ISI conducts its entrance in April and has two papers:
- Paper 1: Focuses on Mathematics and Statistics
- Paper 2: Focuses on Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
Paper 1: The first step in preparing for any entrance is to go through the past year papers (you can access it from http://www.isid.ac.in/~pu/academics.html). For this section of ISI entrance, you may realize that ISI focuses on 11th and 12th class mathematics. Therefore, the first step in going about this section is to brush up on your school level concepts. I would further recommend readers to take up some Engineering entrance preparation book and solve questions from there. Do not go to IIT level questions, just focus on AIEEE kind of questions. Students may also see the past years of BSc Math entrance conducted by ISI. An excellent reference book is “TEST OF MATHEMATICS AT THE 10+2 LEVEL” published by Affiliated East-West Press Pvt. Limited. It is a collection of past 20yrs B.Stat Entrance questions which are very similar to the ones asked in MSQE entrance.
The key to clearing this section is having the concepts clear and focusing on solving as many types of questions as possible.
For Statistics, I would recommend SC Gupta and V.K.Kapoor’s book on Mathematical Statistics. This book has many questions on Probability and they are of the level asked in ISI entrance.
Paper 2: Microeconomics shall be studied from Intermediate Economics by Hal Varian and some concepts from Pindyck and Rubenfield. After getting hold of the concepts, make sure that you do the relevant chapters from Workbook, Varian. The questions that are asked in ISI entrance again target on the basics. So keep your concepts clear and for that practice as many practical questions as you can. Do not waste time in mugging up some formula. ISI focuses on how well you understand concepts and not on how well you can mug up.
If you have completed the Workbook and pretty confident about it then I would suggest you to do questions from MIT open courseware.
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Economics/index.htm
Just look at different microeconomic courses and see which ones ask concepts that you have done from Varian and Pindyck & Rubenfield. You may go through the lecture notes as well, they are good. I would suggest you to focus on solved assignments than go through the unsolved ones. And to have a stronger grip on the concepts, do solve all the DSE past years question papers.
For Macroeconomics, again, concepts are very important. Go through Dornbusch and Fischer for the same. Mankiw Macroeconomics is good as well. Last year, ISI had asked a question on macroeconomic modeling. If you have time, you may go through ‘Macroeconomic Theory and Policy’ by William Branson for the same. It will help you in DSE preparation as well. Moreover, try the macroeconomics questions from DSE past years. The question that was asked in ISI last year was somewhat similar to the kind of macroeconomics questions asked in DSE. Another recommended, albeit a little elementary, is Schaum series Macroeconomics. I found the growth models done well in it. You may complement Growth models from Mankiw with Schaum series one. A question on growth model (essentially Solow) is quite likely.
Cut off: I believe the cut-off in maths n stats section could have been around 22-23/30. Actually, it depends on the difficulty level of the paper. If you see 2008 paper, this section was quite easy and hence the cut-off would have been higher. For Micro, Macro section, my suggestion would be to target to attempt 80% of the questions.
For more information on ISI, see here. Details on eligibility criteria, syllabus etc. can be found here
Note: For students who did their graduation from non-DU college shall take up DU syllabus of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics taught in 2nd year (can access at http://econdse.org/ba09.pdf)
If anyone has any query about ISI MSQE entrance , you may leave a comment on this entry. For queries in other entrances (JNU,DSE), put your comments in the respective blog entry. Please note that the comments are approved before being posted on the website so please don’t post your comments multiple times. Questions that have been already answered in the blog or in the comments will not be approved.
Good work….and your blog says that “good work” is too short a comment and that I need to write more!!!
Hey thanks for all the info…i wanna know if Hal Varian is not available would Modern Microeconomics by Koutsoyiannis be alright? I noticed that most of the topics from 2009 Micro syllabus of MSQE entrance is available in Koutsoyiannis.
Also in the math section is trigonometry or trigonometric functions included? They have never been mentioned specifically in any of the past four years syllabus.
Also the syllabus they provide with the hall ticket, should we take it as it is, will there be questions from outside the topics mentioned?
I have not heard of Koutsoyiannis microeconomics. However, if you have comfortably been able to solve the Workbook by Varian, past years of ISI and DSE, thats good enough.
You are not required to do trignometry in maths.
It is suggested to just focus on the syllabus, it is quite exhaustive in itself.
All the best..!
alright…so what would be the best way to get past DSE papers?
alright…so what would be the best way to get past DSE papers? oh and thanks…since I can’t put ‘thanks’ as a single comment
They are available in DSE photocopy shop..:)
The information here is great. can u help me with come coaching classes as well. i m now put in Pune. I m an ISI aspirant. There is no help available here.
Hi Surabhi. If you have gone through all the material suggested in this blog, I do not think you require any coaching. What exactly are you looking for in coaching? And in which year you would be giving ISI entrance?
I s intermediate Microeconomics by Varian sufficient for ISI, DSE entrance exam preparation.
Does the WorkBook by Varian contain microeconomics problems with solutions.Is this book readily available in all the metro cities across India.
Intermediate Microeconomics by Varian is sufficient for clearing the concepts. For understanding market structure section, I found Pindyck and Rubenfield better. Note that for these entrances, having clear concepts is the first step. And often practicing questions of different types help you get hold of it. So solve as many questions as you can from the workbook (you should do it completely!), DSE and ISI past years.
