The UPSC Exam, better known as theCivil Services Exam is built to test not only your knowledge or understanding but to a certain level your creativity as well. Confused? You may associate creativity with the arts, music and creative writing but if you delve deeper you will realise that it will be the creativity that sets you apart even in these competitive examinations. Here is how it can help you in the UPSC exam:
- It helps you prepare better notes and revise
Note making is often described as an art. A normal aspirant just copies half the textbook or video lecture in front of him into his notes. This creates notes that are often scattered, incomplete and hold no value in revision. While, a creative aspirant has notes that are concise, cover the entire topic and can easily be picked for revision. They are neat with highlights on important facts. They are often structured with the 6W technique to better segregate the content matter.
- It helps you write a better Essay
There is no doubt in this argument. An essay not only requires content but good presentation as well. The syllabus notification itself says that credit will be given for effective and exact expression. Here is where you can move ahead of the others by creating an essay that echoes with whosoever reads it. Good arguments and examples mixed with quotations give a good effect to the essay. Remember that in an essay the introduction and conclusion are a parts that affect the reader the most. It is your creativity here that needs to come forth so that you can get those bonus marks.
- It helps in writing better answers
A big part of your answer writing process is the structure you give to your answer. Honestly, that is probably the only part of the answer writing that will make a difference in the marks. This is because most of the people will know the same content for the answer barring one or two points. So, it is essential that you structure your answer in such a way that it presents a lucid and appealing version of what the examiner desires. Maybe a question requires you to use sub-headings in your answer with bulleted points or maybe it requires a paragraph based answer. You have to judge based on the requirement of the question and make a decision there and then. It is this creativity that will fetch you bonus marks.
- It helps in time management
Now, this is the most crucial part of the entire Exam. We know that writing 4000 words in 3 hours is not an easy task. However, it gets worse if you do not know the answers to certain questions or are unsure of your approaches to these questions. It is here that you must be creative and make calls on which questions to approach first and how to go about finishing the entire paper. A good example is the Civil services Mains, 2017. UPSC threw a surprise by changing the marking pattern. Now, there were 10 questions of 10 marks and 10 questions of 15 marks. Those who were quick to adjust to the new pattern and show their creativity within the confines of the marking scheme were able to complete the paper. The others were left gasping for more time as they left questions in the range of 30-40 marks!
- It anchors your personality test
The Civil services personality test is a face to face interview that tests a lot in a candidate. Creativity doesn’t mean fabricating a lie, rather it means presenting the known information in a different manner. In the case of UPSC, this means a manner that is highly rewarding in terms of marks. The interviewer usually seeks your opinion on a particular topic. It is up to you to present your opinion in a manner that is worthy of a civil servant. It must incorporate clear logic, constitutional values and character traits desirable from a member of the civil service. This is where your creativity must kick in. Remember, that here too, everyone’s level of information is roughly the same, it is the way it is presented that makes a difference.
So, it is abundantly clear that one must keep the creative juices flowing and not limit oneself to the confines of narrow thought dictated by others. We hope that it helps you prepare well for the exam.
All the best.