HPCL hires fresh engineers as Mechanical, Electrical, Civil and Chemical Engineers through its own computer-based test, not GATE: a CBT on general aptitude and technical knowledge, then a group task and personal interview, each needing qualifying marks. The latest advert (HPCL/OPEN/HR/3/2025-26) required 65% marks and a maximum age of 25.
Who can apply
- 4-year full-time regular BE/BTech in Mechanical, Electrical, Civil or Chemical Engineering (or a listed equivalent branch)
- Minimum 65% aggregate for UR/OBC (NC)/EWS and 55% for SC/ST/PwBD
- Maximum age 25 (2026 cycle), relaxed by 5 years SC/ST, 3 years OBC (NC), 10 years PwBD (UR)
Key facts
- Pay scale and CTC
- ₹50,000–1,60,000; CTC approx. ₹18.14 lakh at the minimum of the scale, metro posting (official) [source]
- Fresher engineer vacancies, 2026 cycle
- Mechanical 72, Electrical 37, Civil 17, Chemical 15 [source]
- Service bond
- 3 years; ₹3,00,000 for General, ₹50,000 for EWS/OBC (NC)/SC/ST/PwBD (official) [source]
- CS graduates
- Hired separately as Officer-IS (20 posts in the 2026 cycle), same scale [source]
What HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum) asks — practise by section
Biggest topics to practise
Mechanical engineering: interview questions · core companies that hire · jobs through GATE
Interview process
- 1Computer-based testPart 1: English, quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning and data interpretation. Part 2: technical questions from your degree. No re-evaluation; marks and cut-offs appear in candidate login.
- 2Document upload and shortlistingCBT qualifiers, in merit order and a set ratio, upload documents; shortlisting is category-wise and discipline-wise.
- 3Group taskAn eliminating stage with minimum qualifying marks. Psychometric assessments may be given before or after the group task or interview.
- 4Personal interviewDocument verification comes first. Final merit adds CBT, group task and interview scores against category- and discipline-wise vacancies.
Questions to expect in HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum) interviews
Drawn from reported fresher tests and interviews (sources below), with short answers. Practise more on placd.
Explain the scheme for charging a substation.
A typical sequence: confirm permits are cancelled, earth switches open and all breakers open, and protection relays healthy. Charge the incoming line and HV breaker, energise the transformer on no load and check voltages, tap position and alarms. Then close the LV incomer to charge the bus, and close outgoing feeders one at a time while watching load. Follow the site's written switching procedure.
What is the difference between earthing and neutral?
Neutral is a current-carrying conductor: the return path for load current, usually from the transformer or generator star point. Earthing connects non-current-carrying metal parts (equipment bodies, enclosures) to earth so a fault drives enough current to trip protection and keeps touch voltage safe. The earth conductor carries current only during a fault; neutral carries unbalanced current in normal operation.
What does a lightning arrester do?
It is connected between the line and earth. At normal voltage it offers very high impedance and passes almost no current; when a lightning or switching surge raises the voltage, it conducts (for example a metal-oxide element) and diverts the surge current to earth, clamping the voltage below the insulation level of the equipment it protects, then returns to high impedance.
What is a bus coupler and why is it used?
A bus coupler is a circuit breaker (with isolators) that connects two bus sections. It lets one incoming source feed both sections when the other source is out, transfers load between buses, and allows one bus section to be taken out for maintenance without shutting down the loads on the other.
In a lineup fed from two sources, if one source trips on a fault, how do you restore supply from the second source?
Confirm the tripped incomer is open and the fault is on the incoming side, not on the bus. Check the healthy source can carry the extra load, then close the bus coupler (manually or through an auto-changeover scheme) so the healthy source feeds both sections. Interlocks prevent paralleling the sources or closing onto a faulted bus.
What is stress management? Give a recent example.
The panel reportedly wanted a real example, not theory. Describe one recent high-pressure situation (a deadline, a breakdown, a shutdown), what you prioritised, how you kept yourself and the team working calmly, and the result. Keep it specific and honest, because panel members cross-question each claim.
About HPCL hiring
Does HPCL recruit engineers through GATE?
Not in its latest officer drive. The 2026 advertisement (HPCL/OPEN/HR/3/2025-26) selects fresh Mechanical, Electrical, Civil and Chemical Engineers through HPCL's own computer-based test, followed by a group task and personal interview. The syllabus is posted on the careers page of hindustanpetroleum.com.
What is the salary of an HPCL engineer fresher?
Fresh engineers join at the minimum of the ₹50,000–1,60,000 scale. HPCL states a CTC of about ₹18.14 lakh a year for this scale, calculated for a metro posting with performance-related pay at its maximum, so actual pay varies by location and performance.
Does HPCL have a service bond?
Yes. Selected candidates sign a bond to serve at least three years. For the ₹50,000–1,60,000 scale the bond amount is ₹3,00,000 for General candidates and ₹50,000 for EWS, OBC (NC), SC, ST and PwBD candidates, as per the 2026 advertisement.
Sources
- HPCL Advt. No. HPCL/OPEN/HR/3/2025-26: Recruitment of Officers (official)
- GeeksforGeeks: HPCL GT and Interview Experience for E2 Grade 2021
- MADE EASY: HPCL Recruitment 2026 for Engineering Posts
Checked on 25 Sep 2026. Recruitment rules change each cycle — confirm dates and eligibility in the official notification.