Have you ever wondered
How the last few days before results are the most excruciating ones...???
Is there a better way to spend them other than engaging in pointless speculation or chasing inconclusive inside info's...??? Yes there are better options.Not just better options but essential things that we might have ignored...
In fact some/many of us (by many i am not only referring to first timers or people who fill out DAF for the first time, even people who attempt after getting final selection for rank improvement) don't realize how some very simple looking things we take for granted can have the biggest effects at a later date...
Lets us take Service/Cadre preference for example...
If you ask someone at a coaching center or friend or relative the common response is "First clear prelims, then you can worry about that..." no offence but what they really mean is "I am ignorant about it and i am too egotistical to be honest about my ignorance"
Because anyone who says you can decide you service/cadre preference in a day or two doesn't know how important those columns are if your name comes up on the final merit list, sometimes during interview too...
Here are a few excerpts from the Rules of Examination for Civil Service Examination,2013 conducted by Union Public Service Commission...
By the way for the new comers not familiar with what this is...
It is the official document that is published by concerned ministry in the extra-ordinary gazette of India, that Enumerates,Elaborates and Codifies the rules by which the exam must be conducted. And it is this document that will be used to settle any disputes that may arise whether in CAT or HC or SC. [Attached]
The notification published in UPSC website is just like a simpler/summarized form of this document. If you look closely the notification itself begins with
Preliminary Examination of the Civil Services Examination for recruitment to the Services and Posts mentioned below will be held by the Union Public Service Commission on 26th May, 2013 in accordance with the Rules published by the Department of Personnel & Training in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 5th March, 2013
Now back to the excerpts...
2. A candidate shall be required to indicate in his/her application form for the Main Examination his/her order of preferences for various services/posts for which he/she would like to be considered for appointment in case he/she is recommended for appointment by Union Public Service Commission. No change in preference of services once indicated by a candidate would be permitted.
Note 1.—The candidate is advised to be very careful while indicating preferences for various services/posts. In this connection, attention is also invited to rule 19 of the Rules. The candidate is also advised to indicate all the services/posts in the order of preference in his/her application form. In case he/she does not give any preference for any services/posts, it will be assumed that he/she has no specific preference for those services. If he/she is not allotted to any one of the services/posts for which he/she has indicated preference, he/she shall be allotted to any of the remaining services/posts in which there are vacancies after allocation of all the candidates who can be allocated to services/posts in accordance with their preferences.
Some may think "Ha... UPSC won't be too serious like they give us chance to correct any mistakes in our name or bio they will have option for this too..."
Well think again...
The reason UPSC is very serious about no changes are allowed in the DOB and Preference list is to ensure that there are no special loop holes in the system...
If changes are allowed, someone with connections/etc... but a rank just bellow you can alter your preference list so they get their choice even though they don't qualify by merit. How many of us know how the allotment is done to be able to catch this?
Even those details are available at DOPT/Concerned Ministry website or through RTI for some ministries with not so up to date websites...
And the army chief case is more than enough to understand how crucial DOB is,
A Real Life Example of one such choice leading to Life altering Consequences :
Recently i met an IRTS officer(Rank 500-ish) who got selected in 2007, but appeared in 2008 for rank improvement.
This was his forth and final attempt. The final results came and he was ecstatic... He got 108 Rank. (with 340+ in PA and 300+ in Geo)
Even though IAS was not very likely would have definitely got IPS or IFS (Later he found out that He was 8th in both).
But he was allotted...
IDAS - India Defense Accounts Services, which you will get every year even if your rank is in the last hundred...
Please Don't get me wrong, I am not saying its a bad post. But why didn't he get IPS/IFS... with a rank of 108...
Because while filling the DAF he filled IAS as his first option and left all the other options blank....
I am sure there are some IAS and IAS only members among us...
Hey i was IPS and IPS only for the first one month of my prep(March-April 2012), till i read these rules...
He
tries to
pretend that he doesn't regret this... But...
Now are you sure you know enough about all the post/services/cadres and something like this won't happen to you...???
If you are not sure then start working on your preference list from NOW...
Remember UPSC normally gives us just three weeks to fill out the forms, if we finish this now we can fill the forms in a day and proceed with studies peacefully...
We have many senior members who would have ample information about various services...
Also We have a lot of members from various states here who can give reviews about their own state so that people from other states can make a better choice. [Caution : You can be proud of your state as long you don't try to undermine others]
This not a thread to argue in the disguise of discussion that which service is better, This is to share only our knowledge (not provocative opinions) about all the services/cadres to make a better informed decision.
Note to Mods :
Please feel free to correct any mis-categorization. Couldn't decide which category this thread belong to...
Comments
Thanks...This certainly does clear the air on many issues
But m unsure what to write in the personal achievements, hobbies. THis is my problem area. Please suggest some way. M not asking to provide me a list of hobbies, but a direction to think such that m able to recognise my hobbies.
Surely, every1 has hobbies, but we're not able to recognise and introspect it.
You have raised Another excellent point that i wanted to mention in the first post but avoided to stop it from turning into a short story...
Anyway my answer to your question...
When they ask about hobbies... What they are really asking about is what do you do when you have a choice...
In Indian society, Getting A Degree, Job, Getting Married are some of the non optional social conventions...
So What other things do you know/do/like that you didn't do for/as a part of any of the above supposedly non optional duties...
Let me give you an example of the Difference between Optional and Non Optional...
If you read India After Gandhi while preparing for Civil Service Exam, Even though its indirect You are doing it for a job.
But if you read the same India After Gandhi while you had free time in your college days before you decided to prepare for civil service then its can be counted as hobby...
If you do something for any other reason than pure interest you will get tired of it someday and give up...
Passion is not just something you love doing but you will hate when you can't do it...
Make a list of every activity you do,
Don't short list, make an exhaustive list
then run them through this check list....
CHECKLIST FOR HOBBY COLUMN :
1) DO YOU DO IT ON A REGULAR BASIS : (can be daily-gym/weekly-sports/monthly-some SIG type activity/yearly-annual trips/treks) .... YES / NO
2) ARE YOU STILL DOING IT? YES / NO
3) ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT IT? YES / NO
If you answer yes to all the three questions, add that activity to your hobby list
If you follow the checklist rigorously and an activity survives
then you will not only be able to have a meaning full discussion on it
but
you will also be able to talk about it passionately and convincingly for hours if not days...
and no interview last for hours let alone days...
hmm... I would like to follow it. As I have always thought how to prepare the part, but wasnt able to do so for reasons now u know. Lets see how it works out. Thanks buddy.
The State Cadre Preference is for IAS and IPS only.
In other Central services you will be naturally posted close to your Home State (like in IRS), Subject to availability of vacancy or where the job is like (IFS and some others services).
You have to fill separate preference list for IAS and IPS. i.e Two Different Columns.
Can be same order or different order, but must be filled twice. (One for IAS another for IPS)