Petroleum Engineer

Studying how oil and gas sit underground, planning wells and how to drill them, deciding how to bring the oil up safely and cheaply, monitoring production, and working with geologists, drilling crews and safety teams.

A day in the work
You start the morning checking last night's production numbers from a well or field on your screen. Then you meet geologists and drilling engineers to decide the depth and path of a new well. After lunch you may visit the rig or the site to check that the safety rules are being followed, or run a computer model of the reservoir to see how much oil can still be recovered. In the evening you write a short report for your manager, and on field postings you may live in a company colony far from a big city.

1. Step 1 · Class 9–12Build a strong base in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Take PCM in Class 11–12. Fluids, pressure, heat and rocks are the ideas this work is built on.
2. Step 2 · Class 12Write JEE Main (and JEE Advanced if you aim for the IITs). Petroleum Engineering is offered at only a small number of institutes, such as IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, RGIPT and some state and private universities. Check each institute's own admission page for seats and cut-offs. RGIPT admits through JEE ranks and its own counselling (reported).
3. Step 3 · 4 yearsB.Tech in Petroleum Engineering. You study drilling, reservoir, production and petroleum geology. Do internships if you can. Keep your marks up, because ONGC's notices ask for at least 60% in the engineering degree. (reported — check with the official body)
4. Step 4 · Final or pre-final yearGATE (Petroleum Engineering paper, February 2027, run by IIT Madras). It is mainly for M.Tech and some PSU hiring. GATE 2027 allows students in the third year or higher of a degree to appear (per the official brochure). Do not assume ONGC hires on GATE score alone. ONGC's 2024 notice listed GATE papers. Its 2025 results say selection was through its own CBT, and 2026 is reported to be the same. Read each year's notice.
5. Step 5 · After B.TechApply when ONGC or Oil India advertise. ONGC's 2026 Graduate Trainee notice (reported) had a computer-based test, an interview and a medical. The upper age limit for engineering posts was reported as 26 years. Oil India uses a computer test plus interview (reported). Vacancies for petroleum engineers are few, so also apply to private oilfield-service and energy companies. (reported — check with the official body)
6. Step 6 · Training and probationSelected trainees join as Graduate Trainees (E1 level) and are paid during training. Training and probation last about a year (reported). Postings can be at oil fields, including remote and offshore sites. (reported — check with the official body)
7. OptionalM.Tech or MS in Petroleum Engineering or Reservoir Engineering, or a move into energy management or renewable energy.

• B.Tech Petroleum Engineering (direct)Class 12 PCM, then JEE, then a 4-year B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering. This matches posts such as ONGC's 'Graduate Trainee (Petroleum Engineering)', which needs a petroleum degree with at least 60% (reported).
• Mechanical or Chemical B.Tech, then specialiseONGC's 2025 notice also had posts for Mechanical and Chemical engineers. Oil India's notices also list Mechanical posts. Some Oil India petroleum posts have asked for an M.Tech in Petroleum Engineering on top of an engineering degree (reported). So a different branch plus a master's can also lead to the same industry.

Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Pay is steady and well-structured in PSUs like ONGC and Oil India, and it rises with grade, field or offshore allowances and years of service. Private companies and oilfield-service firms can pay more or less depending on the company, the oil price and the posting location.

ONGC's 2024 notice marks some posts, including AEE Drilling-Petroleum, as suitable for certain benchmark disabilities, and the list differs from post to post. Oil India's 2025 notice does the same for its Senior Officer (Petroleum) post. Read the 'suitable for PwBD' column of each notice. Application fees are reported to be waived for SC/ST/PwBD candidates in ONGC's 2026 drive (reported). The GATE fee is lower for women, SC, ST and PwD candidates (reported). Women can apply on the same terms as men.

• Class 7–9Do a simple kitchen experiment: pour water through jars filled with sand, soil and gravel and see which lets water pass fastest. This shows how rock type changes how liquids move underground.
• Class 10–12Read the free NCERT Physics chapters on fluids and pressure, and try the practice questions. These ideas come up again in petroleum engineering.Open link ↗
• College or afterTake a free NPTEL course on petroleum, reservoir or drilling engineering. Search the course list and pick one that matches your semester.Open link ↗

• PSU hiring for this branch is small. ONGC's 2026 Graduate Trainee drive was reported at 52 posts in all, of which only 9 were for Petroleum Engineering (reported). Oil India's October 2026 notice (reported) lists 4 Senior Officer (Petroleum) posts.
• Qualifications change from year to year. Oil India's 2025 notice (copy) asked for a bachelor's in petroleum engineering with 65% marks for one petroleum post. Its 2026 notice is reported to ask for a master's in Petroleum Engineering. Always read the current notice before planning.
• GATE 2026 Petroleum Engineering qualifying mark for the general category was reported as 40 out of 100 (reported). GATE scores stay valid for 3 years (reported).
• Interested in the energy field but unsure about oil and gas alone? Look at chemical, mechanical and renewable energy engineering too.