PSU Exam Pattern, Syllabus, and Selection Process
Many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) recruit aspiring candidates based on their GATE scores. However, some PSUs conduct their own exam and recruit eligible candidates for various posts including Executive Trainee, Management Trainee, Junior Engineer, and more. Candidates are shortlisted based on written exam and personal interviews. Once the candidates get qualified or shortlisted in these two stages, they have the opportunity to work under organizations like BSNL, NTPC, BHEL, DRDO, SAIL, SSC, and more.
The exam pattern for PSU is more or less similar to that of GATE exam pattern with essential company-wise updates and changes. Read more to know everything on PSU exam pattern, how they carry out the selection process, and more.
Check the detailed cutoff list for the top PSU organizations like IOCL, NTPC, ONGC, HPCL, BHEL, and find out previous years' cutoff trend here!
Here's what you can take away from this PSU log:
- What does PSU exam pattern consist of?
- What is the PSU question pattern?
- Syllabus for PSU exam
- PSU exam dates
- PSU Eligibility Criteria
- PSU selection process
- Reference books and resources for PSU exam
1. PSU Exam Pattern
PSU exam pattern consists of four sections: Technical Knowledge, General English, General Aptitude and Reasoning, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs. Let's see what each section entails in detail below:
PSU exam pattern consists of four sections: Technical Knowledge, General English, General Aptitude and Reasoning, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs. Let's see what each section entails in detail below:
- Technical Knowledge
Under this area, you will be asked to answer subject-specific concepts that pertain to the branch or stream you are writing the exam for. For example, if your selected stream is Computer Science, you will be answering questions under Algorithm, Theory of Computation, and more.
- General English
As the name implies, this section covers questions on basic English grammar, vocabulary, and more. The number of General English questions will be comparatively lesser than the Technical Knowledge section.
- General Aptitude & Reasoning
Regardless of public and private sector recruitment, this is the most common section included in the written examination. This section tests your ability to solve mathematical questions. Some of the topics include Numbers, Series Completion, and more.
- General Knowledge & Current Affairs
Questions under this category will cover general awareness of the nation, politics, Indian economy, news, etc. Reading newspaper, following current affairs, and keeping up to date with the nation politics can help you solve this part of the examination.
2. PSU Question Pattern
Basically, the PSU exam contains two major sections: technical and non-technical. If you are thorough with the pattern structure, the total number of technical & non-technical questions, and negative marking, your preparation can be optimized by a notch. For an easier understanding, you should know the percentage of questions asked from every section.
| Total Number of Questions | 100-200 |
|---|---|
|
Number of Technical Questions |
75% or 80/120 (on average) |
|
Number of Non-Technical Questions |
25% or 40/120 (on average) |
|
Time Allowed |
2-3 hours |
|
Maximum Marks |
100-400 |
|
Negative Marking |
0 or -1/3 |
|
Type of Examination |
Online/Offline type |
|
Type of Questions |
Mostly objective types |
For every correct answer, 1 mark will be granted and for every wrong answer, 0-1/3 marks will be deducted.
5. PSU Eligibility Criteria
PSU Eligibility Criteria for 2019
| Organization | Branches | Age limit | Scorecard | Eligibility | Salary | Scorecard Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
HPCL |
CE, CH, ME |
25 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 50 ST - 50 PWD - 50 |
Graduated with bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology in Mechanical, Mechanical & Production, Chemical, Petrochemical, Petroleum Refining & Petrochemical, Petroleum Refining, Civil. |
Rs.50,000 to Rs.1,60,000 |
Candidates from general and OBC should have minimum 60% marks. For SC/ST/PWD candidates, the score is relaxed to 50% |
|
BSNL |
CE, EE |
|
|
BE/BTECH or equivalent in Electrical/Civil Engineering can appear for the exam. |
Rs.16,400 to Rs.40,500 |
|
|
DDA |
CE, EE, ME |
30 |
|
Graduated with a degree in Civil/Electrical/ Mechanical Engineering. |
Rs.15,600 to Rs.39,100 |
|
|
GAIL |
CH, IN |
28 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Bachelor's Degree in Chemical/ Petrochemical/ Chemical Technology/ Petrochemical/ Instrumentation/ Instrumentation & Control/ Electronics & Instrumentation/ Electrical & Instrumentation/ Electronics/ Electrical & Electronics with minimum 65% marks can appear for the exam |
