | 150 | 300 | 2 hours |
Prelims is qualifying in nature. Marks scored here don't count toward the final merit — they just decide who moves to mains. Don't relax though, because the cutoff to clear this stage is not soft, especially in Civil where competition is heaviest.
Mains
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General Hindi + Core Engineering (branch-specific) | 375 | 2.5 hours |
| Paper 2 | General Studies + Core Engineering (branch-specific) | 375 | 2.5 hours |
Mains carries negative marking of 0.33 marks per wrong answer, so guesswork needs to be smart, not random.
Interview
Worth 100 marks. Tests your technical grasp, communication, and general awareness about the department you're applying to. Final merit is built from mains marks plus interview marks.
Detailed syllabus
Prelims
- General Hindi: Hindi grammar basics, sandhi, samas, paryayvachi and vilom shabd, muhavare, vakya sudhar, and general comprehension.
- General Knowledge: current affairs, Indian history (especially UP-related history), geography, polity, general science applications in daily life.
- Engineering Aptitude (branch-specific): covers your core branch subjects at a moderate depth, plus general engineering topics like design principles, materials science, thermodynamics basics, project management, safety standards, renewable energy, measurement systems, and disaster management.
Mains — Civil Engineering
Paper 1
- Engineering mechanics, strength of materials, structural analysis
- Design of steel structures, concrete and masonry structures
- Construction materials and building technology
- Project management and estimation
- Geotechnical engineering and foundation design
Paper 2
- Fluid mechanics and hydraulics
- Hydrology and irrigation engineering
- Hydraulic machines
- Highway and railway engineering
- Water supply, wastewater treatment, and solid waste management
Mains — Mechanical Engineering
Paper 1: Engineering mechanics, theory of machines, mechanisms, machine design, materials science, manufacturing processes, industrial engineering basics.
Paper 2: Thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, refrigeration and air conditioning, power plant engineering, IC engines.
Mains — Electrical Engineering
Paper 1: Network analysis, electromagnetic theory, control systems, electronics, electrical machines.
Paper 2: Power systems, power electronics, digital systems, protection systems, microprocessors.
Mains — Agricultural Engineering
Paper 1: Thermodynamics, farm power and machinery, heat and mass transfer, post-harvest processing and storage.
Paper 2: Hydraulics, surveying, soil and water conservation engineering, irrigation pumps, drainage systems, rural infrastructure design.
Whatever your branch, don't skip the general knowledge and Hindi sections thinking they're easy marks anyway. Many candidates lose their edge here simply because they never practiced it seriously. Our General Awareness guide is a good place to build that base without wasting weeks on it.
Salary, pay scale, and career growth
UPPSC AE is placed at Level 10 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, with a starting basic pay of ₹15,600, going up to ₹39,100 in the pay band, plus grade pay of ₹5,400.
With DA, HRA (depending on your posting city), and other allowances added, the realistic in-hand salary works out to roughly ₹55,000 to ₹65,000 a month for a fresh Assistant Engineer, and this only grows with annual increments and DA revisions.
Career progression is the real draw here. After putting in the required years of service and clearing departmental promotion criteria, an AE moves up to Executive Engineer, then Superintending Engineer, and eventually Chief Engineer level in the department. It's a slow climb, but it's a stable one, and by the time you're mid-career, you're managing entire projects and teams, not just inspecting sites.
Previous year cut-off
Cut-offs vary heavily by department, branch, and year. Here's mains cut-off data from the Irrigation department in past cycles, just to give you a sense of scale (out of the combined mains marks):
| Category | Civil Engineering (2020) | Mechanical Engineering (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | ~538 | — |
| OBC | ~511 | ~634 |
| SC | ~506 | ~576 |
| ST | ~444 | ~455 |
| EWS | ~515 | — |
These numbers move up or down depending on vacancy count and difficulty of that year's paper. Treat them as a rough benchmark, not a fixed target. UPPSC will publish fresh cut-offs once the current cycle's mains results and final merit are out.
Best books and preparation strategy
You don't need twenty books for this. You need the right five or six, read properly, with practice built in around them.
Core engineering (branch-specific): Stick to your standard engineering degree textbooks — for Civil, that's books by B.C. Punmia for surveying and RCC, S.S. Bhavikatti for strength of materials, and standard IS code references. For other branches, use whatever you already trust from your B.Tech years. Don't switch to unfamiliar authors this late.
