Undergraduate Economist

Perspectives of an Economics student

JNU Entrance Exam: Essays

Posted by Alex M Thomas on August 3, 2006

This post is meant for all those who could not get the previous question papers of JNU and for those who want to know what kind of essay questions are asked usually for the test. The examiners look for critical answers. Without some knowledge in the following mentioned areas, it would be difficult to give an opinionated answer.(You are required to answer only one essay: Marks alotted for an essay is 20)

2005
1) The need for a universal employment guarantee scheme in rural India
2) Business process outsourcing
3) Why India’s foreign exchange reserves are increasing
4) Utility possibility curves
5) The new patents regime in India
6) Competitive markets and optimality

2004
1) Why are prices for comparable good lower in poorer countries?
2) Discuss the relation between the Great Depression and Keynes’ theory
3) How does the Government of India define the poverty line? Do you agree with it? Discuss.
4) Discuss the rationale of the strategy of import substituting industrialisation in India during the 1950s and 1960s.
5) Discuss the concept of exploitation in Marx.

2003
1) The idea of Sustainable Development
2) The public distribution system in India
3) Causes of Unemployment in India
4) The impact of trade in Agriculture on Indian Agriculture
5) Parliamentary Democracy

2002(These are not the exact questions)

1) A note on Poverty ratio, Poverty indicators and poverty alleviations programmes.
2) Second 5 year plan.
3) Green revolution

2001(Most of them are not exact questions)
1) Food grain stocks.
2) ‘A Pareto optimal state may be perfectly disgusting.’ Comment
3) Opposition to big dams
4) Combination of scholarship/loans better than subsidised educational system
5) Is reduction in fiscal deficit necessary for high growth?
6) Need to redistribute land to the tiller in India.
7) Full employment is incompatible with the functioning of a capitalist economy.
8] Why is log-normal distribution the preferred distribution function for personal incomes?
9) What is meant by “Crowding out of private investment”?

All the best to those who are preparing for the entrance next year! Please provide your view points on these topics, after quoting the question, so that interested students can get information on these topics. Please post your comments. They are important to all!

87 Responses to “JNU Entrance Exam: Essays”

  1. Jason Says:

    Hi alex…

    Great to see someone really passionate about economics. ok i am getting straight to my question. i am a final year B.Com student from bangalore. i have always been interested in economics (cause i thought it had sense) and if i did a masters i want to study the subject, however my knowledge about the subject is really basic ( demand and supply stuff and a indian economy history).

    But i havent been i touch with the subject. can u please tell me what topics i must study to get admission into a good school. i went through some of the blog and realised i dont really have a very strong math knowledge.. just school and basic statistics. is there any good books that can help get me through these tests.

    What should i be doing from now on to prepare myself for the entrance tests????

  2. Jason Says:

    Hi alex..

    Great job with this site. i need your help. i want to do MA in Economics from a good school. most of the colleges require me to take an entrance test which i quite really dread. i have basic knowledge of economics and maths ( school mostly and little bit in college). i am doing my final year b.com in bangalore and economics is the only subject i really appreciate.
    i want to study either in chennai or delhi. how do i prepare myself for these tests. what are the topics that i should cover?? which topics should i give priority? What books would u recommend?? and any other advice and tips that u have.

  3. Jason Says:

    ohhs sorry for two posts. i didnt think the early one got posted coz my internet went offline.

  4. thinley Says:

    hello jason….just a few suggestions…in case you are keen on eco…mankiw/dorn bush is good for macroeco….intermedaite micro by varian and mathematics for economists by chiang…p.s: i havent read them full …but they are the standard texts for any eco course anyone will tell you…good luck :-)

  5. Babin Says:

    Hey Jason,
    Watch this documentary . It is a epic! documentary about the economic history of the 20th century. You can watch it for free from the PBS website.. Make sure you watch the entire length about 5 hours..
    I don’t know if this is going to help you on your exam preparations specifically but it is a MUST watch for any economic enthusiasts. It will teach you a lot about the power of economic ideas on human history.

  6. Babin Says:

    Hmm.. It seems the link I posted in the earlier comment isn’t displayed. I smell a url filter somewhere :)
    Anyway here is the link again *** http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/lo/story/index.html ***

    Incase above link is filtered again, just go to www dot pbs dot org and search for “commanding heights”

    Peace!

  7. alexmthomas Says:

    Jason,

    You would have to be well versed with microeconomics, macroeconomics and a bit of math and stats in general for the entrance exams. I assume that you would just have a general idea about economics, as you would have had a maximum of one or two papers.

