How to Prepare For KAS

Oct 28
20:08

2020

Ryan Yash

Ryan Yash

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For recruitment to posts belonging to Group A and B in various departments, including the Karnataka Administrative Service and the Karnataka State Police Service, the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) conducts a statewide Civil Services Examination which is a competitive examination called KAS Examination.

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A candidate should be a graduate,How to Prepare For KAS Articles and must be above 21 years of age, (does not exceed 35 years of age) can appear for the exam. Each eligible candidate gets a maximum of 5 attempts and some candidates can make additional attempts. 

 

Before you start with the preparations, you should be completely acquainted with the KAS exam pattern. There are 3 main stages for the exam- The preliminary stage, main stage and the final stage-personality test. The KAS preliminary stage consists of two objective type papers, whereas the main exam is a written examination which consists of 8 papers in total. The paper is set in both English and in Kannada. For each incorrect answer, 0.25marks are deducted. Then the qualified candidates have to attend a personality test or interview by the commission board. There are no minimum qualifying marks for an interview and it carries 250 marks. 



How to Prepare for the KAS Exam?

 

If you’ve decided to appear for the KAS examination, yet not sure of how to start your preparation, here’s a rundown of the essential preparatory steps. 

 

Also read: Complete Guide To UPSC Preparation

How to Prepare For IAS Effectively

How to Crack IAS in First Attempt

Online IAS Coaching Academy

 

 

Have a Strategy

 

Even though there is no single way to prepare, having a strategy will be beneficial. You can follow the below-mentioned steps:

 

Understand KAS Syllabus

 

 Considering its vast syllabus, you should begin your preparation at least one year in advance. Reading the syllabus is essential since you won’t waste your time reading irrelevant topics.

 

You have to thoroughly understand the syllabus and mostly the KAS syllabus covers a number of topics, ranging from Indian constitution, economy, geography, art and culture, and history, and should emphasise more on topics related to the state of Karnataka. Cover topics such as the current affairs related to Karnataka, New schemes by the Karnataka government, the history of Karnataka, and the Geography of Karnataka. Based on your preference, you can choose to have your KAS preparation either in English or in Kannada. 

 

Curate a list of standard books, based on the subject and your optionals and purchase them. Make sure that you buy quality materials. Make sure that you’re buying books recommended specifically for preparation for KAS examination.

 

Make a Timetable

 

Sometimes you won’t be able to dedicate an entire day for KAS preparation, because of your work or other commitments. But when you begin your preparation, you have to concentrate entirely on your preparation and restrict everything else around you. Consistency also makes all the difference and therefore sticking to a timetable will assuredly help you in this direction. Make sure that you distribute time equally to all the sections, and always stick to that timetable. 

 

Read Newspapers 

 

Make sure that the timetable includes some time for newspaper reading. Regular newspaper reading will improve your general awareness and you will understand a broad range of issues too. With this, you can answer all the questions in all the stages- Preliminary, main and also for the interview. But you should focus more on all state-related issues. Regular newspaper reading will also help improve your English fluency, which will benefit you for all the three stages- Preliminary, main and for the interview. You should also focus on the style of writing while you read the newspaper as well. 

 

Prepare the notes by dividing all the topics. But make sure that you constantly update the notes when the follow-up of a particular news piece appears in the newspaper on the next day. It’s important to not just read the newspaper alone, but also stay up-to-date with the current affairs as well. Make sure that you’re reading current affairs only from trusted sources. 





Attempt Mock Tests

 

A lot of candidates overlook the importance of answer writing practise 

and attempting mock tests. But actually, both these practices are a part of KAS preparation and not to test how much you have prepared. By Attempting mock tests regularly and practising writing answers, you will realise what to skip and what to study. You get a lot of benefits by attempting mock tests- it increases your accuracy, helps in self-assessment, enhances question-solving skills, and help correct your mistakes. 

 

Refer Previous Year KAS Question Papers 

 

You should also go through the previous year questions asked in preliminary and in Mains. Referring to previous question papers gives you a clear-cut idea of KPSC requirements, and needless to say, they are the best example questions. They also give you an idea of the importance of each topic, in the syllabus. Added to that, trend analysis of the previous year KAS question papers is fundamental for preparation. 



Coaching

 

Even though it’s not particularly necessary to join a coaching institute, 

Enrolling in an experienced coaching institute of repute will help you cut short the time involved for KAS preparation. You can avail study material from such institutes, and they also organise mock tests and routine tests and provide guidance that will definitely add to your preparation. Make sure that you don’t miss out the tests organised by the coaching institutes. But if you’re not able to attend coaching institutes, then the internet is always at your disposal- a lot of portals offer study material regularly, which is vital for the KAS exam. You should subscribe to mock tests and solve all of them, which helps improve your performance. 

 

Revision 

 

The best and effective way to recall what you have learnt so far, is through revision. Considering the vast KAS syllabus, you should revise regularly. You can save a lot of valuable note if you make brief notes, lists, and tables beforehand so that you can quickly revise prior to the exam. The note should include everything ranging from the important topics, events, formula and even dates. Make sure that you keep those brief notes with yourself. You can utilise the last 2 months prior to the exam for revision and also for solving previous year question papers. 

 

Discussion 

 

Even though it’s not particularly necessary to engage in a discussion but 

if you do, you get a broader perspective on the subject matter when you discuss everything you have learnt with your peers. Added to that with discussions help retain what you have learnt too!

 

But something that you shouldn’t forget is to have sufficient sleep, regular exercise and to have some fun at times. Getting sufficient sleep is essential as it not just help you study for longer hours, but helps maintain focus as well. You will find it quite difficult to go back to studies unless you don’t give yourself a break. Therefore you should engage in some constructive activities as well. 



If you have complete dedication, you can succeed in the KAS exam. Even though it’s possible to clear KAS through self-preparation, having personal guidance, which is trustworthy enough, can make your journey a bit easier. The exam process goes on for a year. So it’s essential that you maintain a steady dedication throughout the KAS exam process.