About Various Exams

Central Water Commission is a premier technical organization of India in the field of Water Resources and is presently functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India. The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for purpose of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply and Water Power Development. It also undertakes the investigations, construction and execution of any such schemes as required.

CPWD came into existence in July, 1854 when Lord Dalhousie established a central agency for execution of public works and set up Ajmer Provincial Division. Through the professional expertise in disciplines including Architecture, Engineering, Project Management coupled with comprehensive experience in building construction and maintenance CPWD has been serving the nation for last 162 years and has executed priority of works in difficult and demanding geographical and climatic conditions. It has now grown into a comprehensive construction management department, which provides services from project concept to completion, consultancy and maintenance management. It is headed by DG who is also the Principal Technical Advisor to the Government of India. The regions and sub-regions are headed by Special DGs and Additional DGs respectively, while the zones in all state capitals (except a few) are headed by Chief Engineers.

For more than 150 years, the Department of Posts (DoP) has been the backbone of the country’s communication and has played a crucial role in the country’s social economic development. It touches the lives of Indian citizens in many ways: delivering mails, accepting deposits under Small Savings Schemes, providing life insurance cover under Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) and providing retail services like bill collection, sale of forms, etc. The DoP also acts as an agent for Government of India in discharging other services for citizens such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) wage disbursement and old age pension payments. With 1, 55,015 Post Offices, the DoP has the most widely distributed postal network in the world.

The Military Engineer Services (MES) is the premier construction agency and one of the pillars of Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army which provides rear line engineering support to the Armed Forces. It is responsible for creating the strategic and the operational infrastructure other than major roads, as also the administrative habitat for all three Services and the associated organisations of the Ministry of Defence. It has Pan India footprint to provide engineering support to various formations of Army, Air Force, Navy and DRDO. MES is a military organisation but has both Army and Civilian component of officers and other subordinate staff. The MES functions under the overall control of the Engineer-in- Chief, who is the advisor to the Ministry of Defence and the three Services on operational and peace time construction activities. The Military Engineering Services are responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of all infrastructure assets of the Army, Navy and Air Force. It is structured to design works which are executed through contracts under the supervision of officers and staff consisting of both civilians and combatants from the Corps of Engineers. It has an integral multi-disciplinary team of architects, civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, structural designers, quantity surveyors and contract specialists for planning, designing and supervision of works. The civilian cadres consists of four main cadre i.e. Engineering, Surveyor cadre, Architect and BSO (all being qualified engineers) and an Administrative cadre. All human resource issues such as recruitment, training, posting and promotion in respect of the officers and the subordinate staff are dealt through different HQs under the guidelines of Engineer-in- Chiefs Branch/ IHQ MoD. MES is the only construction agency in the country which carries out all construction related tasks like construction of residential and office buildings, hospitals, roads and runways, marine structure like docks and harbours across the country including border areas. Besides conventional buildings, MES is largely involved in the construction of sophisticated and complex laboratories, factories and workshops, hospitals, airfields, runways and hangars, dockyards, wharves and other marine structures. It also deals with all the multifarious associated requirements such as air-conditioning, cold storage, electric and water supply, sewage treatment and so on. Most important of all, the facilities, assets and infrastructure created are maintained in a serviceable state and, in some cases, operated too, by the MES. The MES also contributes significantly towards nation building and disaster mitigation. MES has been entrusted with a number of important projects, vital for the operational efficiency of the Defence Forces which includes important infrastructure projects of the three Services and also projects like the National War Memorial etc.

Farakka Barrage Project with headquarters at Farakka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal is a subordinate office under the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. The Farakka Barrage Project Authority was set up in 1961 with the mandate to execute and thereafter operate and maintain the Farakka Barrage Project Complex comprising of Farakka Barrage, Jangipur Barrage, Feeder Canal, Navigation Lock and associated structures. The Barrage comprises of 112 nos. of Gates (108 Nos. main Gates and 4 Nos. Fish Lock Gates) and 11 Nos. Head Regulator Gates for diversion of approximately 40,000 cusec (1035 cumec) of discharge into the Feeder Canal. Main objective of the Farakka Barrage Project complex is to divert adequate quantity of Ganga waters to Bhagirathi-Hoogly river system through 38.38 km long feeder canal for preservation and maintenance of Kolkata Port by improving the regime and navigability of the Bhagirathi-Hoogly river system. The increased upland supply from Ganga at Farakka into Bhagirathi reduces salinity and ensures sweet water supply to Kolkata and surrounding areas. The rail-cum-road bridge built across the river Ganga at Farakka establishes direct road and rail communication link to the North-Eastern Region with rest of the country. The Hoogly-Bhagirathi river system, the Feeder Canal and the Navigation Lock at Farakka form part of the Haldia- Allahabad Inland Waterway (National Waterway No:1). The Feeder Canal also supplies water to 2100 MW Farakka Super Thermal Power Project (FSTPP) of NTPC Ltd. at Farakka.

