Arm Your Spirit

Bhutan Civil Service Examination (BCSE) is conducted annually by Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) that is essential for the recruitment of University Graduates in Professional, Management and Technical positions  in the Civil Service. 

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General category papers;
Paper I: Dzongkha
Paper II: English Language and Current Affairs.
Paper III: Bhutan and Its Socio-Political Institution and Socio-Economic Development Since 1961.

•  Here are some of my experiences in preparing for BCSE general category!!!

RLSW (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing). 

These are four important components I focused on as a firm foundation for BCSE. 

a)   Reading doesn’t necessarily mean mugging up or memorizing every bits and pieces you read. Just go on reading...... 

 The History of Bhutan authored by Dr. Karma Phuntsho and Polity,Kingship and Democracy- a history book by Dr.Sonam Kinga are two comprehensive and authentic books which I found helpful in gaining critical insights and in- depthness of Bhutan History. History text books of  grades 8 till 12 can be also referred as a supplementary reading materials. 

Your reading task doesn’t end here. Some other important reading materials:

• Constitution of Kingdom of Bhutan
• Five Year Plan documents
• State of nation report by Prime minister  

***Most importantly try to compare the socio-economic developments since 1961(commencement of first FYP). 

b)      Listening enable to validate the information acquired through instant reading. At the time of writing we may easily recollect if we have heard anything related to the questions being asked in the examination. 
     Tune into radio programs. Listening to radio programs really helped me with daily updates on current affairs and history of Bhutan. Moreover the Radio programs through four major languages such as Dzongkha, English, Tshangla and LhotsamKha also is helpful for viva-voce. 

c)        Speaking ability shall perhaps be more essential at time of viva-voce which contribute 20% of total marks. Eloquent speaking skill would be of more advantage in facing the viva as well as other job interviews. Familiarize with languages and dialects within the country in order to face viva. Thus develop public speaking habits as to boost your level of confidence. Rehearse before proceeding anything. 

d)     Writing style and presentation further determines your actual score since every knowledge you possess must be produced in written form. You must develop your writing skill. Be conscious about correct grammatical usage and spellings. 
**Content development is equally important when it comes to attempting any type of questions. Besides plain and theoretical writing, data, facts, figures and research findings shall be added to authenticate your answer.

 Structuring thesis statement tend to be crucial in case of attempting essay type questions. Thus in order to ease your burden during examination, practice attempting questions from previous year prior to examination. Further try structuring your own thesis statement, which will definitely help you at time of exam.

    **Never pressurize yourself by memorizing everything you read and write but make sure you get the gest and understand at least. Probably no same questions would be asked again, therefore get yourself prepared at the general level. However knowing some exact data, facts and figures would be helpful during examination.

General Knowledge

I understand the vastness of general knowledge and I am pretty much sure that you would experience goose bumps in knowing every GKs. However I would encourage you to be tension free, even if you are unable to remember any. On the other hand, never be over confident even if you know many. 

 We never know how GKs would be asked in BSCE. I was confident enough to fetch good score in GK section, but I landed up failing to answer even the simplest questions such as: When did The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? and In which ocean did the Titanic sink on 15 April 1912 after hitting an iceberg? I was rather perplexed totally.
 In fact these are something we come across in our life yet we fail to notice. Likewise GK to me is basically the things we experience and know on the daily basis. We may get GK questions from various disciplines such as mathematics, sciences, history, geography, politics, religion sociology and so on..

Translation

It is as easy as what we think. Literally if we are able to understand and express one language thorough some other language, we are fulfilling the aspect of translation. For God’s sake, we will never be asked to translate other foreign language except English. However it is always fun to have many linguistic abilities in oneself as it proves to be blessings in disguise at times. In particular, we must at least know to translate Dzongkha to English and vice-versa. In addition, meaning translation, transliteration or word to word translation is also essential at times, in case if you are asked so.

Other Exclusively important topics:

• Current affairs
• National and International news  
• Tropical discussions
• Case study.

                       "Your Success is in your Hands" - Fred Hammond 

                                             *****Best Wishes******