Rakesh Anand, a resident of Banka district of Bihar, secured 54th rank in the BPSC 64th CCE examination. This Geography (Hons) graduate has been preparing for various competitive examinations for the last five years in Delhi. To help other aspiring students, Rakesh shares his preparation strategy and books recommendation to clear the Bihar PSC Combined Competitive Examination (CCE).

BPSC CCE Prelims exam

Rakesh emphasises the importance of thoroughly understanding the syllabus and memorising its important parts. “Syllabus is the best guidance an aspirant can have. It will answer the most common yet tough question of ‘what to study’,” he said.

Talking about his prelims strategy, Anand said this hold on science and maths subjects was strong and hence he tried to score maximum from this part. “I prepared one-liner factual notes and solved more mock papers to improve time management,” he said.

Read | BPSC 64th CCE result: IIT-Delhi graduate gets rank 3, says aspirants should be ready with plan B

For prelims preparation, he studied the following books for different subjects: Bihar special by Crown publication, Laxmikanth for Indian polity, Class 11 and 12 NCERT, and G C Leong for Geography, NCERT as well as spectrum modern India for History. For Economics, Anand followed Youtube videos as well as Ramesh Singh and Ghatnachakra, vision IAS monthly magazine to cover current affairs.

BPSC CCE mains exam

“In the BPSC mains exam, it is observed that questions aren’t usually repeated in consecutive years. Hence, it is important to analyse the previous year’s question to understand the paper pattern,” said Anand.

For the mains examination, he emphasises preparing self-created notes on all topics as well as figuring out the important sections from the previous year’s question papers. Anand joined the answer writing test series to enhance his writing speed and suggest it as an effective way to learn time management.

“Attempt all questions as each carries 38 marks and leaving any question will reduce your selection chances. It is also important to complete the paper within the prescribed time. Only writing practice will help in writing efficient and quality answers,” said Anand.

BPSC CCE mains exam book recommendations:

For GS 1, Rakesh recommends the same books as studied for the prelims exam. For the statistics syllabus, he referred to the previous year’s question papers. To cover GS II polity, economy, and geography, he recommends the same books as prelims. For science and technology, he referred to the vision IAS booklet.

BPSC CCE personality interview

To prepare for the interview, Rakesh relied on several mock interviews and the feedback he received from them. He also stresses to pay heed to the guidance of seniors. As per his own interview experience, Rakesh says, “Unlike UPSC, BPSC interviews are short and usually wrapped up within 15-20 minutes. Therefore, it becomes crucial that a candidate answers every question precisely and on point.”

“Language is not a barrier in service commission interviews, so a candidate should choose a language he is most comfortable in. It is advisable that candidates prepare their optional and graduation subject well for the interview” he added.

Anand will be joining as a revenue officer in the Bihar state cadre.

He has been preparing for various competitive exams for the last five years and was selected as Assistant Commandant after clearing the UPSC CAPF examination in 2018. Talking from his experience, he said, “Sometimes success may take the longer route to reach you. It is important to never give up and keep trying harder after each failure.”


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