Tricks of the trade - Some general tips to score high!
 

Hey friends,comrades n aspirants..I have cleared the written portion this year n have been teaching CSS classes at KIPS..I will share with u some tips of scoring well in each paper,and some general ones..small things,that can make a big difference..I shall start discussing them paper by paper
ENGLISH PRECISE:
Not many ppl wud know,but passing or failing this paper actually depends on ur passing the Precis itself..if u fail in it n get decent marks in other portions,u most probably wud be declared fail..its not a written rule,rather a custom.so allocate atleast 50-60 mins to the précis alone..I did it at the end of the paper..nw is the question of how to go about it..first make a rough draft..take the 1st four lines of the passage,n try compressing them..use ur own words 99% of the time..replace the passage’s words wid synonyms..u need to do sum thinking for that..thats y u need an hour for précis alone.ok u did the first 4 lines..now go to the second four lines and so on..dis way ull have compressed or summarized the whole passage,in a ruff format..do not quote any direct speech as such.try avoiding examples.try n replace phrases n sentences wid single words if possible.Ok so nw Uv got a rough draft of ur précis.go over it again.see where u can improve it,replace wid better words n expressions..try n build up connections in the patched up parts..precise need not be a beautiful piece of writing;it shud be easily comprehensible simple piece of summary..try n remain within the word limit..dont do it too short or too long..Ull most probably need to make 2 rough drafts b4 writing down a neat one..tip:make the rough drafts not at the back of ur paper,but in the normal sequence..like u write down the questn number of précis,n do all ur rough work under it..crocc it n do the neat one on next page.benefit;the examiner wud be impressed by ur approach.he shall knw uv done it systematically n hve put in a lot of effort in it..after all,u need to impress him don’t u??

Now to [B]comprehension[/B]ppl will tell u to first read comprehension in detail a couple of tymz n blah blah blah..bollocks!U dont have tym for dis..Ill say,read the questions first..read em twice..n now start reading the comprehensn passage..whenever u stumble across an answer to the questions(that u read in the start)underline it,or better still,write it down..then go further along..this way less time wud be consumed n by the tym u end reading the passage,ull have answers to all but 1 or 2 of the questions..y dis??coz answers to 1 or 2 questions isnt given there in the passage at all..U have to read between the lines for them..deduce them from the information given..they are concealed sumwhere,n they r the ones that differentiate b/w a gud candidate n an average one..U can see this trend in the past paperz as well..

[QUOTE=hamza_salick86;229416]Now to [B]comprehension[/B]ppl will tell u to first read comprehension in detail a couple of tymz n blah blah blah..bollockscandidate n an average one..U can see this trend in the past paperz as well..[/QUOTE]

Dear Hamza,
this is no doubt an excellent work started by u.
its alwayz encouraging and keep the spirits up for benefit to juniors especially.
i came across the detail by u on [B]comprehension[/B]
well my brother this waz the idea i used to practise earlier
but
during preparation a csp told me
[B]Never try to read questions first,just go through the paragraph thrice and then pay ur heels to questions[/B] and i did the same.
Now,
which one is correct among both ov u?
or which one be more mark making pattern.?
who will elaborate this concept....?
sure suggestions please......!

Thanks Hamza
 

Your tips are appreciated. Just a little suggestion...

If you can, please do include in your next dose of tips to all aspirants, the pattern of answering question in Islamiat, CA and PA. The jargon would obviously be entirely discrete, what I am asking is the pattern or what is called in engineering terms as 'Infrastructure' or even simpler 'Skeleton' of an ideal answer. For this, you may at your will, take up any question from 2010 Islamiat paper and create its skeleton.

@redmax..
yes brother I will surely do as u have said n Ill do dis today Inshallah when I return from the University..

@waqas
brother we either can be right,or we either can be wrong u know..there is so much variance in 'set formulas' for css...I told which worked best for me..N it was reaffirmed by a CSS position holder of 2008..he appreciated this method of mine..but saying that,even da person who told u otherwise mite be right I cant deny him..

