BCS Written Career Adda @ Rafin Plaza

On the date 22/05/2015, during the afternoon session at 3:30, I shared certain insights at a career discussion session for the 35th BCS written examination. Forty percent of what I said that day I’m offering here. The remaining sixty percent isn’t included here—and indeed, it’s not possible to provide. Once I get my hands on the video recording of that discussion, I’ll upload it. There, I hope, you’ll find much of what remains.

Career Discussion

Sushanta Paul

Assistant Commissioner

Customs, Excise & VAT Commissionerate, Khulna

During the session……..

• Mobile phones must not ring under any circumstances
• If you must take a call, step outside the room to speak
• If you need to talk to the person beside you, do so when I’m not looking in your direction—take advantage of that moment
• If you feel drowsy, sleep in such a way that it doesn’t disturb your neighbor’s rest. While sleeping, don’t lean against your neighbor’s shoulder
• Ask questions only when I invite them, not before
• There’s no need to take notes—just listen. I’ll share everything on Facebook. My Facebook ID: Sushanta Paul

A Few Words

• Quota: Like another man’s beautiful wife! ‘A breeding ground for corruption’
• BCS job: Consenting to sell one’s freedom
• Wanting to become a BCS cadre without wanting to study == Wanting to hear ‘Ma’ without wanting to marry. Impossible by legitimate means! Sorry!
• There’s no such thing as a ‘good job’ in this world. “There is no purely clean job on this earth.”

On Scoring in the BCS Written Examination……………

Bengali 1st Paper

• Grammar: Study previous years’ questions, guidebooks, ninth-tenth grade Bengali grammar, Hayat Mamud’s Language Learning, Soumitra Shekhar’s Darpan according to syllabus topics. When writing the meaning of proverbs in six sentences, write in your own simple language. No need for examples here. This section shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to answer.
• Summary: Write this in 2-3 simple, beautiful abstract sentences. It might take 20 minutes. For this section, preparing suggestions and taking notes from various books works very well.
• Idea-expansion: Previous years’ questions, guidebooks, Soumitra Shekhar’s Darpan, books by various writers from Bangladesh and Calcutta can be consulted for this section. Write this in exactly 20 highly relevant sentences. Take time with these 20 sentences. You may include examples and quotations. Let it take 40 minutes; ensure each sentence is exquisitely crafted.
• Questions on Bengali Language & Literature: Study previous years’ questions thoroughly to get a clear idea of what types of questions are asked. Then read selectively from guidebooks, Red-Blue Dipabali, Mahbubul Alam’s History of Bengali Literature. You may answer this section last. Never write without quotations.

Bengali 2nd Paper

• Translation: This section also appears in English Part-B. Total marks: 15+25+25=65. If you analyze previous questions, you’ll see that very easy translations don’t typically appear in BCS exams. You can approach this section differently. Regularly translate editorials from newspapers like Prothom Alo, Ittefaq, The Daily Star, The Independent, The Financial Express. This work is challenging but highly fruitful.
• Imaginary Dialogue: You need to develop ideas about various contemporary issues. Keep regular tabs on newspapers (especially minutes of roundtable meetings), watch talk shows, practice writing in your own simple language on various topics from guidebooks.
• Letter Writing: Looking at previous years’ question patterns, you can study from Hayat Mamud’s Language Learning and guidebooks. Prepare based on the types of letters you feel comfortable writing. For instance, if you want to write personal letters, you must consider the use of language. This section has separate marks allocated for writing format.
• Book Review: The syllabus provides no specific guidance on this section. However, I believe knowing about 30-40 famous and well-known books should help you find ‘common’ questions. Even if you don’t get common questions, write something like “This immortal creation is a highly significant addition to Bengali literature.” It’s better to get 0.5 than 0 in the exam.
• Essay: When preparing for this section, you can coordinate with English essays and major questions from Bangladesh & International Affairs. Looking at previous years’ questions to understand what patterns of essays appear, prepare for any 3 patterns. Study from internet, guidebooks, reference books after preparing suggestions. Keep organizing points through mind-mapping and write as much as possible. Include plenty of quotations.

English

Stop smoking.

Stop to smoke.

Where’s the difference? Does verb+(-ing) always follow ‘stop’? What does it take to understand this? Grammar? No! It takes common sense.

• The two mantras for doing well in English:

– One. No spelling mistakes.

– Two. No grammatical mistakes.

Keeping these two things in mind, write in very simple language and marks will come. Writing longer Facebook statuses and comments in simple English will help.

