The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) is scheduled to conduct the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) – Mains examination between March 10 and 17, 2022. The examination was earlier expected to be held in February 2022, however, it was later announced to commence on March 8, 2022, and once again postponed to March 10, 2022. Candidates who have successfully cleared the preliminary examination held last year on October 24, 2021, are now eligible to write the main examination.
As the Main examination is approaching soon, candidates are subjected to last-minute stress, and to cope with this in the upcoming papers, here are some tips and tricks that will help aspirants in their preparation. These have been carefully curated with inputs from previous year toppers and educators, hence it is advised candidates follow them to guarantee merit in the JKPSC KAS 2022 Main exam.
General Guidelines and Tips:
(i) Under the 8 papers of the main examination, answer writing is a crucial portion for candidates since they will be required to write essays for each paper. As per previous years’ toppers, candidates are advised to not follow the NCERT format of writing, since that falls under senior secondary level and rather write crisp, precise, and clear answers.
(ii) Since the syllabus is spread across 8 papers, candidates are advised to focus on their weaknesses and allot less time to their strengths and questions/topics they are confident about. They are also advised to work under a strict timer while preparing to allot more time to topics with a higher weightage.
(iii) For technical subjects that require more content and static facts like Geography, toppers advise candidates to create Diagrams, Tables, and Flow Charts for an easier explanation of the concept. Not only does this save writing time for aspirants but also makes it easier for the examiner to evaluate and show a clear understanding of the topic.
(iv) Candidates are strictly advised NOT to learn new topics in the last week, and focus on those they have been practicing since this tends to induce stress and confuses the candidates which can impact their performance in the examination.
(v) Toppers have also advised candidates to not come off as vindictive and over-criticizing while writing their views and opinions in answers and essays. This portrays the negative nature and thinking of the candidate. In the case of criticism, candidates should try being constructive rather than criticizing the topic at hand. They should try to neutralize and balance their views rather than leaning towards the negative side.
(vi) In the last days of their preparation, candidates are advised to focus on a maximum number of mock tests and sample questions, especially for the real-life situation-based and case study-type questions. They should attempt these under a strict timer that replicates the environment of the examination.
Subject and Paper Wise Guidelines and Tips
General English
- Candidates are advised to practice comprehension-based questions, under a strict timer to test their reading and comprehending speed to answer faster in the examination.
- Since writing skills are a very important part of the papers, candidates should also practice writing with good vocabulary and is crisp and clear at the same time.
- Rather than focus on technical language, candidates should prioritize their answers to be legible and not fancy.
- In the last days of their preparation, candidates should revise vocabulary, synonyms/antonyms, and grammar rules as well.
History, Geography, and Polity
- Candidates should not try learning new facts and topics in the last few days to avoid confusion from existing knowledge.
- Revising factual material from NCERT textbooks is advised for aspirants, as that portrays a crisp and clear explanation of topics.
- Candidates are advised to revise important dates and years, and preferably create flow charts to remember technical concepts.
- Candidates should also go through the previous year’s papers, and sample questions to be familiar with the format of questions asked.
- Candidates should quiz and test themselves under a timer and try to attempt maximum number of questions in that time frame.
Logical Reasoning/Mental Aptitude
- Reasoning and Aptitude is a scoring section of the papers, and aspirants are advised to practice sample questions under a strict timer since speed is very important for such questions.
- Candidates must also use diagrams, tables, and flow charts to crack such questions through tricks available on online resources instead of spending excess time thinking.
- Formulas are also important in reasoning, and candidates should make a list of them and revise them in the last days.
Ethics and Values
- The ethics portion of the examination consists of real-life situation-based questions and cases studies, hence candidates are advised to practice such questions everyday till the exam, and refer to previous year papers.
- Since cases take time to read, practice reading them at an appropriate pace to not waste excess time.
- Understand the nature of the case, whether it is one-sided or open ended, and answer accordingly.
- Do not come off too negative while criticising a concept, and balance your views.