Workbook shall be available in all the metro cities. It is certainly available in Delhi.
Riju, great work with the blog. Great info onboard with overall pleasant aesthetics. Much thanks!
just wondering- Any word on IGIDR? How’s their MSc Econ program and some pointers towards their entrance exams?
and if I may, can I connect to you through the mail?
Sutirtha!
Hi Sutirtha! IGIDR is good. I think I will rank it 3rd or 4th. The USP of IGIDR is I guess its placements. As far as prep for IGIDR entrance is concerned, it is much like CAT, albeit easier I suppose! Apart from English, they ask questions on statistics and mathematics. I would suggest you to brush up 11th and 12th class Mathematics course for Mathematics section. For Statistics, Fundamentals of Statistics by SC Gupta would do.
You can surely contact me on mail. I have sent you an email from my account.
All the best!
Is the title of the Work book u r referring to : ” Workouts in Intermediate Microeconomics” authored by Hal R. Varian ? is 7th edition of the book is latest ?
Regards,
Aparajita Niyogi
@Aparajita: Yes, thats the book.
@Archit: 1. DSE 2. IGIDR 3. ISI/JNU
@Khushboo: I am sorry, I have no clue about MSc Statistics. The blog entry is for MSc Quantitative Economics only..
hi nice to see ur blog..
if u could just mention all the colleges that offers MA with their respective ranks in terms of placements,,, i wud be really thankful…
thankx for nice piece of information.
i am pursuing my Bsc in statistics 1st year from Hindu College,Du.
i put up in Delhi and there is no guide for me which may help me to get through the preparation of Msc stats from ISI. i m strong in statistics and z scoring very good marks..i have also knowledge of 2nd and 3rd year stats and prob as i read many a book in stats includin Sheldon Ross which i found very interesting. i dont read the Sc gupta book just to get my 1st year result but ihave done almost whole of this particular book . i am very passionate about stats but i m not getting what shud i read to get through Msc. i want to du stats till phd. i read every book available in my library regarding prob and stats too…
CAN YOU PLEASE SUGGEST THROUGH THIS COLUMN WHICH ALL BOOK SHOULD I READ…??
AND ALSO Z PHD COARSE AVAILABLE IN ISI??
also IS THERE NEED OF ANY COACHING FOR THIS?/
AND PLEASE TELL ME ANY COACHING AVAILABLE IN DELHI FOR THE SAME?
AND I HAVE NO CONNECTION IN CALCUTTA SO AS TO GET NICE SET OF BOOKS NOR ITS AVAILABLE IN MY COLG LIBRARY FROM WHERE SHOULD I GET THE BOOKS WHICH YOU R RECOMMANDING?
anD really thanks alot for such a nice blog..
Riju, thanx for the information and the excellent blog.
Riju,
Can u mention the level and extent of mathematics and statistics i need to practice for DSE,ISI, IGIDR and JNU entrance exam?
How is the book on mathematics by A.C.Chiang for practising?
@Aparajita: All the entrances have different level of Mathematics and Statistics. Read my blog entry on JNU and ISI to know the level of Maths and Statistics asked in these papers. IGIDR focuses on 11th and 12th Maths. As for DSE, i shall write an entry on DSE soon, so keep checking!
Hi Riju. This is reply to your post on 26th march. I would be giving entrance next year i.e. May 2011. I m looking coaching for economics part, atleast for doubt clearances.
@Surabhi: First you need to understand that for MA Economics entrance prep, the most important factor is self study+a good friend circle interested in preparing for the same. I would give 80% importance to it.
I had attended some classes of “vibhas” for MA prep, he came out to be totally bogus. I had joined Eco point solely for DSE which was much better. But at ecopoint you may feel lost if you do not know the basics. You may decide to come to Delhi for coaching but your aim should be to form a good study circle at these institutes than learning from the teachers there. Self study is the key!!
Hi Riju,
First of all, congratulations for your wonderful blog. I must say its an informative one.
Riju, could you please connect me on my mail as I need to ask a few queries.
I would appreciate your help.
Thanks
Himanshu
@ Himanshu: If it is something general, I will appreciate if you put your queries here as it would benefit all the readers.
Shall make it soon though!
@ Aparajita: It will take some time, got exams till 15th April
Riju,
I am longing to see ur blog on DSE.
When r u going to write it ?
I am sure it will help me to a great extent.
Thanx,
Aparajita Niyogi
hey is it possible for u to get the link for the previous year papers of hyderabad university………..
@Archit: I am sorry, I have no idea about UoH.
Thanks Riju. That helped me alot.
hi riju,
i think you may be annoyed by this post. And, you are free to delete this. But, i’m just serving a primary function of spreading knowledge.
I’ll be glad if you can share this below link in your blog-
http://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy#p/p
its really useful for the maths part.. You may go through it first.. You are not obliged to share it..it’s your wish.. but it has helped many around the world… i’m not a seller but just somebody who likes to spread knowledge…
Cheers !
Hi Riju,
I am into IT from last 3 yrs and now planning to do post graduation.
So,my first query is, will it be possible for me to understand the concepts thoroughly as I am from completely different background and also how much time is sufficent for an individual like me to crack the exam. I am planning to write the exam next year and I know its better to start early, however, I just need to get an idea how much efforts do I need to put into
My second query is :What kind of job prospects are there after completing the Masters from ISI/DSE. and also what would be the career paths after graduating in economics or in quantitaive finance.
Will the career paths be different in both the courses. Please suggest.
Thanks
Himanshu
Answering your second question first, ISI and DSE have different approach towards economics. If you are aiming for placements in banks (Citi, ICICI, Amex etc), I-bank like Nomura, then DSE should be THE choice. However, if you wish to pursue PhD in Economics, and you are sure about it, aim for ISI.
It shall not be challenging for you to crack DSE entrance given that the number of seats is nearly 150 for all categories. The first step for you is to go through the syllabus of BA Economics of DU. I have given a link for the same in my blog. Start from Microeconomics and Macroeconomics course that one takes in second year. Just go step by step with the DU syllabus and you shall get a hang of what is actually economics. You may take atleast an year to prepare for the entrance given that you have not pursued anything in Economics uptil now.
However, I will be glad to know if you could tell me why you are interested in Economics at first hand?
Thanks Riju for answering my queries !
Now coming back to your query, I would say there are couple of reasons to pursue Masters either in Economics or in quantitative finance.
Last wednesday there was an article in leading newspaper that students from DSE(M.A) did their interns in Lok Sabha.I was so impressed by those students that they have done something at the National level and deep down I also has a desire to do the same.So,I am hoping that graduating from economics may give me a chance to serve my Nation. Who knows, I might get the opportunity to prepare policies or to do
reforms.
Second most important reason is that I want to come out of IT field.Being an IT engg,You always live in a pseudo world.Only your client, timelines, coding, defects becomes your life.You actually gets a big disconnect from the whole world, which I am hoping that economics will not provide me.
Also, I thought of doing MBA(finance) from a reputed institute but hefty fees and huge competition made me defer my plans. If you look for ROI in economics, it would be a very high plus you’ll be having a sound learning curve which is actually missing in IT.
I am also exploring other opportunities like Risk Management,Quantitative finance etc,something that’ll put me into niche business. I may sound confused but this is how I am right now.
Any suggestions, opinions, criticisms etc by you are most welcome.
Thanks !
Himanshu
I think I got a fair idea why you are looking for economics.
I will suggest you to be a little more clear with whether you wish to pursue Finance or Economics.
With Economics, you can surely pursue what you desire to and given your interest, I think DSE will go along better. As for internship in Lok Sabha, anyone can apply for it. It is a one year internship programme..
I think you shall get on with Microeconomics and Macroeconomics from BA Economics, DU..see how you fit in with the subject. Getting a hang of the subject itself takes quite a time. As for career prospects, if you are looking into getting into policy arena, you can think of applying for Indian Economic Services or RBI. You may wish to go through DSE placement website: http://www.dsebottomline.com and see which companies come for placement and if their area suits your interest..
Thanks for the suggestions. Appreciated your help !
I am in contact with few of the intellectuals like you in order to know whats best for me. Its been a very confusing journey till now and hoping to take a decision soon.
Riju,if you could send me a note or add me on gtalk that would be helpful. May be I would be able to catch hold of you sometime and will discuss the nitties gritties of the programme.
Thanks !
Hi RIju
Can you please tell me which edition of Mankiw is better for reference for MSc QE..??
I got hold of 4th and 6th edition and I couldn’t decide which one to refer.
Can u please help me out?
@Surabhi: Go for 6th edition
@Aparajita: For functions, i think Chiang is good. Maths section in DSE entrance is sort of unpredictable. My plan was to focus on Micro, Macro and Stats and do Chiang and Sydsaeter and Hammond for Maths..
@Deepak & Himanshu:
Hi Riju,
I need yr help in finding an appropriate book from where I cd practice Functions and Set Theory problems for DSE entrance exam.
Regards,
Aparajita
Hi Riju,
Congrats n thanks for keeping plethora of stuff on the page !
Helps quite a few of nacents to this field to understand the things in and out !
Cheers
Deepak :: Himanshu’s Friend !
hi riju. I have a science background, n wish to appear fr isi msqe this year. I i am getting confused as to how many chapters do i finish in varian. for example, i have partially read gould and lazear, koutsoyannis, lipsey, but i am getting confused in the chapters to cover in th demand theory from the book varian.
Secondly, what opinion do u have abt studying from lipsey only. Micro as well as macro. N could u help me with the chapters in macroeconomics don n fisher. thanks.
@Varun: I have not gone through other books but certainly lipsey is not sufficient. I will suggest you to go through Intermediate Microeconomics by Varian and the workbook. In my opinion, they are very good books and must to do for any MA Economics entrance. Except chapter 11, 13, 17 in Intermediate Microeconomics (7th edition), all other chapters are to be done. For Macroeconomics, follow what has been suggested in the blog. And for the exact chapters, go through the link provided on the blog of DU syllabus and see what all was in course in Macroeconomics 2nd year.
Hi Riju,
I went thro’ the DSE placement website and got a bird’s view of the placement.However, I am a bit skeptical about the packages offerred to the candidates. No such info has been provided over there.
Do you have any info on the packages and roles offerred to the students. Also, any info on the percentage of the students finally placed in the last session at DSE.
Riju, take these queries as the common queries of me n Deepak..also, I think you forgot to take an action on my earlier request.
@ Deepak – Finally, u made ya mind ..gud for u
-Himanshu
@Himanshu: Average goes around 8-9l. Around 90-95% were placed this year. As for the job profile, it is usually analytics.
@Aparajita: Very sorry for the delay, shall try to write on DSE today. Will incorporate your query in that.
Hi Riju,
Can u give me an idea as to how many questions one need to answer correctly to crack d DSE entrance exam. In 2008 there were total 60 questions in the exam.I hv not seen 2009 paper.
Looking forward to ur blog on DSE.
hi riju,
i hold a Bcom degree from agra university.
is it adviseable for me apply M A economics from DSE and as till yet i have not started preparing how much time it requires for preparation.
@Sambhav: You may apply for it but it is quite tough for you to get through given you are from B.Com and DSE entrance is 2 months away. Get hold of the syllabus of Macro, Micro, Maths and Stats of DU BA Economics (link is provided in the blog) and see how you can cope up with it. I would suggest you to apply for it to just see how it goes and may be you can prepare well for the next year.
what about the books of schuam series?
@Sachetan: I have gone through only Macroeconomics Schaum series. No idea about others.
Hi Riju… can I get an idea of Cutoff marks for ISI Delhi Quantitative Eco paper in genral 4 both papers???
It will be very helpful if u give an idea for DSE too…
@Yogeshwar: I have incorporated this information in the blog. Kindly refer to it.
hi riju,
please tell me from where i can get the previous papers of DSE economics entrance.
it will be very helpful …..
hi…please help me in selecting the write book to crack the delhi and mumbai universities MA ECONOMICS PAPER.
I have brushed up my 12 th from CB GUPTA and i am a B.CoM student …
so for further level and for INDIAN and INTERNATIONAL economics..which book should refer and olso for STATISTICS.
please guide me if there is one combined book which i can go through.
is UGC level book good for studing.
will be waiting for your reply
thanx
aastha
@Aastha: Read the blog and follow the books suggested. I have not seen UGC books.
helo riju,
I am doing my BSc Economics, 3rd Year, Guwahati.I will be appearing for the entrance exams in 2011. I was thinking of taking up the online coaching classes offered by Ecopoint. Do you have any idea about this institute? Like will that help me??
hi…im a 2nd year bcom student from mumbai. is it advisable for me to appear for the DSE MA ecoomics exam considering that i start preparing for it from now onwards only? n could you tell me if there are any good coaching institutes in mumbai for preapring for this exam?
@Neets: I have no clue about your abilities and interest in Economics! Get hold of the sample papers and decide for yourself. I am not aware of any coaching institute in Mumbai.
very nice blog “Riju”…..and extremely informative…..
Hi Riju
I worked in a market research and analytics company. Prior to that I did my B Tech from IIT Roorkee in mechanical.
I cleared level 1 of CFA. And I want to pursue my career in finance ( to be precise in investment bank). During my masters I am planning to clear atleast one more level of CFA.
Can you tell me whether it is good to do masters from ISI/ DSE. I know there is a difference in approach of course for the two institutes. But I want to know which is more aligned to my requirement.
I will be very grateful if you can provide your contact number so that I ca talk to you.
regards
Sandeep
sandyiitr2003@gmail.com
+91-9916568943
Regards
@Sandeep: I hope you understand the difference between finance and economics. If you are interested in I-banking, MBA is the course.
Hi Riju,
I hv cleared the ISI, MSQE and IGIDR, M.Sc Economics entrance exams.
Please guide me in details on the interview at these institutes.
Regards,
Aparajita
@Aparajita: Congrats! Revise all that you studied for the entrance. Focus on ISI interview as it is relatively more intensive. ISI interview panel will test you on concepts and not expect you to really solve the questions. So get a strong grip over the concepts and solve as many questions as you can. I had applied to ISID and the faculty there was very helpful and they tend to guide you to solve the question than ‘grill’ you. The most important thing is to keep your mind calm while giving the interview..All the best!
Dear Riju
I am an engineering graduate . I have 2 years gap b/w class 12th and engg. Am I still eligible for the m.a. eco course at dse/jnu etc. is there any age limit.?
Hi Riju,
I belong to engineering background, doing my B.Tech in Aeronautical Engg…I am interested in joining MSQE from ISI after completing my grad. I am preparing for the entrance ….however, what kind of interview an engg student expect in ISI? Will there be maximum questions on engg?
hi , can u tell which one is better isi or igidir as they have programs msc qe and msc e?
@Mandar: Depends on your interest. ISI has MSQE which focusses on Quant Economics and IGIDR has MSc Eco. If you are interested in PhD after PG, ISI is the place.
Hi Riju,
Can you pls advise which is a better course for career in financial services – MSc QE at ISI or MSC E at IGIDR. I am getting admission in both. I have done BA eco & Stats from Xavier’s Mumbai.
regards, Ramesh
@Ramesh: As far as I know, the interviews for both the institutes are yet to take place. I would suggest IGIDR. But course and institute wise, it is ISI. ISI has excellent faculty and very well designed course. And what I hear is that ISI D is better. I am not sure.
Thnx Riju. ISI Cal results were out yesterday. IGIDR interview is on 29th.
I was told IGIDR is good for PhD & ISI better for MSc…..
@Ramesh: ISI is for PhD and IGIDR for placements.
Hi Riju,
I hv been selected for ISI Cal MSQE prgm.
Thanx 4 ur help and guidance all the way.
@Aparajita: Great news. Congratulations and I hope DSE entrance went well for you. Or have you decided for ISI Cal already?
