IES/ISS Preparation Tips

Annually, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issues recruitment notification for the Indian Economic Service (IES) along with the Indian Statistical Service (ISS). Candidates will be selected based on the written examination followed by an interview. Aspirants have to appear for six papers in IES/ISS written examination. Here are the preparation tips for IES/ISS exam that help to stand out in the written examination. 

Indian Economic Service

There will be a total of six papers in the Indian Economic Service (IES) examination. The General English and General Studies are common to both IES and ISS. All other papers of IES will be of the subjective type. Aspirants have to note that the question papers in all subjects in IES will be of conventional (essay) type. All the question papers must be answered in English.

General English

Candidates should write an essay in English and they will be tested on the grammar and vocabulary. One should also use their language skills while answering passages. They should also get familiar with the words used in the cubicle.

General Studies

UPSC will put questions on the general knowledge and trending topics. Candidates who are good at day-to-day observation can score well because most of the questions are based on it. Aspirants have to read all the basic concepts of the subjects such as Indian polity, geography, economy, history specifically freedom movement and general science.

General Economics-I

This is a scoring paper in IES exam and divided into two parts. It will test the candidates on basic concepts of the economic theories besides quantitative methods in economics. One has to learn the definitions and interrelation between concepts to score well.

General Economics-II

The question of general economics will be based on the topics such as economic growth and development, financial and capital market, economic thought and international economics. We suggest aspirants relate the paper-II topics with paper-I to understand the concepts better.

General Economics-III

Aspirants should use their logical, critical thinking and analytical skills to understand the topics in this paper. There are many topics which are based on the policies, hence, one should make a note of facts while preparing. Never ignore important topics in the environmental economics and industrial economics such as RIO Conventions, Kyoto protocol, UNFCC, Bali Action Plan, Agreements up to 2017, etc.

Indian Economics

This is the final paper in IES and the questions will be based on the whole economic conditions in India such as poverty, GDP, development and strategies. We suggest aspirants update themselves on the market and economic policies. Candidates are advised to make use of the Economic Survey, prepared by the government of India, for facts and figures. They should meticulously go through the current Union Budget. While preparing the concepts, highlight the important point which will be useful during the revision. 

Indian Statistical Service

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Indian Statistical Service (ISS) to select candidates for the service. The selection of candidates will be based on the All India Entrance Examination scores. Candidates have to appear for six papers to crack the Indian Statistical Service (ISS) exam.

Both general English and general studies are common for Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service. Here are the preparation tips.

• In general English, candidates will be tested on grammar and vocabulary. While writing an essay in this paper, candidates have to display their strong language skills
• Though the general studies paper consists of 100 marks, it will help a lot in increasing the cut-off score. A day-to-day observation of the trending topics is required. One should know read all the basic information about the Indian polity, geography, economy, history specifically freedom movement and general science
• The statistics-I & II papers are of objective papers. Candidates can score well in these if they are good enough in the computer application and data processing. Never ignore reading the statistical methods for scoring more
• One should read about the national and international official statistical systems besides sector-wise statistics and national accounts. Be familiar with the linear estimation and Gauss-Markov linear models in the linear models unit
• There is a lot of difference between the objective and descriptive paper. Candidates should use statistical info and case studies wherever required
• Always know about the key departments in India such as the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)
• The syllabus for the descriptive paper will be huge compared to the objective paper. However, one can prepare well by following the strategies
• While preparing for the exam, highlight all the information in your notes. This activity will help you to revise in less time

Explore ISS preparation strategies here

The IES/ISS 2019 examination will be held for three (3) days from June 28, 2019. The admit cards for the IES/ISS will be released at least two weeks prior to the exam dates.