Current Affairs:
Ok comrades..u need to keep one thing in ur mind while attempting this paper..its very name!!’Current’ affairs..this means that u shud emphasize on the current n future developments,information and analysis of a problem/situation/topic presented 2 u in the exam..no doubt Ull have to give a lil background n history of the topic,but the emphasis n space shud be given to current developments n future trends n predictions..I must admit it is one of thje trickiest papers in CSS..U can b ezily caught out!
How to prepare:
Ofcourse DAWN is the bible of current affairs..make it a habit to read it daily..atleast u shd read the 1st page,opinion pages n the international news page daily..wid the economic review on Tuesdays..the examiner loves dawn..sumtimez he gives questions strait off dawn..I remember in 2007 or 06 there was an essay in the paper named ‘end of cheap oil’..a column by the same name had appeared in dawn a few mnths back!!
Make a scrapbook of sorts..Ill tell u wat I did..I had a big register..in that I wrote down the title names of important current affairs topics,n left a space of 4,5,6 pages between each topic..whenever I came across a column,editorial or feature,even a news story on sum particular topic,I read it,highlited it,cut it n pasted it in that register under its appropriate title heading..benefit:whenever I revised,I cud go thru the developments n evolution of that problem in the last few months..it really helped me a lot..Do one more thing..any points u find in c.a books,write them down in this register..then make a structure of ur anwer on the register..i.e if a question cmz regarding dis topic.how shall I structure my answer in the paper..wt headingz n points shall I use..just like u make an essay outline!got dat??
There are no proper books for current affairs..but I will advise u to read ‘Current affairs journal’ by imtiaz shahid..it gts published every 2 months..most of thje articles in it r worth reading..wat dis buk does is dat it gets articles n essays frm around the world n collects them in one place..makin it convenient fr u..plus u can also refer to ‘current affairs digest’ by safdar mehmood..also if u can,get updated C.A notes of Dr Shahid Wazr Khan from KIPS..they are excellent,but vry hard to get!!
Try watchin DAWN news English channel..its gud..geo,ary,express etc r crap..

@redmax..Ill be posting a ruff outline for a sample question in a lil tym as u askd for..
@competitive..we ll tawk abt essay tommorow..alryt?we l disucc every subject dnt u wry sis..

Structuring a Current Affairs answer..a sample:

I am taking as an example this question of 2010 C.A paper
Q: "Pakistan provides the natural link btw the SCO states to connect the Eurasian heartland with the Arabian sea and south asia."
substantiate Pak's claim for the membership of SCO in the view of the above mentioned statement.
Ans:
My thot process...
Ok first of all luk at the statement intently..try wat is he asking u..not abt SCO..not abt Eurasian states..not abt Pakistan..he is asking abt whether pakistan’s claim for membership to SCO is rite or not..this is the thing we need to comment about..n gonna prove it wid hefty arguments..u also need to emphasize n reemphasize the statement..the NATURAL LINK thing!
Structure of the answer:
1.Introduction:
An opening burst.a paragraph of about 8,9 lines briefly telling what SCO is n whi is it.n what countries are members.also tell that Pak has observer status here n has applied for full time membership.(use beautiful expressions)
2.Pakistan—the strategic location:
Here u tell abt Pakistan..how it lies at the crossroads of the world..at one side u it has got Eurasian countries(Tajkistan,kyrghizistan,turkemanistan,Kazakhstan,uzbek,Afghanistan etc) n Russia further up..other side its got an upcoming superpower in china..southeast wards it has india n warm waters of Arabian sea..strait of hormuz lying nearby..frm where 80% of worlds crude oil passes..u just appraise pakistanz imp location,natural resources etc..not vry long..one page I wrote
3.Brief background n working of SCO.Emphasize its functions n benefits to the member states rather than its background.Also tell the strategic importance of Eurasian countries in particular i.e natural resources etc.

4.Pakistans claim—Analysis
Now this is the main part..here u tell a lil history of Pakistans application for full membership..n discuss why Pakistan deserves it..for this..U need to discuss two things
-Benefits to member states(esp Eurasian states) of Pakistans full membership
*Link to warm waters
*natural trade route(write abt gwadar n prospects for petroleum exports from there.pakistans relatively dvlpd transport infrastructure)
*Combined efforts to combat terrorism and drug trafficking,problems effecting every state of the area
*exporting electricity to Pakistan as turkemanistan has excess of it
-benefits to Pakistan:
*combating terrorism etc
*Fulfilling energy requirements
*Gud rlatnz wid Russia n china
*revenue earnings thru transit trade
Etc
CONCLUSION:
Here rephrase ur arguments properly,emphasizing that in case Pak is offer full membership,it wud be highly beneficial not only for Eurasian countries but also Pakistan.both need to take this step for a mutually brite future etc blah blah blah.Future prospects n predictions
Plus.......u can never get gud score in C.A without quoting statements n quotes from famous n imp personalities..include 3,4 of em in ur answer..write them in the center of the page n underline em to make em more visible..
This is just a rough outline..I knw I mite have lft many things..but I certainly dint leave anything while I was attempting the paper:p..here Im writing in a hurry just to give u ppl a brief idea abt hw to approach n generally structure a question..ppl mite differ in their approaches,n they mite also be rite..therez no set approach..but I think this is the one that works at most times..IO l;earnt much of it frm sm1 who scored 70+ in CA n added a few things from my side..

