From last many months, several CSS aspirants have approached me for guidance on ‘General Science and Ability’, a compulsory subject in CSS exam. After English essay paper, many candidates struggle in the Ability portion of the subject which is totally based on mathematical concepts.
Usually, the candidates do not focus on the basics of mathematics, thus failing to score good marks. I have personally witnessed many graduates, who have expertise in their relevant fields, but when it comes to mathematics they feel hesitated and confused. In the exam days, they rely on rote based learning, which does not work for mathematics. When slight changes are made to the questions, they struggle to perform well due to lack of conceptual understanding. As a result, many perceive mathematics as difficult and argue that it should be excluded for students with arts background.
As a mathematics instructor, I suggest that all the students, who want to appear in any competitive exam, should avoid the expensive mathematics courses from academies. Instead of attending these courses, they should go through the mathematics books of grade six, seven and eight. A majority of the exam questions are based on concepts of these levels. These books will strengthen their concepts and they will pass the subject with ease. Moreover, this formula holds for all those students who want to polish their mathematical skills of problem solving.
With solid understanding of mathematics no one will find mathematics as a boring and hard subject, but a rewarding and interesting one.
Mehboob Khan
Pishin
