CSS Q&A

Abdur Rasheed (OMG) Deputy Director,Law, Justice and Human Rights,Lahore.

Hardwork and commitment are the prerequisite of this exam. The students need to seek guidance from a single and qualified person, instead of going to many academies and meeting a number of persons.

What are the problems of the CSS students in general?
Generally, the CSS candidates face two problems. First is subject selection and the other is time management. Students are sometimes very confused regarding their subject selection which hinders their proper management.  

These students do not make any timetable and prepare some subjects without any planning. In the end, they get very high marks in those subjects but just passing marks in other subjects. This thing affects their efforts. As far as subjects are concerned, the students should opt for scoring subjects as it is a competitive examination where one has to show his skills and compete others. In this regard, the scoring marks of the last four or five years should be taken into account before opting for the subjects.

Should the students join the academies for preparation?
Though CSS candidates require some guidance to polish their abilities yet there are some exploiters present in the field. Commonly, the financial gains of the academies’ owners exploit the abilities and capabilities of the students which result in the failure of many students. And afterwards those academies do not take responsibility for their failure. In this context, the students can go to the Civil Service Academy where they can meet the toppers and the positions holders and take guidance. It is a fact that without guidance, it is difficult to go through this competitive exam.

What steps are needed for CSS preparation?
Hardwork and commitment are the prerequisite of this exam. Sometimes, the students prepare for a short time and then abandon it. In this way, they waste precious time of their life. Secondly, students need to seek guidance from a single and qualified person. This matters a lot, as I noted many times, when a student comes for guidance he is usually confused because he has visited too many academies and met many persons. Such practices spoil students talent and detrack him. Besides, the consultation of the past papers and syllabus is very vital. Through this, the students know what is the pattern of the paper and what type of questions are usually asked. By consulting the syllabus, the students know the right direction and prepare within its limits. Before the final examination, students must go to the subject specialist and take a test which is a base of this competitive exams, because in these tests, the evaluation of the students  and level of his preparation is judged.

What is the strategy for attempting English Essay?
Generally speaking, the topic of an essay describes each and every thing about its importance. One should not be derailed while writing an essay from the beginning to the end. Avoid unnecessary details because it leads to irrelevancy. The students should first grasp the topic and then make an outline. The first paragraph should be about the introduction of the topic and the next paragraph a short summary of  your whole essay. In the third paragraph, give a reason and support your answers by providing logic and relevant examples so your point of view can be proved in a right way. Similarly, write the next paragraphs in the light of the third paragraph. After writing a detailed essay, the second last paragraph should be based on suggestion or contradictory opinion. The last paragraph ought to summarize the whole discussion.

What is the key to get higher marks in the written as well as in the interview?
Following strategies are helpful for getting higher marks:
•    Thorough study of  the selected subjects
•    Read comprehensive and authentic material
•    Use the hand written notes in a short form
•    Provide critical evaluation at the end of every topic
•    Answer the question to the point
•    Avoid irrelevant things and notes
•    Choose scoring subjects like Geography
•    Take test before the final exam of CSS
•    Give quotations and figure and facts to support your answer

What optional subjects should be opted?
I advise the students to choose the scoring subjects which are helpful for English essay, general knowledge, Pak Affair and other optional subjects. I recommend Geography because it enhances the knowledge of the students about the world, its topography and characteristics. This subject takes less time and on the other hand it is quite interesting and informative. It is helpful in essay topics like Global Warming and other scientific topics. It is also beneficial to understand the social, economic, physical and other phenomenon. And the importance of Geography cannot be ignored in the interview.

Any message you want to deliver.
I think, geography should be compulsory for all students because it helps understand the location of the world. If someone wants to study the Quran he must know the geography then he will be able to know the each and every thing. Secondly, the CSS academies claim the success of the toppers and the position-holders but on the other hand they don’t accept responsibility of those students who are misguided and de-tracked by these academies.