IAS -The toughest Competitive Examination of India

Leave a Comment / General / By Anuradha Mandal / January 30, 2021

Why Indian Administrative Services (IAS) – The toughest examination in India of 2021.

This exam has been one of the toughest examinations in India for several years and the story remains the same for this year also.

This article will highlight the structure, pattern, and screening process. It will also make you go through the entire journey of an IAS aspirant.

Indian Administrative Services is commonly referred to as IAS.

Indian Administrative Services is one of the three arms of the Indian Services along with the Indian Police Services (IPS) and the Indian Forest Services(IFS).

Indian Administrative Services (IAS) is considered to be the hardest competitive examination in India. This is conducted by Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) for the recruitment of the officers in All India Administrative Civil Service. IAS was formerly known as the Imperial Civil Service(ICS).

It was founded in 1858 as Imperial Civil Service.

Later in 1950, it was changed to Indian Administrative Service.

The Indian Administrative Services (IAS) is the top-ranking administrative civil service of the Government of India.

The IAS exam is conducted every year by the central recruiting authority, Union Public Service Commission(UPSC).

IAS exam is popularly called as Civil Services Examination(CSE). Hierarchy-wise, IAS is the highest post among the other 24 services like IPS, IFS, etc.

Highlights Of Indian Administrative Services

Every year, UPSC conducts the Civil Service Examination(CSE) for more than 24 services, such as IAS, IPS, and IFS, by shortlisting the candidates.

More than nine lakh candidates register for the IAS exam and almost five lakh candidates appear for the examination.

The selection process goes through several screenings starting with the preliminary exam, main examination, and interview.

Selection is a year-long process that starts in the month of June and ends in April, and the final list comes in the month of May.

Name of the Exam	Civil Service Examination
Organizing Body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Level	National
Exam Mode	Paper and Pen-based( Offline)
Number of Vacancies	Approx. 900
Number of Services	24
Number of Attempts	6 times
Number of Registrations	Approx. 9Lakh
Admit Card	Online
Official Website	https://www.upsc.gov.in/

UPSC IAS Exam Notification & Important dates

The UPSC generally releases the date of the Civil Services Examinations notification in the month of February. Aspirants willing to appear for this All Indian Services along with other services can apply online by visiting the official website of UPSC.

Notification	Month
Civil Service Examination Advertisement	February
IAS- Online Application Form	February to March
IAS- Preliminary Admit Card	2nd Week of May
IAS- Preliminary Exam	October
IAS- Preliminary Result	November
IAS-Main Exam	January
IAS-Main Result	February
IAS-Interview	March to April
IAS-Final Result	May

Eligibility Criteria for an Indian Administrative Services

Nationality

The candidate must be a citizen of India to be eligible for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and The Indian Police Service (IPS), and for other services, the candidate must be either of the following

The candidate must be a citizen of India

The candidate must be a citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.

The candidate must be a Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, for settling permanently in India.

Candidates must be a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Myanmar, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire with the motive to settle permanently in India.

Educational Qualification

Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree from any of the recognized universities. There is no minimum percentage required in graduation.

Candidates who have appeared for the qualifying exam and are awaiting results are also eligible.

Candidates with professional and technical qualifications by recognized universities or their equivalent are also eligible to apply.

Age Limit & Number of Attempts

A candidate should be a minimum of 21 years and a maximum of 32 years to appear for the Civil Service Examination.

The maximum age mentioned above is relaxable for the following candidates :

Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST): 5 years
Other Backward Classes(OBC) : 3 Years
Defense Service Personnel : 3 years
Ex-servicemen and ECOs/SSCOs who have served at least 5 years in Military Service as on 1st of August of the Notification Year: 5 years
Blind, Deaf-mute and physically handicapped person: 10 Years.

Category	Maximum Age Limit	No of Attempts
General	32 Years	06
Other Backwards Castes (OBC)	35 Years	09
Economically Weaker Section(EWS)	32 Years	06
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST)	37 Years	Till the age limit
Physically disabled candidates	42 Years	For General and OBS candidates = 9 For SC/ST Candidates = Till age limit

IAS Officer: Roles & Responsibilities

The role of an Indian Administrative Services officer is challenging and it demands a lot of perseverance and responsibility.

IAS officer is mainly responsible for maintenance of law and order and administration of the area assigned.

Following are the main roles and responsibility of an Indian Administrative Service officer :

Handling the affairs of the Government consisting of framing, implementation, supervising, and reviewing of the policies.

Management and disbursement of the funds from the central government to different schemes.