English Essay
 

[COLOR="darkRed"][B]English Essay[/B][/COLOR]
Ok fellaz..now coming to English essay..the nemesis of many a men in CSS..y??partially coz ppl neva get to termz wid arranging an essay n creating a delicate blend b/w facts,vocab,size,arguments n expression..n partially coz ppl are already mentally failed in this paper bfr they even sit to attempt it..
Let me tell u some key factors that dcide whether u pass or fail in it
1.Simple but correct English
2.weed out grammatical and spelling mistakes.if ur sentence structure isn’t gud ur neva gona pass this paper
3.Sound facts and figure;do not over stuff ur essay with these
4.Persuasive argument and proper format
5.A strong outline(very important..sometimes u’ll be marked on ur outline alone!)
Identifying the key words:
When u have chosen to attempt a topic..first dissect it..how?U have 2 find the ‘key words’ in the topic..like u have a topic named ‘Dialogue is the best course to combat terrorism’..some ppl wont identify the key word in it n start writing an essay on terrorism..result;they ll fail the paper..the key word in this topic iznt terrorism..the examiner has asked u abt whether or not ‘dialogue’ is the best course to combat terrorism..similarly,if uv got a topic ‘Future of democracy in Pakistan’..here the key word u need to identify is not democracy..but the ‘future of democracy’..u have to predict the future using the SWOT(strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,threats) approach..if u do this thing correctly,u mite well have taken a big step twrdz passing this paper..
To be contd..

Contd (ESSAY)
Okay nw..if the examiner has said that ‘make an outline’..it meanz u must make it..alryt??I repeat again..if u have a god enuff outline..sumtimez the examiner mite not even bother reading ur essay..he dznt have all the tym 2 read each of the essays..even if the outline hazn’t been demanded make it..and the outline shud be a dtaild one..sumthng from 2-4 pages..take the better part of an hour for it..Ill say 45 minz..first make a rough outline..then perfect it n make a neat,detailed outline..
A GENERAL OUTLINE(And therefore,the eventual essay):
1.Introduction to the topic:
Fellows..many ppl mite not consider it the most important part of the essay,but I reckon it is..U have to grasp the essay by the scuff of its neck here in these couple of paragraphs..so ur expression n vocab shud be impeccable,even a lil literary here..ppl wud tell u that writing essay in a beautiful literary style wont get u anywhere..trust me,Ull get credit for it..u got gud English expression,Ull reap the benefits..thats for sure..in the introduction,u have to clarify the meaning of the essay..tell the examiner what his essay means..u shud also give the impression here that u have understood n deciphered the ‘key wordz’ of the essay topic..e.g I attempted ‘Dialogue is the best course to terrorism’..in the introductory paragraph I started with a quote n straightaway emphasized the importance of dialogue,conversations n deliberations in conflict solving..just 8,9 line paragraph..but I knew straitaway that I have made an impression on the examiner.U have to make a statement to the examiner here..that I have understood the essay n M on the topic!!
U also have to give the thesis statement here..in the first or the second paragraph of the essay..here u tell the examiner that which side of the argument r u gonna follow..
2.Definition and Background:
Here udefine the key term in the essay..in this case,its terrorism..afterwards,u give a little background n history of the topic..start from the ancient history of the thing..n then build upto the present time..hope u ppl r understanding it..
3.Current scenario:
As the name implies,here the current scenario and developmentsof the topic are to be discussed..problems related to the topic are also to be appreciated n discussed here..nw u see there is coherence in ur essay..u introduced the topic...then gave the background n slowly built upto present scenario..
TO BE CONTD..

Bro can you please tell me what was your preperation strategy for Business admin istration.I have also done my MBA.But its very difficult to prapare 3 portions in few days.I dunt have any other choice except to opt Business administration.

if you please share your strategy to prepare Business administration then it will also help other members who have opted BA.Moreover,if you have notes of Business administration then please share it.

All other members who have passed written exam please help others who are in need because as you have seen this years result.Many of the aspirants have lost hopes so please help them.As MR hamza is shairing the tricks so you can also share it...


thanks to Hamza and best of luck for the interview:vic

@Amubain
 

thanx bro for ur nice wishez..as far as the preparation of business add is cncrnd..lt me tell u it will take 12 days atleast..the syllabus is quiet long for a 100 credit paper..but this is hw I prepared for it..open the syllabus outline n make a list of all the topics..Then select books from which ur gna prepare..I prepared mngmt from Robben and my universitie's lecture notes..u can use VU notes for it..for mktng,I cnsltd the usual suspect Kotler,and some notes..for FM gitman and gibbs shud be used..Ill advise u to make notes of every topic..I used to make notes in pointers n important facts..n especially read the modern trends n the critical analysis of issues in the business world..memorize examples frm the corporate world for every topic..the paper is straitforward generally(excpt this yrz paper:p)..