National Defence Academy (NDA) Exam (1), 2008

UPSC will hold the entrance exam for admission to National Defence Academy and Naval Academy on April 20, 2008.

Common Application form is available at designated Head Post Offices/Post Offices throughout India.

Last date for receipt of completed application form: November 19, 2007.

To read the complete notification visit www.upsc.gov.in

Read The Competition Master regularly to prepare for the NDA Exam. Subscribe to the Print Edition or download the magazine and other study material free from www.competitionmaster.com

State Bank of India (SBI) Clerical Cadre Recruitment

Central Recruitment & Promotion Department, State Bank of India, Corporate Centre, Mumbai, invites applications from Indian citizens for appointment of Clerical Cadre posts in associate Banks of SBI. All posts are computer related and knowledge of computers is essential, including knowledge of MS Office.

For complete notification and application form read Employment News dated October 6-12, 2007 or visit http://www.statebankofindia.com

Last date for receipt of application: October 22, 2007
Date of written exam: January 6, 2008.

To prepare for the written exam read regularly The Competition Master print edition or download the magazine free from http://www.competitionmaster.com

The voice of the people is the voice of humbug

It was the day when Jesus Christ was to be crucified. Thousands of Jews had gathered at the Calvary to witness the scene. Incidentally the day also happened to be one on which the governor used to release one prisoner with the consent of the people. When they were asked to choose for this act of mercy between Jesus and a dacoit, with one voice they voted for the dacoit. They plumped for a common felon in preference to the holiest, the greatest and the noblest of men. The voice of the people is not the voice of God but the voice of Satan. Carlyle divided mankind into two classes, the unwise many and the wise few, and the wise few cry in the wilderness. People in the mass are swayed by the lowest common multiple of their intelligence. Any unscrupulous orator, be he a monomaniac like Hitler, a megalomaniac like Napoleon or a man-monster like Idi Amin, can play on their hearts as an expert musician can play on his instrument. They would deify him and kow-tow to him. Let but a few years pass and they would fake the same delight in killing him as they did in applauding him.

Post your comments on this topic. The best comment will win General Knowledge Refresher by O.P. Khanna. The second best will win Ever-Latest General Knowledge by O.P. Khanna

Terms and Conditions:

Contest open till October 31, 2007. At the end of your comment write your name and complete postal address. Do not write your email. The decision of Editor, The Competition Master will be final. The contest is open to residents of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan only.

Combined Defence Services Exam (I), 2008

The Union Public Service Commission will hold the Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2008 on February 17, 2008 for admission to Indian Military Academy and Air Force Academy for the Courses commencing in January, 2009 and Officers Training Academy. Chennai for the Courses (Men and Women) commencing in April, 2009.

Common Application Forms available from designated Head Post offices/Post Offices all over India.

CONDITION OF ELIGIBILITY

Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status:

1. For Indian Military Academy: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January, 1985 and not later than 1st January, 1990 only are eligible.
2. For Naval Academy: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January, 1987 (2nd January, 1985 in case of NCC Naval Wing ‘C’ Certificate holders) and not later than 1st January, 1990 only are eligible.
3. For Air Force Academy: Unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 2nd January, 1986 and not later than 1st January, 1990 only are eligible.
4. For officers’ Training Academy – (SSC Course for Men) : Male candidates (married or unmarried) born not earlier than 2nd January, 1984 and not later than 1st January, 1990 only are eligible.
5. For Officers’ Training Academy – SSC (Women Non – Technical) Course : Unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried, and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible. They should have been born not earlier than 2nd January, 1984 and not later than 1st January 1990.

Educational Qualifications:

1. For Indian Military Academy and Officers’ Training Academy – Degree of a recognised university or equivalent
2. For Naval Academy – Degree of a recognised University (with Physics and
3. For Air Force Academy – Degree of a recognised University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bachelor of Engineering.

Candidates who are studying in final year Degree Course and have yet to pass final year degree examination or equivalent examination can also apply for the Examination, but they will be required to submit proof of passing by the the specified dates published in Commission’s Notice for the Examination.

Physical Standards:
Candidates must be physically fit according to the physical standards for admission to Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2008 as given in Appendix – V of Commission’s Notice for the Examination published in Employment News dated 29th September, 2007

Last date for receipt of applications by Post/Speed Post only (not by Hand or by Courier) is November 5, 2007.