    Topics like Utility and preferences, demand and supply, market forms and welfare economics from basic microeconomics. Under macroeconomics, you would have to be familiar with national income accounting, IS-LM analysis and contemporary economic and social issues. All these vary according to the institutions you choose.

    You would require a basic knowledge of algebra, set theory, matrices and determinants, differentiation and integration and probability and topics in statistics like measures of central tendency and a bit of regression too.

    For more queries, you can contact me at alexmthomas@gmail.com.

  8. alexmthomas Says:

    Babin,

    Thanks for the link and i do not know why it has been filtered. The second link is working. I will listen to it as like you said, ‘ideas’ is what is crucial. :)

  9. Jason Says:

    Hi alex..

    thanks a lot. i am going to start off from now itself. i think i have a lot of studin to do.

  10. Vicky Says:

    Thanx Guyz.. I didnt know people discuss all these entrances on th internet.. me too studyin for JNU, DSE, and IGIDR… all the best…

  11. pravesh Says:

    well it was a great experience as i went through the entire set of questions. can you provide sample questions for MPhli entrance too. It would be immense help for me and many others who opt to see the questions asked by JNU at such edu level. If possible kindly mail the questions at the above email address.

  12. alexmthomas Says:

    Pravesh,

    Thank you for your comments.

    I do not have the MPhil questions. I am going to do my masters that is why i posted the above questions, as it will prove useful to a lot of people.

  13. nidhi Says:

    great site!any idea howz thw ma eco at jamia?

  14. alexmthomas Says:

    Nidhi,

    Thank you. I heard it is good but not as good as JNU. I will find out and post it as a comment here.[In 2 weeks]

  15. nidhi Says:

    Thanks for taking interest in the mail.Please do try to know the placement scene which i have heard is not so good and thats what matters!

  16. Ashish Tyagi Says:

    Can anyone tell me about ‘Gokhale institute’, how it compares with JNU, DSE & ISI?

  17. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Ashish,

    Gokhale is a good institute to do Economics. But, probably in comparison with the three you mentioned, it does not rank very high. But the faculty is good and the academic atmosphere too. [My views]

  18. Ashish Tyagi Says:

    Alrite. Thanks Alex.

  19. Medha Says:

    Hi there!

    I have already completed by MA (Eco)from Banasthali. I want to appear for M Phil entrance as well as for MA (I would like to join Master course, if I get a chance). Can somebody provide me the sample paper for any of these entrance exams? How mathematical are the questions usually? Are DSE entrance questions are tougher than the JNU ones? Could soembody please guide me on this?

  20. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Medha,

    I know details regarding the MA programmes in DSE and JNU. DSE questions are more analytical and mathematical in approach than JNU. DSE has only objective questions for their test.

    The previous papers of JNU can be got by applying for the same. DSE previous question papers can be got from the DSE library or xerox centre. (I think)

    JNU, DSE, IGIDR, CDS etc are good places for pursuing an M Phil.

  21. Medha Says:

    Hi Alex,

    Thanks for your reply. would you please specify little elaborately that how can I get JNU papers? Sorry that I could not get you. I saw few sample questions on DSE website (handbook 2006)for MA entrance.

    are the question papers available at some bookstores also? please help me!

  22. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Medha,

    The JNU forms can be either got from their admission counter or can be got by applying for it. Along with it, you can apply for the required question papers. See their prospectus here.

    I do not think they are available at book stores. It will be available in the respective campus.

    About the DSE previous papers, they can be got from the DSE campus.

  23. harsha Says:

    i am presently pursuing Economics(hons)and am interested for doing my masters from JNU\DSE.i dint had mathematics at plus two level .is maths at plus two required for getting admissions for masters at dse\jnu.please please help me out.

  24. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Harsha,

    For the MA Economics(Centre:SSS) course offered by JNU, they require mathematics at the plus 2 level. MA Economics(Centre:SIS) with specialisation in the world economy does not require +2 math.

    DSE does not ask for +2 mathematics.

  25. Medha Says:

    Hi Harsha,

    I also want to appear for the entrance exams of both JNU/DSE. Do you have sample papers of any of the institutes? I also saw the maths requirement at 10+2 for JNU. I did also not study maths at 10+2 and think face the problem.

    Can anybody let us know if SIS (JNU)center is as good as SSS?

  26. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Medha,

    SSS is a better option for those who want to strictly focus on economic theories and such. SIS will have more of international trade and will be more useful for those who want to secure a place in the international organisations like IMF, World Bank etc.

