BCS Written Examination Preparation Strategy: Bengali and English (Kaler Kantho)

Let’s assume you have another two months in hand. BCS is essentially a battle of written examinations, which is entirely under your control. Those whose preparation isn’t quite up to the mark—if they can study properly at home for an average of at least 15 hours daily during these two months, they will surely get the job! Those who are well-prepared—if they can study that much, they should be among the top 10 in the merit list for their first choice cadre. During this time, don’t waste precious moments reading irrelevant material. It’s not about hard work, but calculated effort that matters most. Let me share some thoughts on Bengali and English preparation in my own way—you can adapt these ideas to your own approach.

Whatever was in the syllabus of previous BCS exams, study those topics thoroughly from past question papers. The better a candidate understands the pattern of questions, the better their preparation becomes. Look at guidebook suggestions and create your own suggestions by understanding question patterns and relevance. Don’t follow anyone else’s suggestions blindly. Then study those questions from several guides and references. There’s no time for note-taking—read the answers from at least four guidebooks, marking them thoroughly as you go. I believe reading one extra guidebook is better than reading five reference books.

For the grammar section, study from Bengali Language Grammar, Bhasha-Shiksha, Darpan, and guidebooks. Write the underlying meanings of proverbs and sayings in very simple language, keeping them contextually relevant.

You can look at idea expansions from Darpan, books by Bangladeshi and Calcutta authors. Write 20 relevant sentences in beautiful composition, taking time to include examples and quotations.

Précis should be written in 2-3 simple, beautiful abstract sentences.

For questions on Bengali language and literature, read from guidebooks, Lal-Neel Dipabali, and History of Bengali Literature—skip the unnecessary parts from these books, reading selectively. Give quotations; it will increase your marks.

The most crucial part of the BCS examination is translation. No matter how difficult it may be, don’t go to sleep without doing one Bengali to English and one English to Bengali translation from daily newspaper articles and editorials every day. This will help prepare you for several other sections as well. If you practice this section without cutting corners, you’ll score at least 70 marks more than your competitors.

For imaginary dialogues, get ideas on various topics from round table meeting minutes in newspapers, talk shows, and guidebooks.

You can study letter writing from Bhasha-Shiksha and various guidebooks.

Learn about 40 well-known books for book reviews.

Prepare your suggestions and read essays from the internet, guidebooks, and reference books. Prepare based on any three patterns. Save this for last and start writing the conclusion 7 minutes before the exam ends. Give quotations, write more, write relevantly, get more marks.

For reading comprehension, read newspaper editorials and articles extensively in English. Read the questions at least 3 times carefully before reading the passage. Identify and underline the keywords or phrases that indicate what the question is asking for. Then read the passage very quickly to figure out where the answers lie. Practicing this section using IELTS reading techniques works exceptionally well.

For grammar and usage, practice extensively from several guidebooks. Keep Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Michael Swan’s Practical English Usage, Raymond Murphy’s English Grammar in Use, Barron’s Grammar, and other authoritative books within reach. Develop the habit of searching for answers by flipping through these books—it will be tremendously useful. To excel in English, you must fall in love with a ‘lady’—that lady being the dictionary.

For summaries, summarize newspaper editorials and articles daily. Read the passage thoroughly at least 5 times very quickly and mark where the main points are. Divide the entire passage into 6-7 parts and write each part in one simple sentence in your own words. There you have it—your summary!

To prepare for letter writing, read the “Letter to the Editor” section of newspapers daily, along with some guidebooks.

For essays, regularly keep track of the Constitution of Bangladesh with commentary, official websites of various organizations, Wikipedia, Banglapedia, National Web Portal, and various national and international newspapers. When answering questions, giving quotations from various authors’ writings, newspaper columns and editorials, internet sources, official websites of organizations, relevant constitutional articles, and various references will increase your marks. Use blue ink to write these sections. Writing essays without quotations is practically a cardinal sin!

If you write English in very simple language without spelling and grammar mistakes, you will definitely get marks. You might hope that your Bengali answer sheet looks just like ten others’ yet you’ll score slightly more—while you might expect this, the examiner doesn’t even imagine it. Less practice, more comfort, fewer marks, zero results—keep this in mind while preparing. Passing the written exam is as easy as getting the job is difficult. While studying daily, remember that studying 3 hours less than someone else means their chances of getting the job are 3 times greater than yours. You’ll work a job for 30 years, yet you can’t prepare for getting it by sleeping only 4-5 hours daily for 2 months—how is that possible? Study, study with understanding, and study more. The better one’s reading habit, the more refined their writing style. People get jobs not through talent and intellect, but through effort and competence. Exceptional genius, extraordinary intelligence, and excessive scholarship most often destroy all possibilities of getting a job. Understand less, speak less, read more—you’ll surely get the job!

This piece appeared in the ‘Chakri Achhe’ page of Kaler Kantho newspaper on May 4, 2016. The link: