“Competitive exams always need a degree of luck,” says Mohammad Faizal, who pursued his B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from 2014-2018 and is currently working at Citicorp. He scored well in the IES exam with a three-round aggregate of 601 marks. “IES is the engineering services sector of UPSC. This exam has three stages. The first round is the prelims, second is the mains, and the final round is an interview,” says Faizal.

Students can apply through the UPSC website when the portal for this exam opens. Also, on asking why he chose this exam, he says, “I wanted to get into a government sector job under the central government and not a PSU. It is the safest option you can opt for in core engineering sectors.” Having begun the preparation for the exam from his third year, he advises students to prepare for multiple exams simultaneously and continues to explain every round of IES in detail. “After the interview, candidates are required to attend a training session in Delhi, post which they will be allotted different sections according to their scores. The top scorers get into railways, as it is the most prestigious.” 

Coming to the preparation, he says, “The right time for preparation would be during college days. It is only then that the effort to output ratio will be at its peak.” Faizal’s words to students who intend to take up the exam are - “Score as much as you can in the aptitude part because the score of mains and aptitude will be combined. Being clear about solving problems for the second round. Focus primarily on 70% of the concepts, as this increases your odds of clearing it. The interview will exploit your knowledge; hence it is advisable to a strong understanding of the concepts.”