English Part-A

Reading Comprehension:

• A) There will be an unseen passage, possibly on contemporary topics. Read English newspaper articles extensively, along with editorials. This will help with other subjects in the written exam too. The simple trick for answering comprehension is to read the questions first, at least 3 times, without reading the passage. Identify and underline the keyword or phrase that the question is asking about. Then read the passage quickly to locate where the answers lie. Remember one thing: while reading the passage, don’t try to figure out the meaning of difficult words or idioms. These are included precisely to waste the examinee’s time. Then answer the questions in your own way. Practicing this section following IELTS reading techniques works very well. Start studying by buying reading books from the market.
• B) There will be questions on grammar and usage. Practice extensively from several guidebooks. Keep authoritative books like Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Michael Swan’s Practical English Usage, Raymond Murphy’s English Grammar in Use nearby. Develop the habit of laboriously searching through these books for answers—it will be very useful. For example, the word ‘entrust’ is followed by both ‘to’ and ‘with.’ Learning this through dictionary examples by writing will ensure you don’t forget.
• Summary: A passage will be given. Read it thoroughly at least 5 times very quickly. Don’t be afraid of difficult words while reading. The main points usually aren’t in the difficult sections. Mark where the main ideas are. Divide the entire passage into 3-4 parts. Then write each part’s several sentences as one sentence. Don’t copy directly from the passage. Modify it a bit and write in your own way. Don’t include examples or quotations here. By the way, don’t forget to give a title to the summary at the beginning. For this section, regularly practice summarizing newspaper editorials and articles.
• Letter: A passage or statement will be given. Based on that, you’ll need to write a letter to the newspaper editor about an issue. To prepare for this section, regularly read the Letters to the Editor section of newspapers, along with some guidebooks. There are marks allocated for rules and regulations in the letter section. The letter’s language should be very formal.

English Part-B

• Essay: You’ll need to write an essay within a specified word limit. Keep regular track of explanations of Bangladesh’s constitution, official websites of various organizations, Wikipedia, Banglapedia, National Web Portal, some international newspapers. While answering questions, including quotations from various writers’ works, newspaper columns and editorials, internet sources, official websites of various organizations, relevant articles of the constitution, and various references will increase marks. Using blue ink while writing these sections will easily catch the examiner’s eye. Don’t even think of writing essays without quotations. Prepare with the understanding that essays won’t be common, ready your suggestions. Practice non-stop writing on various topics in your own simple language.
• Translation: I’ve discussed this already.

Mathematical Reasoning

• Twelve questions will be given; you need to answer any 10. Buy any three guidebooks. Don’t go to sleep any night without practicing some mathematics. Don’t use shortcuts in math; show every step in detail. Don’t miss any side notes or relevant information. Pay attention to some small matters; for instance, putting a semicolon before the third bracket when writing side notes. If you prepare properly for math, getting 49 out of 50 in this subject isn’t very difficult. If you get even 1 mark less, you’ll be among the rarest unfortunate candidates. Getting full marks in math doesn’t require being a science student if you study with understanding.
• Simple: Previous years’ questions, guidebooks. Answer simple questions last.
• Algebraic expressions, algebraic formulas, factorization, linear & multivariate equations, linear & multivariate inequalities, solution determination, geometry, trigonometry: Previous years’ questions, guidebooks. If you want, you can solve the relevant chapters of 9th-10th grade general mathematics.
• Unitary method, average, percentage, interest calculation, LCM, HCF, ratio & proportion, profit & loss, line, angle, triangle, circle-related theorems, Pythagorean theorem, corollaries: Previous years’ questions, guidebooks
• Indices & logarithms, arithmetic & geometric progression, coordinate geometry, set theory, Venn diagrams, number theory: Guidebooks and relevant chapters of 9th-10th grade general mathematics
• Permutation & combination: Guidebooks, relevant chapter of 11th grade algebra
• Probability: Guidebooks, relevant chapter of 12th grade discrete mathematics

