Every civil
servant selected through Union Public Service Commission feels extremely proud
as it’s a profession where one receives the appointment order from “The President of India” by virtue of
being a “permanent executive”. As a civil servant for more than a decade, it
had been in my mind for putting down a set of instructions which will be an aid
for an aspirant preparing for civil service exams conducted by Union Public
Service Commission in India.
People who have
succeeded the exams have not prepared meticulously “What was needed for exam” but they knew “What was actually not needed for the exams”. Any success is more to
do with knowing “what not to do” as
this factor consumes maximum energy while achieving any goal. Every aspirant
due to their individual background develop their own understanding about how to
write an exam without actually knowing it what is really required? I call every
act which is not needed as demons. So let us know what is needed and what is
not needed.
Cracking the
exam has always been an envious task because huge number of students aspires
for few seats available in civil services. In this scenario of tight rope walk,
the secret to succeed is to look into some innocuous looking fundamentals which
many aspirants take it for granted which becomes the deciding fator. After
grazing through all aspects I feel the following are the basic guidelines which
if one adheres to while preparing the exams and these are:
1.
Scheme of Exam: In the present scheme of examination one has to pass
a. Preliminary Exam: It is an objective type exam with MCQ’s (multiple choice questions).
The syllabus is almost skin to 10th class CBSE standard . The
Examination shall comprise two compulsory papers of 200 marks each.
a. Both the question papers will be of the objective type (multiple
choice questions).
b.The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English. However,
questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level
will be tested through passages from English Language only without providing
Hindi translation thereof in the question paper.
c. Details of the syllabi are indicated in Part A of Section III.
d.Each paper will be of two hours duration. Blind candidates will
however; be allowed an extra time of twenty minutes at each paper.
b. Main Examination:The written examination will consist of the following papers:
a. Qualifying Papers:
I.
Paper‐ A (One of the Indian Language to be selected by
the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the
Constitution). 300
Marks
II.
Paper‐ B English 300 Marks
b.
Papers to be counted for merit
I.
Paper-I
a.
Section 1 Essay 250 Marks
II.
Paper-II
a.
General Studies–I 250Marks
(Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)
III.
Paper-III
a.
General Studies –II 250 Marks
(Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)
IV.
Paper-IV
a.
General Studies –III 250 Marks (Technology,
Economic Development, Bio-diversity,
Environment, Security and Disaster
Management)
V.
Paper-V
a.
General Studies –IV 250
Marks (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
VI.
Paper-VI
a.
Optional Subject – Paper 1 250
Marks
VII.
Paper-VII
a.
Optional Subject – Paper 2 250
Marks
VIII.
Sub Total (Written test) 1750
Marks
c. Personality Test through
an Interview - 275 Marks.
a. Grand Total 2025 Marks
2. Selection of an optional: While selecting an optional, one
has to have pipeline thinking. It is naive to feel that some optional gives
more marks than other optional. I repeat it
is naive and foolish belief that some optional gives more marks than other
optional. Small looking syllabus is not easy to score nor is long looking
syllabus difficult to score. Many aspirants without ever knowing the truth
get trapped under fallacy that “these
days certain subject has become scoring”. While choosing an optional one
has to be aware of following things:
a.
Availability of Civil
Service Material for an optional.
b.
Availability of a teacher
with Civil Service orientation to monitor and give constant feedback.
Choosing an optional must be individual’s choice than parental or
peer pressure. It is very important to select an optional which a person is
very comfortable with. It must be done after carefully reading all the optional available as a choice. I
personally recommend every aspirant to take at least a week time to decide
firmly which subject one is going to relentlessly work with. When an aspirant
fails to not score good marks in optional and then revisits for choosing a
different optional, then a person would lose considerable amount of valuable
time and confidence which will put them out from race.
3. Gathering of material: Before
starting to prepare for the exams it is necessary to arrange all the materials
needed for preparation. The position of each aspirant must be such that at any
given point of time one should not feel to acquire material by going outside
once the preparation has started.
4.
Preparation of Desk: The preparation of desk may look innocuous but it is the most
important task for the preparation of exam. It exactly gives the same position
to a civil service aspirant just like what gives a soldier to be fully prepared
for a war. The desk is the sole companion of every civil
service aspirant who starts the journey and achieves the salvation thereafter.
Therefore, it has the aura which is akin to any place of worship.
a.
An independent room without a roommate
or a home with a separate room.
b.
Study table with chair: A comfortable study table with sufficient number of bins is needed
with a comfortable chair.
c.
A table clock: Maintaining a schedule and sticking on to a schedule brings in
discipline.
d.
Pen stand, Pens (blue,
black, green and red), pen-pencil, pencils, eraser and sharpener, sketch pens,
marker/highlighter, paper cutter, ruler etc.
e.
Ream of A4 size paper,
Gum, Stapler, staples, Writing board, Long note books
f.
Tea/coffee dispenser, Namkeens,
Bread/Biscuit box, a chocolate box. Tea set. : Proper
refreshment activates the mind and keeps one more focussed and relaxed. Proper
diet is fine but heavy diet will make one drowsy.
g.