Responding to the emergencies such as riots, natural disasters, accidents, curfew, and coordinating for the relief activities.

Responsible for overall expenditure, for which they are answerable to the Parliament and the State Legislature

Bestowed the power to manage the holistic development of the area assigned and ensuring the law and order are maintained in any circumstances.

The responsibility and function differ at different levels of career.

IAS officer joins initially at the sub-divisional level as Sub-divisional Magistrate.

Responsible for the overall development of the area under their control by coming up with the new innovation and strategic plan and programs.

The District Officer also known as the District Magistrate, District Collector is one of the reputed and respectable posts, which come with some years of experience.

They are also appointed in the State Secretariat or Public Sector Undertaking.

At times they also serve in different State and Central Departments through deputation.

Career Graph of Indian Administrative Service Officer

The highest position, an Indian Administrative Service officer can desire is the rank of Cabinet Secretary of India. At the State level, they can go up to the post of Chief Secretary of States. The following is the career path of an IAS Officer after the probation period:

ü Training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA)

ü Training at the district level in the assigned cadre.

ü Training at LBSNAA that includes some attachment with the foreign and India’s Diplomatic mission functioning abroad.

ü Posted as Sub Collector/ Joint Magistrate/ SDM

ü Posted as Municipal Commissioner, DDO/CDO

ü Posted as Collector/DM

ü Posted as Director/Joint Secretary at the State Secretariat.

ü Posted as Principal/Additional Secretary in the State Secretariat or Central Secretariat.

ü Posted as Chief Secretary of a State.

ü Posted as Cabinet Secretary.

Indian Administrative Service Exam Pattern

UPSC conducts the Indian Administrative Services exam in three levels as mentioned below. The candidate has to clear all the 3 exams successfully to get the offer letter from Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

1.Preliminary Test

2. Main Exam

3. Interview.

Stage One-Preliminary Test (400 Marks)

o The Preliminary Exam consists of GS (General Studies) & CSAT (Civil Service Aptitude Test).

o Both the papers are objective type (Multiple Choice Question)

o The question papers are set in Hindi and English language.

o Blind candidate gets an additional 20 minutes of time for both the paper.

o Candidate appearing in the preliminary test must qualify for the cut-off score to get oneself eligible for the mains exam.

o There is a negative marking associated with the question asked in the exam.

Paper	Type	Number of Questions	Total Marks	Negative Marking	Duration
General Studies I	Objective( MCQ)	100	200	Yes	2 Hours
General Studies II (CSAT)	Objective( MCQ)	80	200	Yes	2 Hours

Stage Two-Main Examination (2025 Marks)

Ø Candidates who qualify for the preliminary test are called for the Main Exam.

Ø Main exam consists of 9 papers.

Ø Paper A & B are qualifying in nature (Highlighted below)

Ø The candidate needs to obtain at least 25% in each of the Paper I to Paper VII to be given weightage to the Main Exam.

Ø Paper A is not compulsory for the candidate belonging to the State of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim as well as the candidate from hearing impairment provided the fact that they have been exempted from such 2nd or 3rd language courses from their board or university.

Ø The language paper consists of the languages included in the 8th schedule of the Constitution.

Ø All the paper is bilingual – Hindi & English except for the language papers.

The written exam consists of the following papers

Paper	Subject	Type	Duration	Total Marks
Paper A	One of the Indian Language	Descriptive	3 Hours	300
Paper B	English	Descriptive	3 Hours	300
Paper I	Essay	Descriptive	3 Hours	250
Paper-II	General Studies I	Descriptive	3 Hours	250
Paper III	General Studies II	Descriptive	3 Hours	250
Paper IV	General Studies III	Descriptive	3 Hours	250
Paper V	General Studies IV	Descriptive	3 Hours	250
Paper VI	Optional I	Descriptive	3 Hours	250
Paper VII	Optional II	Descriptive	3 Hours	250
Sub Total Marks				1750
Interview Marks				275
Grand Total Marks				2025

The subject which is covered in the General Studies in Main Exam is mentioned below :

General Studies I	General Studies II	General Studies III	General Studies IV
Indian Heritage and Culture	Governance	Technology	Ethics
History and Geography of the World	Constitution	Economic Development	Integrity
Society	Polity	Biodiversity	Aptitude
	Social Justice	Environment
	International Relations	Security and Disaster Management

The list of the Optional Paper VI and VII of the Main Exam is enumerated below:

Agriculture	Chemistry	History	Geography	Mathematics
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science	Political Science and International Relations	Mechanical Engineering	Commerce and Accountancy	Electrical Engineering
Anthropology	Psychology	Statistics	Physics	Economics
Botany	Sociology	Law	Medical Science	Geology
Zoology	Philosophy	Civil Engineering	Public Administration	Management
Literature can be opted from any of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English.

Stage Three- Interview (275 Marks )

The candidates who qualify for the mains exam of the Indian Administrative Services are called for the interview process.

This is the last and final stage of the recruitment cycle before the results are declared. The maximum mark in the interview is 275 thus accruing the total marks in the merit list to be 2025.

UPSC board takes the interview which consists of the competent panelist, who would judge the candidature on the following grounds :

v Mental Attentiveness

v Critical power of understanding

v Clear and Logical Interpretation

v Balance of Judgement

v Ability of social solidarity and leadership

v Intellectual and virtuous integrity

Career Planning plays an important role in shaping your career, so is the planning to choose the best suitable option for yourself. You need to focus on various aspects before jumping into a final decision.

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Please share your valuable inputs regarding the article. Also, help me develop other information guides by giving your suggestions.

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The Fundamentals of Content Writing : A Quick Overview for 2021

8 Comments / Content Writing / By Anuradha Mandal / January 20, 2021

Some topics create an urge to learn more about the very topics. But, when the same topic comes with several questions, the curiosity level increases exponentially.

And, this has happened to me, when I got a call from one of my friends and she bombarded me with lots of questions related to Content Writing like,

What is Content Writing?

Why is Content writing important?

How to learn Content Writing.

Her words kept haunting me for several days.

In fact, I was so puzzled, that I started collecting information related to Content Writing.

While I was gathering answers to reply to my friend, I thought to myself that there might be many others who might be in such situations, and maybe my piece of information can be a help to others as well.

So, I came up with an article on “The Fundamentals of Content Writing: A Quick Overview”

Let us first understand the meaning of Content. A fair understanding of Content can help us in understanding the concept of Content Writing.

According to Wikipedia, Content is Information and experiences created by individuals, institutions, and technology to benefit audiences in contexts that they value.

Content is also “ something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing or any of various arts”.

What is Content Writing?

The act of creating content for the internet by planning, writing, and editing web content. It helps in providing solutions for particular problems for a certain set of audiences.

Often Content is referred to be as a very broad term where you have to convey your message through words.

For Example, a digital marketer sets up a brand new website. He wishes to showcase his product and services, with their unique features and USP.

It will be his content that will help him in positioning his brand and create an image.

Content can be in various forms and can be used by blog posts, emails, scripts of the videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, and many more.

Content writing has several formats like,

A. Academic Writing Formats

Case Studies
CV Writing
Literature Reviews
Book Reviews

B. Copywriting Formats

Headlines
Web Pages & Blog Posts
Email Subject lines
Ads

C. Technical Writing Formats

Lab Reports
Engineering Design Reports
Project Reports
Quotation
Brochures

D. Business Writing Formats

Memos
Emails’
Meeting Agenda
Business Reports

Why is Content Writing important?

Informative and valuable content attracts the visitor to your site, which engages them with the value they are receiving.

This value creation and problem solution further increase their interest and trust, which ultimately converts them to becoming your customers.

Content is a very powerful skill showing promising results for a blog, website, or business as a whole.

The demand for content writing is increasing significantly in India. This is one main reason why Content writing jobs in India have taken a leap.

There is this new buzz on How to become a content writer and what are the most relevant scopes and opportunities

Opportunities of Content Writers

You will be surprised to know, that the scope and opportunities are humongous. You get a platter full of career choices and options.

Some of the career options available in India and across the globe are :

Copywriting: This is going to become the most highly paid job in digital marketing.
SEO Content Writers: SEO Content over content is more preferred.
Blog and Websites: You can set up your own blog and websites.
Sell your articles and Private Labels Rights (PLR) packages.
Freelancing: Start freelancing and become a Freelancer
Get Job: Become a Full-time or Part-time Content writer.
Start your own Agency
Write and Publish your own book
Offer courses and Internship programs.

You may have got some sense of the scopes and the opportunities of Content Writing.

Now, let’s understand how to become a content writer and what are the skills needed to become a good Content Writer.

A good content writer should possess and enhance the listed skills to make them look the best out of the rest.

1.Good Content writer should be good at different writing styles

Different services, products, and businesses have different needs and requirements. The writing style should relate to the respective services or business.

Blogging is commonly opinionated and friendly.

White Papers are long and descriptive. Ad copy is short and crisp. Sales copy is focused and persuasive. Press Releases are AP style.