The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, which began in a humble way in 1916 as a Special Irrigation Division of the then Bombay Presidency, is today an institution of international standing. At its inception, the institution was located at Hadapsar, on the banks of Mutha Right Bank Canal that originated from the then Lake Fife, the reservoir formed by Khadakwasla dam. One of the major objectives of the CWPRS has been to develop a state-of-the-art technology centre to enable the solution of complex water resources problems in the country. To this end, CWPRS has set up laboratories in the following disciplines:


◉ River Engineering

◉ River and Reservoir System Modelling

◉ Coastal and Offshore Engineering

◉ Foundation and Structures

◉ Applied Earth Sciences

◉ Reservoir and Appurtenant Structure

◉ Instrumentation Calibration and Testing Services


The unwritten mandate of CWPRS that evolved in the early years to serve the applied research requirements of the water resources sector in the country, and to carry out such fundamental research as may be necessary therefore, continued to be the natural goal of the institution until 1990, when a formal mandate of the institution was drafted by the Governing Council. In addition to carrying out fundamental and applied research and rendering consultancy advice in the area covering the entire life cycle of water from its origin to joining the sea, CWPRS is now called upon to widen its activities by disseminating the research findings and building up of technical data base in water resources and more importantly, organizing and assisting research activities in State and other institutions concerned with water resources, and carrying out training of research manpower.

The Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) is under Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence. This organisation is more than hundred years old and provides Quality Assurance (QA) cover for the entire range of Arms, Ammunitions, Equipments and Stores supplied to Armed Forces. Apart from QA activities, the organisation is responsible for import substitution and associates with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the development projects. It also ensures Documentation, Codification and Standardisation Action for minimizing the variety of components / equipments. The other services rendered are promotion of small scale industries, Post procurement services, Defect Investigations and Technical Consultancy to the users, Ministry and the Production Agencies.

The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), originally known as the National Technical Facilities Organisation (NTFO), is a highly specialised technical intelligence gathering agency. While the agency does not affect the working of technical wings of various intelligence agencies, including those of the Indian Armed Forces, it acts as a super-feeder agency for providing technical intelligence to other agencies on internal and external security. The agency is under the control of India's external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, although it remains autonomous to some degree. The organisation does hi-tech surveillance jobs, including satellite monitoring, terrestrial monitoring, internet monitoring, considered vital for the national security apparatus. The road-map for constitution of the National Technical Facilities Organisation was prepared by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam in October 2001 when he was the Principal Scientific Adviser. It was subsequently mentioned in the Group of Ministers report on internal security.

Nation's most reputed, multifaceted, transnational, modern construction organisation committed to meeting the strategic needs of the armed forces with enlightened leadership, a strong, skilled and committed work force, a well ingrained value system and a strong environment conscience.


◉ To support the armed forces meet their strategic needs by committed, dedicated and cost effective development and sustenance of the infrastructure.

◉ To achieve international levels of quality excellence and time consciousness in a diversified sphere of construction activity in a cost effective manner.

◉ Optimise potential and expertise through increased involvement in agency, transnational and national development projects.

◉ To attain leadership in development, adoption, assimilation and use of state of the art technology.

◉ To create the environment for accurate, real time and effective decision making through optimising use of information technology.

◉ Through a focus on core competencies; ensure highest level of skill and proficiency in construction activity.

◉ To sustain a sense of values in the organisation that will ensure a high level of self esteem in each individual and immeasurable synergy in the organisation.

◉ To help enrich the quality of life of the community and ensure all round growth.

The Syllabus for General Intelligence would include questions of both verbal and non-verbal type. The test may include questions on analogies, similarities, differences, space visualization, problem solving, analysis, judgment, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, arithmetical number series, etc. The test will also include questions designed to test the candidate's abilities to deal with abstract ideas and symbols and their relationships, arithmetical computations and other analytical functions.

Questions will be aimed at testing the candidate's general awareness of the environment around him/ her and its application to society. Questions will also be designed to test knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observations and experience in their scientific aspect as may be expected of any educated person. The test will also include questions relating to India and its neighbouring countries especially pertaining to History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General Polity and Scientific Research, etc. These questions will be such that they do not require a special study of any discipline.

