The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Tips for a career in civil services

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 17, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Tips for a career in civil services

Staff Reporter

Students urged to read newspapers and books
“The civil services offer prestige and recognition”

CHENNAI: “Read, read, and read more,” former Director General of Police V.R. Lakshmi Narayanan told civil service aspirants here on Sunday.

He was speaking at a seminar organised by Excell Career India, a coaching institute for civil services examinations, to which he is principal advisor. Mr. Narayanan shared his experiences with candidates and said the police system in India, modelled on the British system, was very free.

“In the civil services, you can be a true public servant,” he said, adding, “money is not everything. These services offer prestige and recognition.”

Speaking on the autonomy a civil servant had, he said: “If you act legally, you have the Constitution and the entire nation to back you.”

He urged students to read newspapers and books. “But do not be a bookworm. Discuss current issues with your friends. Read biographies of senior officials. All this will help in the written examination as well as in the interview,” he said.

State Commissioner for the Disabled V.K. Jayakodi spoke on how a student needed to prepare for the preliminary and final examinations. He told students to choose their optional subject based on their branch of study in under graduation and post graduation.

“When you read newspapers or books on current affairs, identify prospective objective-type questions and mark them. They will help you in your preliminary examination,” he said.

Reading text books brought out by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) for Classes IX to XII, choosing the optional subject with care, keeping a tab on science and technological advancements, attempting previous years’ question papers and reading newspapers on a regular basis were among the tips he gave.

“Read latest editions of general knowledge books and books on current issues by Indian and international authors,” he said. Since the complexity of the paper increased every year, it was important to update oneself periodically, he added. For details about the Institute, visit: http://excellcareerindia.com.

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