Post: Assistant Sub-Engineer (असिस्टेन्ट सब-इन्जिनियर), Engineering Service, Civil Group. Level: सहायक चौथो तह — Non-gazetted 2nd Class / 4th level (Technical).
The field-supervision role: site measurement, estimates, muster rolls, and day-to-day oversight of works. Recruitment runs through the federal PSC and the provincial PSCs; the scheme below is from the official Madhesh Province PSC syllabus (local service) — confirm the current federal advertisement on psc.gov.np, as schemes differ slightly between federal and provincial recruitment.
Exam scheme (Madhesh Province PSC — official syllabus)
| Paper | Content | Format | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part II | Job Based Knowledge (सेवा सम्बन्धित कार्य-ज्ञान) | Objective (MCQ), 30 × 2 marks | 60 |
| Paper II — Section A | Units 1–4 (Drawing, Estimating, Survey, Materials) | Subjective: 6 short × 5 + 2 long × 10 | 50 |
| Paper II — Section B | Units 5–7 (Construction Tech, Building Services, Local Infra) | Subjective: 6 short × 5 + 2 long × 10 | 50 |
The subjective paper asks short (5-mark) and long (10-mark) questions distributed across the 7 units — roughly 1–3 short questions and up to 1 long question per unit.
The 7 units
1. Engineering Drawing
Units, dimensions and conversion with special reference to the SI system; elementary idea of drawing and building drawings; drafting techniques in common practice — types of lines (thick, thin, dark, light: vertical, horizontal, inclined) and their effects; representation of materials — stone, timber, glass, metal, brick, concrete, sand, earth, tile, plaster; dimensioning — element-to-element, centre-to-centre, overall; measured drawing — horizontal/vertical and sectional measurement; scales — choice, use, conversion; working drawings — why detailing matters for estimation, BOQ and supervision; structural working drawings and details of columns, beams, slabs, foundations; as-built drawings and project completion reports.
2. Estimating, Costing & Supervision
Purpose of estimating; methods of estimate; types — preliminary, approximate quantity, detailed, revised; standard estimate formats of the Government of Nepal; rates, rate analysis and norms; estimating items of construction works; estimates of civil works, site development works and services; specifications — purpose, types, necessity, importance; property valuation — concepts and purposes; supervision; measurement book; muster roll.
3. Engineering Survey
Basics of surveying — importance and types; scales, plans, maps; conventional signs and field-booking systems; basic concepts of compass, plane table, levelling and theodolite.
4. Construction Materials
Rocks/stone — types, characteristics, properties of good building stone; aggregates (fine and coarse); cement — types, properties, suitability, admixtures; metals and alloys; brick — types and sizes available in Nepal; lime and surkhi — types, properties, uses; mortar — types, properties, proportions; paints and varnishes — constituents, types, uses; floor finishes — punning, tiles, mosaic, clay, concrete, vinyl, marble, flagstones, wooden boarding, parquet; timber; wall finishes — cement/lime/mud plasters, punning, skirting, cladding; roofing materials; quality control including laboratory tests.
5. Construction Technology
Masonry works; concrete works; flooring works; finishing works; construction of building components; earthquake-resistant building construction; temporary constructions; rural technology and alternate energy. Concrete technology and management: constituents, aggregate grading, water–cement ratio, workability and strength, mixing/laying/pouring/compaction, reinforcement laying, formwork, curing, material storage and management, site record keeping (daily work done, manpower mobilised, material storage), construction safety, scheduling tools.
6. Building Services
Water supply — types of storage (underground, overhead), pipe types and fittings; septic tank, soak pit, vents, manholes, sewerage pipe types; electrical installation and distribution — wiring systems (surface, concealed), safety (earthing, lightning arrestors); lighting principles and fixtures; National Building Code of Nepal.
7. Local Infrastructures
- Roads and bridges: road network components, road construction processes, road layers and pavement types, road network development in Nepal, rural and motorable road layout and construction, cross drains (bridges, culverts, causeways), side drains, retaining walls, road signs, lighting and traffic signals.
- Irrigation: system components, need for irrigation, irrigation methods, headworks and canal networks, operation and maintenance, river training works.
- Water supply: system components, community-based water supply, source selection, demand analysis, operation and maintenance, basic treatment and filtration, users’ contribution, sanitation components and structures.
Practice quiz
100 original practice MCQs in 5 sets of 20, covering all 7 units every set — with instant feedback. Start the Assistant Sub-Engineer practice quiz →
How to use this with our practice quizzes
- Quiz Sets 1–5 (100 questions) cover all 7 units every set — 3 questions each from units 1–6 and 2 from unit 7.
- Estimating, Costing & Supervision and Construction Materials are the highest-yield units for this post — measurement books, muster rolls, rate analysis and material tests appear in nearly every paper.
- For the subjective Paper II, practise writing 5-mark short answers from each unit — definitions with one site example each.
Syllabus summary compiled from the official Madhesh Province PSC syllabus. Always cross-check the current advertisement (federal or provincial) before the exam.