Interview with Ms Apeksha- AIR 11th Rank in CS Professional

 

Hearty Congratulations Apeksha for getting All India 11^th rank in CS Professional. What is your graduation? When did you start the CS Course? How long it took to complete the course?

Thank you for your wishes.

I have studied Bcom Professional at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

I started CS along with Bcom.

CS Foundation 2017-AIR 20.

CS Executive -2018

CS Professional 2019- AIR 11.

Hence, it took me around three years to complete CS.

Did you attend any oral coaching classes or did self study?

I enrolled for CS Foundation and Executive classes to understand the depth and scope of the subjects. However, did self study for CS professional with the study material provided by the institute.

Tell us the total period/ time that you prepared for CS Professional. Also, how many revisions are required to get good marks in CS exams?

I dedicated around 5-6 months for CS professional.

Initially, I gave around 20 days for each subject and set a topic-wise time table. This helped me understand the vastness of the syllabus and also I understood the chapters that were easier for me to focus on. Therefore, I made notes on the main chapters and revised more of those to ensure that I gain the maximum marks in them.

Further, I ensured that the last 20 days before exams were for revision. It is important to attempt question papers to understand time management. I was not able to get the right answers during revision. However, this helped to be calmer in the exam hall to think and answer effectively.

Pl share your views on How to prepare and Present for Module 1 – paperwise.

Drafting - There are common points that appears in drafting lease deeds, rental agreements and so on. I ensured that I have common points in drafting for such types of deeds, agreements etc.

That apart, I made brief notes of the chapters that I could remember and revised it. The questions asked here are technical hence noted are required here.

Ethics- It is similar to the above. Business ethics and governance is a dry subject in terms of theoretical and conceptual understanding  The concepts here are inter related and also has references to legal provisions.

 Hence short notes will benefit.

Tax- This subject has a vast syllabus, both in terms of numericals and theory.  Because taxation in CS Executive tests more of theory, I focused on numbericals for this paper. I went through the rest of theory to have an idea and understand the concepts in overview. This helped me attempt theory questions.

Further, do brush up Personal Taxation concepts which you have studied from CS Executive as part II of the papers has questions related to this topic.

Kindly share your thoughts- paperwise for Module 2; We find lot of students struggle in this group. Any specific reasons and suggestion to overcome the difficulties.

I find that group 2 has the most common concepts related to group 1 and 3. While I was confident of getting the highest marks in Group 2, I scored the least in this group. Constant revision of concepts and concise answer writing helps to gain maximum marks here.

Your suggestions for Module 3. There are 2 open book in this module. Give specific emphasis on how to prepare for Open book exams.

Module 3 tests the conceptual understanding of the candidate. Hence, the aim must be to show the examiner that the candidate knows the provisions/concepts and has the ability to interpret case laws. Do not focus on the number of books others carry to the exam hall. Be clear with your syllabus.

Pl share general tips on how to Prepare & Present in CS exams.

Have a timetable balanced with study and relaxation. Ensure to not get bogged down by the syllabus.  Before starting your preparation, go through the entire syllabus of each subject. Form an idea of the chapters in each subject that will help to gauge what are your strengths and focus areas in each subject.

Most of the candidates stress over the vastness of the syllabus. However, focus on the majority of the potions that can be covered and aim to get the maximum marks in that.

Further, take sufficient breaks, preferably in the weekends and take efficient hours of sleep.

If possible, have a mind map and small notes with key words which you can have a look for quick revision. Visualization helps in better retention and answer writing.

For writing the answers, follow the simple approach of Opening-Body-Conclusion. This is highly recommended for descriptive type of questions.

In questions related to case laws and/or provisions, follow the approach of Facts-Provisions- Conclusions. Start with the facts or case given in the question. Follow it with your understanding of the provisions/interpretations as required and end it with a concluding statement in 2-3 sentences.

Allocate time for answer writing according to the marks of the questions. Accordingly, the length of the answers must be in accordance with the marks allotted. A four mark questions can be a page and a 8-10 major questions can be 1.5-2 pages.

Hope this would help you to start off your CS journey. All the best in your future endeavours.

Interview: CS Mohan Kumar, Council Member ICSI