Conceptual clarity key to cracking IAS: expert

Systematic preparation with holistic understanding and conceptual clarity will help one crack the civil services examination that is fiercely competitive and dynamic, retired IAS officer K.V. Satyanarayana has said.

Aspirants should work hard with devotion and dedication but mugging up would not help, he said while speaking at an awareness programme organised by The Hindu Civils Aspirants’ Forum and Dr. Lakshmaiah’s IAS Study Circle at the Visakhapatnam Public Library on Sunday.

Getting through the preliminary in spite of it being objective was difficult because the questions were tough and unless one understood them it was difficult to come out with the right answer. “Though lakhs take the examination, it is the serious contenders who matter and for the Main Examination 10,000 to 15,000 are selected,” he pointed out.

“It does not matter which language one chooses to write the examination but since the questions are in English and Hindi, knowledge of English to understand them is important,” he said answering one of the questions.

Mr. Satyanaryana first listened to the students and answered their questions.

Subject selection

Choosing an optional from 48 subjects that included 22 languages was complex but selecting a scoring subject was important, he said.

The earlier essay-type answering system was replaced with strict word discipline of 200 words and hence it was extremely important to understand the question and answer to the point, he said giving examples. Taking advantage of the limited syllabus, one should study thoroughly achieving conceptual clarity, Mr. Satyanarayana advised the aspirants.

Additional CEO of the Study Circle A. Raj Kumar gave details of the examination process.

The study cirlce’s Visakhapatnam academic in charge Dhananjay Seera also spoke.