(Article) JKPSC : How To Prepare For J&K Combined Competitive Examination

How To Prepare For J&k Combined Competitive Examination

“All you need is the Plan, the Road map, and the Courage to press on to your destination.”

Dear Aspirants, The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission has notified to conduct the Combined Competitive Examination (Preliminary) for recruitment to fifty one posts of (i) Junior Scale of J&K Administrative Service (ii) J&K Police (Gazetted) Service (iii) J&K Accounts (Gazetted) Service

Dear Aspirants, Before you start your Journey towards your Cherished Goal KAS, Plan. Remember If You Fail to Plan, you Plan to fail. Your Plan should be based on a clear Understanding of what is required of you. The Combined Competitive Examination consists of three successive stages:

(a) Combined Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for the Main examination; and
(b) Combined Services (Main) Examination (Written) for the selection of candidates for Interview.
(c) Combined Services (Interview) Examination (Viva-voce) for the Final selection of candidates for the various services.

STAGE 1: PRELIMINARY EXAM

The Preliminary examination consists of two papers (Paper I + Paper II) of multiple choice questions and the choices are closely interrelated. The preliminary examination carries a maximum of 450 marks. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only. However, only a thorough preparation will enable you to sail through. Each paper is of two hours duration. There is No Negative Marking which means no Hop-Hop approach while answering Questions. Go about answering questions in a linear Fashion. The marks obtained in the Preliminary examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination are not counted for determining their final order of merit.

Paper I: General Studies: 120 questions* 1.25 marks/question = 150 marks

1. General Studies Consists of the Following Topics: History of India, Geography of India, Indian Polity, Indian Economy, General Mental Ability, General Science, Current Affairs & General Knowledge.  120 MCQ’s are asked in General Studies with a total weightage of 150 Marks i.e. Each Question has a weightage of 1.25 Marks. In preparing thoroughly for the optional subject, people tend to neglect GS thinking that it carries lesser marks than the Optional. This is a mistake because nobody can succeed in the Prelims stage without a proper balanced approach between GS and optional subject. The aspirants have to adopt both exhaustive and intensive preparation strategy. There should be intensive focus on the portions that are relevant in all three stages (prelims, Mains, interview) of the civil services exam and for areas that are only specific to preliminary test moderate attention is sufficient. From the Syllabus of GS, four topics according to me are the core areas of GS which are indispensable for a good score in GS. These are a. Indian National Movement b. Indian Polity c. Indian Geography d. Current Affairs. There are minor areas like World geography, ancient India and medieval India that need to be dealt with an extensive approach and rather superficial preparation.

Recommended Book List for General Studies: The aspirants strictly need to concentrate on NCERT books, particularly the eleventh and twelfth standards in modern India, Indian geography, Indian polity and Indian economy.

Modern History of India: The History of Modern India will cover history of the Country from about the middle of nineteenth century and would also include questions on important personalities who shaped the freedom movement and social reforms. This Section is one of the Core areas of Paper-I. The total number of marks allocated to this topic ranges from 30-40 marks. For its complete understanding, NCERT’s Modern India by Bipin Chandra or SC Mittal of Class XII (Old Version) and Rajiv Ahir’s A brief history of Modern India (Spectrum Publication) are Sufficient. MCQ’s for this topic should be attempted from Pratiyogita Darpan’s Modern India.

Ancient India/Medieval India: NCERT’s Class VI Ancient India; Class VII Medieval India

Geography of India: Questions can be asked from Physical, Economic and social Geography of India. NCERT India’s Physical Geography of class XI and India’s People and Economy of class XII are enough for covering this section. The Following Chapters of India Year Book should be Read: Land and the People, Energy, Industry, Transport, Water Resource and from the Economic Survey read the chapters of Industry and Energy, Infrastructure and Communications

Indian Polity: This part will include questions on the Constitution of India as well as all constitutional, legal, administrative and other issues emerging from the politico-administrative system prevalent in the country. For Indian Polity, Laxmikanth's Indian Polity is a must read.

Indian Economy: NCERT’s XIth class India’s Economic Development is essential for understanding the basics of economics along with the Structure and problems of Indian economy. For an in-depth analysis of Indian Economy, one could rely on Uma Kapila’s Indian Economy. Pratiyogta Darpan’s Indian economy should also be consulted. The current happenings in Indian economy can be studied through Economic survey (2013) and the Business page of ‘The Hindu’. The Following chapters of India Year Book should also be Read: Basic Economic data, Commerce, Finance, Corporate Affairs and Industry.

