Tips for preparing for DSE entrance

By Orville Dustin Mondal (Rank 7 in DSE entrance)

The most important thing about preparing for the DSE entrance test is continuity. You need to be completely comfortable with the recommended course material (which, for DU students is basically second year stuff, under the older course)-emphasis on 'COMPLETE'. Because only when you're comfortable with it can you go on to the practicing bit of preparing. Trust me it's extremely annoying (not to mention disconcerting) when you're doing a question and you start thinking,"do I know what they're talking about here?". Once you're through going through the course content, which really doesn't take too long, you need to start questions (yeah, I know that's obvious) and this is where continuity comes in. You need to get your hands on as much practice material as you possibly can. This is especially important for those of us who have a burning, unquenchable desire to keep on at it with economics but just don't seem to have that natural knack for solving essentially simple but convoluted questions. And truthfully, DSE mainly throws out things that we do know how to do. Sure there's the odd instance where they decide to dig through a masters textbook on stats and fling us something we more or less have no chance of figuring out-but that is extremely rare, not to mention ultimately inconsequential (one question should not stand between you and the cut-off). 

Where does one get material from? Well the past papers are a great way to start. Trust me there'll be more than a few head scratchers. The papers get you into a certain way of thinking about the questions. Our university exams are pretty straightforward (not just DU, by the way) and DSE most definitely (usually) is not. You need to have a tiny idea of what to expect-the papers are an excellent primer. But beyond that, your options are limited unless you enroll in one of the (way too) many coaching classes spread around the city (or, alternatively, you could have an inside source that gets you the material). Classes aren't always helpful. Seriously, they aren't for everybody. Nor are they necessary for everybody. Blisspoint or Ecopoint (they're these two places that offer classes, in case you didn't know), all you need is material. You need questions. Get them. Get a lot. How you get it is of course more problematic. Just don't go around dropping small fortunes hoping for the ideal stash of exam info (case in point, Mr. A. G., while no doubt an extremely helpful and, perhaps, likable person, cannot guarantee success. Self help is very very important). Don't strategise and leave out this or that subject. The course DSE recommends for preps isn't magnificently vast and you can easily practice for all of it. 

Finally, you need a solid p2p network. Peer support is unbelievably helpful (believe me). I only had it for the last 9 days of prep and it was frustratingly fantastic to see how others could solve stuff I had been stuck on for weeks. The entrance is, to put it mildly, manageable. It doesn't take an insurmountable mountain of work to be confident enough to take it and do good in it (okay, maybe I'm being a little pretentious here). 

So, in the end, all you need is to know the core subject content, have lots of material to keep you busy for about 3 months of more or less sincere work, and a strong peer support network. 

Orville graduated from St. Stephen's College in 2013. He got Rank 7 in DSE entrance and is currently pursuing M.A. Economics at Delhi School of Economics.