The syllabus for Bangladesh Affairs hasn’t changed, but the nature of questions has shifted slightly. Let me share some practical advice.
# Purchase at least 3-4 sets of guidebooks. Along with various reference books such as Mozammel Hoque’s Higher Secondary Civics 2nd Paper, books on Bangladesh’s Constitution (like Arif Khan’s Bangladesh Constitution in Simple Language), books on the Liberation War (such as Moidul Hasan’s Muladhara: ’71), Nihar Kumar Sarkar’s Politics for Children and Economics for Children, Muhammad Habibur Rahman’s What Citizens Should Know, Akbar Ali Khan’s Economics of Altruism and Strange & Stranger Economics, Abdul Hai’s Bangladesh Affairs, and similar books—read them all.
# One hour of studying questions intelligently is far better than four hours of mindless study. By studying question patterns extensively, you’ll learn how to eliminate unnecessary topics. Create 3-4 sets of suggestions yourself by adding or removing various questions. This is the preliminary step to beginning your preparation. Control the natural greed to read everything.
# Read 4-5 newspapers online very quickly. While reading, go through the columns carefully to understand which topics might appear as exam questions. In general knowledge, question patterns can change based on contemporary relevance. When reading various columns, pay very close attention to which columnist writes about what subjects and in what style, and maintain a notebook listing columnists’ names, their areas of interest, and writing styles. This will be extremely useful when citing references in your exam papers.
# Draw necessary identified diagrams and maps. Include various data, tables, charts, and references where appropriate. When quoting from newspapers, mention the source and date below the citation. Show something in your exam paper that sets your answer apart. For instance, you can provide references with sources from various websites. You can quote from Wikipedia or Banglapedia. Write about what important figures in the country have said at different times, contextually relevant to your answer. Learn the formal presentation style from newspaper editorials.
# There’s no need to take notes while studying. Instead, write beside each question which source you’re reading from—this will be useful during revision. Keep regular track of explanations of Bangladesh’s Constitution, official websites of various organizations, Wikipedia, Banglapedia, the National Web Portal, some international publications, etc. Stay updated with information and data collection.
# Various references, texts, guides, and authentic books must be read. Most questions in BCS exams aren’t common. Having read these books makes answering easier. When answering questions, including citations from various authors’ works, newspaper columns and editorials, internet sources, and various other sources will increase your marks. 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. There’s absolutely no need to memorize the entire Constitution. Study the explanations of articles that frequently appear in questions very thoroughly. You don’t need to quote constitutional articles verbatim.
# Beautiful handwriting is good, but not having it isn’t a problem. Just ensure your writing is legible. Practice writing one page every 3-5 minutes.
# Never leave any question unanswered. If you don’t know the answer, write something from your understanding. If you have no understanding, write from imagination. If nothing comes to imagination, force yourself to imagine if necessary! Your leaving a question blank isn’t the problem. The problem is that someone else is answering it.
# Occasionally practice writing nonstop on various topics. Increase your reading habit on various subjects. This will improve the quality of your writing. You don’t need to memorize any answers. Develop the habit of writing from understanding. No one gets a job by writing everything perfectly correctly. Everyone writes creatively in the written exam. Writing creatively in the right way is also an art.
Now I’m discussing International Affairs according to the syllabus.
Short Conceptual Notes: List what annotations might come by going through previous years’ questions, reference books, guidebooks, and newspapers. Then google them and read from the internet. Along with newspaper clippings, newspaper 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 in paragraphs with as many points as possible. 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. Include plenty of quotations. Explain issues from various columnists’ perspectives and draw your own conclusions toward the end. Definitely include any comments or personal opinions you have.
Problem Solving Questions: There will be some writing about various important international issues or a problem will be presented. Analyze it and write in points what solutions might be possible considering various aspects, including international analysts’ views and your own opinion. There’s no alternative to reading newspapers regularly to do well in this.
You’ll find answers to almost all International Affairs questions online. So it’s best to study by googling topics. If necessary, search by typing topic names in Bengali. Reading answers from Wikipedia, Banglapedia, and various organizations’ official websites will save time and bring good marks. You can read daily and weekly international pages in newspapers, The Hindu, The Economist, Times of India, Project Syndicate, and necessary articles from various international publications. Browse the internet to read analytical comments and criticisms on various subjects. This will sharpen your writing. Using various maps, data, charts, tables, reviews, personal analysis, and relevance to contemporary contexts will make your paper stand out to the examiner. Questions won’t be that common. So improving reading habits is essential for doing well in this section. You don’t need to memorize anything. Read repeatedly, underlining. In the exam hall, write creatively in your own way.
Take care of your dreams, and your dreams will take care of you. In the coming time, make your thoughts and actions dream-centered. Believe that when you’re not thinking about your dreams, you’re actually not thinking about anything at all! Temporarily remove from your life those who speak poorly about your dreams. Welcome to the beautiful moment when you’ll touch your dreams with the audacity of a tangent!
This article appeared in Kaler Kantho newspaper’s ‘Chakri Ache’ page on May 18, 2016. The link: