Experiences and lessons learnt from BCSE preparation- A Talk to NRC final year stds.

Kuzuzangpo and very good evening to each and everyone on this virtual platform.

Thank you Tshering sir and the Norbu Rigter College family for providing this wonderful opportunity to share my humble experiences and lessons learned in the process of preparing for the Bhutan Civil Service Examination. It truly is an honor and privilege to interact with fellow younger generations.

I also would like to take this opportunity to wish all teachers of Bhutan and ཏround the world a very Happy Teacher’s Day.

And by the way of information to the participants, I graduated in 2018 from Royal Thimphu College with a BA in Political Science and Sociology and did one year Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from the Royal Institute of Management in 2019.

At the outset, I would like to inform you that the experiences and lessons that I am going to share here are very individual and could differ from one another and I do not want to claim that mine is the best. It is just for relating purposes if there is anything relevant and worthy to take note of. If not please forgive me.

I have had an opportunity to share along a similar line with the final year students of Royal Thimphu College way back in 2019. And today’s content of the sharing wouldn’t be much different.

So, to start with, I would like to highlight one of the most repeated statements by both wise people as well as hypocrites “There is no shortcut to success”.  If there is one, I think it is hard work and self-discipline. To provide tips and recommendations, honestly, I don’t have magic or any silver bullet to ace the exam. Therefore, I will center my points on self-discipline and hard work as a tool/strategy for the preparation for BCSE.

Yes of course graduation was such a big achievement in my life but more than that it was an important rite of passage. Meaning that the responsibility to figure out and make decision falls upon us. There is no bell anchoring us, no deadlines, no supervisors, and no teachers telling us what to do or what not to do. We have to be responsible for ourselves and take ownership of what we decide and what we do in life.

So, with that in mind, during my final year at college, with excitement to graduate, I was also figuring out what should I do after that. In the hindsight, I wanted to become a civil servant since my childhood days. So, I reaffirmed my decision to appear for the Civil Service Examination right at the beginning of my final year. In fact, I aimed to top the exam, unfortunately, I could not, and fortunately didn’t fail. From this, I would like to convey that if you are going to appear for BCSE, decide beforehand. Don’t wait for the last month or last hour and importantly start preparing.

I say this because some of my really smart friends who could have done better in the exam, they were not sure whether they want to appear for it or not. Because they think the exam is too difficult and they won’t get through. Then suddenly they decide at the last hour to do the exam without much preparation and mess it up. BCSE is not rocket science, but of course, it is competitive. It is not about getting through or not getting through. Personally, my view of BCSE is that it is the right opportunity for us to learn about our country-, and its culture, history, development status, challenges, national objectives and priorities for development, current affairs, policies, and system among others. Therefore, along the process, BCSE prepares graduates not only for the civil service but for other employment opportunities as well and make us stay relevant. Considering this, whether opting for civil service or not, I think knowing the above-mentioned subjects are important for young people like ourselves.

Now how did I prepare for it?
With some leadership work and responsibilities on campus, during my final year, I could not attend the regular coaching class offered at the college. Actually, that’s a lame excuse. So then did any miracle happen for passing in BCSE exam?
In the hindsight, I was trying to keep up to date with current affairs and topical issues and, history and economic related subjects which helped me significantly in Main Examination. Also, I used to write journals and reflections in my diary so as to polish my writing style. So, coming to the self-discipline point, have the discipline of reading and writing. It doesn’t matter what genre are you reading or what kind of piece you are writing. Because it will improve you in articulating and expressing yourself or basically your communication skills. In this day and age, I think everyone will have access to similar kinds of information and data but BCSE depends on how you articulate and express yourself on paper as well as during Viva-voce for instance.

Next, I was certain about what I was good at and what I was not. So, it was important for me to identify my strengths and weaknesses, particularly in the context of individual subjects of the BCSE. Accordingly, I focused on my strengths but have not neglected the subjects in that I was comparatively weak. For instance, for PE, my strength was in Dzongkha and English subjects. Therefore, while I tried for securing fairly good marks in data interpretation and problem-solving it was critical for me to do exceptionally well in my areas of strength. So, I would like to say that focus on your strength but do not neglect and ignore your weaknesses as well.

Then after graduation, I signed up for the coaching classes in town.  Those coaching classes were really effective for me that it helped me to identify question patterns, the tips to manage the timing during an examination, some shortcut answers and ways to solve calculation problems-, and some details on the topic which are well researched by facilitators and institutions. I am not saying you should take coaching classes necessarily. I have some friends who have done really well without taking coaching classes. But my view of coaching classes is that we don’t have to do research that much and it helps to know the possible areas to study. It saves time and effort in doing research. It worked and was effective for me.

After graduation, you will also miss going to classes and following all those routines and systems. But when you have nothing to do, you land up staying idle. So, my personal suggestion is, to have the discipline to keep yourself busy and engaged. I followed the simple things like waking up early, praying and meditating, going for a walk, and reading. So, to me these disciplines were effective.

And now regarding challenges, I was involved in many activities like doing an internship with my college and with one CSO, attending coaching classes in the town, doing some write-up works for a friend’s project, and other social and personal activities simultaneously. And it seemed I was everywhere but nowhere. Now I realize that perhaps I could have focused much more on BCSE. The bottom line here is, to have the discipline of managing time and stay focused on what you are doing. I mean if you focus enough on something, I don’t think anything is impossible to achieve.

Last, it’s not too late for you all. Make a decision and start preparing. And I conclude here with “Success in BCSE is one of the bests, not the only best! You have to figure out what is best for you”.

My best wishes and Tashi Delek!