In Conversation with Yasir Rizwan, 12th in Punjab, PMS 2016

I recommend the aspirants not to skip the GK and list of monthly events given in chronological order in JWT.

Jahangir’s Wor ld Times (JWT): First of all, please tell us about your educational background?

Yasir Rizwan (YR): My early education has been from different Fazaia Colleges. I did BS (Hons.) in Botany from University of Sargodha with distinction (Gold Medal) and MPhil in Botany from the same University.

JWT: How much helpful did you find Jahangir’s World Times (JWT) during your preparation?

YR: I regularly read JWT magazine. I found it very much beneficial for exam preparation, especially for General Knowledge paper. I recommend the aspirants not to skip the GK and list of monthly events given in chronological order in JWT.

JWT: What, in your opinion, is the key to getting through compulsory papers especially the General Knowledge paper?

YR: Answers supported with relevant facts, figures, graphs and proper headings are very much effective in getting good score. As for GK, I divided the syllabus into several portions like Physical Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, IT, etc., and then made notes for each portion.

JJWT: How one should choose Optional Subjects?

YR: The aspirants mostly go after the scoring trend and ignore other important aspects from their special aptitude for a certain subject to consulting the past papers. Sometimes, past papers expose the true nature of the subject whether an aspirant could handle it judiciously, according to his aptitude, or not.

JWT: How did you prepare your notes?

YR: In the beginning, I selected one comprehensive book for each subject and made short notes. Then, after developing concepts, I kept adding material from different sources to my notes.

JWT: Is it better to attempt optional papers in Urdu or one should go with English only? 

YR: I suggest attempting optional papers in English as good books are available on all the subjects in English. Moreover, majority of students study for their bachelors and masters in the same mode of instruction.

JWT: How answers should be written to get maximum marks in written part?

YR: While attempting questions, paper presentation, including relevancy of material supplemented by facts and figures, matters a lot. The examiner may get annoyed of irrelevant and lengthy texts. This can be tackled by using proper headings.

JWT: Should there be some word limit while writing answers?

YR: It is not necessary. All questions must be answered in a balanced way and they should be properly concluded, but anything central to prove the desired point must not be skipped.

JWT: How did you structure your Essay?

YR: I attempted essay on water and energy crisis and instead of going into detailed history of the topic, I analyzed the current scenario and presented the way forward with relevant facts and figures. As outline casts first and most important impression of the essay, I kept this in mind and spent a lot of time on making outline more attractive in a well-sequenced and structured way.

JWT: What was your strategy for the General Knowledge paper?

YR: As I have already mentioned, I divided GK syllabus into different portions for making notes. The candidates should attempt only those questions about which they are sure because answering questions on the basis of rough idea can negatively impact the score.

JWT: How was your interview with the PPSC panellists? 

YR: I had prepared a lot for the interview which gave me huge confidence. During the interview, I tried to control my nerves and instead of getting confused by giving wrong answers, I simply said “sorry”.

JWT: What were the questions you found challenging during the interview? 

YR: I found questions from optional subjects, especially Punjabi, very challenging as I did not have a background in it. But, I overcame that situation by giving answers to the questions in a more rational way.

JWT: Who deserves the credit for your success?

YR: My parents and my teachers as they chipped into my capacity building and shed my fears to face competition. I owe a great deal also to Sir Imran in Sargodha.

Tips

Answered supported with relevant facts, figures, graphs and proper headings are very much effective in getting good score.