For further details and to read the complete notification visit www.upsc.gov.in

Read The Competition Master regularly as part of your preparations for the exam. Visit www.competitionmaster.com to download the magazine and other resources for your competitive exam preparations

Descriptive Questions for Bank PO Exams

Prison reforms in India
Q. Administrative skill and political will are required to bring about jail reforms in India. Express your views on the subject.
Ans. The fact remains that both institutions and administrative entities like prisons have deteriorated in India. The clashes between the prison inmates and their official custodians is not a matter to be glossed over but a subject that needs urgent and immediate attention and corrective action. Some deaths of jail inmates in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail bring to the fore the deplorable state of affairs, not only in the premier prison, but elsewhere in the country also. The time and tendency to sit back is over. Now the crying need of the hour is to sit up and exhibit political will and administrative skill to come to grips with the all-pervasive problem of prison-reforms.

Over the years a number of commissions have gone into the challenges that continue to confront the jail administrations. The latest in the series is the ‘Moily Panel Report’ that says reforms in prison administration require modernisation of jail infrastructure as well as procedural reforms in the entire criminal justice system.

Overcrowding in jails is a very big problem that leads to confusion, chaos and conflicts resulting in a virtual breakdown of services. The problem is endemic and widespread. It should be understood both by political leadership and bureaucratic set-up that a prison is not a hell with no proper amenities, but an institution of reforms. The State cannot deny the inmates their basic right to life and a speedy trial. Unfortunately, our prisons house more undertrials than convicts. In order to reduce pressure on the jail administration, expeditious trials are the only way out of the “traffic-jam-like situation”.

It is also time for a uniform national policy on prisons. Why not shift prisons from the State List to the Concurrent List as recommended by the Mulla Committee? Its other proposals, if implemented, could go a long way in bringing about the much needed prison reforms in the country.

Making road travel safe
Q. In the present age of speed, it is imperative that all modes of travel, especially the road travel in India is made safe for all categories of people. Comment.
Ans. For all those who feel for India and its people, the number of deaths on Indian roads as a result of accidents, collision, negligence, rash driving et al, is both shocking and stupefying. When knowledgeable people describe Indian road as ‘death traps’ it does credit neither to road makers nor to those whose duty it is to see that roads remain free from all types of hassels and harrowing happenings.

Unless and until the Ministry of Surface Transport, Traffic Regulatory Agencies/Police etc. put road safety under the scanner and devise meaningful and result-oriented ways and means to render road travel a pleasant experience, things would not improve. Strict adherence to traffic rules and regulations is just one of the measures that can bring about perceptible change in the situation. Unfortunately, the series of accidents that occur on Indian roads day in and day out brings home the terrible truth that raising the safety bar on Indian roads remains a pipedream. When the tools of high technology are readily available and there is no shortage of funds, it is not comprehensible why this vital area of transport, both goods and humans, remains vulnerable to accidents.

Ironically, while new roads are being built, and newer, supposedly safer automobiles—with safety features like airbags, crash sensors etc—race out of the factories, the country’s road safety record remains abysmal. No doubt, several factors contribute to the appalling statistics that tell the sorry state of affairs on roads. In India, this is particularly true since the facilities available for non-motorised users are poor or even non-existent. It is high time the authorities did more than indulge in “traffic drives” to book errant drivers.

Only a zero tolerance policy on a sustained basis to educate people on good road sense will work. The test of this is the way road users put on their best behaviour during the “Safety Week” every year. This is the one period when the number of accidents come down significantly.

Urbanisation of India
Q. India is getting urbanised faster than the rest of the world. On the basis of your reading, knowledge and experience state the implications of rapid urbanisation.
Ans. The state of the “World Population 2007” report points out that, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population will be living in towns/cities by 2008. The same report further tries to bring home a message of caution in a world in which population growth is being accompanied by urbanisation that could lead to congestion. unlike Thomas Mathus’s fears of high population growth leading to scarcities and conflict, the UNPFA Report simply cautions such countries as China and India that the future course of dealing with population-growth-cum-rapid urbanisation may not prove as smooth and easy as a cakewalk.
The implications of urbanisation in India getting faster than in the rest of the world, holds a cup of both promises and problems. People migrating to urban areas in search of better opportunities and amenities, real or imaginary, would certainly, though temporarily, reduce pressure on land and agriculture in rural India. It goes without saying that rapid but unplanned urbanisation in India leading to a spurt in slums and degrading living conditions of slum dwellers, even worse than those of the rural poor.