Rs.60,000 to Rs.1,80,000 |
Candidates from general and OBC should have minimum of 65% marks. For SC/ST/PWD candidates, the score is relaxed to 60% |
|
IOCL |
CH, CE, CS, EE, EC, IN, ME, MT |
26 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 55 ST - 55 PWD - 55 |
Chemical Engineering in petrochemicals, polymer, plastic, Civil Engineering, Electrical engineering in Electrical & Communication, Telecomm, Instrumentation Engineering in Electronics & Instrumentation/ Instrumentation & Control, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering in Mineral/ Material Sciences |
Rs.60,000 |
Candidates who are from General and OBC should have minimum 65% marks. The SC/ST/PWD candidates should have scored 55% marks. |
|
MDL |
EE, ME |
28 |
Gen- 60 OBC - 60 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/ Mechanical & Industrial Engineering/ Mechanical & Production Engineering/ Production Engineering/ Production Engineering & Management/ Production & Industrial Engineering/ Electrical/ Electrical & Electronics/ Electrical & Instrumentation. |
Rs.40,000 to Rs.1,40,000 |
Candidates from Mechanical/Electrical should have gained minimum of 60% marks |
|
ONGC |
CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, GG, IN, MA, ME, PE, PH, PI |
30 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Bachelor's degree in mechanical / Petroleum / Civil / Electrical / Electronics / Telecom / E&T / Physics / Instrumentation / Chemical / Geology / Chemistry / Geophysics / Computer / IT |
Rs.60,000 to Rs.1,80,000 |
Candidates holding Mechanical/ Electrical degree should have secured minimum of 60% marks. |
|
PGCIL |
EE, EC, CE |
28 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 65 ST - 65 PWD - 65 |
Bachelor's degree in electrical/ Electronics/ Civil |
Rs.60,000 to Rs.1,80,000 |
Candidates holding the EE, EC, CE degree should have secured minimum of 65% marks. |
|
POSOCO |
EE, CS |
28 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 65 ST - 65 PWD - 65 |
Bachelor's degree in Electrical/ Electrical (Power)/ Electrical and Electronics/ Power Systems Engineering/ Power Engineering (Electrical)/ Computer/ Information Technology |
Rs.60,000 to Rs.1,80,000 |
Candidates holding the Electrical/ Computer Science degree should have secured minimum of 65% marks. |
|
PSTCL |
EE |
37 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Bachelor's degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering |
Rs.16,650 to Rs.39,100 + Rs.5,800 |
Candidates holding the Electrical degree should have secured minimum of 60% marks. |
|
WBSEDCL |
CE, CS, EE, ME |
27 |
|
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering/ Electrical & Electronics (Combined)/ Power Engineering/ B.Sc (H) in Physics/ Civil Engineering/Construction Engineering/ Mechanical Engineering/ Information Technology/ Computer Science/Electronics & Telecommunication/ Electronics & Communication/ M.Sc (Computer Science) |
|
|
PSU Eligibility Criteria for 2018
| Organization | Branches | Age limit | Scorecard | Eligibility | Salary | Scorecard Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
BHEL |
EE, ME |
27 |
|
Graduated with bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology for the discipline Mechanical or Electrical. |
Rs.20,600 to Rs.46,500 |
|
|
HPCL |
ME, CE, EE, EC, IN, CH |
25 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 50 ST - 50 PWD - 50 |
BE/BTECH in Electrical/Civil/Mechanical/ EC/Instrumentation/ Chemical can appear for the exam. |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
Candidates from general and OBC should have scored minimum of 60% marks. For SC/ST/PWD candidates, the score is relaxed to 50% |
|
IOCL |
CH, CE, CS, EE, EC, IN, ME, MT |
26 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 55 ST - 55 PWD - 55 |
Graduated with a degree in Engineering/Technology from the branches mentioned. |
Rs.24,900 |
Candidates from general and OBC should have minimum of 65% marks. For SC/ST/PWD candidates, the score is relaxed to 55% |
|
NHAI |
CS |
35 |
|
BE/BTECH or equivalent in Information Technology, Computer Science. |
|
|
|
PGCIL |
EE, EC, CE, CS |
28 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 65 ST - 65 PWD - 65 |
B.E./ B.Tech/ B.Sc in the branches Electrical, Electronics, Civil and Computer Science |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
Candidates should have scored a minimum of 65% marks. |
|
AAI |
CE, EE, EC, AR |
27 |
Gen- 60 OBC - 60 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Bachelor's degree in Civil / Electrical / Electronics/ Telecommunications/ Electrical / Architecture. |
Rs.40000-3% to Rs.140000 |
|
|
BPCL |
ME |
25 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 50 ST - 50 PWD - 50 |
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering |
Rs.60,000 to Rs.1,80,000 |
Candidates holding Mechanical degree should have secured minimum of 60% marks. |
