Preparation Strategy for ESE Mechanical Engineering

The Engineering services exam (ESE) is held once every year and witnesses many aspirants. There is a lot of demand for this exam as the selected candidates get reputed jobs in the specific engineering discipline. The level of this exam is quite tough and it is not everyone’s cup of tea to crack this exam with good scores. One needs to study strategically to clear this exam. In this article, we will discuss the detailed preparation strategy for ESE Mechanical Engineering.

The important thing to know here is that the ESE Exam is divided into two exams i.e. ESE Prelims and the ESE mains. Only those candidates are eligible to appear for the mains exam who clear the prelim exam. Hence, one should prepare according to both these exams keeping in mind the weightage, syllabus and exam pattern.

The primary thing to know is the importance/weightage of topics before starting the preparation. The most important topics of mechanical engineering are:

1. Fluid Mechanics- This is one of the important topics and on an average, around 10% of questions are asked in the exam related to this topic. 
2. Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer- This topic constitutes a total of 15% to 20% marks in the paper. 
3. IC Engines, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning- This is the most important topic in the ESE Exam which constitutes 20% to 25% in the overall paper. 
4. Turbo Machinery- This topic consists of 5% to 10% marks in the paper. 
5. Renewable sources of Energy- This topic contains 15% to 20% marks in the entire paper. 

The next thing to consider while preparing is When to start the preparation?

The ideal time to start the preparation would be when the candidate is in their last year of engineering or have just completed the engineering. This way it would be easier for them to learn the concepts as they are fresh in their mind. Normally, the candidates should start their preparation 12-15 months before the examination. 

One of the important aspects which many students fail to understand while preparing is that they consider their engineering syllabus to be exactly the same as the ESE exam. Hence, they take the exam lightly and study only what has been taught in their engineering. It is a very wrong approach as the level of ESE exam is quite tough and it covers only 50-60% of the entire engineering syllabus. Candidates have to plan an advanced preparation strategy. 

The Importance of Preparation Strategy/Study Plan:

Preparation strategy/Study plan plays a major role not only for ESE Mechanical Engineering but any other exams. Candidates should make a study plan or strategy to help them understand the time given to each topic. This way they can give maximum time to every topic and can adjust the time according to their need. 

Refer the Correct Reference Books:

Reference books should be selected very wisely when preparing for this exam. Referring to the wrong books can cause a blunder as candidates can end up gaining the wrong information.

Some of the reliable reference books for mechanical engineering are as follows:

1. Thermodynamics by P.K Nag or Cengel Boles
2. I.C Engines by R.P Sharma or M.L Mathur
3. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning by P.K Nag
4. Fluid Mechanics by D.S Kumar or Frank m. white 
5. Theory of Machines by SS Rattan or Thomas Beven 
6. Strength Of Materials by Timoshenko gere, Ramamrutham or B.C Punia
7. Machine Design by VB Bhandari or Shigley
8. Heat and Mass Transfer by R.C Sachdev, P.K Nag or Jp Hollman 

Practice previous years question papers:

To get a fair understanding of the questions being asked in the exam, one should solve previous years question papers. It will help candidates understand the type and difficulty of the paper. 

Take Mock Tests:

Mock tests help individuals prepare better for the exam as they have similar exam pattern. It can also be useful for individuals to manage their time during the actual examination as they have practiced a lot. So candidates should try to take online mock tests regularly.

Understand the power of Revision: 

Revision is the last aspect of the preparation strategy of mechanical engineering. A thorough revision should be followed every day by the candidates or at least 30-40 days before the exam. A last-minute revision is very harmful as the topics are vast and the candidates have to remember the concepts till the day of the examination.

ESE Mechanical Engineering is easy if one follows this preparation strategy. Remember that start studying at least a year before the examination. Identify the most important and easy topics and then study accordingly. Use time effectively and lastly practice more and more.