World Geography- NCERT’s Geography Textbook (Class VI & Class VII);  Oxford Student Atlas.

General Mental Ability: Arihant’s Mental Ability

Current Affairs/General knowledge: For Current Affairs, the need is to read National Newspaper ‘The Hindu’ or Indian Express regularly. Competition Wizard should be consulted to keep oneself aware of the National Happenings. India Year Book and Economic Survey should be selectively consulted. Manorama Year Book is very important for understanding of General Knowledge. A strong emphasis on current affairs is indispensable in any sound preparation as questions in all major sections are asked mainly in the domain of contemporary issues.. News and Events magazine is also an important handy source of Current Affairs. However I strongly disagree with this type of ‘Cerelac’ Treatment for Current affairs and nothing can substitute Newspaper Reading in the Long Run.

General Science: A Book called ‘Common sense’ ;)

Paper II: Optional Paper: 120 questions * 2.5 marks = 300 marks

Aspirants Can Choose a Subject from the Following list of Optional Papers based on their Educational Background and Choice. Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Electrical Engineering,  Geography,  Geology, Indian History, Law, Mathematics,  Mechanical Engineering, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration,  Sociology, Statistics, Zoology

The Optional paper has 120 multiple choice questions with every MCQ having a weightage of 2.5 Marks. Thus the total score of Optional subject is 300 Marks out of the Total 450 Marks allotted to the Prelims. Your Goal should be to score at least 200 Marks i.e.80 correct Q’s. Look for the previous year papers of your optional. These would be easily available in the nearest Book store or you can download these from www.jkpsc.nic.in. Look for the topics which have been stressed on in these papers and try to revise those topics. Also Try to solve as many as Previous Years Papers and Model papers as you can. Previous Years IAS and Not KAS Papers would come in Handy as sometimes examiners do not have the time to formulate new mcq’s ;)

How to Choose the Right Optional: The Most Difficult Question in Civil Service preparation is ‘How to Choose the Right Optional’. There are some basic things that need to be kept in mind before one chooses an Optional.

1. No Herd Mentality: Herd Mentality is ingrained in Kashmir. Whether that may be the Herd Race in the Opening of STD’s, Health Gym’s or Video labs, Plying of Sumo’s, or Chota Haathi Load carriers; Pursuing MBBS, Engineering or now MBA. But In KAS, Never choose a subject solely because everyone else is going for it or Someone from your Locality Cracked the Exam with this Optional. You have to consider your own interest for the subject since it is you who have to read it in detail with Full clarity of Basics.

2. Educational background / Familiarity with the subject: Your subject in graduation or post-graduation should be considered if you are really comfortable with the subject. But do not go for it just because you have read it in college because you too know how we read in our colleges and How Chance rather Than Choice dictates in which subject we graduate or Specialise.

3. Resource Availability: The availability of resources in terms of Reference Material, Coaching and Guidance should also be considered when choosing your Optional.

4. Past History of the Subject: Past History of the subject in terms of Success rate should also be taken into account while choosing your Optional. However, Ultimately It is the level of your Preparation which will determine whether the optional that you have taken will have one more successful or unsuccessful candidate.

Dear Aspirants, With the KAS prelims exam 2014 scheduled on 12th October, You have approximately four months in between you and the D-Day. Days are scarce, Syllabus unending and Expectations high. These days at your disposal are one of the most crucial phases in your civil services preparation. KAS Prelims 2014 would definitely be better and more importantly tougher to pass than either KAS 2009, 2010, 2011 or 2012. This is because of the lesser number of seats this time i.e. 51. If we look at the earlier three preliminary exams, the Cut off has also increased from 208 marks in 2009 , 216 marks in 2010, 264 marks in 2011 and 306 in 2012. Thus crossing the Preliminary barrier would be a hard task rather than a cake walk for you. The need for increasing your efforts to a level unprecedented is needed for the simple reason that any little fault at this stage would prove detrimental to the whole process of your cause.

I am not frightening you with statistics but want to make you aware of the importance of qualifying Preliminary exam this time. Now the time has come to consolidate all knowledge gained so far and focus on improving it even more in an articulate manner. Unpredictability and Uncertainty is part of this game. It is a daunting task to complete the syllabus within the stipulated time. The blurring boundaries of syllabus pose a serious threat to the confidence level of many candidates. Contemplate a smart work and make it work in every possible realm of your studies. What matters the most is Devotion and not Duration, so it is very much possible to devise a strategy which is reasonable and workable.

