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| Monday, Sep 29, 2008
Crack civil services with business-like approach
With changes in the civil services exam pattern, the appropriate
strategy would be to identify the changes along with the expected
areas and prepare accordingly.
The examination system devised for selection to the civil services
is one of the most exhaustive and comprehensive.
The selection begins with the preliminary examination, followed
by the main examination and concludes with the personality test.
Over 1.5 lakh candidates had appeared for the preliminary in
May this year and about 12,000 were declared as qualified for
the second stage i.e., the main examination, to be conducted
in October.
The main examination presents a striking contrast to most of
the competitive examinations being held today. It comprises
nine papers, all of them of a descriptive type conducted within
a span of 20 days. It is designed to test not only the academic
talent of the aspirant but also his ability to coordinate and
present his knowledge in a clear and cogent manner.
To begin with, the basic skills of an aspirant in a Modern Indian
Language and English are tested. This is followed by two papers
in General Studies, a General Essay Paper and two papers each
in the two optional chosen by the aspirant.
More contemporary
The 2008 main examination is of special significance as the
syllabi of the General Studies papers and the Optional have
been revised and made more ‘contemporary’. This
is in tune with the recommendations of the Satish Chandra Committee,
which made a firm case for periodically adding the contemporary
dimensions to the syllabi and deleting the antiquated parts.
The changes reflect in all the stages of the examination, more
so at the main examination.
In such a situation, the appropriate strategy for success would
be to identify the changes along with the expected areas and
prepare accordingly. There are two qualifying papers —
Modern Indian Language and General English. An aspirant has
to score at least 35 per cent to qualify in these papers.
The right strategy would be to answer all the questions without
any complacency. While most of the candidates are adept in ‘speaking’
they face difficulty in writing the script of any Modern Indian
Language.
The General Essay paper was a compulsory component of the ICS
examination since its inception. It was deleted from the scheme
of examination in 1979. The Satish Chandra Committee recommended
its re-introduction in 1993, and since then it has played a
crucial role in determining a candidate’s position in
the merit list.
The aspirant has to write an essay for three hours on one topic
of this choice out of the listed topics. Usually the topics
in the General Essay paper are centred on the contemporary issues.
It is advisable to devote the first five to ten minutes in ‘zeroing
in’ on two topics. The next five minutes can be spent
thinking about both the topics and arriving at the one which
is in your ‘comfort zone’. Having decided on the
topic, start brain storming — write down all the ideas
that you have about the topic. Put them on paper randomly as
they flow in. Later, arrange these ideas in a logical and sequential
manner.
The General Studies comprises two papers, Paper-I and Paper-II.
In paper-I current national issues and topics of social relevance
has been emphasised and the areas have been clarified apart
from existing topics. A business approach is the basic pre-requisite
for scoring high in these papers i.e., the time allocated should
be commensurate to the marks that will accrue from the question.
Some of the important topics include growth of education in
India, impact of communal politics, reasons for the rise of
‘revolutionary terrorism’ in the early decades of
the 20th Century, earthquakes and floods (terminology and preventive
measures), India’s vulnerability to natural disasters,
Sethusamudram project, parliamentary Vs presidential form of
government, demands for smaller States, Women’s Reservation
Bill, position of the Speaker, inclusive growth, impact of oil
prices, feasibility of reservations in the private sector, SEZs
Act, Recognition of Forests Rights Act - its merits and criticism.
After having identified the important areas in the compulsory
papers, it is advisable to repeat the same exercise in the optionals.
Such an effort will lead to the winning edge.
The winning edge
Plan your preparation according to the time table.
In case, there is a long gap between the first optional and
the second you can stop the preparation for the second optional.
Logically, questions which have answers not exceeding 20 words
are more scoring than questions for which you have answer in
125 words or 250 words. Answer as many short questions as possible.
If you are good in the statistics area, start first with statistics.
However, if you are weak opt for it in the last half hour.
Allocate time for each area according to the weightage of marks.
Answer as many questions as possible. It is easier for the examiner
to give you average marks in more areas than high marks in one
area.
Make your answers attractive by using flow charts and diagrams.
Ensure that the word limit is adhered to.
For the last few years, no candidate who has qualified at exam
has been able to complete the paper and answer all the questions.
Usually, candidates are not able to complete the paper and questions
amounting to 20-30 marks are left out.
Lastly, do not let your performance in one paper affect your
performance in the other. Remember what we require is above
average performance in all the papers and not extreme performances.
With the number of vacancies on the increase and the implementation
of the Sixth Pay Commission in the offing, this would be the
best time to aim for being included in the list of selected
candidates. Ensure you do so by adopting the winning edge.
Courtesy: The Hindu - Education Plus
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