‘EINSTEIN ONCE QUIPPED, “GENIUS IS 1 PERCENT TALENT AND 99 PERCENT HARD-WORK,” AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN IT’
The KIPS Bureau spoke with Mr. Iqbal (merit number 182) about his CSS adventure, his rise to success and his views on the philosophy of hard-work. But he also spoke about his strategy with which he miraculously managed to pass the exams; The KIPS Bureau has included that portion of the conversation below.
Aakif Iqbal is all too aware of the staggering odds he had defied in making his success, but his achievement truly hit home upon greeting him at the KIPS. The measure of the remarkable success he made when he dared to take on the Central Superior Service (CSS) exams was starkly illustrated when he shook hands with us. His eyes still gleamed with a piercing strength of purpose but beneath them his mind still carried the strength. Before that big day of his life he was lauded as one of the best of his generation and was proving it.
Even now on the eve of his return to the campus interview, it seemed hard to believe he had still vividly remembered the daunting days he had prepared for the exams. Yet, for Mr. Iqbal it was the psychological battle that proved to be the greatest challenge of his life.
The dynamic young man, who had once found himself lucky in the World Bank training programme, in partnership with Karachi’s Institute of Business Administration, did his bachelor’s in computer engineering at Peshawar’s University of Engineering & Technology in 2010, followed by a master’s degree in engineering management two years later at the National University of Sciences and Technology.
Talking about his exam preparation era, Mr. Iqbal had made the decision to pick his optional subjects which were European history, public administration, international law, sociology, and journalism to see how far he could push his luck. ‘A candidate should never jump into picking a subject without due homework. This is perhaps the most important part in making the critical decision towards the exams,’ he says.
By 2014, his indomitable refusal to accept defeat was rewarded when he devised his own strategy to tackle the exams, and it was revelatory. ‘Primarily, I joined the academy to get familiar with the overall concept of the CSS. The academy did me a favour in how to go about selecting the subjects and studying them. Once I got the basic familiarity with the subjects and content, I got down to preparing my own notes and my own daily study schedule,’ he says.
When the topic of his preparation time came up, Mr. Iqbal, who had managed to score 627 in written and 139 in the interview though he hit the highest scores in European history (130) and international law (67), sounded more philosophical. ‘In my opinion, a minimum of four to six months is needed to cover the entire course. Students should never rely on the academy alone and instead they should formulate their own time-table by dividing days against each subject and topics every day. Often some students deliberately delay sitting for the exams by years because of the fear they have in them. Fear never opens up and unlocks one’s mind to see that maybe he or she can do it.’
This ability to adjust to a new way of life proved to be one of his greatest assets in the real struggle, as he fought what might have been debilitating setbacks during his preparation days. He goes on to saying, ‘Time management is an important factor in all subjects. Students should already know that each question carries equal weight, thus giving each equal time. Stats, facts, dates and other related data are an important part of most of the papers, allowing to reducing monotony in writing out long paragraphs.’
SPEECH BUBBLE
‘Through the years the KIPS has propelled deserving candidates to success’
Aakif Iqbal
Part of the pleasure before taking on the exams is the exciting period of his great experience he had with the KIPS and he boldly admits it, saying that without his faculty’s assistance and guidance he might have been more like a lame duck. ‘Through the years the KIPS has propelled deserving candidates to success. For the same reason, it does stand as one of the pioneers as well as the market leaders that produce civil servants every year. The KIPS employs a wide variety of professional and seasoned bureaucrats as faculty who impart their valuable input through their interaction with students in their routine lectures. I must confess the KIPS’ bench strength with regard to the standard of teaching makes it second to none. On top of that, the Global Age publishes interviews of successful candidates sharing their stories. I say that is a mammoth motivation for the younger candidates.’
During his ser...