What is the Pakistani dream? Most people want their life to be full of resources, with a high standard of living. A venerable post to be seated on, a smart salary package, felicitous job nature, a secure working environment and gratuitous perks are the demands of the current generation. A government job promises to fulfill all this and more! That’s the purpose behind a CSS aspirant’s long years of hard work, endurance and constant patience. Isn’t it fair enough to give their best to get the best? It is often seen that we give up on our goal when we are closest to it, when we actually need to have a breakthrough in our plans, methods of preparation and our attitude. If CSS candidates want to achieve their goal, they are required to do the same things differently from others. CSS is the toughest examination in Pakistan, leading up to the most prestigious and powerful positions in the country. Almost all the graduates want to be civil servants. Students keep preparing themselves for this long journey. It is interesting to note that only a few hundred out of thousands qualify the written portion of the exam. This indicates the quality of education at our schools, colleges and universities. There are number of reasons behind the failure of university graduates in the competitive examination. It is quite a common practice to pin hopes on a bunch of books and study material rather than focusing on the quality of the same. The aspirants need to know that they have to acquire apt knowledge to get into their dream job. There is no harm in acquiring additional knowledge but prudently it will be wise to do so when they have plenty of time. They should build their trust in one or two sources of study material of a particular subject. Instead of reading from various books or content, they should study and grasp the subject from one book by practicing with it a number of times. Students often rely on other successful candidates’ notes.It has to be understood though that everyone’s technique of learning process varies widely. Each brain is designed differently. The way one captures from a single study content can be different from the other. It is not necessary that the same advices would work for all aspirants as their time distinction, dealing with tricks and techniques and approach towards a single topic could vary. Their skill scales might be sharper than other potential candidates’. Some may get the whole concept in only a few handy notes while it couldn’t be so for the others. However, in the end, it is the will not the skill that decides the outcome. If one stays the course,even an average mind can beat a brilliant one with hard work. It all comes down to how badly one wants it. People have their daily life distractions. These distractions of the present might just become the reasons of their failure in future. Is it not a smart decision to work harder for now and live one’s whole life enjoying success, rather than wasting time helter-skelter and regretting it later? Turn these distractions into a fuel to boost yourself.Instead of searching for useless videos on YouTube, look for exam preparation videos; instead of leaving worthless comments, ask your queries, instead of being a part of impertinent social groups, join online study groups. Students expect success too early. The factors success demands in one’s attributes includes patience too. They are, at times, well prepared to come across all the obstacles but then they become an obstacle to themselves with a fragile attitude and a lack of perseverance. Students are not honest with themselves. They usually become inspired for a while and then get back to the same old track. They start lying to themselves. Each day’s hard work counts in the final result. A person needs to ask oneself first if this is what he actually dreams of, not just for the sake of meeting requirements or demands of others. And then chase your goal like it is the only thing in the world that matters. Stop telling yourself that there is enough time to start, to plan, to proceed. Unsuccessful aspirants do lots of material hunting, both offline and online. Offline, they inquire and purchase all feasible books and magazines. Online, they join all possible discussion forums, WhatsApp groups and so on. According to a research study, people forget 77% of what they learn in the next six days. Entertainment materials (like movies, songs, gossips, etc.) tend to be easier to remember than productive and intellectual material. Unsuccessful candidates focus more on relatable and entertainment material and avoid the cognitive pain of reading and revising syllabus. They don’t have a proper schedule to revise previously covered topics in coaching/self. They just keep going without looking back. It is important to remember “to ensure success in any examination, one needs to plan, execute, revise and most importantly enjoy whole preparation journey.”Try to face the situation with a strong willpower rather than avoiding or escaping from it. If the students keep their faith, their trust, the right attitude, and if they’re grateful, they’ll see new doors of opportunities and success opening up on their own. CSS aspirants should always bear in mind that the competition is tough for everyone; you are not the only one who has to fight Reading different books for grabbing material is important but how to read the book is a difficult job. The way questions are asked in exams and the way they’re solved in books are totally different. In books, authors try to explain every step in depth whereas in exams the students need to solve questions using their analytical skill. The analytical skills are lacking in Pakistani students. CSS aspirants should always bear in mind that the competition is tough for everyone; you are not the only one who has to fight against it.Second, no one is inferior to anyone as one might get a lead over you in a particular subject but they might be weaker in another subject that you are excellent at. Third, every weakness can be turned into strength once worked upon efficiently. Fourth, if they keep practicing with the test series on a regular basis, no competitive examination seems outlandish to them because they are already used to facing that interface. Fifth, time can be managed by working on their schedule and planning their study hours out. Remember,hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. The writer is PhD Scholar in Media and Crime and can be reached at fastian.mentor@gmail.com Published in Daily Times, June 9th 2018.