Earthen pot filled with
water: Drinking water at regular intervals
rejuvenates the body and mind
h.
Rack: Placing
all the material will enable an aspirant to organise themselves by knowing the
location of every material.
i.
Writing board and Pin/White
board: Writing board can be used regularly for
writing the notes and article. The writing board enables a person to sit for
long hours as every person can write and read without bending forward.
Pin/White board will help in tagging important points so that one can memorise
the bullet point whenever they stand in relaxed mode. It will also help in
pasting the schedule/syllabus set as the target.
5. Knowing your syllabus: Knowing
the syllabus and having it always around will always keep an aspirant focus in
alignment. After a copy of syllabus is procured the same has to be pasted on
hard bound card board. This will enable the syllabus to be always handy for the
purpose of cross checking with each day’s preparation. Highlight the area of the syllabus with a highlighter marker pen, which
would indicate that you have finished your own notes with respect to the topic.
6. Preparation for General Studies:
a.
A standard general studies
guide: I preferred Spectrum published material over
others as the printing is in broad font. Eyes are the first faculty which gets
tired and acquires boredom as every aspirant has to work for very long hours.
Since we need to work with the material for very long then it becomes necessary
to pick up the material which is more compatible to eyes. The huge size of the
general studies book sub-consciously acts on mind, so after procuring the
material, the first things to do is just
tearing the books as per its subject and get it bounded.
b.
Pocket Radio: To hear daily
news and spotlight between 9-00 PM to 9-30 PM.
c.
The Hindu: A Standard News Paper
d.
Civil Service Chronicle: A standard magazine.
e.
India Year Book: Published by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
f.
Manorama Year Book or any other
Year Book
g.
Bare Act
h.
Question banks
i.
Walls with nice posters instilling
confidence – I had written on my wall the following three things:
I.
I am a Civil Servant from
1999 Batch
II.
Loose everything except
confidence
III.
It is a DO or DIE
situation and I know I can’t DIE. I must DO.
7.
Preparation for Optional: Generally several books written by lead authors have been prescribed
for each subject. But my experience shows that any standard material is
sufficient as the content does not change whether you read one book or ten
books. “It is better to read one book
ten times than ten books one time.” I have relied on the material prepared
by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The material is very
reliable as it has been compiled by the best team from the respective discipline
in India and the world.
8.
Preparation of Essay: Writing an essay is an art. It is a test of your creativity,
balance, and the hidden wisdom. It subtly brings out your true personality and
the hidden vibration of your real self. Preparation of a skeletal thought
framework prior to writing an essay will enable one to attempt all the angles
which need to be addressed in the topic. This attempt would give a direction
and focus while writing an essay to the aspirant. Any essay at the end must always align to the
topic of the essay and never go against it.
9.
Preparation for language: All the efforts of Civil service exams turns futile if one cannot
pass the language one has chosen. In the Mains Examination the papers get
evaluated only when one clears the language with passing marks. So it is very
necessary to pass the language paper though it doesn’t carry any marks for ranking
purpose.
10. Writing skills: Civil Service
exams is only about three things; writing,
writing and writing. The less said than done as the above line shows that
this exam is only about writing and nothing else. Preparation of a skeletal
thought framework prior to a detailed answer will enable one to attempt all the
angles which need to be addressed in the topic. This attempt would give the
right direction and focus in any answer. Writing with brevity and positioning
oneself within the zone of time required for each subject while exam is the
greatest test for any aspirant for writing an exam. Writing is the only aspect for passing this wonderful exam.
11. Physical Exercise, Yoga or worship: Daily half an hour of
walking coupled with fifteen minutes just spent in silence is sufficient for
gaining physical and mental strength to stand up to any stress which may result
during the exams.
FAQ’s
(frequently asked questions)
Q.1 Is there a need to daily study for more
than 15 hours a day. Is it true?
Ans: Preparation for civil
service exam is not merely reading but retaining what has been studied.
Therefore, it is generally not possible to study continuously for more than two
to three hours a day. What is included in study is long hours of writing notes
which may span over six to eight hours sometimes.
If one plans their studies
two years before writing the entrance exam, then around four to six hours daily
preparation is more than sufficient by comfortably achieving daily milestones.
Q.2 How to prepare for exams?
Ans: Own hand written notes are
very necessary for these exams. Preparing own notes develops a photographic
memory for an aspirant. In examination, I have observed that sometime just by
closing the eyes one can recall the answer, which shows the power of writing
and having own notes.
Many aspirants have a
notion that reading is necessary and writing is taken for granted. Knowledge
gathering is only one part of the exam but expressing it with a time frame is
the biggest challenge. So writing is the most difficult part. Only writing, writing
and writing are the key to succeed in these exams. Writing answers from the old
question papers is time tested and still one of the best methods for succeeding
in civil service exams.
Q.3 Whether the coaching for the exam from any
leading institute is necessary?