Hi,
im the student of B.A.(h) economics from srcc n Ive cleared the ms qe enterance at isi but ive no idea as to how to prepare for the interview. kindly help me out on this front.i’ll be greatly obliged.thanx.
@Mansi: Refer to the reply to Aparajita’s same query.
hi Riju,
I am interested in applying for the entrance exams of ISI and IGIDR and was looking at how to prepare for both. In the economics section do they also ask current affairs related to economics like the RBI’s decision to bring about changes in CRR or SLR or is it purely theory. which are the good books for macro-economics. Is Schaums series for microeconomics and mathematical economics a useful book for preparation? Is Lipsey-Crystal a good book for reference and for the maths sections is it enough if I go through the maths of 11th and 12th?
@Nishant: All your questions have already been answered in the blog.
Hi Riju,
Thanx.
Yes I hv decided for ISI cal MSQE.
DSE entrance exam was a bit difficult this yr. The question trends hv changed.Anyway I am waiting for the results.
Hi riju,
Nice work on the blog.Please let me know about the syallbus for the entrance examination for quantitative economics conducted by indian statistical institute.Apart from brushing the 11th and 12th standard text books and bsc stats entrance exam what else I need to study.can u please help
@Barath: Read the blog
@Sumit: No book alone is sufficient. Start with Principles of Economics by Mankiw and then advance to Varian and other books recommended in the blog. Similarly you can start with Dornbusch and Fischer for Macro. Read the other comments, all your queries have been already addressed
please tell me the names of maths topics which i am supposed 2 do 4 isi masters in quantitative economics course
@Megha: Read the blog.
hello
I AM A STUDENT OF DU KMC PHYSICS (H).I WANT TO PREPARE FOR ISI MSQE.PLEASE TELL ME IF IT WOULD BE A VERY GOOD OPTION FOR ME TO GO FOR THIS COURSE. I HAVE GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF MATHS AND INTERMEDIATE KNOWLEDGE OF ECO.ALSO TELL ME ABOUT THE INTERVIEW BECAUSE THEY MIGHT ASK ME WHY AFTER PHYSICS I AM INTERESTED IN ECO.PLUS THIS WOULD AFFECT MY SELECTION.
THANKYOU
@Shubham: It wont affect your selection. Intermediate knowledge of economics wont suffice. Please refer to the blog for which books you can refer to.
im an eco graduate2005-08 frm rajasthan with the aim of getting thrgh the DSE/ISI.
being a non du, i want to get my basics strong.. i hope u can lead me to good coaching institute /professors’ in delhi who could help me bridge up the gap.
any kind of information will be helpful .
Hello Riju
I am an software eng. since two yrs. but want to move to quant.(Finance).I have made a research on few courses but seems that they need high level mathematics to get into.Although i am always interested in mathematics but one option i figured was to do MS in quant(Eco) so that it can pave the way for may be a Phd later on from good Univ. in financial mathematics.Can u please enlighten me on the same and your advice too.
Thanks
@Nikhil: I am not aware of the course content of Financial Mathematics. A degree at ISI in Economics will certainly help you get a PhD from US in Economics/Quantitative Economics. I will suggest you to look at the course structure of MSQE and decide for yourself if it helps in your plans of getting a degree in Financial Mathematics. Please note that these two fields are very different.
@Shivam: This blog is about courses in Economics. I have no clue about Mathematics at ISI.
@Rohan: If you have not done maths at +2 level, it will be extremely difficult for you to even crack the entrance. Please look at ISI website to see if you are eligible
hi riju
I am doing my B.Tech from HBTI,Kanpur (final year)
I want to do further studies and research in mathematics (thats due to my interest) from ISI Delhi
Could you please give me any information on this, regarding prepration strategy, books, internet sites, blogs, etc. I’ll be very thankful to you
Any kind of information will be helpful.
Hello Riju,
First upon congrates for blog……I want information abt IGIDR entrance, studying 11, 12th std maths, reasoning….is it sufficient bcoz I have done B.Com from Pune Univ. and pursuing MBA in Shipping & Llogistics, not aware abt economics in deep. kindly suggest me some books & ur advice as u hav already mentioned Prtogita Darpan for eco in ur blog.
Thanksi in advance,
Rgds/ Rushikesh
@Rushikesh: IGIDR has questions similar to ones asked in CAT..See the sample paper for IGIDR on its website. There are no economics questions asked in IGIDR entrance.
hey Riju : I am doing bachelors of commerce specializing in accounting/finance. i haven’t done math in my + 2.. will I still be eligible for the M.S.Q.E entrance exam ??
thanks a lot for your prompt response.. keep well.
hi riju
ur blog is very gud.. i want to knw if for my maths part i have done sysaeter and hammond.. will it be fine? wat more u will suggest me?
moreover i want to know if the sample papers given are the past papers itself?coz they appear to be a bit same!!
Hi riju
can u tell me some nice institutes which offer Msc in quantam economics .
and how to prepare for the same….
