The ISS 2026 written examination is an offline, pen-and-paper, descriptive test held over two days. Below is the detailed exam pattern.
Written Examination Pattern
| Paper | Subject | Type | Max Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | General English | Descriptive | 100 | 3 Hours |
| Paper II | General Studies | Objective + Descriptive | 100 | 2 Hours |
| Paper III | Statistics I | Descriptive | 200 | 3 Hours |
| Paper IV | Statistics II | Descriptive | 200 | 3 Hours |
| Paper V | Statistics III | Descriptive | 200 | 3 Hours |
| Paper VI | Statistics IV | Descriptive | 200 | 3 Hours |
| Written Total | 1000 | 17 Hours | ||
Viva-Voce (Personality Test)
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Viva-Voce | 200 |
Final Merit: 1000 Marks
Like IES, Papers I and II (General English and GS) are qualifying only. The final merit is based on Papers III–VI (800 marks) + Viva-Voce (200 marks) = 1000 marks.
Difficulty Level
- Paper III (Probability): Hard – requires proof-based mathematical understanding at M.Sc. Statistics level.
- Paper IV (Statistical Methods): Hard – multivariate and non-parametric methods demand applied statistical judgement.
- Paper V (Sampling & Econometrics): Hard – sampling design and experimental design questions are highly numerical.
- Paper VI (Applied Statistics): Medium-Hard – Official Statistics and Index Numbers require both theoretical and current awareness.