Civil Service Examination being one of the toughest examinations of India requires determination, strong will power, perseverance and ability work hard. It would be wrong to say that it is an easy job or a child’s play or you just wake up one day and walk into the hall to write the paper and just clear it. NO. There is no easy way out. But at the same time; this is not as Herculean as it sounds.
To begin with it is more like going through the NCERT Books once more for the Xth and XIIth boards exam. Only this time understanding how it actually affects the people and society around. Getting the basic facts correct and trying to implement those to the present day society.
Let’s say, for example, History you are studying. Now it is in class IXth NCERT history that teaches about the Mauryan Empire- Chandragupta Maurya; Kautillya, the clear sighted administrator; Ashoka the great and so on. We study their administrative system, the socio-political scenario; the economic conditions etc etc. Now let’s try it in today’s India. The tendency of centralization inspite of the presence of a huge bureaucratic system, the welfare measures strikes a similarity with the administrative system of modern India. Studying the systems prevailing during the Mughals, the British eras and trying to relate it to our present system would make the subject interesting and help while answering the questions during exam.
CSE is not as scary as it is made to sound. Tough, no doubt about that, but it is not impossible. The exam mainly tries to analyze how clear are the basics on the particular topic, how well do you know about your country and how aware are you of the world affairs. So to begin with- start with the basics. The best way is to brush up with the NCERT books (old syllabus) from class 9th to 12th . Topics to be covered are:
- History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian History. Though not much question is asked from the World History in the Prelims, it is an important part of the Mains exam.
- Geography
- Polity – Indian Constitution and administrative system.
- Economics.
- Science and tech.
- Current Affairs/GK
- English- essays, sobriquets, synonyms, antonyms, phrases and idioms, words- correct spellings & expressing a phrase in a word
Going through the previous years’ questions, practicing the model questions, keeping GK knowledge sharp (Quiz can go a long way in helping!) would be a good way to start.
It requires sincere preparation and hard work. To say it in common terms, it is an exam that demands “a-give-it-all-you-got”. But once you achieve the goal, the view on the other side is magnificent. So Good Luck!
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