Interview of Irfan Samo PSP 2009

Farrukh Aziz · #1 Thursday, August 16, 2012

Kindly tell us about your educational background and achievements.

I did my Master's in Sociology at SALU, Khairpur in first division. I studied for matriculation and intermediate at Public school, Larkana. I have been a brilliant record throughout my academic career. I was a position holder during my college and university lives.

I was also active in the literary society of my college and had a privilege to be one of the editors of my college magazine, “Saroh”. Besides, I had been a contributor to various newspapers and periodicals.

Being the first position holder in Sindh, what type of strategy did you follow for preparation?

The CSS is an examination of talent, intelligence and art. Thousands of candidates appear in this exam. Only a few can manage to pass it. It is really one's worth and potentialities which make one successful in such an examination of cut-throat competition.

It is, therefore, mandatory to understand the very nature of the examination, prevalent trends of the subjects and the ways to outshine others.

Thorough planning, relentless efforts, organizing the work, enthusiasm and the will to become a CSP are some of the many traits which facilitated my success in CSS 2009 and helped me enjoying the privilege of being a position holder.

What sort of guidance should a candidate seek?

A candidate is supposed to respond to the demands of the exams. Standard language, comprehension of the subject and the proper method to answer are some of the areas which need to be paid heed to. A CSS candidate should get proper guidance and seek patronage of the seniors in order to keep these areas perfect.

Highlight the roles of preparatory academies. Did you seek help of any academy or prepare on your own? If on your own, how did you manage to secure this privileged position?

The number of CSS academies has grown over these years. Almost every city of the country has many such academies. However, many of the academies are just commercial in their nature. They are just interested in producing money and do not provide the required guidance to the candidates.

I have never joined any CSS academy during my preparation for the CSS examination. I did my exam preparation at Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Memorial library, Larkana, on my own. It was my life-time dream to secure a high position in the CSS exam. For this dream to come true, I channelized all my efforts in organized and planned way.

How many books and journals did you read?

The CSS requires an exhaustive study of the standard books on the subjects. The quality books and the comprehensive study help in many ways. They broaden the horizon of mind, induce maturity of thought and generate confidence in the candidate. However, it is prudent to condense all such quality material into short notes.
The notes do help the candidate during the preparatory phase of the examination. The candidate is required to make the frequent revisions of what he has read. The important points, references and quotations are to be memorized.

What are the prerequisites of the CSS examination? For example, for a fresh candidate appearing for the CSS exam, what type of ability, talent and knowledge should he possess?

Success in the CSS examination is a result of standard language, maturity of thought, analytical skills and the workable knowledge of the subjects. A beginner needs to keep these pre-requisites in his mind during preparation for the exam.
Correct and standard English is the first pre-requisite as all the papers are to be attempted in this language. Almost all the candidates of the CSS exam refer to the same books of the subjects. It is only through impressive language that a candidate can make a huge difference in score.
Maturity of thought and the analytical skills produce wonders as far as good score is concerned. It is not just the textual description that is important but the analytical expertise is also important. So, a beginner should pay attention to his language , good comprehension of the subjects and analytical skills.

What are steps for the preparation of English essay and grammar and composition?

English Essay and composition make impact on the outcome. Following are the requirements to score high marks in English essay.

1. Correct language
2. Quality material
3. Logical arguments
4. Well-made introduction and conclusion
5. Maintenance of the basic structure of the essay
6. Flow in thought and language
7. Natural disposition

Most of the candidates fail English composition because of their being poor in grammar. Usually, the candidates do not pay attention to the correct use of punctuation, articles and the right words. Such negligence in the paper irritates the checker who invariably penalises the candidate. It is, therefore, necessary to improve one's grammar before appearing in the examination.

English Précis, comprehension and the expansion of idea occupy major significance as they have 65 marks out of 100 marks. The candidate should prepare these three areas aptly to get through the paper.

What combination should the candidates opt for the optional subjects in order to score high marks?

Personal aptitude, academic background and the prevalent trend of the subjects should help in the selection of the optional subjects. It would be unwise to go for those subjects which are not in conformity with the aptitude and at the same time, opting those subjects which usually give fewer (less) marks are also not a prudent strategy.

The candidate should know the score of the subjects given in the last 5 years. He should only opt for those subjects which do award high score with a reasonable amount of effort. On the contrary, putting maximum efforts in a subject awarding less (fewer) marks may hurt the feelings of the candidate when the result comes out. What are the ways to score high marks in the written as well as in the interview and kindly tell us your written and interview score?
Impressive introduction, analytical interpretations, relevant and logical material, references and quotations will surely award high marks in the written examination. The tackling of the question and the presentation skills are also necessary for securing high marks in the exam.

The answer to the question should not just be for the sake of answer. The candidate should keep in mind the requirements of the question and the psyche of the paper checker. The candidate has to compete with thousands of other candidates for a few slots.

A candidate should work on those areas which should be unique and different from others and should impress the paper checker that he is well-educated and fully-equipped to justify the question. This strategy may pay dividends in the written examination.

For securing high score in interview the following points should be considered:

1. The candidate should be confident in his posture and delivery. He should not lose confidence at various depressing moments during the interview. For example, if he does not know the answer to any question, he should say sorry with a feeling thrust upon the interview panel that he would prove his worth in the rest of the questions.

2. At many occasions, the interview panel show unpleasant gestures while listening to the answers of the candidate. That is meant to check the confidence level of the candidate. He should not fall prey to it rather take it for granted.

3. The candidate sho-uld have a logical and balanced approach towards various national and international issues. He should have some pre-planned answers to various possible questions on those issues.

4. The candidate should be well-mannered in his behaviour during the interview. He should not show informal patterns in his behaviour. For example, frequent smiles, changing body postures, sneezing, making sounds with boots on the ground, etc., are the negative points.

5. The candidate should be well- dressed, have a clean face, polish teeth and cut nails. He should wear formal shoes for his appearance at the interview.

My DMC
Essay 62
Composition 46
Every Day Science 69
Current Affairs 46
Pakistan Affairs 46
Islamiat 68
Indo Pak History Paper-I 81
Indo Pak History Paper II 65
Public Administration 68
Sociology 67
Journalism 65
Sindhi 80
Total: 763
Viva Voce: 202
Grand Total: 965

How many months and daily hours are required for the CSS exam preparation?

The required time duration for the preparation varies according to the academic background and mental capacities of the candidates. However, 8 hours daily for the period of 7-8 months are suffice. For an average candidate, 15 months may be fruitful.

Any message

The CSS is an exam of hard work and consistent effort. Faith in one's potentials and integrity of personality are must for success. It is my advice to all the candidates of the CSS never get demoralized during the preparation period. Just stick to your hardwork and do your utmost. Inshallah, you will be successful.

Irfan Ali Samo, PSP 38th Common

Shaw · #2 Friday, August 17, 2012

Jeez! Look at Indo Pak! Amazing score: 146

Bilal Hassan · #3 Friday, August 17, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaw

Jeez! Look at Indo Pak! Amazing score: 146

Big Deal! if i am not wrong the topper of 2009 Muhammad bin Ashraf secured as much as 151 (76 & 75) marks in INDO PAK but this is a story of good old days when History gave marks.....

Farrukh Aziz · #4 Friday, August 17, 2012

These olden days have not changed. Still one can secure good marks in Indo-pak history so long as one prepares and performs well. It is still a high scoring subject giving good marks..

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