All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only

UPSC IES ISS Syllabus 2026, Check Detailed Syllabus

Anshika

Feb 13, 2026

IES ISS syllabus 2026 has been structured into 2 sections of a written exam, which consists of 1000 marks. This exam has 6 papers, each for both Indian Economic Service (IES) and Indian Statistical Service (ISS). General English and General Studies are common to both services, and each carries 100 marks. For IES, the remaining 4 papers focus on Economics topics, including Indian Economics. For ISS, the remaining 4 papers focus on Statistics, covering applied statistics, probability, and mathematical methods. In IES ISS exam, the written exam is Part 1, and the Viva-voice is Part 2.

IES ISS Written Exam Syllabus 2026

IES ISS written exam syllabus 2026 has two sections. Section A is for Indian Economic Service (IES) and has 6 subjects. Section B is for Indian Statistical Service (ISS), which has a total of 6 subjects. General English and General Studies are common to both IES and ISS.

Download IES ISS Syllabus PDF

Section A: Indian Economic Service

  1. General English:

This section tests the candidate’s understanding of the English language and their workman-like use of words. Topics of this subject are:

Subject Syllabus Topics
General English Essay Writing
Understanding of English
Passages
Precis Writing
  1. General Studies:

This section covers the following General Studies topics:

Subject Syllabus Topics
General Studies Current events (International & National)
Indian Polity: Political System and the Constitution of India
History of India
Geography
  1. General Economics 1:

This section has two parts, namely Part A and Part B. The topics of this section are:

Subject Syllabus Topics
General Economics 1 Part A:
  • Theory of Consumer Demand
  • Theory of Production
  • Theory of Value
  • Theory of Distribution
  • Welfare Economics
Part B:
  • Mathematical Methods in Economics
  • Statistical and Econometric Methods
  1. General Economics 2:

The topics of this subject are given below:

Subject Syllabus Topics
General Economics 2 Economic Thought
Concept of National Income and Social Accounting
Theory of Employment, Output, Inflation, Money, and Finance
Financial and Capital Market
Economic Growth and Development
International Economics
Balance of Payments
Global Institutions
  1. General Economics 3:

The topics of this subject are given below:

Subject Syllabus Topics
General Economics 3 Public Finance
Environmental Economics
Industrial Economics
State, Market, and Planning
  1. Indian Economics:

This subject focuses on Indian Economics, and its topics are given below:

Subject Syllabus Topics
Indian Economics History of development and planning
Federal Finance
Budgeting and Fiscal Policy
Poverty, Unemployment, and Human Development
Agriculture and Rural Development Strategies
India’s experience with Urbanisation and Migration
Industry: Strategy of industrial development
Labour
Foreign trade
Money and Banking
Inflation

Section B: Indian Statistical Service

  1. Statistics 1:

This subject has the following topics:

Subject Syllabus Topics
Statistics 1 (Objective-type) Probability
Statistical Methods
Numerical Analysis:
  • Finite differences of different orders
  • Concept of interpolation and extrapolation
  • Inverse interpolation
  • Numerical differentiation
  • Summation of Series
  • Numerical solutions of differential equations
Computer Application and Data Processing
  • Basics of Computer
  • Basics of Programming
  1. Statistics 2:

This subject has three parts, which are given below:

Subject Syllabus Topics
Statistics 2 (Objective type) Linear Models:
  • Theory of linear estimation, Gauss
Statistical Inference and Hypothesis Testing:
  • Characteristics of a good estimator
  • Hypothesis testing
Official Statistics
  • National and International official statistical systems
  • National Statistical Organization
  • National Statistical Commission
  • Index Numbers
  • Sector-Wise Statistics
  • National Accounts
  • Population Census
  • Misc.
  1. Statistics 3:

This subject has three topics, which are given below:

Subject Syllabus Topics
Statistics 3 (Descriptive type) Sampling Techniques
Econometrics
Applied Statistics
  1. Statistics 4:

This subject covers the following topics:

Subject Syllabus Topics
Statistics 4 (Descriptive type) Operations Research and Reliability
Demography and Vital Statistics
Survival Analysis and Clinical Trial
Quality Control
Multivariate Analysis
Design and Analysis of Experiments
Computing with C and R

IES ISS Interview Syllabus

IES ISS interview is conducted by a board to review the candidate’s background and evaluate their overall suitability for the service. It focuses on both general topics and subject-specific knowledge. Candidates should be aware of current affairs, which include national and international events, modern developments, and general issues beyond their academic field. An interview is conducted mainly to have a purposeful conversation to understand the candidate’s thinking ability, curiosity, judgment, alertness, integrity, leadership, and social awareness.

IES ISS Subject-wise Weightage 2026

IES ISS syllabus has two parts: Part 1 is a written exam, and Part 2 is an Interview. In the written exam, there are 2 sections, with each section having six subjects. The subject-wise weightage breakdown is given below:

Part 1: Written Exam

Section A: Indian Economic Service (IES)

Sl. No. Subject Maximum Marks Time Allowed
1 General English 100 3 hrs
2 General Studies 100 3 hrs
3 General Economics 1 200 3 hrs
4 General Economics 2 200 3 hrs
5 General Economics 3 200 3 hrs
6 Indian Economics 200 3 hrs

Section B: Indian Statistical Service (ISS)

Sl. No. Subject Maximum Marks Time Allowed
1 General English 100 3 hrs
2 General Studies 100 3 hrs
3 Statistics 1 (Objective) 200 2 hrs
4 Statistics 2 (Objective) 200 2 hrs
5 Statistics 3 (Descriptive) 200 3 hrs
6 Statistics 4 (Descriptive) 200 3 hrs

Part 2: Interview

The interview carries a total of 200 marks.

IES ISS syllabus covers General English and General studies, but narrows down to specialized papers in Economics (for IES) or Statistics (for ISS). While questions from General English and General Studies are of a Graduate Level, Economics and Statistics require advanced-level knowledge.

IES ISS Syllabus FAQs

Ques: What is the overall structure of IES ISS syllabus?

Ans: IES ISS syllabus is divided into two sections: the Indian Economic Service and the Indian Statistical Service, each with six subjects testing both general and specialized domain knowledge.

Ques: What is the level of questions asked in IES ISS exam?

Ans: The General English and General Studies papers are of graduation level, while the Economics and Statistics papers require postgraduate-level analytical and conceptual understanding.

Ques: Is there any overlap between IES and ISS syllabi?

Ans: Yes. Both IES and ISS include General English and General Studies, which test comprehension, vocabulary, and awareness of national and international affairs. The specialized papers differ entirely from each other.

Ques: How should candidates approach studying the IES ISS syllabus?

Ans: Candidates should break the syllabus into daily targets, emphasize conceptual clarity, integrate current affairs with theory, revise through previous-year papers, and give mock tests regularly.

Ques: Does UPSC provide official topic-wise weightage for IES ISS papers?

Ans: While UPSC doesn’t release topic-wise weightage, the official syllabus defines subjects and marks allocation for each paper. This helps candidates estimate the importance of each section and prepare accordingly.

Ques: How does understanding the syllabus help in IES ISS preparation?

Ans: A clear understanding of the syllabus helps identify priority topics, plan the study schedules, and prepare accordingly with respect to the exam’s analytical and descriptive demands.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
How likely are you to recommend Prepp.in to a friend or a colleague?
Not so likely
Highly likely

Comments

No comments to show