Ans: Many aspirants have
cracked the exams without ever taking the coaching. Joining an institute while
preparing for Civil Service Exam will help an aspirant. They will get
professional help in gathering the study material, guidance and the peer
enthusiasm. The brand name of institute is not a pre-requisite because many a
times it has been found that some aspirants takes coaching in multiple
institutes. So many institutes take credit for the same candidate after and
aspirant has qualified the exam. Any decent institute with a strong team is
fine for making a humble beginning because no facts in any subject will change
whether one joins a leading institute or otherwise.
I have seen that many
aspirants take multiple institutes for different subject on hearsay that
someone is great in one subject. These aspirants often become victims as they
seldom realise that much of their precious time is wasted while travelling between
the different institutes. On the other hand the aspirants unnecessarily get
exposed to different groups having different orientation to exam taught by
their respective institute. All these attributes may add to unwanted confusion for
an already confused aspirant. It is often desirable to get coached under one
roof and have one pattern of thinking to crack the exam.
Q.4 Is it necessary to mug up the definitions
and important points?
Ans: In any examination the
main limitation is time. If one is not having the facts on the fingertips then
one has to go on recollecting the facts at its own pace. If anyone remembers
the point in a chronology or definition at the tip of their tongue then more
than ninety percent of battle is won. At the level of knowledge almost every
aspirant is on equal plane. What distinguishes form the other is their delivery
of knowledge within the stipulated time.
I had made flash cards which carried
chapter-wise definitions and MNEMONICS for all the bullet points pertaining to
each chapter. This method enabled me to keep the entire facts at the tip of my
tongue. If an aspirant gets the right beginning then there is great amount of
confidence while writing the analysis part of the answer.
Q.5 What are the demons for the exams?
Ans: The demons of
exams are:
a.
Bad hand writing is a demon. Even in my
writing, few words look to be alike. I sincerely worked with stencil and workbook
to correct the defect as I used to write slant downwards. Since the mains exam
has to be written in a plain white sheet, it is very necessary to practice
straight handwriting by giving proper margins at the top, bottom and on the left
side.
b.
Television watching is never needed as only pocket radio will do. Television is needed only for entertainment and not for news from
the perspective of civil service exams. Television and Internet has capacity to
pull you from one link to the other which would not only waste time but acquire
unnecessary junk which is a big demon for the exam. In radio everyday 9-00 PM
to 9-15 PM English and Hindi News are telecasted. Followed by SPOTLIGHT on two
topics of NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL importance. If one follows what has
happened over one year the entire current affairs more or less gets covered. Every topic can be later segregated on the
basis of SOCIAL/ CULTURAL/ ECONOMIC/ POLITICAL/ SPORTS/SCIENCE category.
c.
Never underestimate your own achievement and overestimate others
achievement and vice versa.
d.
In every coaching class there are brilliant guys/girls who never
qualify and ordinary looking people top the charts.
Why it is so? Because during the coaching all the so-called brilliant looking
people actually cheat on scores in every test.
e.
Read one book ten times than ten books one time. Be ruthless in cutting on duplicity of information sources as this
is a big demon which will cause information overload.
f.
The syllabus for the exam looks quite huge. My personal example is that I picked up history topic in the
morning then get impatient and confused as I do not know about Geography. While
reading Geography the flash brings the vastness of Polity... and this goes on
by switching between subjects in a day. At the end of the day, I was as wise as
I was in the morning. So start your
schedule from zero and reach the score of hundred, step by step without
becoming impatient. This means keep each day miles stones and achieve topic by
topic as ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY.
With realistic planning one can easily know the date on which the entire
syllabus will be covered.
g.
Never believe an aspirant who
says that the exams can be cracked only by reading. A civil service exam needs
only writing, writing and writing.
h.
Always be generous with the knowledge you have. Firmly believe in the
act of sharing as the rewards attached to it are phenomenal. Many aspirants feel if they share then the other person will
become competitor. A civil service exam is all about knowing the number of
points in any given subject. If you share you will add more to your knowledge
as the other will share too. By this method over a period of time one will
become the repository of maximum knowledge.
i.
Fix daily and weekly realistic milestones. Then induce a system of reward and penalty for self while achieving
a milestone or failing to achieve it.
j.
Do not cut articles from news paper and magazines for reading it on a later date. Instead write important gist in the
relevant note book.
k.
Do not read or study when you are in exam centre. If one has not studied the entire year then it will not make any
difference if one studies just before the exam and vice versa. I always went
for a movie, one day prior to exam.
l.
Do not entertain discussion after an exam gets over. No discussion
can undo the mistake which is already made. It is also not necessary that the
other person in the discussion need to be right. Discussions
after the exam would unnecessarily affect
the impact on the next exam and may bring down morale and motivation which
necessary on continuous basis.
Q.6 what does this exam need?
Ans: The exam is not searching for brilliant aspirants but is searching
for hardworking, humble and sincere aspirants. It will be a surprise to note
that more than fifty percent of aspirants who get selected are from rural areas
who have studied in vernacular medium in government schools, belonging to the
most backward states of India. A person from rural background is more simple,
honest and humble than the urban aspirant.
Hari Rao
1999 Batch of IRS
hariraoirs@hotmail.com