Strangely enough, the population of towns and cities in developing countries like India is set to double in the space of a generation. While the urban population in the developed world is expected to grow relatively lower. With the state of health services, sanitation, housing, education etc. already under tremendous pressure in urban India, the scenario in future holds no big and pragmatic promise of coping with ever increasing migration from rural India to urban India. We cannot lose sight of another fact that climate change can result in higher migration rate, leading to further growth in urbanisation with all possible consequences, both sour and sweet. Besides, what should be of particular concern to India, is the warning provided by the report on the drought, flooding, and the other fallouts of climate change/global warming, which would not only hit drier cities like Delhi, but also modify the migration patterns of rural and urban areas.

The report rightly points out, “the future of those in developing countries, and humanity itself will depend on the decision of policy-makers today.” Therefore, the approach to urban growth of India and China—who happen to have 37 per cent of the world’s slums between them—becomes critical for the world’s future.

Legalising sting operations
Q. It is time that sting operations carried out by media and others are legalised in India. Express your views.
Ans. From ‘Watergate’ (USA) to Tehelka, to ‘Cash for Questions’ the invisible camera has cut short the political career of many a big-wig politicians and made their real faces visible to the people. No doubt, sting operations carried out by the media (both print and electronic) and others in public interest merit to be legalised so that their findings command due respect and recongnition in the courts as well as in the perception of the people at large. The exposure of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats is the primary responsibility of not only the investigating agencies like the CBI and VB but also of the ever vigilant media, provided the operations are done not to settle personal scores but in the national interest.

Soaked in scams and scandals, the power brokers/wielders, whether politicians or bureaucrats or both, deserve to be thoroughly exposed and this onerous task can be performed only by persons of strong conviction and confidence. Since ‘sting operations’ tend to impinge upon the dubious dealings of powerful persons, they should be undertaken with utmost diligence and dexterity, coupled with objectivity, and not vendatta or vengeance.

Needless to reiterate that ‘sting operations’ not only play a major role in unearthing the nefarious designs and deeds of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats but also reaffirm the faith of the masses in a free and vibrant media. If the investigating agencies of the government can trap culprits, why can’t the media be allowed to do so?

For more sample questions with answers visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

Millennium Development Goals and India

To read the complete article visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

Economic development of the Third World countries is a matter of concern not only for the developing countries but also the developed West. With almost one-third of the total population of the developing countries still languishing under abject poverty, with per capita income of less than 1 US dollar per day, the need has become even more pronounced. World community thus has a major role to play in enabling the Third World countries achieve reasonable levels of development with equitable distribution of the wealth and economic resources.

The world community has expressed its grave concern at several occasions about the issues relating to equitable and sustainable growth in the developing countries. In addition to various other steps like grants-in-aid and actions through various country specific development agencies like the USAID, DFID and AUSAID, the United Nations is playing a major role in assisting the Third World countries develop primarily through various organizations like WHO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNESCO etc. It was in 2000 when the United Nations resolved to adopt Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for taking care of the deprived sections of society in the world. Having a time frame extending mostly up to the year 2015 (2020 in a few cases), the millennium development goals are among the major instruments to coax the developing world to achieve some fixed targets.

The MDGs are eight in number and there are eighteen targets within the MDGs which are sought to be achieved by the year 2015. The targets are not uniform in terms of a particular benchmark to be achieved over the given period of time but are general in terms of percentage reduction or increase to be achieved in the developing countries. The World Bank and the UN have agreed to 48 indicators to monitor the progress of the MDGs in the developing countries. The MDGs are aimed at reducing hunger, deprivation, illiteracy, gender inequalities and the incidence of disease in the developing world and providing the people in these countries with better life.