The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination is One-Third of the total number of candidates who appear in the preliminary examination or twenty five times the total number of advertised vacancies whichever is higher. Only those candidates who obtain marks above the Cut-off in the preliminary examination are declared by the Commission to have been qualified in the preliminary examination and hence are provisionally admitted in the Main Examination.

STAGE 2: MAIN EXAM

The Main Examination consists of a written test consisting of eight question papers of descriptive nature out of which one paper (General English) is of qualifying nature only. Each paper is of three hours duration.

Paper I: General Studies- 300 marks

• Paper I of General Studies Consists of the Following Topics: Indian History and Indian Culture, Events of National Importance, Events of International Importance and Statistics.

Paper II: General Studies- 300 marks

• Paper II of General Studies Consists of the Following Topics: Indian Polity, Indian Economy, Indian Geography and Science & Technology.

Paper III: 1st Optional (A)- 300 marks

Paper IV: 1st Optional (B)-  300 marks

Paper V : 2nd Optional (A)- 300 marks

Paper VI: 2nd Optional (B)- 300 marks

List of the Optional Subjects for KAS Mains:  You Have to select Two Optional Subjects from the following list of Subjects:  Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Anthropology, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce & Accountancy, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science & International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Zoology, Literature subjects.

However, you cannot take the following combination of the subjects:

(a) Political Science & International Relations and Public Administration.
(b) Commerce and Accountancy and Management.
(c) Anthropology and Sociology
(d) Mathematics and Statistics.
(e) Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science.
(f) Management and Public Administration.
(g) Philosophy and Psychology.
(h) Two of the Engineering subjects viz. Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering; Two Literature Subjects

Paper VII (General English)- 300 Marks: This paper is only of Qualifying Nature. The marks obtained in this paper will not be added to your Mains score; However if you fail to qualify this paper, you will get an Orange card; i.e. all your other seven papers will not be checked…. Matlab Total Fail :)

Paper VIII (English Essay)-150 marks: Marks in Mains Examination are given for orderly, effective and exact expression of Thoughts combined with due economy of words. Marks are not allotted for mere superficial Knowledge. Bad handwriting leads to deduction from the total marks of a Candidate.Candidates who obtain qualifying marks in Main’s Examination are summoned by JKPSC for interview. The number of candidates to be summoned for interview is not more than thrice the number of vacancies to be filled.

STAGE 3: INTERVIEW: 250 MARKS

The interview has a total of 250 marks. The Interview has no minimum qualifying marks. The interview test is intended to judge the mental calibre of a candidate. The interview board will assess the candidate’s appearance, manners, poise, alertness, emotional balance, rational and unbiased judgment, decision making ability under stress, depth of knowledge, communication skills, analytical skills, leadership skills and integrity. Each interview will generally last about 30 - 50 minutes. The failure to appear in the interview renders a candidate ineligible for being recommended for appointment notwithstanding the marks obtained by him/her in the written examination.

Total Aggregate Marks for selection into KAS: Stage 2 + Stage 3 = 2200 Marks

Final Merit List: Marks thus obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination (written part as well as interview) determines the final order of merit. Candidates are allotted to the various services keeping in view their inter‐se merit in the examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various services and posts. Some of the services in the feeding cadre are Secretariat, Revenue, Industries & Commerce, Handicrafts, Excise & Taxation, Labour, Cooperatives, Information, Tourism, Police, Accounts, Transport, Social Welfare Department, Hospitality & Protocol, and Rural Development Department etc.

The selected candidates for Junior Scale of J&K Administrative Service  are trained for four months at IMPA, Four months at RTI (Revenue Training Institute) and one month at ATI (Accounts Training Institute).The Candidates Selected for J&K Police (Gazetted) Service are Trained for fifteen Months at Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy While as the Candidates who are selected for J&K Accounts (Gazetted) Service are trained in Accounts Training Institute initially for six months followed by six months of field training and then again Trained for six months in ATI. The Probationers have to appear in a Departmental Exam for confirmation into Government service from Probation.

Before I end, I am leaving you with these lines; Do not Count the Hours in a Day, Rather make every Minute in the Day count. The limited time left should be used threadbare. Just remember, one thing you can’t recycle is wasted time. Rework and Reshedule your Priorities keeping the Exam in sight. Wazwan, Films, Wts app and Facebook can wait. It is not the Duration but the Devotion; Not the Quantity but the Quality that is most important for your success.  Winners believe that they create their own Luck by their actions; Losers believe in Good and Bad Luck.

Courtesy: Shoaib Noor

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