Many of the things to know about civil services examination are highlighted extensively for the sake of knowledge as useful pieces of information. While its content depends largely on which position you are applying for, the truth is, the civil service exam is practically ensuring that candidates are serious about pursuing employment and keeps employers from hiring unqualified professionals.
Concept of the Civil Service
Simply put, the civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership.
A civil servant, also known as a public servant or public employee, is a person employed in the public sector by a government department or agency for public sector undertakings. Civil servants work for central and state governments, and answer to the government, not a political party.
An international civil servant or international staff member is a civilian employee who is employed by an intergovernmental organization. These international civil servants do not resort under any national legislation (from which they have immunity of jurisdiction) but are governed by internal staff regulations.
All disputes related to international civil service are brought before special tribunals created by these international organizations such as, for instance, the Administrative Tribunal of the ILO.
It is not so surprising that even professionals sit exams for greater civil service positions. This is important because everyone needs to be tested and duly auditioned before there is the certainty over their professional efficiencies in various sectors of the civil service of any country.
What are then the comprehensive information or things you need to know about civil services exams? Below are the the few major things:
First, the major jobs into which you can take the civil service exam:
- Air traffic control
- CIA
- FBI
- Firefighter
- Foreign service
- Government accountant
- IRS
- Postal service
- Secret service
- TSA
- U.S. customs, ETC.
Civil Services Exam
The exam is a national competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to higher Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service.
It is also referred to as the UPSC examination, and UPSC CSE and is conducted in three phases: a preliminary examination consisting of two objective-type papers (Paper I consisting of General Studies and Paper II, and a main examination consisting of nine papers of conventional (essay) type.
Types of Civil Services Exams
There are three types of civil service exams:
- Open Competitive Exam
It means your score places you on a ranked list against other applicants for a category of positions that are actively hiring.
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- Continuous Exam
It tests applicants for positions that are not currently open.
- Promotional Exam
These exams are meant for current civil servants who want to advance their careers.
Civil Services Exam Content
Civil service exams are usually composed of several parts, including oral and written sections, as well as computer-administered multiple-choice tests. Others are:
- Reading and writing proficiency
- Reasoning skills
- Clerical abilities, such as organizing and alphabetizing
- Coding
- Mathematics
Preparing for the Exam
The UPSC Mains exam is all about writing answers that meet the requirements of the questions. While preparing for the Mains exam, the following are some important things to keep in mind:
- Understand the syllabus
- Set a timeline and create a study plan
- Daily Answer Writing practice
- Analyze previous year’s questions to understand the trends
- Essay writing skills
- Prepare for the Optional subject
- Current Affairs preparation
- Maintain a healthy balance