To read the complete article visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

Indian history: Quick Revision notes

1. Jambu-dvipa was considered to be the innermost of seven concentric islandcontinents into which the earth, as per Hindu cosmographers, was supposed to have been divided. The Indian sub-continent is said to bepart of Jambu-dvipa.

2. Sapta sindhavah is the name of the country of the Aryans in the Vedas.

3. The Negritos were the first human inhabitants of India. Originally, they came from Africa through Arabia, Iran and Baluchistan. They have practically disappeared from the soil of India, except in Andaman Islands.

4. Prakit was the single language of Indian sub-continent in third century B.C. Sanskrit came into being a few centuries later.

5. With the advent of age of metals, in Northern India, copper replaced stone as ordinary material for tools and weapons. And, it took several centuries for iron to replace copper. In Southern India, however, the Iron Age immediately succeeded the Stone Age.

6. The Indus civilization existed in the same period as those of Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia.

7. It is presumed that Iron was not known to the Indus Valley civilisation as not a single scrap of iron has been found in the excavations at various sites.

8. The most important feature of houses of Mohenjodaro is the presence in them of one or more bathrooms, the floors of which were fully laid and connected by means of drainage channels with the main street.

9. The people of Indus Valley also practiced the worship of Lings and Yoni symbols.

10. The Dravadians are thought to have come to India from eastern Mediterranean. At one time the Dravadian culture was spread throughout India.

11. The Dravadian language is still spoken by the Brahui people of Baluchistan.

12. In the early vedic period river Ravi was known as Parushni, river Jhelum as Vitasta, Chenab as Asikni, Beas as Vipas and Sutlej as Sutudri.

13. The Veda consists of four different classes of literary compositions: (a) the Mantra constitutes the oldest division of Vedic literature and is distributed in four Samhitas or collections known as the Rig, Sama, Yajur and the Atharva; (b) Brahmanas are the second class of Vedic works. They are mainly prose texts containing observations on sacrifice; (c) Aranyakas or forest texts are books of instruction to be given in the forest or writings meant for wood-dwelling hermits; (d) Lastly there are the Upnishads which are either imbedded in the Aranyakas or form their supplements.

You can download all the Quick Revision Notes on Indian History, Indian Constitution, General Information on India, etc from http://www.competitionmaster.com

Essay: Is Modern Life Making Children Unhappy?

There is a growing consensus that modern childhood today is in a somewhat parlous state. Experts world over contend that the fast-moving, hyper-competitive modern society is damaging children mentally and emotionally. Growing children confront the tyranny of consumer and moral choice. The society at large, however, appears to be ambivalent on the issue. “Our children are in danger, fattened on fast food, corrupted by commerce, traumatized by testing. And, other children are dangerous…., chaotic in the classroom, bestial in the bedroom”, according to an analyst.

We need to look hard into the changing consumerist environment that surrounds the growing child today. The electronic media is held as a corrupting influence on modern childhood. We cannot ignore the fact that the imaginative life of children is full of violence. A visit to a playground any time will uphold this perception. But the adult world’s concerns generally are about the proliferation of technology, particularly in the home, and the challenge to adult authority that it represents.

Surely, children’s access to media, and the prevalence of sex and violence in such media, has vastly increased. Research has been documenting for years the nexus between electronic media and a medley of developmental horrors. Though some analysts believe that these studies are flawed in as much as they take violence as an objective category and fail to investigate what audiences themselves define as violent.

Read the complete Essay in May 2007 issue of The Competition Master. You can download the file from Archives section at http://www.competitionmaster.com

Advertising: The Brandwagon Story

Read the complete feature at: www.competitionmaster.com

Just imagine: if one was to go to a store to buy tooth paste, soap, oil, shampoo, computer, refrigerator—all covered in drab white or brown paper reading only just as much! No idea of richness and exclusivity backing them, no appeals working on the mind. The result would be no more desire to buy something exceptional, no more hankering for a great shopping experience, no more retail therapy for the parched souls! And subsequently, limited sales, slumped markets and extremely dejected entrepreneurs. This is what an un-exciting, un-informed world would be like if there were no branding, no advertising—the two processes that work on the minds quite invisibly and lead us to the stores wanting this fairness crème or that exquisite watch even if there is no need for the same.

