Hilal Ahmad, a KPS officer of 2010 batch tells Saima Rashid the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of making it to Civil Services
KL: What do Civil Service exams mean in Kashmir?
HA: CSE is considered as the toughest and the challenging exam. Majority of the people think that it needs a genius mind and an excessive know how of the prescribed subjects.
KL: Who can appear into Civil Services and does it demand any specialisation in the prescribed subjects?
HA: Anyone who is a graduate from a recognised university can appear. Specialisation in any subject is merely a need; when I started preparing for it, every subject looked alien but then getting exposed to new subjects is simply fun.
KL: Is coaching important to make it to civil services?
HA:No, not at all. But yes, to approach a guide is important; he can tell you what to study and what not to. Every topic in a component doesn’t need detailed study, but what has been asked in previous papers gives you a clear idea that go through the basics only. And moreover, to keep the track of those topics in news helps a lot.
KL: Who can make into Civil Services?
HA: Anyone who dedicates complete 8-9 months to its preparation. It needs focus and honest with one self. Even the most below average students are the civil services officials now. So simply forget everything for those nine months, and think making it to civil services is the only means of survival.
KL: Is there any particular study material prescribed for it?
HA: Study NCERT books of 11th and 12th classes for the prescribed components. And if your tutor suggests you to make notes, do that and revise those notes only instead of reading those 500 paged books.
KL: What is more important, knowledge or the way of writing in CSE?
HA: Having good knowledge is tot OK, but what CSE demands is, how you will start your answer, the body and the conclusion should be quite crisp.
KL: How did you make it to civil services?
HA: My cousin had basically cracked the IAS, and that evoked a desire in me of doing the same. . It may sound funny, but I had no idea how many states are in India. But then I worked hard and was consistent in that hardwork. To me hard work, repetition and revision is important rather than intelligence.