Mental Ability

• The questions in this section are meant to be a little tricky. Keep your head cool, read the questions carefully, and answer with full concentration. The questions will be simple—so simple they become harder than the difficult ones. Buy 3-4 sets of guidebooks, along with 3-4 IQ test books. Don’t expect full marks in this section; prepare with that understanding.
• Verbal Reasoning: Questions will be presented with some convoluted statements. There might be statements related to history, geography, literature, science, or any other subject, from which you’ll need to identify which part is missing. Common sense, grammar, and language skills will come in handy here.
• Abstract Reasoning: Some diagrams will be given where you need to carefully observe the pattern of change in an object or idea, then show the next position of that object or idea.
• Space Relations: Questions about the intermediate or final position when an object moves in different directions or changes position; or qualitative and quantitative questions about the position of letters or numbers in various examples.
• Numerical Ability: This is essentially mathematics, but with a different approach. You’ll need to find missing numbers in series/tables/diagrams. This requires some simple math and common sense.
• Mechanical Reasoning: Some pictures or diagrams will be given with related descriptions and questions. Questions can be of two types: simple math that can be solved mentally, or problems that can be answered by imagining different positions of the diagrams.
• Use guidebooks, IQ test books, and search Google in English for ‘verbal/abstract/mechanical reasoning/space relations/numerical ability practice’ or ‘verbal/abstract/mechanical reasoning/space relations/numerical ability test’ to access various websites and practice regularly. Questions in this section are unlikely to be ‘common,’ so there’s no alternative to extensive practice if you want to do well.
• Spelling and Language: Words or sentences will be given with wrong spellings, incorrect grammar, or faulty punctuation that need to be corrected. Or you’ll need to form meaningful words or sentences using scattered letters or words. English grammar preparation will be useful here too. Regular practice with guidebooks, IQ test books, and various online tests will be very helpful.

General Science and Technology

• For this section, first read the previous years’ questions and suggested questions from guidebooks very thoroughly, taking sufficient time and reading them several times. When preparing for science, don’t consider whether you’re a science student or not. It’s better not to mix personal flourishes with science like writing literature. If you can provide necessary labeled diagrams, symbols, and equations in this section, your answer sheet will stand out from others. These things must be learned through writing practice. It’s better to answer 3 questions worth 4+3+3=10 marks than one question worth 10 marks.

Part-A: General Science

• Light, Sound, Magnetism: Guidebooks, 9th-10th grade Physics, 11th-12th grade Physics 1st and 2nd papers
• Acids, Bases, Salts: 9th-10th grade Chemistry, 11th-12th grade Chemistry 1st paper
• Water, Our Resources, Polymers, Atmosphere, Food and Nutrition, Biotechnology, Diseases and Healthcare: Guidebooks, internet, 9th-10th grade General Science, 9th-10th grade Geography

Part-B: Computer and Information Technology: Guidebooks, internet, Peter Norton’s Introduction to Computers, Higher Secondary Computer Education 1st and 2nd papers

Part-C: Electrical and Electronic Technology: Guidebooks + Higher Secondary Physics 2nd paper

Look at the syllabus and read only what’s necessary from the above books, topic by topic (guidebooks also contain many unnecessary things). If you want, instead of buying entire books, you can photocopy just the required portions. It’s very helpful to google the topics and read about them on the internet.

Bangladesh Affairs

• Buy at least 3-4 sets of guidebooks. Read various reference books like Mozammel Hoque’s Higher Secondary Civics 2nd paper, annotated books on Bangladesh’s Constitution, books on the Liberation War, Nihar Kumar Sarkar’s Politics for Children, Akbar Ali Khan’s Economics of Altruism, etc. A good technique for reading references for BCS exams is to read not for knowledge acquisition, but for marks acquisition. To do this, study questions from various years and understand very well what types of questions don’t appear in exams. After carefully examining written exam questions, read reference books by ‘excluding and excluding’ what’s unnecessary.
• Studying questions for 1 hour is much better than studying for 4 hours without understanding. This way, you can cover 4 hours’ worth of reading in 2 hours. If you study more question patterns, you’ll learn how to exclude unnecessary topics. This is the initial step of preparation. Spend adequate time on this. Shake off the notion that “I must read everything others are reading.” Control your natural urge to read everything. Rather than reading an unnecessary topic once, read necessary topics repeatedly.
• Read 4-5 online newspapers. Read very quickly. Don’t read entire newspapers—only read articles on topics necessary for BCS exams. Such useful articles appear at most 2-3 times in a newspaper. Save them in Word files if needed and read them later.
• While reading newspapers, understand which topics might generate exam questions by reading columns. In Bangladesh Affairs, question patterns can change based on contemporary relevance. When reading various columns, carefully note which columnist writes about what subjects and in what style. List the columnist’s name in your notebook with their area of interest and style. This will be very useful when giving quotations in exam papers.
• Draw necessary labeled diagrams and maps. Provide relevant data, tables, charts, and references where appropriate. When quoting from newspapers, mention the source and date below the quote. Show something in your exam paper that makes it distinctive. For example, you can give references with sources from various websites. Quote from Wikipedia or Banglapedia. Write what important figures in the country said at various times, contextually. You can learn formal presentation style from newspaper editorials.
• Good handwriting is nice, but not essential if you don’t have it. You need to write very quickly in written exams. Practice writing 1 page every 3-5 minutes. Make sure your writing is legible. Good presentation increases marks.
• You must read various references, texts, and authentic books. Many BCS exam questions aren’t common. Reading these books makes answering easier. When answering questions, marks increase if you quote from various authors’ writings, newspaper columns and editorials, internet sources, official websites of various organizations, relevant constitutional articles, and various references. Use blue ink for these sections so they easily catch the examiner’s eye. Try to include at least one quotation, data, table, chart, or reference on every page. Good news: there’s no need to memorize the entire Constitution. Understand the explanations of articles that generate more questions very well. You don’t need to quote constitutional articles verbatim.
• There’s no special need to take notes while reading. You won’t have that much time. Instead, write down which source you’re reading for which question. This will help during revision. Keep regular track of constitutional explanations of Bangladesh, official websites of various organizations, Wikipedia, Banglapedia, National Web Portal, some international newspapers, etc. Collect information and data. Present them in exam papers with proper references as needed.
• Never leave any question unanswered. If you don’t know the answer, write at least something based on your understanding. If you have no idea, write from imagination. If nothing comes to imagination, force yourself to imagine if necessary! You leaving a question blank isn’t the problem. The problem is someone else is answering it.
• Occasionally practice writing non-stop on various topics. Develop the habit of reading about various subjects. This will improve the quality of your writing. You don’t need to memorize any answers. Rather, read repeatedly from various sources. Develop the habit of writing from understanding. Nobody becomes a cadre by writing everything perfectly. Everyone writes creatively in written exams. That’s not a problem! Rather, writing creatively in the right way is also an art.