Advertising has played a major role in consumer marketing, and has enabled companies to meet communication and other marketing objectives. Typically, advertising is used to inform, persuade, and remind consumers. It importantly reinforces their attitudes and perceptions. Advertising has been a target of criticism for decades, as also been hailed as a capitalistic virtue, an engine of free market economy, a promoter of consumer welfare.

To begin with, an advertisement is in fact a public announcement with the avowed purpose not so much to inform as to coax the public into buying a product, subscribing to a service or accepting an idea. The origins of advertising can be traced to the times when the services of the town crier were used to convey the messages to people. The messages could be a rulers proclamations or information about the market days.

For further reading visit: www.competitionmaster.com

Career Planning: 3Ds of a wandering mind

Courtesy: The Competition Master - Online study resource for competitive exams

One difference between a person who comes out in flying colours in career or examination and the one who fails, is that the former is focused, the latter scattered. Watch the two sitting in examination hall, answering questions. The former is a picture of concentration. He is totally immersed in writing.

The latter is constantly rotating his neck left or right. He is overseeing his neighbour’s copy! Watch two girls studying in a library. One is deep in her work. The latter is watching and
studying the fashion of others! Distraction, diversion and division of the mind are the culprits. Watch out.

You have to write important letters, office reports, projects but are also distracted by entertainments. You want to watch television programmes. You want to visit a restaurant. And so on. There are other digressions. You have a library of video and audio cassettes. You want to play them. There are ads—silly and stale. They assault your senses.

It is little wonder that you have difficulty in keeping to the task you should be doing. Your mind is working over-time, as it is on doing tasks on the fringe, neglecting to ones on the hard core. You can put your mind on spot.

To read the complete article visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

CM extensively covers Bank PO Exam Syllabus

Here is what one of the readers of The Competition Master has to say:

Sir, I do not know how to exhibit my thanks to you, because most of the questions in the general knowledge paper of Corporation Bank PO exam were based on your previous issues. If I get the 48th Volume I can attempt all the questions. More over above 30 questions were asked from the past three months issues. Thank you sir.

PRASAD PRABHAKARAN

Time Management

Rakesh is a senior executive in a top firm, eminently qualified for his job. He is ambitious and does not easily trust his subordinates, afraid of being let down by them. He, therefore, tries to do everything himself and is left with little time to think over larger issues. He remains immersed in files and carries work home. The last time he took the family for an outing appears to be years ago.

Shiv, also in a senior position in the same firm, heads another department. However, the ambience here is different. Everyone goes about his job with a song on his lips and Shiv is always at hand, easily accessible to anyone. He packs for home on time and frequents the golf course in the afternoon. Holidays with the family help him to unwind further, which brings in added zip to his job.

What essentially is the difference between these two executives?

Most people seldom have enough time to do all the things they want to do. They have to work late in the offices, carry papers home for disposal and spend all their energy in the drudgery of daily routine. They have, therefore, no time to plan and execute jobs requiring their personal attention. Nor do they have adequate time for self-development. One’s control over time is directly related to the hierarchical position one holds in an organization.

Of all the resources—human, material, financial and the like—time is the scarcest. It is rightly said that time is money. An executive earning Rs 40,000 per month has his time cost him Rs. 1,818 per day and Rs 227 per hour. This works out to Rs four every minute of his working time, including lunch and coffee breaks. Time must, therefore, be utilized with utmost care and on a priority basis. In the competitive environment prevailing in all spheres of life, the one who manages his time effectively will have the cutting edge.

Download complete article as e-book from http://www.competitionmaster.com

MAT 2007 solved paper available online

The MAT 2007 solved papers is now available online at http://www.competitionmaster.com. The solved paper has also been published in the September 2007 issue of the magazine (Print Edition) which is available with newspaper vendors/shops all over India.

The magazine in print form or through its online version offers excellent study resources for various competitive exams, like MAT, CAT and other Management admission tests, Civil Services Exam, Defence Services exam, Bank PO/Clerk Cadre exam etc. There are solved papers on Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Objective English, General Awareness. There are essays, features, articles, personality development tips, quick revision notes and lots more.

All you need to do is to register to be able to access this vast study resource.

