With the 35th BCS viva in mind, I’m writing about some general aspects of the BCS viva examination. But let me say this first: there are at least a hundred techniques for doing well in vivas, not one of which actually works. Keep this in mind as you read my techniques.
1. If any question is asked in English during the viva, you must answer in English as well. Often questions are asked in Bengali but you’re told to answer in English. Under no circumstances should you ask permission to answer in Bengali. To develop workable English speaking skills at this stage, here’s what you can do: First, watch American-accented English movies with subtitles on. Second, observe speaking patterns from BTV’s 10 PM news, Al Jazeera news, TED Talks, YouTube videos in English. Third, practice speaking English for 5 minutes daily with a friend roughly at your level of English proficiency. Fourth, turn on your phone’s voice recorder and practice speaking English while standing in front of a mirror. When you listen back, you’ll understand where your problems lie. Fifth, assume you can speak good English. Then act like an Englishman speaking English. Sixth, always think about various things around you in English, and occasionally speak to yourself about them. Have conversations with yourself in English. Seventh, try to avoid regional accents when speaking English. Eighth, speak English slowly and steadily. Rushing leads to getting tongue-tied. Ninth, get together with a few people and have English conversations on specific themes. Tenth, never feel discouraged about your mistakes. Even for the BCS Foreign Service cadre, you don’t need extraordinary English speaking skills.
2. Have a fairly good understanding of your first and second cadre choices, your subject, current issues, Bangabandhu and the Liberation War, your locality, your university and its famous personalities, why you want to join the civil service, etc. Keep your eye on regular newspapers, Current Affairs, Current World, Current News, Today’s World, Economic Survey, etc.
3. Open-ended questions carry more marks in vivas. The most common of these is: “Introduce yourself.” You’ll find many such questions in viva guides or on the internet. Search Google to make a list of such probable questions. Try to answer them a bit differently from how the other ten people would answer.
4. When entering and leaving, give your greetings—salaam/namaskar/adab—very courteously. The impression you create when entering will largely determine the nature of your viva questions.
5. Present yourself as an enthusiastic listener. Don’t get into arguments about any topic.
6. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so politely. If someone else asks a question while you’re answering another, seek permission from the first person.
7. Learn to speak positively about yourself, your family, previous jobs, Bangladesh’s problems, and various other topics.
8. Don’t worry too much about nervousness. The situation itself will sort it out. Being nervous about a job interview is also a kind of courtesy.
9. Maintain proper eye contact. Don’t move your eyes, neck, or hands in a distracting manner.
10. Be prepared to establish a connection between your academic background and your first choice.
11. Whatever your educational institution and results may be, prepare for the viva keeping in mind that you are not indispensable for any job.
12. If you’re confused about an answer, speak confidently about whatever you know. But if you have absolutely no idea, it’s better not to answer.
13. Your academic results won’t affect your viva marks. If your results aren’t very good, prepare a reasonably acceptable explanation for them.
14. It’s best to tactfully avoid controversial political issues.
15. Your viva attire should be completely formal and officer-like. There’s no restriction on religious dress.
16. Under no circumstances should you lose your temper about anything in the viva board.
17. For technical cadres, definitely learn the basic aspects of your subject.
18. Learn some common words with confusing spellings, basic translations, popular books, geography, etc.
19. Whatever you mention as your favorite hobby, have a good understanding of it.
20. If you suddenly start stammering or lose track while speaking, pause for a moment and then resume your answer.
Those who have passed the 35th BCS examination are truly very capable and fortunate. You have fewer competitors than in other years. Whatever it takes, you must make use of this wonderful opportunity! Pray regularly and give your absolute best so that the end of this long, exhausting journey becomes beautiful. You will succeed!
I’ll say a few more things about vivas in my next piece. Take care.
This article was first published in Prothom Alo’s Jobs section on 29/01/2016. I’m giving the link below: