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Key Facts: Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (INSED) Exam

Category A+

Civil service classification status in the French State administration

Décret n° 2024-645 du 28 juin 2024

Free

Registration fee for all candidates sitting the national competitive concours

INSEE Concours

17 Hours

Total duration of written admissibility examination papers

Arrêté du 13 mai 2015 modifié

ENSAE Paris

Prestigious engineering school providing 2-year salaried training for laureates

Institut Polytechnique de Paris

5 Seats

Places offered in the 2026 external economics-and-social-sciences route

INSEE 2026 competition notice

The Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (INSED) is the Category A+ French grand corps competition recruiting senior statistical engineers and economists for INSEE, the French Treasury, and ministerial statistical offices. It requires written admissibility tests in mathematics/statistics, economics, and social sciences, followed by an oral grand oral board. Laureates receive salaried training at ENSAE Paris. Registration is free.

Sample Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (INSED) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (INSED) exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In the Solow-Swan neoclassical growth model, an economy has an aggregate production function $Y = K^{0.5} (A L)^{0.5}$, where $A$ grows at rate $g = 0.04$, population $L$ grows at rate $n = 0.01$, physical capital depreciates at rate $\delta = 0.05$, and the saving rate is $s = 0.30$. What is the steady-state capital per effective worker $k^*$?

A.9.0

B.3.0

C.6.0

D.15.0

Explanation: In intensive form per effective worker, output is $y = k^{0.5}$. The fundamental Solow equation of capital accumulation per effective worker is $\dot{k} = s f(k) - (n + g + \delta) k$. In steady state, $\dot{k} = 0$, so $s k^{0.5} = (n + g + \delta) k$. Dividing both sides by $k^{0.5}$ yields $k^{*0.5} = \frac{s}{n + g + \delta} = \frac{0.30}{0.01 + 0.04 + 0.05} = \frac{0.30}{0.10} = 3.0$. Squaring both sides gives $k^* = 3.0^2 = 9.0$.

2In the Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans continuous-time optimal growth model with CRRA utility $u(c) = \frac{c^{1-\theta}-1}{1-\theta}$ and pure time preference rate $\rho$, which condition characterizes the household's optimal consumption growth path (Keynes-Ramsey rule)?

A.$\frac{\dot{c}_t}{c_t} = \frac{1}{\theta} \left[ f'(k_t) - \delta - \rho \right]$

B.$\frac{\dot{c}_t}{c_t} = \theta \left[ f'(k_t) - \delta - \rho \right]$

C.$\frac{\dot{c}_t}{c_t} = \frac{1}{\theta} \left[ f'(k_t) + \delta - \rho \right]$

D.$\frac{\dot{c}_t}{c_t} = \left[ f'(k_t) - \delta \right] - \theta \rho$

Explanation: From the current-value Hamiltonian maximization, the co-state variable $\lambda_t = u'(c_t) = c_t^{-\theta}$. Log-differentiating yields $\frac{\dot{\lambda}_t}{\lambda_t} = -\theta \frac{\dot{c}_t}{c_t}$. The co-state equation requires $\dot{\lambda}_t = \rho \lambda_t - \lambda_t [f'(k_t) - \delta]$, which rearranges to $-\frac{\dot{\lambda}_t}{\lambda_t} = f'(k_t) - \delta - \rho$. Equating the two expressions gives $\theta \frac{\dot{c}_t}{c_t} = f'(k_t) - \delta - \rho$, hence $\frac{\dot{c}_t}{c_t} = \frac{1}{\theta} [f'(k_t) - \delta - \rho]$, where $1/\theta$ represents the intertemporal elasticity of substitution.

3What condition defines the Golden Rule level of capital accumulation ($k^{gold}$) that maximizes sustainable steady-state consumption per effective worker in the Solow-Swan model?

A.Marginal product of capital equals the effective depreciation rate: $f'(k^{gold}) = n + g + \delta$

B.Saving rate equals the capital share plus population growth: $s = \alpha + n$

C.Marginal product of capital equals the subjective rate of time preference: $f'(k^{gold}) = \rho$

D.Steady-state investment per worker is equal to zero: $i^* = 0$

Explanation: Steady-state consumption per effective worker is $c^* = f(k^*) - (n + g + \delta) k^*$. Differentiating with respect to $k^*$ and setting the first derivative to zero yields $\frac{d c^*}{d k^*} = f'(k^*) - (n + g + \delta) = 0$, which gives $f'(k^{gold}) = n + g + \delta$. At this point, the competitive return to capital equals the economy's steady-state growth rate, which corresponds to Phelps' Golden Rule where the saving rate equals the capital elasticity of output ($s = \alpha$).

