UPSC IES/ISS 2026 – Indian Economic & Statistical Service

• ▸Essay writing, précis, reading comprehension
• ▸Grammar, vocabulary and use of words

• ▸Current affairs, history, geography, Indian polity and economy

• ▸Probability theory – axioms, conditional probability, Bayes theorem
• ▸Standard probability distributions – Binomial, Poisson, Normal, Exponential, t, F, χ²
• ▸Statistical Methods – measures of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, kurtosis
• ▸Correlation, regression, partial and multiple correlation
• ▸Sampling distributions and large-sample theory

• ▸Linear models – regression analysis, ANOVA, ANCOVA
• ▸Statistical inference – point estimation, interval estimation, hypothesis testing
• ▸Non-parametric tests – Sign test, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis
• ▸Official Statistics – CSO, NSSO, National Statistical Organisation structure
• ▸Index numbers – Laspeyres, Paasche, Fisher ideal index

• ▸Sampling techniques – SRSWOR, Stratified, Systematic, Cluster, PPS sampling
• ▸Econometrics – OLS, heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation, multicollinearity
• ▸Applied Statistics – time series analysis, interpolation, extrapolation
• ▸Vital statistics – mortality rates, life tables, fertility rates

• ▸Operations Research – LPP, transportation, assignment problems, game theory
• ▸Reliability – failure models, system reliability, maintenance
• ▸Demography – population growth, stable population theory, census methods
• ▸Survival Analysis – Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression
• ▸Clinical Trial design and analysis

The Indian Economic Service (IES) recruits officers for economic analysis and policy advisory roles in Central Government ministries. The Indian Statistical Service (ISS) recruits officers for national statistical operations, surveys and data analysis through the Ministry of Statistics. Both are Group A Central Services, with slightly different academic requirements and paper sets.

UPSC announced 44 vacancies for the 2026 cycle — 16 posts for Indian Economic Service (IES) and 28 posts for Indian Statistical Service (ISS). The government reserves the right to modify vacancy numbers.

Yes. UPSC declared the written result of the Indian Economic Service / Indian Statistical Service Examination 2026 on 4 August 2026, for the written exam held from 19 to 21 June 2026. The result lists the roll numbers of candidates who qualified for the Interview / Personality Test, and their candidature is provisional, subject to being found eligible in all respects at document verification. The next step is compulsory: every qualified candidate must log in to upsconline.nic.in, update their details and educational qualification status, upload supporting documents, and finally submit the application by 25 August 2026 at 6:00 PM. UPSC has specifically warned that candidates with nothing to change must still verify and submit, because the e-summon letter for the Personality Test is generated only from a finally submitted form. Interview dates are yet to be notified. Marks of non-recommended candidates are published on upsc.gov.in after the final result.

For IES, candidates must hold a Post-Graduate degree in Economics, Applied Economics, Business Economics, or Econometrics from a recognised university. For ISS, candidates must have a Bachelor's degree with Statistics, Mathematical Statistics, or Applied Statistics as a subject — OR a Master's degree in Statistics, Mathematical Statistics, or Applied Statistics.

The selection is in two stages: a Written Examination worth 1000 marks (6 papers × 100–200 marks each, all descriptive except ISS Statistics I & II which are objective) and a Viva Voce (Personality Test) worth 200 marks. The final merit list is prepared out of 1200 marks in total.

Newly recruited IES and ISS officers are placed at Level 10 of the 7th Central Pay Commission Pay Matrix. The basic pay starts at ₹56,100/month with a scale of ₹56,100–₹1,77,500. On top of basic pay, officers receive Dearness Allowance at 60% of basic (effective 1 January 2026), House Rent Allowance at 30%, 20% or 10% of basic depending on whether the posting city is class X, Y or Z, Transport Allowance, and other Central Government benefits such as LTC, medical cover and GPF or NPS. For a Level 10 officer posted in an X-class city, basic ₹56,100 plus DA ₹33,660 plus HRA ₹16,830 alone comes to roughly ₹1,06,590 per month before Transport Allowance and deductions. These figures follow the 7th Pay Commission, which is still in force — the 8th Pay Commission has not been implemented.