PSU Eligibility Criteria for 2017
| Organization | Branches | Age limit | Scorecard | Eligibility | Salary | Scorecard Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IOCL |
CH, CE, CS, EE, EC, IN, ME, MT, XE |
26 |
|
Graduated with bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology with the minimum aggregate of 65% marks. |
Rs.24,900 |
|
|
BHEL |
EE, ME |
27 |
|
BE/BTECH in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering can appear for the exam. |
Rs.20,600 to Rs.46,500 |
|
|
GAIL |
CH, ME, EE, IN, CE, CS |
28 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Graduated with a degree in Civil/Electrical/ Mechanical/ Instrumentation/Computer Science Engineering. |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
Candidates from general and OBC should have minimum of 65% marks. For SC/ST/PWD candidates, the score is relaxed to 60%. |
|
PGCIL |
EE, EC, CE, CS |
28 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Bachelor's Degree in Civil/ Electrical/ Electronics & Communication/ Computer Science with minimum 65% marks can appear for the exam |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
|
|
HPCL |
ME, CE, EE, EC, IN, CH |
25 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 50 ST - 50 PWD - 50 |
Bachelor's Degree in Civil, Electrical Electronics & Communication, Instrumentation, and Chemical |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
Candidates from General and OBC should have minimum 65% marks. The SC/ST/PWD candidates should have scored 50% marks. |
|
BEML |
ME, EE, MT |
27 |
Gen - 70 OBC - 70 SC - 65 ST - 65 PWD - 65 |
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/ Electrical & Electronics/ Metallurgy. |
Rs.16,400 to Rs.40,500 |
Candidates from General and OBC should have minimum 70% marks. The SC/ST/PWD candidates should have scored 65% marks. |
|
BBNL |
EC, CS, EE |
27 |
|
Bachelor's degree in Electrical / Electronics and Communication/ Computer /Electrical and Electronics |
Rs.16,400 to Rs.40,500 |
|
|
CEL |
EC, ME, EE, CE |
27 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 65 ST - 65 PWD - 65 |
Bachelor's degree with the relevant branches should have minimum of 65% marks |
Rs.23,000 |
Candidates holding the EE, EC, CE, ME degree should have secured minimum 65% marks. |
|
NTPC |
EE, ME, CE, IN, EC |
27 |
Gen - 65 OBC - 65 SC - 65 ST - 65 PWD - 65 |
Bachelor's degree in Electrical / Electrical & Electronics / Electrical, Instrumentation & Control / Power Systems & High Voltage / Power Electronics / Power Mechanical / Production / Industrial/ Production & Industrial / Thermal / Mechanical & Automation / Power Engineering Civil / Construction Electronics & Instrumentation / Instrumentation & Control |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
Candidates should have secured minimum 65% marks. |
|
NLC |
ME, EE, EC, CE, IN, MN, CS |
30 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 50 ST - 50 PWD - 50 |
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Instrumentation, Computer Science |
Rs.20600-3% to Rs.46500 |
Candidates from General and OBC should have minimum 60% marks. SC/ST/PWD candidates should have scored 50% marks. |
|
BPCL |
ME, CH |
25 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 50 ST - 50 PWD - 50 |
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical Engineering. |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
Candidates must have gained minimum score of 60% |
|
ONGC |
CE, CH, CS, CY, EC, EE, GG, IN, ME, PE, PH |
30 |
Gen - 60 OBC - 60 SC - 60 ST - 60 PWD - 60 |
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical / Petroleum / Civil / Electrical / Electronics / Telecom / E&T / Physics / Instrumentation / Chemical / Geology / Chemistry / Geophysics / Computer / IT |
Rs.24,900 to Rs.50,500 |
Candidates holding the degree must have secured minimum 60% marks. |
7. PSU Selection Process
The selection process will be conducted in three stages:
| Selection process | Weightage |
|---|---|
|
Written examination |
70-85 % |
|
Personal interview and group discussion |
15-30 % and 0-5 % |
|
Medical examination |
- |
Once candidates are shortlisted with the written exam, they get qualified to the next stage. A personal interview is conducted to understand the candidate's potential. This level requires candidates to be thorough with technical knowledge, project queries if the candidate is in his/her final year, and general HR questions.
Group discussion is also conducted at some PSUs along with the interview. The management can give any general topics, mostly easy and simple to discuss. Most topics will revolve around social and political issues. The duration of the discussion would be 20-30 minutes.
Once candidates pass written and GD, they're called for medical examination. This is to ensure candidates' health status before appointment and training.