(I wrote the following piece for the 36th BCS examinees.)
Today is already over! So, forget about it. How many days are left? Ten. Okay, fine! I’m assuming that whatever you’ve studied all this time, none of it is currently in your head. Or perhaps you haven’t really studied much at all. Oh, there’s a little something in your head? Even if there is, please make the effort to forget everything. Let’s bid goodbye to all accumulated memories and start fresh. A completely empty mind! This is the mind that will conquer the BCS! You’re thinking, what bizarre, groundless nonsense is this fellow writing? The man talks way too much! A complete fraud! Who does he think he is! He just blabbers whatever comes to mind, as if no one else has ever become a BCS cadre! Just spouts meaningless drivel! Takes on airs for no reason! And so on, and so forth. Well, if I said, “Listen friend, you can’t do anything, what’s the point of taking the exam?” would that be very helpful? When you have to say something to someone, it’s better to say something good, isn’t it? And if there’s nothing good to say, it’s even better to stay quiet.
The arrival of exams in life is as certain as sitting at a wedding altar with someone else’s former unsightly lover. Both—will come, will happen! The worst thing about exams is that whether you want to or not, you have to take them. When you have to take them anyway, why not use these ten days wisely with a little intelligence? How? I’m writing whatever I understand, whatever’s coming to mind right now. I’ve been using this kind of psychological technique since Class Eight. Ten days before any exam, I would assume that I knew nothing, understood nothing, or that nothing I had studied remained in my head. The feeling of rising from absolute zero is extraordinary! Anyway, let your new journey begin! Don’t be afraid, I’m here beside you. Take my hand! This is a journey from being nobody to becoming somebody!
One. Don’t try to remember anything you’ve learned. Does that mean nothing will remain in memory? It will, or your previous basics, some things will stay in your head whether you want them to or not. You have no control over that. I’m assuming you’re starting from absolute zero. Starting from zero is much better than not starting at all, so that later you won’t have the regret, “If only I had started then, I could have done it too!”
Two. To go to another world, you need to know how to transform yourself into another person. The distance between having no job and having a job is immeasurable. You have only ten days to cross this distance. Haven’t you read John Reed’s “Ten Days That Shook the World”? In just ten days during the October Revolution, the rest of Russia’s history was written. And you can’t write the rest of your little life’s history? Try sincerely with everything you have, you truly can.
Three. During these ten days, except for absolute necessity, don’t leave the room where you study. Apart from bathing, eating, natural necessities, and prayers, there’s nothing else that requires leaving your room, is there? To walk with your head held high in society for the rest of your life, what’s the harm in being a little antisocial for these ten days? The sociability of these ten days could make you antisocial for life. During these ten days, don’t read newspapers. Study exactly sixteen hours each day, totaling 160 hours. What? You can’t do it? You can, you can. Can’t you endure this small hardship for ten days to live comfortably for the next thirty years of your life? You keep thinking you can’t do it? Do you really need this job, or not? Is life just a joke, brother?
Four. During these ten days, don’t talk to anyone about BCS; not on the phone, not in person. If you keep your mobile phone off most of the time during these ten days, will Bangladesh’s GDP decrease a bit? Or will World War Three begin? As far as possible, don’t let anyone come to your house, and don’t go to anyone else’s house. Whatever people say on Facebook or elsewhere, you don’t need to pay the slightest attention to any of it. You’ll take your exam with whatever you know and whatever you don’t know. Learn to believe during these ten days that whatever you don’t know won’t appear in the exam. Someone knowing more than you doesn’t mean they’ll be able to write more than you in the exam hall. The game will be played on the field on game day; nothing outside the field has even the slightest connection to the game’s outcome. I’ve seen many well-prepared candidates fail. Why they failed despite good preparation, I still haven’t been able to figure out. The Creator leaves mysteries in some places. Why does He do this? There’s truly no explanation for it. Or even if some thoughts come to mind about this matter, I’m not writing them as they’re beyond the scope of this note. However, I can offer some simple wisdom. Never harm anyone in life; if you do, you’ll get double back at some point in your life. You will! Don’t believe it? Life’s journey isn’t over yet, friend! Wait, you’ll get your answer. Nature returns everything!
Five. During these ten days, don’t discuss anything with anyone who isn’t in civil service or has failed in any previous BCS. Many will call you crazy for your behavior (if they’re sane). No need to care. The only rule for getting along in the world is that you can’t care about everyone. The history of this world has always been written by the crazy ones. Your dreams, your life, your madness—these are the three most precious gems in this world! These ten days are the days of the crazy. These ten days are not for sane people.
Six. When the exam is running, if you have an exam the next day, you’ll surely sleep at least 8-9 hours the night before. You must sleep, no matter what. This means during the exam period, except for Friday, September 2nd, you won’t have a single day to study mixing your heart’s sweetness (or divine inspiration). So whatever you’re going to do must be done now. Now is the time! How about sitting down today for an hour and making a routine for these 10 days + those 6 days?
For an average candidate who will take the exam and become a cadre in the 36th BCS itself, considering the importance of various subjects, the routine could be roughly like this:
22nd morning-afternoon-night, 1st afternoon: Mental ability.
23rd morning-afternoon-night, 24th morning-afternoon-night: Bengali.
25th morning-afternoon-night, 26th morning-afternoon-night: Science and Technology.
27th morning-afternoon-night, 28th morning-afternoon, 1st night: International Affairs.
28th night, 29th morning-afternoon: Bangladesh Affairs.
29th night, 30th morning-afternoon-night, 31st morning-afternoon-night: English.
Until the 30th, practice math properly for 2 hours each day (even better if you review repeatedly rather than solving by hand). After taking the exam on the 3rd and returning, during the time you get to study before going to the exam hall on the 4th, it’s better not to study International Affairs for more than 1 hour during that time.
Seven. During this time, read digests (it would be good if you could read at least 2). There’s no need to read reference books. It’s good to ‘touch’ all topics following the syllabus of each subject, even if briefly. This isn’t the time for thorough reading; this is the time for quick scanning. If you don’t see each thing at least once, confidence doesn’t come properly when writing creatively in the exam hall.
Eight. Don’t study difficult and hard-to-remember stuff during this time. Why must you remember the answer to a particular question? Who said it will definitely appear in the exam? And even if it does appear, what great catastrophe will occur if you answer ‘or’?
Nine. Feel like studying everything? What’s the big deal, go ahead and study! The 40th BCS is waiting for you! (If it’s in your destiny, that is!) To do well in any competitive exam, you must control the natural greed to study everything. Following suggestions, read fewer essential questions more times, as much as possible.
Ten. If you feel crazy or bewildered while studying, you can take a break and dance and sing with some arm and leg movements, or chat with loved ones for 10-15 minutes, or lie on the bed for some time under the strict condition that you absolutely won’t fall asleep. Or during that time, you can look at my Facebook notes written about last-minute preparation for BCS written exams. I’ve provided links to three such writings about the 35th BCS written exam below:
(Those writings no longer exist. Some people have made all the perfect arrangements to make them disappear, have succeeded, and found joy in it.)
I’ve talked a lot. I’m a rather talkative person, so I feel like saying more. “Though I end, I shall not truly end!” Leaving aside unnecessary self-narratives, let me just say it!
Let’s say, compared to ‘the best possible preparation’ for the 36th BCS written exam, your preparation is 40%, and your friend, whose preparation is much better than yours, has 65% preparation. In these ten days, by following this writing of mine (or not), you bring your preparation to 65% with great effort, and your friend brings his to 90%. That’s not the point. The point is this: there’s actually no such thing as ‘the best possible preparation.’ The best possible preparation has no value if the exam doesn’t go well. You can pour 100% of your 65% preparation onto the exam paper with your strong willpower and confidence, while your friend might lose the job by scoring 20% less than you by utilizing only 50% of his 90% preparation. And this is a very common occurrence in every BCS exam. If you don’t remember anything you’ve studied, I’d say you’re a healthy, normal candidate. I often say that learning one hundred percent, forgetting sixty percent of it, and properly utilizing the remaining forty percent is an art. I don’t say this casually. Take the exam, you’ll understand for yourself.
I’m taking responsibility and saying, use these ten days properly, you can definitely do it. You think I’m being boastful? No problem, keep thinking that way. No one who believes “I can’t do it” has ever become a cadre, doesn’t become one, and never will become one. Please don’t join their group—that group is already heavy because joining that group is the easiest thing in the world. I’m saying again, you can do it, you will succeed in this 36th BCS itself!
Good luck with the thirty-sixth!!
First 10 of the 30th BCS exam
…………………………………………………………
I often have to face a question: Brother, what’s the proof that you came first in the 30th BCS exam?
Unfortunately, I don’t carry the Bangladesh Public Service Commission’s annual report with me, so I can’t immediately satisfy their unnecessary curiosity by showing ‘cash proof.’ They cry in sorrow that the neighbor’s wife is beautiful, and mentally call me a “bloody fraud!” (As if I myself became the head of PSC and declared myself first!)
Yesterday in the ‘BCS: Our Goal’ group, an overly enthusiastic gentleman made a post about this. People jumped in with great enthusiasm, staking their lives to bash me. That gentleman, along with some other individuals, wrote very harsh words or showed support (meaning, liked) and came to this conclusion: “All media creation. Sushanta is a fraud, pointlessly claiming to be first.” (That post no longer exists. That gentleman removed it. I had politely requested him not to remove the post. That spineless gentleman didn’t have the courage to keep the post. Because he himself was writing very bad things about me and also supporting other bad comments by liking them.)
I was reading a book, so I wasn’t on Facebook. Many people texted me in inbox about this matter, but I didn’t notice because I wasn’t there. A younger brother called and asked me to come to Facebook. At his words, I came, and immediately saw that Sunny bhai had given an appropriate response to his words by sharing a picture of the merit list page from the 2011 Bangladesh Public Service Commission annual report (the year our results came out). In my absence, by doing this work of clearing up this ambiguity, he did exactly what my own brother would do—work that some of my very dear people always do. Only your brother will stand by you, even when the whole world decides to move away from you.
I don’t have the annual report at hand right now, so I’m sharing both image files given by Sunny bhai.
For those having trouble understanding, I’m writing the merit list below:
First. Sushanta Paul (BCS Customs and Excise)
Second. Farhana Hamid Tina (BCS Health)
Third. Syed Shah Sad Andalib (BCS Foreign)
Fourth. A S M Sayem (BCS Foreign) ……… (The cadre name is misspelled)
Fifth. Md. Golam Saklayen (BCS Police)
Sixth. Md. Manowar Mokaram (BCS Foreign)
Seventh. Md. Bashir (BCS Foreign)……… (The cadre name is misspelled)
Eighth. Md. Riazul Islam (BCS Customs and Excise) ……… (The cadre name is misspelled)
Ninth. Md. Belal Hosen (BCS Foreign) ……….. (Typed as Hosein, but it’s Hosen in the gazette)
Tenth. Fazle Lohani Babu (BCS Foreign)
I scored 644 in the written exam. Viva exam marks are not disclosed.
A quiz for those taking BCS exams: In the 30th BCS Health cadre merit list, Farhana Hamid Tina came sixth, Rebecca Sultana came first. Then why did Farhana Hamid Tina’s name appear in the combined merit list, but Rebecca Sultana’s name didn’t?
so imformative
ভাইয়া/দাদা আমার সালাম নিবেন,আমি মো: ইউসুফ।আমি ন্যাশনাল ভার্সিটিতে পড়ালেখা করি, রাষ্ট্র বিজ্ঞান ৪র্থ বর্ষ। তো ইংরেজি,বাংলা,গণিতে অনকে দুর্বল। আমি এখন কি করবো? বিসিএস পেতেই হবে এই টেনশন এ ঘুম হয় না। যদি পারেন এই ছোট ভাইটাকে একটু সাহা্য্য করবেন।
২৩-৫-২০২০
ঈদের একদিন পূর্বে,,,,
৩০তম বিসিএস স্বাস্থ্য ক্যাডারের মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনা ষষ্ঠ হয়েছিলেন, প্রথম হয়েছিলেন রেবেকা সুলতানা। তাহলে, সম্মিলিত মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনার নাম এল, কিন্তু রেবেকা সুলতানার নামটা এল না কেন?
