Originally Posted by upscIndia

OMG! They have given incredible and superb essay topics and I can sense that writing on any of these topics for 3 hours is really very tough.
Our essay paper carries 250 marks and anyone scoring around 150 is seen as excellent.
We don't specificaly prepare for essay. Since the prepartion for Mains paper encompasses a wide range of topics, it helps us in essay as well.
But that said, this is how we go for essay.

We read the editorial section of newspaper religiously and then paraphrase the entire editorial in our own words. This helps us to improve our writing skills and since editorial covers a huge range of topics that if you have paraphrased all the editorials there can be no essay topic which would seem difficult.

What you can do is follow the editorials of 'The Dawn' and 'The Express Tribuine'. I guess 'The Dawn' is one of the best newspaper in the entire suncontinent. If some newspaper in India can match Dawn, its 'The Hindu'(n Don't go by it's name, it has nothing to do with the Hindu religion, it is just that it was started in 1860s and later sold to someone else who decided to continue with the name since it was well known paper) and the 'Indian Express'

In fact, I have downloaded 'The Dawn' newspaper iOS application in my mobile and I often refer to their editorials. They are very good and well written.

Read 2-3 hours everyday especially focus on the Editorials & other Analytical & Critical articles. Ex in my Newspaper I focus on Magazine, Book Review, Literary Review, Business Review, Open Page, 2 page OP-ED Page & Editorial Page. Whenever you encounter a DIFFICULT PHRASE, IDIOM, PART OF SPEECH etc just see the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary or Chambers Dictionary & in a Diary note down that word, its meaning, its usage in sentence etc. This MUST be done within 1-2 minutes. Don’t keep it pending.

The basic idea is to make yourself “well-read” & with a COMMAND over ENGLISH … For this READ SOME GOOD QUALITY novels or poems after searching Google (For ex. Best 100 Poems of Twentieth Century, Best 100 Plays of All Time etc. )

4.5 Lakh students competing for 100 seats makes this exam very very tough! and that is why so much of effort is required! One to 1.5 years of preparation is required before anyone can even think of giving their first attempt! Our prelim is on coming 23rd and I will upload the papers here also so that you all can all have an idea.


Additionally, you may refer to the following blog for essay tips
anaydwivedi[dot]wordpress[dot]com/2010/06/11/85/

Originally Posted by upscIndia

Ok, We have the following Occupational Groups. We call it as Service Preference. We have around 24 OG's. Total so of seat varies around 1200.
There are reservations for Minorities, Disabled and Backward Classes.
They are :

1. Indian Administrative Service
2. Indian Police Service
3. Indian Foreign Service
4. Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service
5. Indian Audit and Accounts Service
6. Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise)
7. Indian Defence Accounts Service
8. Indian Revenue Service (I.T.)
9. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (Assistant Works Manager, Administration)
10. Indian Postal Service
11. Indian Civil Accounts Service
12. Indian Railway Traffic Service
13. Indian Railway Accounts Service
14. Indian Railway Personnel Service
15. Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force
16. Indian Defence Estates Service
17. Indian Information Service (Junior Grade)
18. Indian Trade Service, Group 'A' (Gr. III)
19. Indian Corporate Law Service
20. Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (Section Officer's Grade)
21. Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service
22. Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service
23. Pondicherry Civil Service
24. Pondicherry Police Service

Beside that each Province has its own State Civil Service Examination also. So in any department a person recruited from UPSC will be the boss of the person recruited from State/Provincial Civil Service Board.

The toppers of UPSC, i.e first rank holder almost holds a demi-God position in India. From past many years Girls have been occupying this slot so demi-Goddess would be the right word

Originally Posted by upscIndia

Hello friends,
I am a Civil Service aspirant just like you all but not for FPSC but for UPSC, India( Union Public Service Commission).
I was just googling about Governor- General of British India when I came across this page. I navigated to the British- India section in History and was quite amused that we are also studying the same. I mean I am quite thrilled by the very fact that I landed on this page and your general discussion also happens to match the discussion that we do at our websites.
The compt. in India for Civil Service is very tough.
Around 9Lakh candidates apply out of which there are only
100 post for IAS(Indian Administrative Officer)
80 post for IPS(Police Service)
40 post for IFS(Foreign Service)
We have Prelims(Objective) then Mains(Written, Optional+Other Subjects) and then Interview
WoW! So different feeling typing this message. This is for the first time in my life that I am communicating to any Pakistani.
I know I should not be here, maybe admin won't like my unnecessary presence but I just couldn't help myself in communicating with you all!

I will definitely download you past year Objective papers from British- Indian History and practice as a mock.

All the best for your endeavours
And By the way, Happy Independence Day
Regards,
Indian