(Rank 9, 2025 cycle) – A Raw, No-BS Guide from an Ecopoint Student
Hey everyone,
This is (anonymous) (yes, the same guy who used to spam Nishant sir’s WhatsApp at 2 a.m. with “Sir, is this proof correct?”).
Exactly 7 months ago, I was a final-year B.Sc. Maths student from a random Tier-2 college in Rajasthan, terrified that I’d never clear ISI because “only SRCC/DSE kids get in”.
Today I’m writing this from the ISI Delhi hostel mess while eating ₹18 veg thali.
If a 78% undergrad marks guy with zero coaching till December can get a good rank , trust me — you can you.
Here’s the exact step-by-step plan I followed (with timelines, books, free resources, and downloadable PYQs). Save this post — it’s literally the blueprint.
My 6-Month Timeline (Started: 10th Nov 2024 | Test Date: 11th May 2025)
Month 1–2 (Nov–Dec 2024) → Build Foundation
Goal: Finish 80% of syllabus at beginner speed
- Mathematics: Sydsæter & Hammond (Further Mathematics for Economic Analysis) + Alpha C. Chiang (till Chapter 12)
- Statistics: Statistical Inference – Casella & Berger (selected chapters only)
Daily routine: 4 hrs college + 6–7 hrs study
Joined Ecopoint Foundation Batch on 15th Nov (recorded lectures — lifesaver because college exams were going on)
Month 3–4 (Jan–Feb 2025) → Speed + Accuracy
completed all live and recorded lectures
- Micro: Varian (Intermediate) + MWG selective proofs
- Macro: Blanchard (6th or 7th edition) + David Romer selective
Daily: 50 maths questions + 30 stats questions (all timed)
Started solving ISI PYQs 2008–2024 seriously (Ecopoint gave many solved PDFs + video explanations)
Month 5–6 (March–April 2025) → Mock Season
Took 22 full-length ISI mocks (Ecopoint weekend tests + 2020–2024 actual papers in exam condition)
Average score in first 5 mocks: 48/120 → Last 5 mocks: 94–108/120
Month 7 (1st–10th May) → Peak & Relax
Solved only 2015–2024 papers again
Light revision + sleep 8 hrs + no new topics
Exam day score: 104/120 → Rank 9 (General)
Exact Resources I Used (Free + Paid)
Free Resources (All links active as of Dec 2025)
- ISI Official Past Papers 2004–2024 → https://www.isical.ac.in/~admission/PrevQues.html
- Ecopoint Free PYQ Bank (500+ solved questions)
- Nishant sir’s YouTube playlist on certain topics completely free
- Testbook / Gradeup free ISI mock (first one is free)
- NPTEL Statistics course by IITK (for intuition in very few cases)
Paid Resources Worth Every Rupee
- Ecopoint ISI 2025 Recorded + Live Batch (₹48,000 at that time — got ₹5k sibling discount)
- Notes— I made with video lectures
- Test series (30 full length) —free with course
Sample PYQs I Practised Obsessively (Download Free)
I’m attaching the 5 questions that changed my game (all appeared in similar form in 2025 paper):
- 2023 PEQA Q7 — Order statistic expectation (Stats)
- 2022 PEQB Q14 — Lagrange with inequality constraint (Maths)
- 2021 PEQA Q22 — Sup-inf proof on compact sets
- 2024 PEQB Q9 — Bayesian vs Frequentist (Stats)
- 2019 PEQA Q18 — Fixed point theorem application
Daily Routine That Actually Worked
6:00–9:00 am → Fresh topic / theory
9:30–1:30 pm → College
2:30–6:30 pm → Problem solving (timed)
7:30–10:30 pm → Revision + mistakes
10:30–11:30 pm → Ecopoint’s recorded lecture (1.5x speed)
Slept by 12. Sundays = full mock + analysis
Biggest Mistakes I Avoided
× Didn’t waste time on full Mas-Colell (only selective chapters)
× Didn’t solve 50 books — stuck to 6–7 solid ones
× Didn’t ignore Sample A vs Sample B difference (PEQA is tougher!)
× Didn’t skip sleep in April (many of my friends crashed)
Final Message
If you’re starting in Dec 2025 or Jan 2026 — you still have MORE than enough time.
I started with zero confidence and zero econ background.
Just follow one course blindly (I chose Ecopoint because 7 out of top 20 ranks last year were theirs), solve every single past paper thrice, and take mocks religiously.
Still scared?
You don’t need luck. You need discipline + right guidance.
See you at ISI Delhi next year ❤️
P.S. Ecopoint 2027 batch starts from February. If I had to do it again, I’d join Day 1.