@Rituraj: I am aware of only ISI in India..
hi Riju
Have been reading your blogs and are informative but I would love to know Where can I get sample question papers for the DSE and JNU entrance exams. I have been working very hard afer reading your blogs and hope to get into DSE this year as I will be fininshing my Bsc(Hons) Economics in March and have sufficient amount of time for preparation for the other entrance exams . I would love to know whether it the coaching center ecopoint in Delhi is good for coaching on economics .
thanks Riju for your blogs
@Shiva: JNU provides its sample papers at the time of submitting the application form for the entrance. However, you must check on with your seniors who have already given the entrance. I am sure they would have been having all. You can get DSE sample papers are available at photocopy shop of DSE campus. I think somebody on net has also uploaded all of them. Just google and you will find the link.
My suggestion is to go for self study/group study than go for a coaching institute.
hi riju, firstly thanks for creating for such a wonderful blog. i am presently pursuing B.Sc economics honours 2nd yr. from calcutta. will solving past papers a graet help 4 m?? the problem is from where can i get d papers, i reside in kolkata. is my daily study of economics enough for d entrances.
@Abhishek: Past years are a must. ISI past years are available on net.
hi riju..
can u tell me wat can be left in 12th class maths like integration topic or so..?
And one more thing can you tell me whether collective score matters in written exam or separate section has specific weightage..?
@Manmeet: Refer to Sydsaeter and Hammond. In DSE, I do not think that there is a seperate cut off for each section but I think it exists for ISI and IGIDR and may be JNU as well
hello riju…
i want some model papers or question answer form papers for ma economics entrance exam(dse, isi) preparation 2011.can u please tell me from where i get these kind of papers and of which writer…
Helo Riju,
Could u please comment on the importance of past acads in ISI final selection.
My aggregate % is 63 % in engg.(kinda low and i had a backpaper in my final sem, due to which i lost 6 mnths extra )
and do they ask grad based topics to engineers ??
@Tom: According to my limited knowledge, they do ask engineers topics related to what they have done in B.Tech.
Hi Riju,
You are running a wonderful blog site out here for Eco aspirants. Thanks a lot for that!. I have an electrical engineering bachelors from India and a masters from the US. I am currently working in boston and also taking evening classes in principles of economics at the Harvard University Extension School. I am planning to enroll for Microeconomics and Macroeconomics during the Summer and Fall terms. I wanted your guidance to decide if it will be good for me to apply for a masters degree in the US or prepare for DSE, ISI entrance and try to get in there. I am in a confused state
since the very reason why I want to do economics is because I want to build a career in development economics, social policies and I feel that doing a master’s and a phd in India would make more sense since I would get a better perspective on India and its policies by listening to the professors there rather than doing the same in the US. Please do tell me if I am totally wrong!!
I am looking for some guidance and opinions. Also If I decide to try for an Eco degree in India, which one would you suggest. Since I work in the US, coming twice to Delhi to write entrance exams will be difficult.
Looking forward to your reply! Thanks a lot for running such a great blog!
Easwar
@Easwar: Thanks! My personal suggestion would be to do PhD from US only. If you are interested in Development Economics, you shall try to find which universities focus in that area and have a sound faculty in that field. I do not think you shall go for a second masters in Economics. A direct PhD course in US would be much more beneficial. All students who pursue PG in Economics in India aim to do PhD in US only.
However, if you are still keen in pursuing Masters in Economics from India then you have to choose between DSE, ISI and JNU. All three offer very different courses. Probably JNU would suit your interests more as it has more of an applied bent. If you are interested in modelling part of development economics, I think ISI would be good.
Again, my personal advice is to pursue directly a PhD in Economics from US.
Hi Riju,
Thanks a lot for helping me out in this. I want to clarify that I don’t have a degree in Economics. I have an electrical engineering bachelors and Masters. Thus, I am currently taking courses in economics to gain knowledge and equip myself better to apply here or write DSE/ISI/JNU entrance in India. If I go ahead and apply for a masters in the US, do you have any suggestions for some decently ranked (not very high…since i dont have an eco background) universities that I can apply to? especially the ones with applied research and interdisciplinary research in development economics/social policies ??
Thanks Riju!
@Easwar: I think it would be better for you to apply for a direct PhD in Economics in US. Since my knowledge is limited, I would suggest you to ask people pursuing Economics in US.
Test of mathematics book is currently not available,can u suggest some other book for practise
@Arun: May be IITJEE entrance questions.
Hello Riju
I would like to know if derz a seperate cut off for students from non economics background for part – II (subjective eco) of the ISI paper.
The Eco part seems too difficult for non eco students ,i dont think ppl get sufficent time to prepare for ISI type difficult economics questions along with engg. studies. , however i still find lotz of engineers in ISI MSQE ,
I am not aware of it. I doubt.
hi riju
where can i find hints/solutions to test of mathematics at 10+2 level??
Hi Riju,
Your blog is very informative, thanks.
I am an Electrical engineer from NIT Dgp and am currently preparing for the isi and dse exams..Could you please tell me whether the answers and/or solutions to the problems in the isi previous year papers,varian workbook, pindyck rubinfeld exercises and dornbusch fischer exercises are available….also, should i do the problems from the microeconomics book by satya ranjan chakravarty??
hi can anyone suggest me any concise exercises for statistics syllabus for isi except probability? dont suggest sc gupta!!
Hi riju..
i am a second div. eco hons graduate kmc,2010 pass out.
during college,was actve in class bt nt in exams.. i lykd eco bt nvr stdid it.
nw hav dcided on masters as i wana do ias with eco.
the problm is tht i am in a limbo.. neithr a novice at eco nor a pro. much of your advice is meant for either one..
how shud sum1 lyk me prepare?
im quite comfortable wid maths bt nt wid stats,m jst an acquaintance thr. did varian and did d workbuk,also hav kalyanjit ray choudhary for problems.
bt facing problems wid past year question.
do u hav any advice 4me? if yes,gr8.. if no,join the club..
cheers.
@Piyush: There is no cookbook for any type of person. All the things that have been written are required to be done. Be clear with UG course first and then move on to preparing for entrances.
Hello Riju,
You have mentioned that for the maths section in ISI to try and study a few engineering problems. will MHT-CET type of questions be helpfull?
@Nishant: I am not aware of MHT-CET type questions.
I would like to go for coaching for IGIDR, MSE, DSE, JNU, Gokhale. So pls help me which coaching class to enroll because the syllabus of the mentioned universities are different frm what we have in Orissa. Pls suggest
To all the rest, please read the blog and the comments.
Hello
First of all thanks for all the info you have provided on your blog. Its really very helpful.
I would like to know that the ISI syllabus for ME II vaguely states the topic “theory of Producer behavior”. Can you please tell what all topic come under it…I mean stuffs like profit maximization, cost minimization, cost curves or something more? Should I cover topics like externalities as well?
Thanks.
Yes, do externalities as well.
hi riju….i wrote igidr msc eco this yr.
i wished to know the avg placmnt packages offered to msc grads there.
also plz help me telling the job profile such a graduate is offered.
Hi Rjiu,
Thanks for your website, it is very helpful. I need some information about the post graduate courses in economics in India.
I have done B.Tech and currently working as a business analyst, i want to do ma in economics, could you please let me know what are the age limits for applicants for post graduate courses in economics in top colleges in India. ( I am currently 22 years old and would want to apply for postgraduate courses after 1 or 2 years) Please let me know the age restrictions at ISI, DSE, IGIDR, MSE, GIPE…
You can visit various universities websites and check it on your own. You are just 22!! Why are you worrying so much about age restriction!!
Sure you can as long as you satisfy eligibility criteria.
Hiiiiiiiii riju…
hw one shud prepare for isi interview???
i heard of macro eco session conducted by a panel durin isi interview.
do u hv any idea abt dis..?
avnish
Hiiii.. riju….
hw one shud prepare for isi interview…??
i heard of macro eco session conducted by isi interview panel during interview.. do u
hv any idea of dis…???
do help if u cn..
thnx
avnish…..
If you have cleared ISI entrance, you don’t need to worry about the interview. All the questions are similar to that asked in ISI and DSE entrance paper.
Hi,
I am Ankit, have done MBA from Mumbai University into finance. I have done Bachelor of Mgmt. Studies from Mumbai University.
I wish to do something into research part.
I wish to pursue a degree mostly into Quantitative Finance or economics or altogether a different degree like Msc. Statistics.
Currently I am working as Propreitory Trader into Commodities in a private firm in mumbai.
the degree i want to pursue is different from my job profile so Workshops wouldnot help.
I would want to learn advanced Statistics like GARCH model, Granger test, Cointegration, etc. that would help me to do some kind of research into Capital markets.
So the basic crux of this message is I want an advise from you as of from where exactly shall I began my search for the same.
I have enquired few institutes like-
Indian Statistical Institute and IIT kanpur.
They are offering MSc in Stats, but am afraid as they require a BSc degree for pursuing MSc in Stats which unfortunately I dont have.
Shall I pursue Doctoral or Master’s degree and that to from where and in which field.
Waiting for reply. Please help me out as i am totally confused..
Hi Riju
I have engineering background and want to apply for ISI MSQE program. On its website, ISI clearly states that engineers are also elgible to apply but says they need to have some knowledge of economics at BSc level. Does that mean taking formal courses in economics during undergraduate study. I dont have any formal background in economics, am i eligible to apply with out having done any formal coursework in economics
You are certainly eligible but you would obviously need to study economics to clear the entrance.
hii
the info was quite useful , so thnx
n could u suggest any other book for statistics ; other than ‘s.c.gupta, v.k. kapoor “…….. something dat xplains d concepts better ..
Try this: http://www.amazon.com/Probability-Statistics-4th-Morris-DeGroot/dp/0321500466
Hi Riju,
I am new to this blog. And I am keen to crack ISI’s MSQE. I did BBA Finance & at present working as a Financial Modeler.
I have a small question, As I did BBA-Finance in my undergraduate, will I be eligible to apply for this MSQE program? (also could you tell my eligibility for DSE’s MA economics prog)
Thanks
Kumar
See the respective websites to check whether you are eligible or not.
Hi Riju,
Am an engineer (Civil) currently working in the field of climate change advisory services for almost 5 years. Am extremely interested in learning about and subsequently working on development of Climate Change economics, and models thereof.
Could you kindly let me know that
(a) is the ISI (Cal) MSQE course apt for achieving the objective, and
(b) if I begin preparing for the ISI (Cal) MSQE entrance from now, assuming that the exam is in May next year, and going by my office schedule of 10 am to 8 pm, would I have a fair chance of cracking it? This second question is significantly subjective in nature, but still I would request you to provide your opinion/ suggestion towards the same.
