Whenever I interact with youngsters who aspire to be civil servants, a lot of them worry whether someone who has not got top ranks in school and college can make it to the Civil Services. Many students admit that they are not academically brilliant but aspire to pursue Civil Services. Since one needs to study and write an examination to become a civil servant, these questions are relevant. So, how much importance is given to academic brilliance in the Civil Services exam?

To begin with, let us examine the eligibility criteria to write the Civil Service exam. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) mentions graduation from a recognised university as the qualification. So, if you have a bachelor’s degree in any subject from arts to technology, you can write this exam provided you are within the prescribed age limit.

Similarly, the UPSC does not discriminate between a rank-holder with more than 90 per cent marks and someone who just cleared the exam with 40-45 per cent. As the grading systems of universities are so different, it will be difficult to compare different streams of graduation. That is why the UPSC is not considering the existing academic credentials but sticking to its own methods to assess merit. That means one need not worry about the marks in school and college while appearing for the Civil Services exam.

The exams in schools and colleges are mainly based on fixed syllabus and textbooks. The questions are often repeated and success is mostly relied on rote memory. Many students burn the midnight oil in a fortnight and manage to come up with a decent percentage. The exams in humanities subjects sometimes reward more marks to people who write more pages. People buy guides and mug up expected points. In short, the whole scenario more or less depends on tried and tested methods.

A different ball game

The Civil Services exam is different from this pattern. First of all, the syllabus is just indicative rather than specific. It talks about the larger areas to be covered. There is basic information to be studied like the Constitution and freedom movement. At the same time, one needs to be up to date with the current welfare schemes of the government.

The dynamic nature of the syllabus confuses people who are accustomed to a fixed pattern of study. One can check previous questions to get an idea about important areas. But there is no guarantee that questions will be coming from only these areas.

Another frustrating situation for many studious candidates is that there are no prescribed textbooks for the Civil Services exam. One can come up with a list of important books to be covered based on the advice of seniors, but it is not mandatory that one has to read them all.

Nowadays, people use online resources and videos to study. This fluidity will be difficult to manage for people who are used to mugging up important points from guides and notes.

Another point to be noted is that the word limit for answers in the Civil Services exam is fixed, so one has to write precise answers rather than filling up pages after pages. So, a person who is successful in a university exam does not get much edge here.

But there are certain habits that one could have developed during his / her school and college days that would be useful for the Civil Services exam. The ability to work a few hours daily for a minimum period of two years is necessary here as the syllabus is big and the exam process takes more than a year. People who are academically inclined find it easy to pick up this habit. Last-minute muggers get tired easily with this pattern of exam. People who are exposed to competition, be it entrance exams or sports, also do well as they are used to comparison and improving themselves.

Ultimately, it is all about adaptation to a new pattern of exam. I have seen many rank-holders losing out and many average students clearing this exam thanks to sheer perseverance. Understanding the pattern and working steady will do the trick rather than past records. So, do not worry if you are not a school / college topper.

(The author is a former IPS officer and a trainer for Civil Service aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)

This article originally appeared on OnManorama.

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