4Under which foundational assumptions does the First Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics establish that a competitive Walrasian market equilibrium is Pareto optimal?

A.Complete markets, price-taking behavior by all agents, and locally non-satiated preferences (absence of externalities and public goods)

B.Strict convexity of production sets, risk neutrality of consumers, and symmetric information across all markets

C.Differentiable utility functions, constant returns to scale in all industries, and absence of indirect taxes

D.Equal initial wealth endowments, price-taking behavior, and zero transaction costs

Explanation: The First Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics requires minimal structural assumptions: agents act as price takers (perfect competition), markets are complete (allowing trade in all contingent goods), preferences are locally non-satiated, and there are no technological externalities or public goods. Remarkably, neither convexity of preferences nor convexity of production technologies is required for the First Theorem, unlike the Second Fundamental Theorem.

5Why is the convexity of consumer preference relations and production possibility sets an essential mathematical condition for the Second Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics?

A.Convexity ensures that a separating hyperplane can be constructed to establish supporting equilibrium price vectors for any chosen Pareto efficient allocation

B.Convexity guarantees that all consumers will choose identical consumption bundles under decentralized market prices

C.Convexity prevents firms from earning positive accounting profits in long-run equilibrium

D.Convexity eliminates the existence of corner solutions in household utility maximization problems

Explanation: The Second Fundamental Theorem states that any Pareto efficient allocation can be decentralized as a competitive equilibrium given an appropriate reallocation of initial endowments via lump-sum transfers. The mathematical proof relies directly on the Minkowski-Hahn-Banach Separating Hyperplane Theorem, which requires both the aggregate preferred set and the aggregate production set to be convex to guarantee the existence of a common supporting price plane separating them.

6A central bank follows a standard Taylor rule: $i_t = r^* + \pi_t + \phi_\pi (\pi_t - \pi^*) + \phi_y y_t$, where $r^* = 1.5\%$, inflation target $\pi^* = 2.0\%$, policy response parameters $\phi_\pi = 1.5$ and $\phi_y = 0.5$. If current annual inflation $\pi_t = 4.0\%$ and the output gap $y_t = -1.0\%$, what is the nominal policy interest rate $i_t$ dictated by the rule?

A.8.0%

B.6.5%

C.7.0%

D.9.5%

Explanation: Substituting the specified numerical values into the Taylor rule: $i_t = 1.5\% + 4.0\% + 1.5 \times (4.0\% - 2.0\%) + 0.5 \times (-1.0\%) = 5.5\% + 1.5 \times (2.0\%) - 0.5\% = 5.5\% + 3.0\% - 0.5\% = 8.0\%$. Because $\phi_\pi > 0$, the central bank raises the nominal interest rate more than point-for-point with inflation (the Taylor Principle), increasing the real interest rate to cool aggregate demand.

7In the benchmark New Keynesian DSGE model with Calvo staggered price setting, what does the parameter $\beta$ represent in the New Keynesian Phillips Curve $\pi_t = \beta \mathbb{E}_t [\pi_{t+1}] + \kappa x_t$?

A.The representative household's subjective discount factor for future utility

B.The probability that a firm is unable to reset its price in any given period

C.The elasticity of substitution between differentiated product varieties

D.The responsiveness of inflation to the current output gap

Explanation: The New Keynesian Phillips Curve (NKPC) is derived from the optimal price-setting problem of monopolistically competitive firms under Calvo pricing. In the equation $\pi_t = \beta \mathbb{E}_t [\pi_{t+1}] + \kappa x_t$, $\beta \in (0,1)$ is the subjective discount factor of the representative household who owns the firms, while $\kappa$ is the slope coefficient linking the output gap $x_t$ (or real marginal cost) to inflation.

8In the Barro-Gordon (1983) model of monetary policy time inconsistency, what is the fundamental cause of the equilibrium 'inflation bias' under discretionary policy?

