‘Professional coaching is a must’

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A.R. Rahul Nath, who bagged the 27th rank in the civil services examination this year and also topped in the state, believes that the higher secondary NCERT textbooks are the best resources for preparation for the main examination.

“It is necessary to have professional coaching for effectively studying the main examination papers in a time-bound manner.

I devoted an entire year for preparation and family support for this was crucial,” said Rahul, an engineering graduate, while addressing a gathering of civil service aspirants at the Collectorate. This was his second attempt and his optional subjects were Geography and Malayalam.

“If I had chosen engineering as an optional, it would have been difficult to keep pace with the new trends because the field is growing very fast.” He advises students to be careful in choosing their optionals.

According to Rahul, clearing the preliminary examinations is the most difficult part of the civil service examinations.

“You require in-depth knowledge in the subject and prelims is difficult because this is where the actual elimination occurs,” he said. He suggests reading at least two newspapers a day and emphasizes the importance of regional news.

He also believes that the best reference materials for preparation are Yojana and Kurukshetra, two journals published by government. The Economic Survey of India and the website of the Press Information Bureau were also helpful.

Rahul suggests that it is better for students to go to Delhi for coaching as students are more competitive there.

But he warns aspirants to be careful while choosing coaching centres and suggests that they take the opinion of others who have already cleared the examination.