Hard work and dedication vital to clear civil services examination, aspirants told

UPSC exam meet in Salem with DFO Kashyap advising aspirants on preparation, study habits, and exam strategies.

A meet for Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam aspirants was organised by The Hindu in association with the Shankar IAS Academy at Shri Sakthikailassh Women’s College in Salem on Friday.

Salem District Forest Officer (DFO) Kashyap Shashank Ravi was the chief guest for the event. Mr. Kashyap advised the aspirants to read newspapers thoroughly. Reading opinion pages will help students shape opinion without bias, he said. “UPSC preparation will make you a wonderful citizen. Clearing the exam is not difficult, but also not easy. Dedication is important. Allocate at least eight to 10 hours to prepare for the examination,” he said.

Advising the students to avoid social media as it diverts attention, Mr. Shashank asked them to use the internet in an efficient way. “Source videos regarding the subjects on the internet. Start civil services preparation from college days and after completing the foundation, one year is enough to clear the exams. Hard work and dedication are important to clear the exams. There is not much difference between TNPSC and UPSC. Compared with UPSC, clearing state commission exam is becoming difficult now,” the DFO added.

Later, the IFS officer explained about the books the students need to study for the exams, interacted with them, and briefed his experiences while writing the exams and attending the personal interview. 

Mr. Shashank handed over ₹33,000 worth of special publications from The Hindu Group, sponsored by Shankar IAS Academy, to the college library.

L. Gokula Krishnan, faculty from Shankar IAS Academy, T. Thilakraj, Salem branch of Shankar IAS Academy, and S. Jayanthi, college principal, also spoke.