General Tips For Civil Services Aspirants
There are two clear categories of aspirants who make it to the Civil Services. Category one are natural aspirants and the other are late aspirants. The natural aspirants are by themselves or by inspiration from parents, etc. Groomed for an exam like civil services very early. They concentrate on the language(English) and attain a good language learnt from a good school is the most vital. The vital link not only for civil services but a strong foundation for just about any career in the modern knowledge economy. If you are cut off from the global link language, remember, you cannot communicate with 60% of Indian, forget the rest of the world.
Good English is the Key:
If you are mono-linguistic without English and still aspire to join civil services, do not be cajoled by the fact that some 15% candidates do make it to IAS and other services in a regional language or Hindi. The reality is that your post selection training and career advancement is intricately linked to your dexterity in English. It may be possible for a Hindi speaker to be effective in a Hindi speaking state for the initial years but the moment you are in a position requiring close interaction with Delhi or the UN and other international agencies your linguistic skills in English are put to test.
It is good enough that you read and comprehend you must hold a one to one, one to group, within a group and to a large audience, targeted meaningful conversation in English. You are not required to write like Shakespeare or Wordsworth, but your writing should be legible , clear, and precise and done with absolute economy of words. I hope this gives a clear idea of what to work on first in the long curve to rach the victory stands in civil services selection.
Get Fit:
Second key success point- something which many experts rate much lower, but not me: Fitness. It is
extremely vital that you look your age or younger. Every year a few fatsos may make it to the services and realize that they are the laughing stock in the training phase and even thereafter. Civil Services jobs daily include a lot of sitting down before files and computers and a generally rich diet leading to putting on weight. Many senior cops avoid wearing the uniform precisely since the belt do not come in suitable sizes. If you have three-four years to appear for the exam, do not miss the daily work out. A Five kilometer jogging, working in a gym, aerobics and a healthy diet come together. Imagine you walking into the IAS interview room with a Sumo wrestler's body... It is just not going to work. So the intellectual types who tend to ignore their vitalbody in favour of a virtual brain, please note, the board sees the body first and brain well, if it is there, after a few minutes. Practise nice walking and sitting postures: learn to display a polite but confident body language.
Get a Positive Mind Set:
The third requisite which needs early cultivation is a positive mind in that healthy body. I have found maximum deficit in this attitude even amongst successful candidates. Many suffer from low self esteem, moral and lack of overall confidence. Believe in yourself. Keep increasing your own efforts. I know many candidates who would be upset or threatened on coming across a more confident of highly placed candidate.Confidence comes only with practice, it is not good enough that you are learning or practising; therefor please go ahead and compete. Join elocution, quiz and writing contests and see what is happening. Winning is the lesser point. Make your point, speak out and be counted.
A Through Reading Habit:
The fourth criterion is a thorough reading habit. From newspapers to competition magazines, develop a very good current reading. Do not limit yourself to academic subjects; read a lot of leading literary works, the classics and the major Indian works in English. Reading makes you travel without moving a finger and makes you knowledgeable and well rounded in your experience.
A fifth early success cue is to work for the community. Do not limit yourself to study, study and study alone. Engage yourself in some community concern, some general activity helping others. If you do not have any such opportunity near, join NCC or NSS. They really count in both creating a sense of community as well as leadership skills. Organizing events linking several agencies and people with conflicting interests is a key skill every civil servant needs. So develop these skills early.
Winner Never Quit:
Finally , develop a positive outlook and smiling countenance when facing insurmountable problems. Life in
general or competition or the civil services is not for the chicken hearted. Those heats which break easy or tire fast, remember: Winner never quit and quitters never win! When the going gets tough, it is the tough who gets going.....
It is virtually impossible to prepare successfully for the IAS after graduation if your position on the attributes is poor. So those who are planning and still have time on their side please get cracking on these......There is no time to lose and every day count.
Important Links:
Get Fit:
Second key success point- something which many experts rate much lower, but not me: Fitness. It is
extremely vital that you look your age or younger. Every year a few fatsos may make it to the services and realize that they are the laughing stock in the training phase and even thereafter. Civil Services jobs daily include a lot of sitting down before files and computers and a generally rich diet leading to putting on weight. Many senior cops avoid wearing the uniform precisely since the belt do not come in suitable sizes. If you have three-four years to appear for the exam, do not miss the daily work out. A Five kilometer jogging, working in a gym, aerobics and a healthy diet come together. Imagine you walking into the IAS interview room with a Sumo wrestler's body... It is just not going to work. So the intellectual types who tend to ignore their vitalbody in favour of a virtual brain, please note, the board sees the body first and brain well, if it is there, after a few minutes. Practise nice walking and sitting postures: learn to display a polite but confident body language.
Get a Positive Mind Set:
The third requisite which needs early cultivation is a positive mind in that healthy body. I have found maximum deficit in this attitude even amongst successful candidates. Many suffer from low self esteem, moral and lack of overall confidence. Believe in yourself. Keep increasing your own efforts. I know many candidates who would be upset or threatened on coming across a more confident of highly placed candidate.Confidence comes only with practice, it is not good enough that you are learning or practising; therefor please go ahead and compete. Join elocution, quiz and writing contests and see what is happening. Winning is the lesser point. Make your point, speak out and be counted.
A Through Reading Habit:The fourth criterion is a thorough reading habit. From newspapers to competition magazines, develop a very good current reading. Do not limit yourself to academic subjects; read a lot of leading literary works, the classics and the major Indian works in English. Reading makes you travel without moving a finger and makes you knowledgeable and well rounded in your experience.
A fifth early success cue is to work for the community. Do not limit yourself to study, study and study alone. Engage yourself in some community concern, some general activity helping others. If you do not have any such opportunity near, join NCC or NSS. They really count in both creating a sense of community as well as leadership skills. Organizing events linking several agencies and people with conflicting interests is a key skill every civil servant needs. So develop these skills early.
Winner Never Quit:
Finally , develop a positive outlook and smiling countenance when facing insurmountable problems. Life in general or competition or the civil services is not for the chicken hearted. Those heats which break easy or tire fast, remember: Winner never quit and quitters never win! When the going gets tough, it is the tough who gets going.....
It is virtually impossible to prepare successfully for the IAS after graduation if your position on the attributes is poor. So those who are planning and still have time on their side please get cracking on these......There is no time to lose and every day count.
Important Links:
- Click Here For Preliminary Exam (CSAT) Details
- Click Here For Personality Test Details
- Click Here For Changes in Civil Services Main Exam
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