  27. Medha Says:

    Hi,

    Is the entrance exam same for both the MAs (SSS, SIS)? or do they arrange separate exams? And then, the standard and question pattern of the exam vary accordingly?

  28. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Medha,

    The examination pattern is different and are conducted on 2 separate days. Since the focus of the 2 programmes are different, the questions asked vary accordingly.

  29. Medha Says:

    Hi,

    Thanks for letting me know the fact but can you further clarify me that what kind of questions are usually asked for MA (SIS)? What all books should I refer to if I want to appear for the exam? Moreover, I want to know about M.Phil also, what kind of questions are expected?

  30. Medha Says:

    Hi Alex,

    Can you guide me on IGDR entrance for MSc (eco) as well as M.Phil if possible? Is the pattern same as DSE? I want to know that the books refered for DSE/JNU sufficient for IGDR’s preparation?
    please let me know..

  31. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Medha,

    Like i suggested earlier, the best possible way for you to prepare would be to collect the previous question papers from JNU. This will enable you to prepare with focus.

    The IDIGR entrance will be more like CAT. There will be an interview succeeding the written test. To see the IGIDR sample paper, go here.

    I am unaware of ANY M Phil details.

  32. Medha Says:

    Hi Alex,

    Thanks for providing link. I could see the sample paper.

  33. harsha Says:

    hi medha,
    i think u said u dint had maths at plus two level .like me so in that case we are not eligible for igidr entrance exam as its eligibility criterion requires mathematics at plus two level.

  34. Medha Says:

    Hi Harsha,

    But I couldnot find this requirement on their website. I shall again go through the eligibilties requirement page.

  35. Medha Says:

    HI Harsha,

    This (10+2 Maths) is not the requirement at IGIDR, I read the eligibilities carefully. You can apply at IGIDR for the courses offered.

  36. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Medha,

    For MSc Economics at IGIDR Plus two mathematics is compulsory. You can read it here.

    M.Sc. (Economics): This is a two-year programme commencing August 2007.
    Eligibility: Minimum qualification: B.A./B.Sc. in Economics/B.Com./B.Stat./B.Sc. (Physics or mathematics)/B.Tech./B.E. with at least a second division for Economics discipline and first division for other disciplines. The applicant must have studied mathematics at the higher secondary level.

  37. Medha Says:

    Hi,

    Sorry for giving you the wrong information. Thanks Alex! you are right. We do need Maths at 10+2 level.

    I think it’s better to concentrate on JNU/DSE.

  38. harsha Says:

    can anyone please help me to know as to what is the pattern of entrance exam for MA Economics at jnu(world economy).please guide me.

  39. nidhi Says:

    anyone knows abt international affairs at jnu?

  40. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Harsha,

    The questions for MA with specialisation in the world economy is mostly long answer questions, with problems to solve also. It is difficult to explain how the questions are. But the pattern varies from that asked for MA Economics. The best thing would be to apply for the question papers.

    Nidhi,

    I am unaware of it.

  41. harsha Says:

    hi i came to knew through some of my friends in delhi university that DSE too has maths criterion at plus two level.i dnt know what is the fact.i am completely perplexed.please guide.

  42. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Harsha,

    I am hearing that for the first time too. I will clarify it and let you know.

    I went through the prospectus for last year and nothing is mentioned that Plus 2 mathematics is needed.

  43. nidhi Says:

    anyone cn help me with jmi entrance ma eco test?

  44. Ashima Bhowmik Says:

    Hi,
    I am a student of final year pursuing stats hns.. from du. I am interested in doing M.A in economics as the combination stats and eco is very good.I want to do it from some good school.May i know the dates of the entrances of different schools,specially J.N.U.and may i know the names of other good shools and what to prepare for the entrance and which books are to be reffered?
    can u plz help its very urgent..

  45. Ashima Bhowmik Says:

    hi,
    I have very little knowledge abt economics jst a +2 concept which I don’t remember now. What should i do to brush my concepts??

  46. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Ashima,

    The other colleges i suggest are DU (DSE), IGIDR, JMI, GIPE, Univ of Hyd and MSE.[The links are provided in the right side bar]

    Check the comments here and the books i suggest are here.

  47. shubham agarwal Says:

    HII..
    I WANNA DO MY PG IN ECONOMICS FIELD.. BUT I AM NOT SURE OF MY ENTRANCE N HOW TO PREPAREFOR ALL THE ENTRANCE OF JNU N ALL..
    AS ME NOT AT ALL AWARE OF THE HAPPENINGS AROUND THE WORLD..CAN ONLY STUDY IF PROVIDED WID STUDY MATRIAL

  48. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Shubham,

    Doing further studies in a discipline is enriching only if it is ‘to learn’. And about the study material, there are coaching centres in Delhi which provide that. More details here.

  49. Govinda Says:

    Hi
    I am from Nepal. I want to join M phil in economics . I want the sample paper for the entrance exam. Please help me .
    Govinda from Nepal

  50. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Govinda,

    I do not have the sample paper for Mphil. You can contact the respective college authorities regrading this, as i doubt if Mphil sample papers are available.

  51. harsha Says:

    now a days students from both public and private schools are joining private tutions .is this a situation of market failure.please guide.

  52. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Harsha,
    This link should help you answer this question.

  53. harsha Says:

    thanks a lot. can u plz guide me as to whether in the isi entrance exam the ME1 section has also to be attempted by a student who has done EConomics(hons).plz guide.

  54. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Harsha,

    I do not think the Honours is compulsory. I am not sure.

  55. Shivangi Singh Says:

    Hello I m Shivangi,student of Bachelor of Mass Media & Mass Communication , IP College For Women(Delhi University) I want to pursue MA(International Politics). I want to knw if the course I am doing makes me eligible for the Entrance.

  56. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Shivangi,

    I do not know about the eligiblity of courses other than that of MA Economics.

  57. nidhi Says:

    Hey alex did u take the jmi test?

  58. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Nidhi,

    I had taken the JMI test. But didn’t go for the interview as i got through Univ of Hyd.

  59. Thomson Says:

    Hi Alex,
    Can you give me some tips for Mphil JNU entrance exam for Interntional Studies especially for- Diplomatic Studies,International Organisation & international Politics.

  60. Gautam Prakash Says:

    Hi Alex!
    I think your site is smashing! Its such a help to the student community!
    I dont know if you will be able to give me any idea about M.Phil entrence exams at the top colleges that you have mentioned - DSE, JNU, IGIDR, gokhale, etc. I would like to know how one should prepare for these exams. Can you even tell me who else I should be speaking to for this information (in the event that you cant give details)?
    As for me, I am a post-graduate in Business Economics, working for the past 5 years in some well known institutions/banks. I am really interested in Economics and would like to go as far as possible in this field.
    Thanks,
    Gautam

  61. Jyoti Says:

    I badly wanted to know abt the Pre PG Entrance exam conducted by JNU for MA in International affairs ….Also where can i get the previous years question papers???

  62. Arkesh Says:

    Hi Alex,

    Cud u pls email me the sample papers of DSE Enterance tests for MIB and MHROD so that i cud get to know the pattern of the tests ? ? I’m unable to find one on the Net.

  63. shikha Says:

    Hi Alex,

    Cud u pls email me the sample papers of DSE Entrance tests for MIB and MHROD so that i cud get to know the pattern of the tests ? ? I’m unable to find one on the Net.

  64. simran arora Says:

    hi ,
    can u pls post me the sample paper of pg in mass (journalism). enterance exams paper (iimc, new delhi)

  65. priti1 Says:

    hi guys ……….a wonderful blog for eco aspirants.
    well can someonec please help me as in hw 2 go abt mphil prep.
    as for me i did eco(h) frm du and MA (eco ) frm ignou. i want to go for mphileco frm dse ,jnu,or calcuuta university.
    how to gt d material for entrance prep!

  66. priti1 Says:

    hi evrybdy…..does MA eco frm ignou(correspondence) makes me ineligible for pursuing mphil frm good schools like dse n jnu,cu ,jdu,etc plllz reply

  67. anita Says:

    hi….

    i anita..b.com graduate student..i want to do mass communication from JNU and also trying for another clg..I really donot have idea hw ,wht and from where i study for the entrace..?

    plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz help me out..

  68. deepti Says:

    hello..
    iam deepti, want to do mass comm frm J.N.U bt don’t knw wat to study for the entrance nd frm where..can u name any book which can help me in preparing for the entrance..plz do guide me..

