A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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"What does it take to be an IAS
Officer?" is one question I have been repeatedly asked by the students with
a hint of sparkle in their eyes. Every time I have repeated the same answer,
"A lot of grit, obsession for learning and a bit of that sparkle in the
eyes." I tell them that Civil Services is not just another job. In fact it
is a whole new approach to life. The essence of Civil Services is a deep sense
of commitment to public good which requires proper understanding and
appreciation of Indian reality with all its weaknesses and strengths. We need to
identify with the ethos of our society and its cravings.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Selection Process
The emphasis of UPSC in its selection process is to identify appropriate
personality-types and not just people who merely display a certain level of
academic excellence. The substance of such a personality is an abiding faith in
good governance and belief in a firm social commitment to the concept of fair
play and justice. It is thus hoped that the people who wish to join Civil
Services would be man and woman of real substance without pretence to shallow
scholarship. With the hope & faith that such paragons of virtue are not yet
extinct, the UPSC goes about its task of selecting suitable men & women for
these services. Candidates appearing at this examination would be facing an
examination which in many aspects differs from the university-type exam.
Preparation
Consequently, the technique of preparation has to be different to suit the
matrix of this examination. There is a lot of teaching in our universities but
very little learning takes place because of a general air of indifference and
intellectual inertia which shows lack of training in focusing the mental
potential, on the part of the students as well as teachers. Work for most
university examinations can be done at a leisured pace.
But a candidate for the Civil Services
Examination does not have so much time at his disposal. Still, apart from
vigorous preparation for at least one year, if the candidates keep this
examination in view for one more preceding year, they would be on the right
path. What one needs is not a bag of tricks or ways of outwitting examiners for
success. Instead, one should make it a habit to concentrate on essentials of
each theme or topic that is being studied. The approach should be to develop a
higher degree of intellectual curiosity in order to acquire a critical
understanding of the new concepts and ideas, better and faster.
Taking It Easy
Every student does possess an overload of worries, fears, hopes and anxieties
but one must learn to minimize these factors during the preparations and at the
time of exam. To be cool is a fashion these days but we are rarely able to
achieve that type of mental state since the anxieties still manage to get into
our way. So most of the time it is you who is getting into your own way. Thus it
is you who will have to clear out of your way. Only when you are calm and
collected you can read and think fast. The student should develop through
suitable techniques a mental architecture by using which he can easily hold and
recall information in a fast and orderly manner.
Survival Of The Fittest
By the way, it should be borne in mind that there is no element of chance in
getting through this exam. Remember, success is when preparation meets
performance. Further, also remember competition is nothing new to you. Darwin
tells us that man is a survivor of many competitions that he had to face early
in this career like most other animals or spices. Hence, we are all born with a
strong survival instinct and ability to compete well for most of our needs. The
situation in Civil Services competition is no different.
The most effective tool that you have got to win
in this competition is your brain which is like a sleeping giant. Recent
researches in psychology, education, genetics, physics, and mathematics have
shown that the potential of your brain is far greater than was generally
imagined. Even the earlier statement that on average we use only one per cent of
our brains may well be wrong because it now seems that we use even less than one
percent - which means that an enormous amount of your mental capability is never
used by you. As you very well know today's society is a knowledge driven
society. So, your mind is the most important tool in this knowledge-based
environment. Hence, mind is man's ultimate weapon and I call upon you to use it
with confidence for success in anything that you do.