Dada Coffee lagbe na.Uttor ta din.
৩০তম বিসিএস স্বাস্থ্য ক্যাডারের মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনা ষষ্ঠ হয়েছিলেন, প্রথম হয়েছিলেন রেবেকা সুলতানা। তাহলে, সম্মিলিত মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনার নাম এল, কিন্তু রেবেকা সুলতানার নামটা এল না কেন?
ans: karon rebeka sultana madam just BCS( health) theke exam a anuso niyechilo. opor dike fharhana hamid tina madam thecnacal+genaral ovoy chadre theke e BCS exam a ongsho nen. tai সম্মিলিত মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনা প্রথম হয়েছিলেন…..
৩০তম বিসিএস স্বাস্থ্য ক্যাডারের মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনা ষষ্ঠ হয়েছিলেন, প্রথম হয়েছিলেন রেবেকা সুলতানা। তাহলে, সম্মিলিত মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনার নাম এল, কিন্তু রেবেকা সুলতানার নামটা এল না কেন?
ans: karon rebeka sultana madam just BCS( health) theke exam a anuso niyechilo. opor dike fharhana hamid tina madam technical l+genaral ovoy chadre theke e BCS exam a ongsho nen. tai সম্মিলিত মেধাতালিকায় ফারহানা হামিদ টিনা প্রথম হয়েছিলেন…..
ভাইয়া/দাদা আমার সালাম নিবেন,আমি আরাফাত।আমি ন্যাশনাল ভার্সিটিতে পড়ালেখা করি, রাষ্ট্র বিজ্ঞান ৩য় বর্ষ। তো ইংরেজি,বাংলা,গণিতে অনেক দুর্বল। আমি এখন কি করবো? বিসিএস পেতেই হবে এই টেনশন এ ঘুম হয় না। যদি পারেন এই ছোট ভাইটাকে একটু সাহা্য্য করবেন।
প্রথমে ধন্যবাদ লেখার জন্য ।এটা এমন এক লেখা,যা আমাকে সত্যিই শক্তি দিবে সামনে এগিয়ে যেতে।যদি মন ভুল করে ভুল দিকে ঢলে পড়তে চাই;তবে এই লেখার কাছে বার বার ফিরে আসবো।
অসংখ্য ধন্যবাদ,
এতো ভালো ভালো কথাগুলো উপহার দেওয়ার জন্য।
Go ahead dada.Most of people know about you.As a good man.
😍😍😍😍😍😍
13th September 2021. I’m a admission seeker like thousands out there. Don’t know about where I’ll manage to get a seat or get admitted. But I know where I have to be in 5 years. And if I succeed to do so. I won’t hesitate to admit that the inspiration behind that came from you sir.
Take love Sir
একদম পাইনি বলাটা বুকামি হবে।তবে,আমি কোনপাবলিক পরিক্ষাতে,আমার কাঙ্ক্ষিত ফলাফল পাইনে। কেন, তার উওর আমারিত জানার কথা। আমি বুঝতে পারছি না গলদটা কোথায়। হাল ধরতে শিখছি কিন্তু আত্মবিশ্বাসটা স্যার হারায়া ফেলছি।এখন গলদ গুলারে বাদ দিচ্ছি।হতে ত হবে কিছু,ইচ্ছা আছে ধর্য্য আছে শুধু, আত্মবিশ্বাসটা..।
আমার নাম মোঃ জান্নাতে নাইম লাবিব ।আজ থেকে পড়াশোনা শুরু করলাম! খুব ডিপ্রেশনে ছিলাম,সফলতা পাবো কি পাবো না!আজ আপনার লেখাগুলো পড়ে সাহস পেলাম! এই কমেন্ট টা রেখে গেলাম!(01-06-2022)[11:55am]