Part-A (Civil Engineering)
Building Materials, Estimating, Costing and Valuation, Surveying, Soil Mechanics, Hydraulics, Irrigation Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Environmental Engineering. Structural Engineering: Theory of Structures, Concrete Technology, RCC Design, Steel Design.

Part-B (Electrical Engineering)
Basic Concepts, Circuit law, Magnetic Circuit, AC Fundamentals, Measurement and Measuring instruments, Electrical Machines, Fractional Kilowatt Motors and single phase induction Motors, Synchronous Machines, Generation, Transmission and Distribution, Estimation and Costing, Utilization and Electrical Energy, Basic Electronics.

Part-C (Mechanical Engineering)
Theory of Machines and Machine Design, Engineering Mechanics and Strength of Materials, Properties of Pure Substances, 1st Law of Thermodynamics, 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, Air standard Cycles for IC Engines, IC Engine Performance, IC Engines Combustion, IC Engine Cooling & Lubrication, Rankine cycle of System, Boilers, Classification, Specification, Fitting & Accessories, Air Compressors & their cycles, Refrigeration cycles, Principle of Refrigeration Plant, Nozzles & Steam Turbines, Properties & Classification of Fluids, Fluid Statics, Measurement of Fluid Pressure, Fluid kinematics, Dynamics of Ideal fluids, Measurement of Flow rate, basic principles, Hydraulic Turbines, Centrifugal Pumps, Classification of steel.

Building Materials
Physical and Chemical properties, classification, standard tests, uses and manufactur/ quarrying of materials e.g. building stones, silicate based materials, cement (Portland), asbestos products, timber and wood based products, laminates, bituminous materials, paints, varnishes.

Estimating, Costing and Valuation
Estimate, glossary of technical terms, analysis of rates, methods and unit of measurement, Items of work - Earthwork, Brick work (Modular & Traditional bricks), RCC work, Shuttering, Timber work, Painting, Flooring, Plastering, Boundary wall, Brick building, Water Tank, Septic tank, Bar bending schedule, Centre line method, Mid-section formula, Trapezoidal formula, Simpson's rule, Cost estimate of Septic tank, flexible pavements, Tube well, isolates and combined footings, Steel Truss, Piles and pile-caps. Valuation - Value and cost, scrap value, salvage value, assessed value, sinking fund, depreciation and obsolescence, methods of valuation.

Surveying
Principles of surveying, measurement of distance, chain surveying, working of prismatic compass, compass traversing, bearings, local attraction, plane table surveying, theodolite traversing, adjustment of theodolite, Levelling, Definition of terms used in levelling, contouring, curvature and refraction corrections, temporary and permanent adjustments of dumpy level, methods of contouring, uses of contour map, tachometric survey, curve setting, earth work calculation, advanced Surveying equipments.

Soil Mechanics
Origin of soil, phase diagram, Definitions-void ratio, porosity, degree of saturation, water content, specific gravity of soil grains, unit weights, density index and interrelationship of different parameters, Grain size distribution curves and their uses Index properties of soils, Atterber's limits, ISI soil classification and plasticity chart Permeability of soil, coefficient of permeability, determination of coefficient of permeability, Unconfined and confined aquifers, effective stress, quick sand, consolidation of soils, Principles of consolidation, degree of consolidation, pre-consolidation pressure, normally consolidated soil, e-log p curve, computation of ultimate settlement Shear strength of soils, direct shear test, Vane shear test, Triaxial test Soil compaction, Laboratory compaction test, Maximum dry density and optimum moisture content, earth pressure theories, active and passive earth pressures, Bearing capacity of soils, plate load test, standard penetration test.

Hydraulics
Fluid properties, hydrostatics, measurements of flow, Bernoulli's theorem and its application, flow through pipes, flow in open channels, weirs, flumes, spillways, pumps and turbines.

Irrigation Engineering
Definition, necessity, benefits, 2II effects of irrigation, types and methods of irrigation, Hydrology - Measurement of rainfall, run off coefficient, rain gauge, losses from precipitation - evaporation, infiltration, etc.Water requirement of crops, duty, delta and base period, Kharif and Rabi Crops, Command area, Time factor, Crop ratio, Overlap allowance, Irrigation efficiencies Different type of canals, types of canal irrigation, loss of water in canals Canal lining - types and advantages Shallow and deep to wells, yield from a well Weir and barrage, Failure of weirs and permeable foundation, Slit and Scour, Kennedy's theory of critical velocity, Lacey's theory of uniform flow . Definition of flood, causes and effects, methods of flood control, water logging, preventive measure Land reclamation, Characteristics of affecting fertility of soils, purposes, methods, description of land and reclamation processes Major irrigation projects in India.

Transportation Engineering
Highway Engineering - cross sectional elements, geometric design, types of pavements, pavement materials - aggregates and bitumen, different tests, Design of flexible and rigid pavements - Water Bound Macadam (WBM) and Wet Mix Macadam (WMM), Gravel Road, Bituminous construction, Rigid pavement joint, pavement maintenance, Highway drainage, Railway Engineering- Components of permanent way - sleepers, ballast, fixtures and fastening, track geometry, points and crossings, track junction, stations and yards Traffic Engineering - Different traffic survey, speed-flow-density and their interrelationships, intersections and interchanges, traffic signals, traffic operation, traffic signs and markings, road safety.

Environmental Engineering:
Quality of water, source of water supply, purification of water, distribution of water, need of sanitation, sewerage systems, circular sewer, oval sewer, sewer appurtenances, sewage treatments Surface water drainage Solid waste management - types, effects, engineered management system. Air pollution - pollutants, causes, effects, control Noise pollution - cause, health effects, control.

Part-(A) Structural Engineering:

Theory of structures
Elasticity constants, types of beams - determinate and indeterminate, bending moment and shear force diagrams of simply supported, cantilever and over hanging beams Moment of area and moment of inertia for rectangular & circular sections, bending moment and shear stress for tee, channel and compound sections, chimneys, dams and retaining walls, eccentric loads, slope deflection of simply supported and cantilever beams, critical load and columns, Torsion of circular section

Concrete Technology
Properties, Advantages and uses of concrete, cement aggregates, importance of water quality, water cement ratio, workability, mix design, storage, batching, mixing, placement, compaction, finishing and curing of concrete, quality control of concrete, hot weather and cold weather concreting, repair and maintenance of concrete structures

RCC Design
RCC beams-flexural strength, shear strength, bond strength, design of singly reinforced and double reinforced beams, cantilever beams T-beams, lintels ,One way and two way slabs, isolated footings Reinforced brick works, columns, staircases, retaining wall, water tanks (RCC design questions may be based on both Limit State and Working Stress methods)

Steel Design
Steel design and construction of steel columns, beams roof trusses plate girders

Basic concepts
Concepts of resistance, inductance, capacitance, and various factors affecting them. Concepts of current, voltage, power, energy and their units

Circuit law
Kirchhoff"s law, Simple Circuit solution using network theorems

Magnetic Circuit
Concepts of flux, mmf, reluctance, Different kinds of magnetic materials, Magnetic calculations for conductors of different configuration e.g. straight, circular, solenoidal, etc. Electromagnetic induction, self and mutual induction

AC Fundamentals
Instantaneous, peak, RMS and average values of alternating waves, Representation of sinusoidal wave form, simple series and parallel AC Circuits consisting of RL and C, Resonance, Tank Circuit Poly Phase system - star and delta connection, 3 phase power, DC and sinusoidal response of R-Land R-C circuit

Measurement and measuring instruments
Measurement of power (1 phase and 3 phase, both active and re-active) and energy, 2 Wattmeter method of 3 phase power measurement of frequency and phase angle Ammeter and voltmeter (both moving oil and moving iron type), extension of rangeW, Multimeters, Megger, Energy meter AC Bridges Use of CRO, Signal Generator, CT, PT and their uses Earth Fault detection

Electrical Machines
(a) DC Machine - Construction, Basic Principles of DC motors and generators, their characteristics, speed control and starting of DC Motors, Method of braking motor, Losses and efficiency of DC Machines (b) 1 phase and 3 phase transformers - Construction, Principles of operation, equivalent circuit, voltage regulation, OC and SC Tests, Losses and efficiency Effect of voltage, frequency and wave form on losses Parallel operation of 1 phase /3 phase transformers Auto transformers (c) 3 phase induction motors, rotating magnetic field, principle of operation, equivalent circuit, torque-speed characteristics, starting and speed control of 3 phase induction motors, Methods of braking, effect of voltage and frequency variation on torque speed characteristics. Fractional Kilowatt Motors and Single Phase Induction Motors: Characteristics and applications

Synchronous Machines
Generation of 3-phase emf armature reaction, voltage regulation, parallel operation of two alternators, synchronizing, control of active and reactive power Starting and applications of synchronous motors