In the coming October 2007 issue The Competition Master will carry a cover story on Management as a career and how to prepare for it. There will also be a Mock Cat paper and lots of other useful information.

Essay: Multinationalism and Democracy

To read the complete essay visit http://www.competitionmaster.com

When we speak of a country or State, we assume that it has only one nation. In fact, in some languages, the country implies nation. Thus, when we say Hindusthani, literally it would mean the one who belongs to the country called Hindusthan. But, rare are the countries that contain only one race of people or have a completely homogeneous populations.

In a democratic country or State, the ‘diverse population’ phenomenon assumes a multifarious significance. The relationship between demography and democracy is becoming politically important. After the collapse of the Soviet
Union, borders of every country are softening and migration, legal or illegal, is going on apace. The Majority’s will as the deciding principle in a democracy is becoming ambiguous.

Minorities are becoming highly visible and vocal and gaining special rights. Multinationalism was a distinctive feature
of the USSR and Yugoslavia that were not considered democratic States. They were not liberal democracies, any way. Currently, the question of multinationalism has to be discussed within the context of liberal democracy.

To read the complete essay visit http://www.competitionmaster.com

Explore and realise your potential

To read the complete article visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

If you have ever been dubbed dull, you are in illustrious company. Albert Einstein was so slow-minded that his father feared he might be feeble-minded. Thomas Alva Edison’s teacher complained that he couldn’t keep up with his classmates. Since then historians have said of Edison. “His brain had the highest cash value in history.”

What have the late Thomas Edison and the late Albert Einstein to do with you? They were brighter than their elders first thought! There are late bloomers. There are dazzling dunces. Many intelligent men and women underestimate their own intelligence. There is a very good reason for this.

According to Professor J.P. Guillord of the University of Southern California, about forty mental dimensions or factors have so far been mapped out. Among them are: judgement, foresight, ability to visualise, to express ideas verbally, and to comprehend what is said. Any one is aware of the fact that he doesn’t shine in all forty or more mental factors. He finds some intellectual tasks difficult. For instance, a person may write good English. But when he tries to figure out his sums, he is confused.

Another man who is excellent at mathematics, but his mind goes completely blank if he’s asked to say a few words about any subject. He does not know how to communicate his ideas. Often, you are so worried about the fact that there are two or three intellectual tasks you cannot handle well that you forget that there may be thirty-seven or thirty-eight mental dimensions in which you can shine. Even the mediocre man is brighter than he is usually given credit for being.

To read the complete article visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

Civil Services Exam: Success plan for preliminary examination

For more information and study resources for the exam visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

One important thing that candidates should keep in mind is that since the time between the Main Exam and the declaration of result of the Preliminary Exam is very less, it is advisable to begin preparations of the Main Exam along with the Preliminary Exam.

The General Studies paper covers the following areas:

General Science; Current events of national and international importance; History of India; World Geography; Indian Polity and Economy; Indian National Movement; General Mental Ability.

For this section, it is important to be updated in all fields. For History, Economy, Polity, etc, it is advisable to read Class 11 and 12 books published by the NCERT. Some books on the freedom struggle are published by the National Book Trust. For general knowledge and objective-type questions, refer to General Knowledge Refresher by O.P. Khanna. For General Mental Ability and current affairs, it is advisable to read The Competition Master regularly.

One question that is often asked by students is about the subjects that they should take up. Since some subjects are scoring, students wish to opt for them. But one thing that must be kept in mind is one’s aptitude. If one has studied a subject since school and one is comfortable in it, chances of doing well in it are greater rather than taking up an unrelated subject which one may never have studied. Generally speaking, do not choose an entirely new subject in which you will have to work very hard. If the optional is prepared well for the preliminary and the same subject is also planned to be opted as one of the optionals, it is very useful and saves a lot of labour.

Once you have decided to appear in the Civil Services Exam, preparations should start early. A look at past papers helps get an idea about the kind of questions that are asked. Over the years, The Competition Master has published solved papers which can be referred to. It may be advisable to join a coaching institute so that one keeps in touch with other students and discuss issues with them. It is important, however, to select a good institute. However, one can be successful by self-study also.