A.The policymaker targets an output level strictly above the natural rate of output while private agents form rational expectations

B.The central bank systematically miscalculates the velocity of money in the quantity equation

C.Firms hold adaptive expectations and lag behind unexpected policy interest rate cuts

D.Government expenditures are financed through seigniorage due to an inefficient tax collection authority

Explanation: In the Barro-Gordon framework, distortions (such as labor taxes or monopolistic competition) keep natural output $y_n$ below the socially optimal output $y^* = k y_n$ ($k > 1$). If the central bank operates under discretion, it has an incentive to engineer surprise inflation to boost employment. However, forward-looking private agents anticipate this incentive and set higher nominal wage inflation $\mathbb{E}[\pi] = \frac{\alpha}{\gamma}(y^* - y_n) > 0$. In equilibrium, output remains at the natural rate, but the economy suffers from positive inflation bias without any output gain.

9A sovereign state enters year $t$ with a public debt-to-GDP ratio $d_{t-1} = 110\%$. In year $t$, the real sovereign borrowing rate is $r = 3.0\%$, real GDP growth is $g = 1.0\%$, and the primary budget balance as a share of GDP is $s_t = -1.0\%$ (a primary deficit of 1%). According to the standard public debt accumulation equation $\Delta d_t = (r - g) d_{t-1} - s_t$, what is the debt ratio $d_t$ at the end of year $t$?

A.113.2%

B.111.2%

C.112.2%

D.114.3%

Explanation: The change in the debt ratio is $\Delta d_t = (r - g) d_{t-1} - s_t$. The growth-interest rate differential contribution is $(0.03 - 0.01) \times 110\% = 0.02 \times 110\% = 2.2\%$. Since the country runs a primary deficit of 1%, $s_t = -1.0\%$, so $-s_t = -(-1.0\%) = +1.0\%$. Therefore, $\Delta d_t = 2.2\% + 1.0\% = +3.2\%$. The ending debt ratio is $d_t = d_{t-1} + \Delta d_t = 110.0\% + 3.2\% = 113.2\%$.

10In the Mundell-Fleming open-economy model under perfect capital mobility and floating exchange rates, what is the ultimate effect of an expansionary fiscal policy on domestic output ($Y$)?

A.Output remains unchanged because currency appreciation induces complete crowding out of net exports

B.Output expands strongly because the interest rate remains tied to the world interest rate $r^*$

C.Output falls drastically due to immediate capital flight and currency depreciation

D.Output increases permanently through a multiplier identical to the closed-economy Keynesian multiplier

Explanation: In the Mundell-Fleming model with perfect capital mobility and flexible exchange rates, an increase in government spending shifts the $IS^*$ curve to the right. This puts upward pressure on the domestic interest rate, triggering massive capital inflows. To restore equilibrium in foreign exchange markets, the domestic currency appreciates. Currency appreciation reduces exports and stimulates imports until net exports fall by the exact amount of the initial fiscal stimulus, returning output $Y$ to its initial level.

About the Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (INSED) Exam

The Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE is the premier recruitment competition for France's elite corps of senior economic statisticians, econometricians, and data scientists, newly unified as the Corps des Ingénieurs de la Statistique, de l'Économie et de la Donnée (INSED, ex-Administrateurs de l'Insee) governed by Décret n° 2024-645. Operating under the Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances, these Category A+ senior civil servants direct macroeconomic forecasting, statistical survey operations, national accounting, and data analytics across INSEE, the Direction Générale du Trésor, ministries (DARES, DREES, DEPP), international organizations (Eurostat, OECD, IMF, World Bank), and the Banque de France. Laureates undergo two years of rigorous postgraduate education at ENSAE Paris as salaried civil servant trainees.

Exam sponsor: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (INSEE). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

The Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (now recruiting into the Corps des INSED — Ingénieurs de la Statistique, de l'Économie et de la Donnée under Décret n° 2024-645) is organized into written admissibility tests and oral admission tests. Written admissibility includes: Économie (4 hours, coefficient 1), Mathématiques et statistiques (4 hours, coefficient 2), Sciences sociales (6 hours, coefficient 1), and Anglais (3 hours, coefficient 1). Oral admission comprises: Entretien libre avec le jury (50 minutes, coefficient 3), designed to assess motivation, analytical rigor, and civil service ethics. OpenExamPrep provides an English-language MCQ study adaptation.