General Studies and Hindi: Any standard state PCS-level GS book plus a basic Hindi grammar guide covers this well. Our General Awareness guide and Reading Room have free material if you don't want to buy separate books just for this portion.
A rough month-wise plan, assuming you have 5-6 months before prelims:
- Months 1-2: Revise core branch subjects thoroughly. This is 200 out of 300 marks in prelims and carries the biggest weight in mains too.
- Month 3: Cover GK and Hindi basics alongside continued branch revision. Start solving previous year papers.
- Month 4: Full-length mock tests weekly. Our online test series gives you a realistic sense of timing and difficulty before the real thing.
- Month 5: Focus on weak areas identified from mocks. Use topic-wise practice to drill specific chapters where your accuracy is low.
- Month 6: Light revision only. No new topics. Sleep well before the exam.
Once prelims is cleared, mains prep needs a different gear — more writing practice, more depth on design and numerical problems, since mains is subjective and marks depend on how well you present your answer, not just whether you know the concept.
Common mistakes and honest advice
Most candidates who fail this exam don't fail because they don't know engineering. They fail because they underestimate the GK, Hindi, and current affairs portion, thinking their branch knowledge alone will carry them through. It won't — 100 out of 300 prelims marks come from outside your core subject.
Another common mistake: ignoring negative marking discipline in mains. A wrong guess costs you 0.33 marks, and in a paper with tight competition, those small losses add up fast.
Also, don't wait for the "perfect" notification timing to start studying. Cycles can be unpredictable, sometimes there's a gap of a year or more between notifications. If you wait for the form to open before you start preparing, you'll be racing the clock the whole way. Start now, using the last cycle's syllabus and pattern as your base — it barely changes year to year.
FAQ
Is there a new UPPSC AE notification in 2026? As of August 2026, no fresh AE notification has been released. The last completed cycle was 2024-25 with 604 vacancies. Keep checking uppsc.up.nic.in for updates.
How many vacancies were there in the last UPPSC AE cycle? 604 posts across Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Agricultural Engineering branches, spread over departments like PWD, Irrigation, and Rural Engineering Services.
What is the age limit for UPPSC AE? 21 to 40 years, with relaxation up to 5 years for UP-domiciled OBC/SC/ST candidates and up to 15 years for PwD candidates.
Is UPPSC AE only for UP domicile candidates? No. Any Indian citizen from any state can apply, as long as age and qualification criteria are met.
What is the selection process? Three stages — Prelims (qualifying), Mains (merit-determining, written), and Interview (100 marks).
Is UPPSC AE prelims marks counted in final merit? No. Prelims is purely qualifying. Only mains and interview marks decide your final rank.
What is the starting salary of a UPPSC AE? Pay Level 10 of the 7th CPC, basic pay ₹15,600 rising to ₹39,100, with in-hand salary roughly ₹55,000-65,000 a month after allowances.
Which engineering branches can apply for UPPSC AE? Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Agricultural Engineering, depending on the vacancies notified that cycle.
Can a final-year B.Tech student apply? Only if the degree is in hand by the application deadline specified in that cycle's notification. Appearing candidates without a completed degree are usually not eligible.
How tough is the competition for UPPSC AE? It's genuinely tough, especially in Civil Engineering, which has the most applicants per seat. Mechanical and Electrical see fewer applicants but also fewer vacancies, so competition stays intense across branches.
Related reads on Pareeksha
If you're preparing for UPPSC AE, you might also find these useful:
- UP Lekhpal exam guide
- UP Police Constable exam guide
- UPSSSC PET guide
- UP exams hub for other UP-level government exams
Final word
UPPSC AE is a solid exam to target if you're an engineering graduate from UP or anywhere else in India, and you want a technical government role with real responsibility and a clear promotion ladder. The wait between notifications can be frustrating, but the syllabus and pattern stay fairly consistent cycle to cycle, so there's no reason to sit idle until the next form opens.
Start with your core branch subjects, don't neglect the GK and Hindi portion, and build a habit of solving mock papers well before the real exam gets announced. Check our study plan and current affairs sections regularly to stay sharp on the non-technical portion, and when the notification does drop, you'll already be ahead of most people scrambling to start from zero.
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