District Forest Officer Akhil Thampi addressing the UPSC aspirants meet held in Tirunelveli on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN

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The Hindu, in association with Shankar IAS Academy, organised Union Public Service Commission Aspirants’ Meet at Sadakkathullah Appa College in Palayamkottai on Wednesday.

Addressing the meeting, District Forest Officer Akhil Thampi said the aspirants should be determined, motivated and prepared for a long journey like running the marathon as the preparation and cracking the exam demanded such vigour.

“You should prepare for the UPSC exam at least for two years with utmost dedication. If this kind of preparation does not suit, you may look for other competitive exams. Only dedicated preparation for a longer duration alone will give you victory over these exams,” Mr. Akhil said.

Keep on practising by writing essays on a range of topics as the main exam would require a lot of writing with exact details and statistics.

During the interaction with the students, Mr. Thampi said writing the essays in the main examination would be an art which should be planned meticulously. “Once the topic is given, analyse it for the first 5 minutes to make the framework of the topic and then write. It will give you a fair idea about the points you are going to cover in your presentation,” he said.

The DFO said the aspirants should write as many CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) papers and check the personal ability with the model and previous years’ question papers.

Since coaching being offered by leading institutes such as Shankar IAS Academy is available in Chennai, Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram, there was no need for going all the way to Delhi.

“If you want to get trained in Delhi, you may pursue it. But, discussing various topics with your friends in the coaching centre is more important as it will nourish your knowledge,” Mr. Akhil said.

Selection of optional subject should be in line with the liking of the individuals. “Though I am a student of engineering, I took geography as my optional subject as I like the subject,” said Mr. Akhil who narrated the challenges he faced during his training period in Kanniyakumari district and the tenure as DFO, Thanjavur where he intensified mangrove plantations along the coastal areas of the district.

B. Arjun Nathan, Branch Head, Shankar IAS Academy, Madurai, explained the salient features of UPSC exams right from applying for the exam to cracking the main exam and the personal interview.

Principal of Sadathullah Appa College S.M. Abdul Kader and vice-principal S.M.A. Syed Mohammed Khaja also spoke.