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 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.
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 |
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 |
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:
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Part B:
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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 |
The topics of this subject are given below:
| Subject | Syllabus Topics |
|---|---|
| General Economics 3 | Public Finance |
| Environmental Economics | |
| Industrial Economics | |
| State, Market, and Planning |
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 |
This subject has the following topics:
| Subject | Syllabus Topics |
|---|---|
| Statistics 1 (Objective-type) | Probability |
| Statistical Methods | |
Numerical Analysis:
|
|
Computer Application and Data Processing
|
This subject has three parts, which are given below:
| Subject | Syllabus Topics |
|---|---|
| Statistics 2 (Objective type) | Linear Models:
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Statistical Inference and Hypothesis Testing:
|
|
Official Statistics
|
This subject has three topics, which are given below:
| Subject | Syllabus Topics |
|---|---|
| Statistics 3 (Descriptive type) | Sampling Techniques |
| Econometrics | |
| Applied Statistics |
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 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 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.
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.
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