Time Limit

Written admissibility (17 h across 4 sessions) + Oral admission (50 min interview with the jury)

Passing Score

Competitive rank-based list; the 2026 external economics-and-social-sciences route offered 5 places

Exam / Certification Fees

Free / No examination fee

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

30%

Théorie économique et macroéconomie appliquée

Dynamic general equilibrium models, monetary and fiscal policy transmission, open economy macroeconomics, growth theory, and public economics.

30%

Mathématiques, probabilités et statistique inférentielle

Measure-theoretic probability, parametric estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, linear models, and multivariate econometric theory.

20%

Comptabilité nationale, économétrie et traitement des données

System of National Accounts (SEC 2010), input-output tables (TES), inflation metrics (IPC, IPCH), time series (ARIMA, VAR), and data science applications.

20%

Sciences sociales, sociologie quantitative et méthodologie d'enquête

Survey sampling designs, non-response weighting, demographic analysis, inequality indices (Gini, Theil, interdecile ratios), and the public statistical system (SSP/Eurostat).

Preparing for the Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (INSED) Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Competitive rank-based list; the 2026 external economics-and-social-sciences route offered 5 places
Assessment: The Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (now recruiting into the Corps des INSED — Ingénieurs de la Statistique, de l'Économie et de la Donnée under Décret n° 2024-645) is organized into written admissibility tests and oral admission tests. Written admissibility includes: Économie (4 hours, coefficient 1), Mathématiques et statistiques (4 hours, coefficient 2), Sciences sociales (6 hours, coefficient 1), and Anglais (3 hours, coefficient 1). Oral admission comprises: Entretien libre avec le jury (50 minutes, coefficient 3), designed to assess motivation, analytical rigor, and civil service ethics. OpenExamPrep provides an English-language MCQ study adaptation.
Time limit: Written admissibility (17 h across 4 sessions) + Oral admission (50 min interview with the jury)
Exam / certification fees: Free / No examination fee Official sources

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Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE (INSED): Suggested Study Strategy

1Master mathematical statistics and probability thoroughly, focusing on convergence theorems, maximum likelihood asymptotic normality, and Gauss-Markov assumptions.

2Thoroughly review SEC 2010 national accounting identities, including the transition between PIB at market prices, Valeur Ajoutée brute, and Revenu National Brut (RNB).

3Understand modern macroeconomic models, particularly the New Keynesian 3-equation model, Taylor rule dynamics, and Ricardian equivalence limitations.

4Learn survey sampling methodologies used by INSEE, including stratified sampling, cluster sampling, Horvitz-Thompson estimators, and calibration on margins (calage sur marges).

5Stay current on recent French and European socioeconomic debates, including wealth and income inequality measures (Gini, ratio interdécile D9/D1), demographic trends, and labor market transitions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Concours Administrateur de l'INSEE / INSED?

It is France's prestigious Category A+ civil service competition organized by INSEE and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Under Décret n° 2024-645 du 28 juin 2024, the corps of Administrateurs de l'Insee has been integrated into the new 'Corps des ingénieurs de la statistique, de l'économie et de la donnée' (INSED), representing the elite technical leadership of France's official statistics and economic administration.

What are the format and subjects of the competitive examination?

Written admissibility consists of: Économie (4 hours, coefficient 1), Mathématiques et statistiques (4 hours, coefficient 2), Sciences sociales (6 hours, coefficient 1), and Anglais (3 hours, coefficient 1). Candidates admitted to the oral phase take an Entretien libre avec le jury (50 minutes, coefficient 3). OpenExamPrep provides an English-language MCQ study adaptation.

How much does it cost to enter the competition?

Free / No examination fee. Registration is entirely free for all eligible candidates via the official INSEE recruitment portal.

What happens after passing the competition?

Laureates are appointed as civil servant trainees (élèves fonctionnaires) and enter ENSAE Paris (École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique) for two years of advanced studies in economics, statistics, data science, and public administration, receiving a monthly civil service salary.

What career pathways do INSED administrators pursue?

INSED graduates serve as division chiefs, econometric researchers, and directors across INSEE, the Direction Générale du Trésor, ministerial statistical services (SSMs such as DARES for labor, DREES for health/social affairs, DEPP for education), the Banque de France, and international bodies such as Eurostat, the OECD, the ECB, and the IMF.