Tips to Succeed in Indian Economic Services Exam

March 3, 2023
indian economic services

Table of Contents

Every government requires certain committees, departments, and ministries to plan, administer, develop, and implement policies for the country. In a rapidly globalizing country, the need for a decision-making committee is increasing, guided by economic rationality. This is where the Indian economic services officers come. 

The Indian Economics Exam

The Indian Economics Services exam is conducted to recruit Junior Time Scale of the Services will be held by the Union Public Service Commission under the rules published by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation in the Gazette of India. 

Indian economic services are the gateway to the central service as a Group A officer. Aspirants who successfully pass the Indian economic services examination are placed in various cadre posts in the ministry of economic affairs, planning board, planning commission, national sample survey and other allied departments or ministries where specialists in economics and statistics are required. 

The Indian economic services exam is conducted once a year by the United Public Service Commission. A maximum of 6 attempts are given to a single candidate. 

Eligibility Criteria for the Indian Economic Service Exam

Indian Economic Service is a reputed and high-ranking post, which is why there are some strict eligibility criteria for the candidates. The Indian Economic Service eligibility criteria for candidates appearing in exams are:  

The candidate should be a citizen of India Or a subject of Nepal Or a subject of Bhutan Or a refugee of Tibet, who came over to India before January 1, 1962, to permanently settle in India 

A person of Indian origin, who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka or East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, Zaire and Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, or Vietnam to permanently settle in India. 

Educational Criteria

As far as the Indian Economic Services criteria for educational qualification are concerned, the IES exam requires the following requirement. 

The people applying for the Indian Economic Services exam are required to have a post-graduate degree in economics, applied economics, business economics, or econometrics from a recognized university or a foreign university approved by the central government. 

There are many other rules and regulations regarding eligibility and other criteria which you can read about in detail on the official site of UPSC

Exam Pattern

To become an IES Officer you have to give exams, these exams have certain patterns that you should know about. You can prepare for the written exam according to the pattern.  

Round 1 

The written exam of 1000 marks in total. The distribution for this is given below. 

General English for 100 marks of 3 hours 

General studies for 100 marks of 3 hours 

General economics1 for 200 marks of 3 hours 

General economics2 for 200 marks of 3 hours 

General economics3 for 200 marks of 3 hours 

Indian economics4 for 200 marks of 3 hours 

Round 2 

Round 2 consists of a Viva-voce or Interview of 300 marks. 

Syllabus for the Indian Economic Services exam

The syllabus for the Indian Economic Services exam contains different sections for each subject. These subjects are General English, General Studies, General Economics 1,2 & 3, and Indian Economics. Questions from different topics of these subjects are asked, such as essay writing, passages, vocabulary etc. from English. Topics like general knowledge, Indian Polity, Indian History & Geography from Social studies. Then there are economic topics like consumer demand theory, welfare economics, economic thought, theory of value, international economics and much more.   

Tips to Clear Indian Economic Services Exam

So many aspirants choose this as one of the best career options and prepare for Indian Economic Services with lots of enthusiasm and motivation. Your hard work and motivation will positively pay off, and here are some tips which will also help you in clearing your Indian Economics Service Exam.   

Do the Self-Evaluation

The very first thing you need to know before starting your Indian Economic Service exam preparation, evaluate your current knowledge and skills. When you know where you stand in terms of skills and knowledge, then you will be able to plan accurately. Take mock tests and preparation tests, and check your score. This will show your actual knowledge before preparation, now, start planning how to enhance your knowledge and skills. 

Bust the Myths

There are several myths related to the IES exam. Some people say that the prelims and mains are the same, or the mains exam has less competition, or only a genius can crack the mains. However, if you prepare well with utmost dedication, you can clear any exam. Clear all the misconceptions and doubts before starting to prepare. You can ask your teachers, experienced candidates, your friends etc. 

Make a Schedule

Having a disciplined schedule is important for concentrated learning and better results. Make a timetable for yourself and create that timetable which suits your learning style and pattern. You can include as many hours as you want, breaks in-between studies etc. However, remember to stick with this timetable and follow it religiously to succeed. 

Know the Syllabus

This article gave you a glimpse into the syllabus of the Indian Economic Services exam but confirms the whole syllabus in detail from the official site. When you know your syllabus, you can plan how to distribute your time among different topics. And do not wander from your syllabus. It happens that students try to over-learn. Too much unnecessary information will create confusion in your mind, so stick to only those topics which are prescribed in the syllabus. 

Sit Prepared

While studying to prepare for the written exam of ISE always keep all your stationery and books close to you. This will create a learning environment and you don’t have to search for anything you need. It may look like a small thing, but these small habits will teach you the importance of routine and discipline. Which will help you in your Indian Economic Services jobs.    

Challenge Yourself

It’s easy to get stuck on a question and leave it, saying it’s difficult. But what’s hard to do is challenge yourself to dive deep into the concept of difficult questions and solve them. To prepare well and ace your Indian Economic Services exam you need to challenge your mind and expand your mental abilities. Once you start falling into a routine, make some alterations to it, and do something new and challenging to exercise your brain. 

Take Guidance

You might find hundreds of guidance videos on the internet, but nothing will compare to the advice given by your teachers. So, while preparing for the Indian Economic Services, do ask your mentor, teachers and previous rankers for advice and guidance. They can tell you genuine solutions for real problems and not just bookish problems real-life problems. Like what field to choose after clearing the exam, how to learn the job skills needed for the role and how to become good in your role. So, do talk to your seniors and teachers in between the preparation. 