International Affairs

• Purchase 4-5 sets of International Affairs guidebooks. Study previous years’ questions thoroughly to understand what types of questions appear most frequently. Some questions lose their relevance over time—skip those. While reading 4-5 newspapers online daily, pay attention to which topics are most relevant to current times. Save these separately in Word files. Create your own suggestions based on guidebook recommendations and various newspaper articles. Prepare 4-5 sets of suggestions by adding or removing certain questions at different times. Then study the questions systematically from guides, reference books, and newspapers according to your suggestions. It works best if you search and read the topics on Google. If necessary, type the topic names in Bengali and search. You’ll find answers to almost all international affairs questions on Google. Reading answers from Wikipedia, Banglapedia, and various organizations’ official websites will save time and improve your marks. You can read necessary articles from daily and weekly international pages in newspapers, The Hindu, The Economist, Times of India, Time, and various other international publications.
• Write down 15-20 names of people who write about various international issues in your diary. Note briefly beside each name what type of topics they write about. This will be useful when giving quotations. Browse the internet and read analytical commentary and criticism on various topics. Using these appropriately when writing answers will make your presentation beautiful. Your answer sheet will stand out to the examiner if you write using various maps, data, charts, tables, reviews, your own analysis, and their relevance to contemporary contexts.
• Questions won’t be that common. So improving reading habits is essential for doing well in this section. No need to memorize anything. Read repeatedly, underlining important points. In the exam hall, write in your own way. Try to include at least one quotation, data, table, chart, or reference on each page. You can use blue ink for these sections. Good handwriting is preferable, but if not, it’s fine as long as it’s readable. You need to write much faster in written exams. So practice writing one page every 3-5 minutes.
• Short Conceptual Notes: List what short notes might appear by going through previous years’ questions, reference books, guidebooks, and newspapers. Then Google these topics and read from the internet. Along with newspaper clippings, articles saved in Word files, guidebooks, and reference books. Adding your own analysis at the end of answers in this section will increase marks.
• Analytical Questions: Write as many points as possible in paragraph form. In this section, it’s better to answer questions worth 4+6+5=15 marks rather than one 15-mark question. The first and last paragraphs of your answer should be most attractive. Give plenty of quotations in blue ink. Explain issues from various columnists’ perspectives and draw your own conclusion toward the end of your answer. If you have any comments or personal opinions, write those too.
• Problem Solving Questions: There will be some writing about various important contemporary issues like development in international fields, security issues, trade, treaties, climate change, foreign aid, or some problem will be presented. Analyze it and write in point form what solutions might be possible considering various aspects, along with international analysts’ and your own opinions. There’s no alternative to reading newspapers regularly to do well in this section.

Final Words

• Before starting preparation for the written exam, keep two things in mind. One: More important than deciding what to study for BCS exams is deciding what not to study. Two: No need to memorize; thinking you’ve learned a hundred percent, then forgetting sixty percent and properly utilizing the remaining forty percent is an art.
• Whether you run around to coaching centers or do whatever else, study at home for at least 8-10 hours daily. Those who must work other jobs should spend at least 4-5 hours studying alongside their work.
• For the job you’ve decided to do comfortably for at least 30 years, surely you’re not such a fool as to not study seriously for 3 months, giving up meals and sleep!

Good luck!

Question and Answer Session