Prepare Well

Before initiating the preparations, a few things must be noted by the candidates. The choice of optional subject for Paper-II has to be done very carefully. The candidates must plan ahead of time with eyes on the main examination and choose the optional which he/she intends taking up in the Mains. The preparations done for the preliminaries would assist the candidates in getting good grasp of the subject and the effort put in would not go waste after the prelims. Secondly, optional subject carries more number of maximum marks as compared to the General Studies Paper. Hence, its importance cannot be undermined. A candidate doing well in the optional paper is expected to fare well in the examination. Moreover, the optional subject for Paper-II should usually be the subject in which the candidate has either attained proficiency/higher academic qualification or in which the candidate feels at home. Another consideration is the performance of candidates in the said subject in the recent past. There are several subjects like History, Psychology, Sociology, Public Administration etc in which even the candidates not having special or additional educational qualifications have been doing reasonably well, while the subjects like Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering are considered to offer tougher questions and the candidates with exceptionally good preparation only may expect to do well. But this observation may not be taken as the universal truth. Moreover, the aptitude and proficiency of a particular candidate in a given subject also plays an important role in arriving at a decision.

Availability and access to good and prescribed books is yet another consideration and often the candidates are also guided by this factor, particularly in smaller towns. Books for preliminary examination are available in plenty in common subjects but in case of specialised optionals like Mathematics, Engineering, Agriculture etc, one has to look carefully for good books which cover all parts of the syllabus.

Preparations for Paper-II also need specific planning. It would be wrong to confine the studies only to the multiple choice objective type questions. Unless a detailed study of the subject is carried out, it would be difficult to answer the questions on the subject properly. The aim, must, therefore, be to clearly understand the basics of the subject by covering each and every aspect of the syllabus. This provides a candidate with adequate self-confidence and knowledge to answer the questions correctly. It is better to consult various books on different aspects, as it is very rare that one single book covers the entire syllabus with total efficiency. After going through all parts of the syllabus in detail and getting hold of the basic concepts, it is desirable to have sufficient practice in solving multiple choice objective type questions. A good book on objective type multiple choice questions or a good question bank on the subject concerned may assist the candidates a great deal. Such practice, on the one hand, would perfect the art of answering the questions correctly and rapidly, and on the other would enable the candidates in understanding the questions asked in various forms. It is normally observed that at times even simple questions are asked in such a complex manner that it becomes difficult to understand the question correctly.

It is not difficult to find out a candidate who had, during the past couple of years, appeared in the prelims with the same subject. It is always better to discuss the subject, its intricacies, pattern of questions and the books to be studied. In addition, it is also not difficult to identify the candidate offering the same optional subject for Paper-II within the same town/city. It is always fruitful to have detailed discussions on various parts of the syllabus, books to be consulted for the basics, multiple choice question books or question banks and other related issues. Finally, the practice of correctly marking the answer sheet by using minimum possible time will go a long way in helping you succeed.

For more information and study resources for the exam visit: http://www.competitionmaster.com

Competitive Exams in India

The Competition Master magazine is now available Free on its website www.competitionmaster.com. Not only the current issue, last 12 issues can be downloaded and read. There are mock tests, solved papers, career guidance, personality development tips, e-books and lots more.

The magazine has been an excellent resource on current affairs, general knowledge and solved papers for competitive exams. Now this vast resource is available free on the net, which is a very good news for the student community of India.

Visit http://www.competitionmaster.com and register yourself as a member, and get access to very useful information.

There is saying: Knowledge is power. So, here is an excellent website to gain knowledge and make a successful career for yourself

Competition Master Online

In keeping with times, a philosophy that The Competition Master have always tried to follow, it has taken a decision to make the magazine available free on the net. Access to the online edition is free to all registered members. The new, completely refurbished website, http://www.competitionmaster.com was soft launched on Sunday, May 6, 2007.

Do visit http://www.competitionmaster.com and register yourself as a member, and get access to very useful information for not only those preparing for various competitive exams but also for any one interested to keep himself/herself up-to-date with inmformation.

The print edition will continue to be there, for, no matter what, the charm of reading a magazine, book or newspaper is still in the print form. You cannot still beat the convenience of print medium. However, it is important that you have a choice to choose from among various mediums of information and this new step is in that direction.

There is saying: Knowledge is power. So, here is an excellent website to gain knowledge.