Eliminate Distractions

Social media platforms, video games, mobile and the internet, are some of the major distractions for every student. Yes, they do assist in studies, but spending too much time in the virtual world only leads to a waste of time. So, limit the usage of these things, uninstall any distractive app from your mobile, and set a digital well-being alert. This will give you more than enough time to study with utmost concentration. 

Be Health Conscious

It’s not just your mind that needs to stay sharp, your body needs to stay fit too. To keep your body fit and healthy, eat a balanced diet, practice yoga and exercise, eliminate negative thoughts and stay positive. Then see how your body and mind will work in sync and you will clear your Indian Economic Services exam.  

Believe in your Goals

Yes, the main exam is important for Indian Economic Services jobs, but what’s more important is your conviction. You should have faith in your knowledge and recognise your long-term goals. Then only you will be able to clear the exam and achieve your ultimate goal of becoming an IES officer. 

Skills Required To become an IES Officer

Clearing the Indian Economic Services exam is important to become an IES Officer. However, if you want to become a successful and reputed officer then, you must have certain skills in you. 

Leadership Skills

Having leadership skills is crucial for an IES officer, as an officer you should be able to lead your subordinates towards the completion of the assigned task. 

Problem-Solving Skills 

You would face several situations in your job role, situations in which you need to find immediate and accurate solutions to problems. For that, you need to enhance your problem-solving skills. 

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Decision-Making Skills

In a day an IES officer has made several decisions related to finances, advises seniors and guides the sub-ordinates. In such cases, you need to be prepared to make swift and sensible decisions. 

Determination

Your will to do tasks and perform better than your previous version will take you to success in this field. So be determined towards your goals.  

Critical-thinking Skills

Having critical-thinking skills is crucial for an Indian Economic Services officer. So that they can analyse the situation, think critically before concluding, and make well-informed decisions. 

Roles & Responsibilities of IES Officer

After clearing the Indian Economic Services exam, when you become an IES officer you are required to fulfil all your duties and responsibilities with honesty.  

  1. As an IES officer, your role is broadly categorized in the areas of economic advice, economic administration, and implementation of policies. You will be responsible for all the social sectors which come under the economic development sector. 
  2. An IES officer has to look after the technical aspects, which are related to government duties and responsibilities of construction, manufacturing defence, public communication network, railways etc. 
  3. An IES officer must know how to work on engineering-related things. As you need to supervise and assist the workers who need extra supervision. 
  4. IES officers are closely associated with and involved in the economic reforms in the department or ministry to which they are posted. 
  5. IES officers also do the task of policymaking, they consider the situation, check the policy parameters, and then make and implement the economic and government policies. 
  6. An IES officer advises the government related to various policies and suggests changes whenever needed. 
  7. These officers make sure that all the policies are framed accurately by the individual Departments/ Ministries with keeping the overall directions of economic policies contained in the Five-years plan, Union Budgets etc.  

Salary of IES Officers

The salary of an IES officer depends upon his/her rank/ designation he/she has applied for and got appointed. The starting average salary of a Junior Time Scale Officer starts from ₹15,600 and keeps increasing as the designation level goes up. 

Start Your Preparation for Indian Economic Services  

Working as an IES officer is a dream of many, and if you have the same dream then you need to start preparing early. As it is a reputed government job position the roles and responsibilities of an IES officer are more than any normal job title. You will be working directly with Government officials to make economic and social changes. 

And if you are still wondering how you will prepare for your Indian Economic Services exam, then do the article and look at the useful tips listed. So, start your journey to becoming an IES officer today. Keep learning and succeeding. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are the jobs in Indian Economic Service? 

Ans. There are several job options in Indian Economic Services, such as Junior Time Scale Officer, Junior Administrative Grade Advisor and many others. These are the job title within the Indian Economic Services, you can apply for any of these positions. And you will get selected after the written exam and the interview. 

Q2. What happens after clearing the Indian Economic Service exam? 

Ans. After you have cleared your written IES exam along with the interview; you can be appointed to the ministry of economic affairs, national sample survey, planning board, planning commission etc which needs professionals who know about economics and government. You will start working at the junior level and with experience and enhanced skills, you can seek promotion and work at a higher ranking. 

Q3. What is the salary of the Indian Economic Service? 

Ans. An IES officer’s salary depends on their ranking, the higher you are ranking the more your pay scale and incentives will be. However, when you clear the exam and get appointed, you will be working as a junior-grade officer, so your salary might not be that high-paying. But the IES officer job is quite reputable and with time you will positively get paid more. 

Q4. Is Indian Economic Service equal to IAS? 

Ans. IES and IAS both are reputed government jobs, in this way they both hold equal importance. However, the work of an IES officer differs from that of an IAS officer. An IES officer will be working for a specific field of Economics, but an IAS officer works in a more generalised way. It can be said then that IES and IAS are equal in importance but their responsibilities differ. 

Q5. Is IES a good career option? 

 Ans. It all depends on your choice and interest in whether you want to become an IES or not. Otherwise, IES is one of the best career options to choose in India, not only it is a reputable job, but it’s a good-paying job too. And being a government job makes it a secure job title that you can positively go with.  

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