Generation, Transmission and Distribution
Different types of power stations, Load factor, diversity factor, demand factor, cost of generation, inter-connection of power stations Power factor improvement, various types of tariffs, types of faults, short circuit current for symmetrical faults Switchgears - rating of circuit breakers, Principles of arc extinction by oil and air, HRC Fuses, Protection against earth leakage / over current, etc. Buchholtz relay, Merz-Price system of protection of generators & transformers, protection of feeders and bus bars Lightning arresters, various transmission and distribution system, comparison of conductor materials, efficiency of different system Cable - Different type of cables, cable rating and derating factor

Estimation and costing
Estimation of lighting scheme, electric installation of machines and relevant IE rules Earthing practices and IE Rules

Utilization of Electrical Energy
Illumination, Electric heating, Electric welding, Electroplating, Electric drives and motors

Basic Electronics
Working of various electronic devices e.g. P N Junction diodes, Transistors (NPN and PNP type), BJT and JFET Simple circuits using these devices

Theory of Machines and Machine Design
Concept of simple machine, Four bar linkage and link motion, Flywheels and fluctuation of energy, Power transmission by belts - V-belts and Flat belts, Clutches - Plate and Conical clutch, Gears - Type of gears, gear profile and gear ratio calculation, Governors - Principles and classification, Riveted joint, Cams, Bearings, Friction in collars and pivots

Engineering Mechanics and Strength of Materials
Equilibrium of Forces, Law of motion, Friction, Concepts of stress and strain, Elastic limit and elastic constants, Bending moments and shear force diagram, Stress in composite bars, Torsion of circular shafts, Buckling of columns - Euler's and Rankin's theories, Thin walled pressure vessels

Thermal Engineering Properties of Pure Substances
P-v & P-T diagrams of pure substance like H 2 O, Introduction of steam table with respect to steam generation process; definition of saturation, wet & superheated status, Definition of dryness fraction of steam, degree of superheat of steam H-s chart of steam (Mollier"s Chart) First Law of Thermodynamics : Definition of stored energy & internal energy, 1st Law of Thermodynamics of cyclic process, Non Flow Energy Equation, Flow Energy & Definition of Enthalpy, Conditions for Steady State Steady Flow; Steady State Steady Flow Energy Equation Second Law of Thermodynamics : Definition of Sink, Source Reservoir of Heat, Heat Engine, Heat Pump & Refrigerator; Thermal Efficiency of Heat Engines & co-efficient of performance of Refrigerators, Kelvin - Planck & Clausius Statements of 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, Absolute or Thermodynamic Scale of temperature, Clausius Integral, Entropy, Entropy change calculation of ideal gas processes Carnot Cycle & Carnot Efficiency, PMM-2; definition & its impossibility Air standard Cycles for IC engines : Otto cycle; plot on P-V, T-S Planes; Thermal Efficiency, Diesel Cycle; Plot on P-V, T-S planes; Thermal efficiency IC Engine Performance, IC Engine Combustion, IC Engine Cooling & Lubrication Rankine cycle of steam : Simple Rankine cycle plot on P-V, T-S, h-s planes, Rankine cycle efficiency with & without pump work Boilers; Classification; Specification; Fittings & Accessories : Fire Tube & Water Tube Boilers Air Compressors & their cycles; Refrigeration cycles; Principle of a Refrigeraton Plant; Nozzles & Steam Turbines

Fluid Mechanics & Machinery Properties & Classification of Fluid
Properties & Classification of Fluid : Ideal & real fluids, Newton's law of viscosity, Newtonian and Non-Newtonian fluids, compressible and incompressible fluids Fluid Statics: Pressure at a point Measurement of Fluid Pressure: Manometers, U-tube, Inclined tube Fluid Kinematics: Stream line, laminar & turbulent flow, external & internal flow, continuity equation Dynamics of ideal fluids: Bernoulli's equation, Total head; Velocity head; Pressure head; Application of Bernoulli's equitation Measurement of Flow rate Basic Principles: Venturimeter, Pilot tube, Orifice meter Hydraulic Turbines: Classifications, Principles Centrifugal Pumps: Classifications, Principles, Performance

Production Engineering
Classification of Steels : mild steal & alloy steel, Heat treatment of steel, Welding - Arc Welding, Gas Welding, Resistance Welding, Special Welding Techniques ie TIG, MIG, etc (Brazing & Soldering), Welding Defects & Testing; NDT, Foundry & Casting - methods, defects, different casting processes, Forging, Extrusion, etc, Metal cutting principles, cutting tools, Basic Principles of machining with (i) Lathe (ii) Milling (iii) Drilling (iv) Shaping (v) Grinding, Machines, tools & manufacturing processes