Thanks
Soumyajit
I think it will be best for you to go through ISI MSQE syllabus to figure out if it is tuned to your interests. See here: http://www.isid.ac.in/~pu/doc/msqebroch.pdf
Hi Riju,
I do not know if this is the right place to ask this but I had a doubt regarding study at ISI. I am currently a third year undergraduate at IIT Kgp. Though Economics is not my majors I want to pursue my masters in Quant. Economics. I wanted ask if there are any possibilities of studying there while working part-time because I do not want someone to support me financially. This is kind of a family thing. Hope you understand.
Thanks.
At ISI, you don’t have to pay any fees, including hostel accommodation. In addition, you get some stipend as well per month.
Hello,
I am a student of engineering, and am planning to sit for the entrance for MSQE, ISI in 2012. Microecon shd not be a problem, but I have a query regarding Macro
I have been working on Dornbusch and Fischer, and correlating with ISI’s syllabus chapter’s 1-8 (not sure abt 6) are definitely pertinent. But there is a topic, “Money Banking and inflation” in the entrance syllabus, that seems to relate to all of chapters 11-20.
Shd we complete the whole of Dornbusch? Or are there specific chapters clearly out of the syllabus?
Thanks for your time. And thanks for your blog. It has been extremely helpful!
Go through it once, it will be helpful.
well first of all thanks for the information…i would ike to know more about igidr entrance examinations n preparation necessary for it..coz it doeasnt involve much of economics in its entrance exam…so plz tell me where should i concentrate especially in the maths section ..any books u would suggest for preparing for it …is it necessary to take an year of..and are there any coaching institutes which focuses on these type of entrances..
I have answered this elsewhere in the blog, please read the comments.
Hi Riju,
Thanks a lot for the info
I have a query..how is it decided if a student will get admission at isi delhi or at isi kol?
You have to decide at the application stage whether you wish to apply to ISI delhi or ISI Kol.
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Hi Riju,
I have done my graduation from Delhi University in Business Economics. I started out with the preparation for entrances in late December and still i dont have sufficient knowledge about the course and various universities that pursue it.I have started with mathematics from 11th and 12th NCERT books. Could you please suggest that am I also required to do all the chapters from RD sharma?
Please see the blog for what you should study in Maths. RD sharma is not at all sufficient.
Hi… I am appearing for DSE and ISI this time. I had Science in plus two and in fact joined NIT Nagpur after getting through AIEEE but later on gave it up.
Now that I am pursuing B.A. Economics Honours with Statistics as a pass subject I have comfort level in Maths, in view of what you have stated in your blog.
Regarding statistics, I am not 100percent comfortable.
In regard to Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, my concepts are not very encouraging at this point of time. The ISI exam is scheduled to take place on May 13th and DSE exam is yet to be notified. Please specifically advise me as to how I should go about preparing… Thanks and Regards
The blog already details out everything about preparation. What is your specific question? ISI entrance requires you to have good grasp of all the four subjects, as you can see from the past years.
Hi,
I would like to know how long one would require to finish the economics part of the syllabus with rigorous preparation. I do not have much knowledge in economics. Is it realistic to target for ISI this year?
PS:I have gone through 1st 6 chapters of Hal Varian Microeco already.
Nithin
I don’t think so. 2 months is too less a time, specially for non-eco person.
Hi,
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABT SYMBIOSIS SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS FOR M Sc .TO BE PRECISE ITS RANKING IN INDIA FOR ECONOMICS
I haven’t even heard of it!
@Ashik Thats not a good idea..First think of DSE and other top institutes its worth even you waste a year and get into DSE but if you go to unnamed colleges you will lose many chances in your career…IMO
Symbiosis School of Economics is a decent institute. It is just been opened last year, which is why its not popular. It’s B.Sc program which is 4-5 years old is very rigorous and successful. The first batch of
M.Sc economics students will pass out in 2013. Placement wise, Symbi has always had an edge, because of the brand it has in MBA ans other courses. Its not a bad place to study in case you don’t get through any other top college.
Agreed. But if you are looking for placements, I would rather suggest you to go for an MBA course at a decent institute than pursue Economics. See the faculty at Symbi, they don’t have a single professor who has studied at any top institute in India, leave apart a PhD degree from abroad. If you are keen to pursue Economics, it is better to drop an year and study hard to clear the entrance of top institutes.
hi,
I just got an offer letter from LSE for their MSc course in economics 1 year degree. I needed your advice on whether i should choose that over isi and dse? Please keep in mind that i need to go to LSE summer school as a precondition for the offer, which is scheduled at the same time as the isi-d interviews. what do you suggest i do? please keep in mind that my final aim is to do a phd course from the US, so which course would suit my career objectives, LSE or ISI? Also, which course is qualitatively better in your opinion, leaving aside the question of funds?
Any advice would be appreciated… Thanks
Well, I do not think I am well placed to compare the two programs – I am less aware of MSc Econ as LSE. But my personal view is that since you have a confirmed offer from LSE, it would be better to take that up as against risking yourself to get through DSE/ ISI.
For mathematics, I am starting with Objective approach to mathematics by Arihant. Will that be enough? Can you suggest a good objective statistics book. Also, do we need to do mathematical economics, from say AC Chiang?
Please read the blog.
Can you please tell me the pattern? Do we always get objective question in math section and subjective questions in economics section?
Please see the question papers.
I am a graduate from IIT Delhi.
Can you please tell me how many general category seats are there in ISI. I cannot find this important information on the internet
Thanks.
They call about 30 candidates for interview and select as many as they like..