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Raz · #2 Sunday, June 13, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raja4u

Dear brother,
I know about your careerline and you have done wonderful job by clearing CSS written Examination, PCS Combined, served in ISI and State Bank. I know you had faced your time tough and difficult to manage, but, however you tried and managed it.
I wanna ask you about time management as i am facing time management problem in my CSS preparation due to Electricity problem, family problems and other disturbaces. Please suggest me some way out..

Time Management and various Work pressures:

Proper time management is a major issue for the aspirants. I have passed from the same situation. I didn’t prepare for ISI exam except reading newspapers; it was during my university period when I managed to attempt ISI exam. I managed to attempt SBOTS exam at the time when I was serving in ISRA University as lecturer. It was a targeted strategy. I have shared the same tips with SBOTS aspirants. I managed to attempt PCS 2003 at the time when my Master’s final exam was in process, I had to attempt PCS paper on one day masters paper on the second and so on with a mixed schedule. I requested my Chairman to reschedule Comprehensive vio voce schedule as it was in clash with my last paper of PCS. With the consent of my professors and University batch mates our vio voce was postponed for few days.

More relevant question for your concern is to manage your time for CSS. Here is the whole story:

You can learn to manage your time from CE-2008 topper. She had to prepare for CSS along with her medical profession and domestic responsibilities in the capacity of mother of one newly born child. She managed it and succeeded to top this exam.

My nature of job was more challenging than that of her because I had to travel to various cities of Pakistan frequently. My laptop functioned as an online library for me. I managed to collect material in soft copy and kept on reading it during my travel period or while staying at any hotel/guest house etc. Books and material in hard copy were only helpful when I was at Karachi. Before starting preparation I worked out a master plan for all the papers. I jotted down crucial topics of all the papers and decided about the sources to utilize for their preparation. Even if I had to get help from any of my friends for any specific topic I wrote down his name and time period in the master schedule in order to keep my study schedule un-interrupted. I felt comfortable after covering these crucial topics of each subject and then utilized the spare time for additional topics if any. VU lectures helped me a lot for speedy, standard and relevant preparation. Besides; I utilized Dawn newspaper’s online edition (e-paper) for interconnected and logical review of various articles published from time to time. I have suggested some of the members to maintain a folder in soft copy or a register in hard copy for a pool of the essential topics. I went for soft copy material, kept on updating these topics while going through new articles and magazines in soft form. Finally, I rearranged most of the topics, inserted relevant concepts and gave them readable shape for the exam. That exercise helped me in Essay, CA, PA, sociology, Journalism, and Islamiat. Because these subjects demand input from media for currency and updation. Most powerful media at my disposal was Dawn and TV News channels. When I come online on the net, I have TV news channels on in front of me, I rarely go for any entertainment channel. I set news channels in a sequence in order to save switching time.
You have to be very careful while borrowing any idea or opinion from TV anchors/ news channels, because Factors of partiality, subjective journalism, yellow journalism and defective human perception are common. So filter these opinions by going through various sources, you have to refine these ideas by having cross study exercise. Discount some information for the decent and acceptable version. Due to scarcity of time I was not a regular reader of Dawn. I read DAWN in bulk i.e. whole sale reading……….finalized Dawn of even one month in a single day by going through essential articles and making precise points in soft copy. In this way I finalized around 8 months Dawn. Grand / consolidated reading do have pros and cons. Positive point is the inter-linked study and revision of major points at a time with proper sequence and order. Negative point is the time pressure and sometimes delayed information. But delayed information drawback is not a long term de-merit because nothing is delayed if it comes into your knowledge before the exam. It is obsolete / outdated if it comes into your knowledge after the exam. Consolidated reading has one major advantage i.e. it helps you discard some articles or opinions which you might have studied in great detail with great zeal in past had you ever touched newspaper earlier. After few days or months some topics, ideas, articles, opinions lose their importance and urgency from exam point of view. In this way you get to know after few days or months that we need not waste our time on those articles and it is better to skip these and utilize time on some other crucial topics. Take the example of NRO, NFC, Gilgit-Baltistan, Restoration of CJ, 18th amendment etc.
There was a time when it was in vogue to discuss either NRO should be approved or not, lot of articles were written on this issue,
NFC: articles on the disagreement of provinces on factors for distribution,
Gilgit-Baltistan: yes or no.
Restoration of CJ: should he be restored or not?
Then 18th amendment: Should be passed or not?

These were hot issues at that particular period of time but now these topics have got different directions e.g.

NRO: action against NRO supporters and action against those who got benefit from NRO? Now yes or no for NRO has lost its relevance so we need not read those articles which are solely on previous agenda.

NFC: factors have been decided, now this topic has taken direction towards its implementation and aftermaths?

Gilgit-Baltistan: Has been established, now its results are in the focus.

Restoration of CJ: he has been restored now it is the time to focus on his effectiveness and his performance as it was expected.

18th Amendment: It has been passed now criticism from judiciary point of view is in limelight.

These are some topics for illustration only, you will find many topics which lose their importance by the passage of time or take a different direction. So my consolidated reading helped me a lot while deciding either to read out or root out any article.

Another factor in my study plan: Not all the aspirants can afford it but few can take this risk. Sacrificing your sweet sleep. I didn’t avail leave from my office for the preparation that is why I had to arrange time for preparation from my sleep time. My routing rest was of 4 hours out of 24 hours. My office timing was from 9 Am to 5pm which normally went upto 6 or 7 pm. I had to study at night till 3 Or 4 AM. That is why my routine is still same. I won’t suggest you the same. You have asked me about my time management that is why I have explained it here. Due to professional life I had to take this pain. Even in my exam days, I had around 6 days gape in my last paper M. Law in that gape I attended my office for three days and then attempted the paper.

It is better to go for extensive preparation if you have ample time at your disposal but if you are running short of time and you have to make it on any cost then try to find some hints from my post.

Your selective study with smart strategy can pay dividend.

I had planned passing threshold for the each paper. I kept compulsory papers just for passing criteria. Out of all the compulsory papers I was only conscious about GK paper for the rest of papers I had a level of comfort. I was hopeful of passing Essay, Composition and Islamiat with minimum preparation. GK was very tricky for me to handle as CA and PA were less rewarding and EDS was more demanding. My EDS went the worst and its burden was born by CA and PA quite reverse of the common trend. Most of the guys get lesser score in CA and PA but better score in EDS.

I would recommend you to keep target of passing Essay, Composition, CA, and PA. Keep EDS and Islamiat as your score boosting papers to maintain the best merit. Your great efforts can hardly enhance your score in CA, PA, Composition and Essay as compared to Islamiat and EDS. It is better to invest more in score enhancing papers and remain vigilant for tricky paper for passing criteria only.

For optional subjects strategy varies from subject to subject. If you are habitual of taking notes of the subjects then keep these precise and easy to revise in a short span of time during the exam days. Don’t indulge into lengthy essay style for it hardly pays you in the exam and you fail to revise all the topics.

Regards

The Following 29 Users Say Thank You to Raz For This Useful Post:
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