  69. Anamika Says:

    Hey! I have done BA pass frm LU with economics as a subject.I had maths in 3rd yr as paper in Economics.Am I eligible 4 MA eco from JNU(SIS).
    Anamika

  70. Medha Says:

    Hi there!,

    I am currently doing my M.Soc (Economics) at National University of Singapore. This semester, we are suppose to write a research paper in Money and Banking course. I am stuck with the topic selection(what prof. Rocheteau cover so far is all based on OLG and Search Models of money, prices..). Could anyone just suggest me a few topic to write a resarch paper on? HE wants something original to be done….

    thanks a lot!
    I am writing on this blog because I am sure there are few true economists who can suggest me some topics

  71. vaidehi Says:

    hi! I went through the JNU entrance paper for the previous year and it seems to be a lot different from the others. Just wanted to point out that they seem to have done away with the essay question. Instead there’s a 10 mark comprehension passage type of a question. It’s a bit of a tragedy as i was banking on the essay question to set my paper apart. :(

  72. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Vaidehi,

    Yes. In the case of comprehension, you do not need to prepare much. But you need an analytical mind and should be able to put forward your arguments well.

  73. esha Says:

    please …can anyone tell me that fro m where can i get previous years BBA entrance exam papers of colleges like CBS[college of business studies],I.P. UNIVERSITY etc….plz if anyone has even a little knowlegde do reply me as soon as possible!
    the entrance exam for CBS is on 1st june 2008
    and for i.p university 3rd june 2008..
    so i got to have the previous years papers atleast 15 days before!
    ESHA

  74. anshu Says:

    hiiii could you plz send me the jnu sample paper for msc i have xam in 16…i need so badlyy so plz plz plz send on ma id thanks

  75. abhi Says:

    hi Priti 1
    i am also interested to know whether a student doing M.A.Economics from IGNOU is eligible for M.Phil from DSE,JNU
    Please let me know the reply of your query

  76. sampath Says:

    hi
    am a final year B.A. economics student. i would be plsd 2 know abt details of the M.A. economics course offered by hyderabad central university .. can anyone pls tell me abt d pattern of questions being asked 4 d entrance test .. r there any precribed books ..plz do guide me

  77. sunit Says:

    Sampath,
    http://www.orkut.co.in/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=27429299&tid=2591629727369954261&na=3&nst=15&nid=27429299-2591629727369954261-5205017488323675093

  78. sampath Says:

    hi sunit,

    thankxx a lottttttttt… it ws of grt help

  79. frankgal Says:

    hi alex. I wanna do an ma in economics(with specialisation in world economy)from school of international studies,jnu. However i hv a phobia of maths. Can u pls tell me how i can prepare for the entrance exam and which books are good for maths? Im doing my tyba in economics (6 subjects specialisation).

  80. sreepriya Says:

    hi alex
    i want to know the sample paper for BBE in delhi unversity and also mass com in graduation level in IP college. where can i get the sample papers for the abmve entrance exam

  81. MOHINI Says:

    hi,
    i m aspiring for M.A (history) from JNU.CAN ne1 tell me from where to get the sample papers and how to prepare for it.And it would be reli kind of you to please let me know about some other reputed institutes 4 d same course

  82. sarvesh Says:

    hey Mihini,
    J.N.U. provides some past 10 years question papers as well. you can buy them directly from J.N.U. or can send them D.D. for the same they’ll mail it to you.

  83. sarvesh Says:

    MOHINI
    AND YES YOU CAN ALSO GET THEM FROM THE LIBRARY XEROX CENTRE

  84. divya Says:

    Hi alex,
    Im interested in doing my masters in international relations in economics from jnu. However i have no knowledge about the entrance exam papers of jnu. Im in my third year ba. Can you pls guide me about them and tell me as to how i can get access to them? Also please tell me whether this course is available in dse.tc.

  85. Amrita Says:

    hey i took the hyderabad exam 4 MA eco…are the results out?…m a delhi student…hw do i access the result/ its nt on net…date givn was 26th tho.

  86. Alex M Thomas Says:

    Frankgal,

    Chiang’s fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics will give you the basics. Get the previous question papers and then you can find out which areas you need to concentrate more. Also, as far as I have seen MA with world specialization asks more math than MA in Economics. (SSS)

    Sreepriya,

    I have no knowledge of them.

    Divya,

    The previous papers will be available in JNU.(Check the previous comments) I do not think that this course is available in DSE.

  87. divya Says:

    Hey alex! Thnx a lot yaar. Have another query. I went through the eligibility criteria of jnu for (sis). Its mentioned that one should have maths or stats as a subsidiary subject or a paper with economics in graduation level. I however dont have maths or stats but i have a research methodology paper which has some amount of stats in it.So can u pls tell me whtr ill be eligible nd if not can u pls tell me of ne othr good instt whr i can do a smwht similar course.tc.

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