Gear up for the IES Group A posts

Gauri Chhabra

If you wish to be placed in prestigious organisations like the Planning Commission, Ministry of Economic Affairs etc, here is your chance. Gear up for the Indian Economic Service (IES) or the Indian Statistical Service (ISS) exam that is conducted by the UPSC to fill posts in these organisations.

A candidate for the Indian Economic Service must have obtained a Postgraduate degree in Economics/Applied Economics/Business Economics/Econometrics from a university incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India.

The service conditions (pay scales, perks etc) offered by IES are similar to other Central Civil Services. The places of posting are usually in the State capitals or in New Delhi.

Indian Economic Service (IES) & Indian Statistical Service (ISS)

Conducted by: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

Frequency : Once a year

Mode: Pen and paper-based (Offline)

Number of attempts allowed: 6

Duration of the examination: 3 days

Vacancies (approximately): IES – 32 & ISS – 33

Test centres: 19

Expected registrations: More than 2 lakh

Eligibility

A candidate must be either a citizen of India, or (b) a subject of Nepal, Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India, or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka or East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or from Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Qualification

For Indian Economic Service:

A candidate must have obtained a Postgraduate degree in Economics/Applied Economics/Business Economics/Econometrics from a recognised university or other educational institutes established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as University u/s 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or a foreign university approved by the Central Govt. from time to time.

For Indian Statistical Service:

A candidate for the Indian Statistical Service must have obtained a bachelor’s degree with Statistics/Mathematical Statistics/Applied Statistics as one of the subjects or a master’s degree in Statistics/Mathematical Statistics/Applied Statistics from a recognised university.

Age limit

A candidate appearing for the IES exam must have attained 21 years and have a maximum age limit of 32 years. It has some upper age relaxation for certain categories of candidates like Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe is 5 years and other Backward Classes is 3 years.

If a candidate has ordinarily been domiciled in Jammu & Kashmir during the January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1989 — 5 years

Up to a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area, and released as a consequence thereof.

Up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen, including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on August 1, 2018

Sample Paper

General English

1. Write an essay on any of the following in 800 words : (30)

a) Can Reservation Policy Ensure Social Justice?

b) Responsibility of News Media in India

c) Free Speech as a Democratic Right

d) Hazards of Pollution and Possible Solutions

e) Representation of Women in Indian Cinema

Pattern and Syllabus

Part 1: Written Exam

The written exam of 1,000 marks would test the following subjects. The maximum marks allotted to each subject/paper and the time allowed will be as follows:

[A]. Indian Economic Service

S.No.    Subject              Maximum marks    Time

1.        General English          100                     3 hours

2.        General Studies          100                     3 hours

3.        General Economics – I 200                    3 hours

4.       General Economics – II 200                    3 hours

5.      General Economics – III 200                    3 hours

6.      Indian Economics          200                    3 hours

[B] Indian Statistical Service:

S.No.      Subject Maximum             marks              Time

1.            General English                100                   3 hours

2.            General Studies                100                   3 hours

3.            Statistics-I                          200                  3 hours

4.            Statistics-II                         200                  3 hours

5.            Statistics-III                        200                  3 hours

6.            Statistics-IV                       200                   3 hours

• The questions papers in all subjects will be of conventional (essay) type. Questions will be set in English and must be answered in English as well.
• Candidates are not allowed a scribe to write for them. However, visually impaired candidates will be allowed a scribe as well as an additional 30 minutes for each paper.
• Candidates with locomotor disability and cerebral palsy will also be allowed an extra 20 minutes per paper, but won’t be allowed a scribe.
• The UPSC decides the qualifying marks for each paper.
• Marks may be deducted if handwriting is not easily legible.
• No marks are given for superficial knowledge. Candidates are allowed to use scientific, non-programmable calculators.

Part II: Viva Voce (interview) for 200 marks of shortlisted candidates.

• Candidates will be interviewed by a Board of qualified and impartial observers. The objective of the interview is to judge how suitable you are for the service for which you are competing.
• This viva voce exam will test the general and specialised knowledge and abilities of the candidate, in addition to the written exam.
• Candidates are expected to be aware of not just the academic subjects but also about national and international current affairs.
• The interview won’t be a strict cross examination, but would be more of a natural, yet directed and purposeful conversation, intended to reveal your mental qualities and your grasp over various problems.
• The Board will pay special attention to assessing the intellectual curiosity, critical powers of assimilation, balance of judgment and alertness of mind, the ability for social cohesion, integrity of character, initiation and capacity to lead.