2.Good Content Writer cannot choose any subject and start writing

Choosing the best subject matter can be done by Ideation. Ideation is a process of finding a subject, title, and outlook to write about. They have to :

Understanding their Audience: This is of utmost most importance.

Proper Keyword Research: This can be done by several tools available like Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Keyword Planner, and many more.

Competition Analysis: This cannot be neglected and can be done by many tools available.

Catchy title: Come up with a catchy title to attract the reader.

3.Good Content writers are original

Every work of a writer should be original and come out from their own thoughts.

Their own style and perspective make them unique. Plagiarized content is bad for the organization, even more, bad for SEO, and worst for you.

It is your own image that is at stake if you are not original with your own piece of content.

4.Good Content writer should have some basic Computer and Internet Skills

You don’t have to be an expert, just the basics of computer, internet, layout and formatting skills will be more than enough.

This can be in any of the forms like :

Online Research
Blog and website design
Logo design
Cover Page and eBook design
Proofread
Search Engine Optimization
Keyword Research

The skills mentioned will help you become a good content writer. Nevertheless, there are some more ingredients that can add to a better taste. These can act as a catalyst to make you more focused and specific.

Choose your Niche: Niche selection is predominantly done, on the basis of talent, passion, and market opportunities.

Build your authority: The best and the easiest way to do this is to run your own blog.

Build your social proof: Be active on forums, community and groups and start sharing your content. Provide value to gain social proof for yourself.

Start Freelancing: There is a huge demand and at the same time immense opportunity in freelancing.

The gig economy is flourishing and it soon will be dominant in India as well.

Upwork, Fiverr, Gigzoe, etc. are some of the few platforms for freelancers and gig workers.

Courses and Certification for Content Writing

If you want to kick start with this program, you can definitely go with the for short-term and certification courses.

There are many courses available online as well offline in India and across the globe. To name some:

Content Writing Mastery Program by Sanjay Shenoy
Udemy Content Writing Course
IIEDM, Mumbai
Coursera Content Writing Course
TBS The Brand Salon, Mumbai
Inventaq, Bangalore.

Becoming a better version of yours takes time, the same goes with Content Writing.

Even the diamond goes through fire to be the best version of it.

What you have to do is,

Read Read and Read, make this your habit.
Learn and keep learning, to be the best.
Write and write even more to put your thoughts into words.

These are the simplest mantras you should follow and imbibe.

I consider this quote from one of my mentors to be very promising. “Content without context is Useless”.

This article of his will definitely makes you understand the content in a better way.

Last but not the least, Content writing is just one element of Digital Marketing.

You should have a fair knowledge of digital marketing to become a successful content writer.

Join this magical program with just a CLICK.

Career path analysis helps you in getting the best road map. Get your career assessment test by appearing for the free student profiling process. https://eduxact.edumilestones.com/

Click the link below and get an exhaustive career report and book for a free counseling session. For Studying abroad in 15000+ across 20+ Countries visit the mentioned link.

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Please share your valuable inputs regarding the article. Also, help me develop other information guides by giving your suggestions.

You can comment in the section below for sharing your thoughts.

Highlights of New Education Policy-2020

2 Comments / General / By Anuradha Mandal / January 6, 2021

The New Education Policy 2020 was announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. This is the new era of the education system after several decades. This new education policy (NEP) has replaced the 34 years old of the National Policy of Education (NPE) of 1986.

This New Education Policy 2020 is a fallout of the Draft New Education Policy presented by a committee headed by Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, former Chairman ISRO.

The policy is an exhaustive and comprehensive framework for elementary education to higher education. This also focuses on vocational training in both the rural and urban parts of the country. The sole aim of the new policy is to transform India’s Education System by 2040.

The vision of the National Education Policy

National Education Policy 2020 envisions an India-centric education system that contributes directly to transforming our nation sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society by providing high-quality education to all.

Provision of the National Education Policy

The NEP 2020 enacts numerous changes in India’s education policy. It aims to increase state expenditure on education from around 4% to 6% of the GDP.

Key Focuses Changes and Objectives

1.Languages

The NEP 2020 laid the importance on mother tongue and regional languages to be the instruction of medium until class 5.

Sanskrit and Foreign languages will also be given emphasis.

No languages will be imposed on the students

2.New Pedagogy and Curriculum Framework

2.A: School Education

Foundation Stage:

This is divided into two stages- 3 years of preschool or Anganwadis, followed by classes 1 and 2 in primary school. It will be for 5 years for the age groups of 3-8 years.

The focus of the studies will be activity-based learning.

Preparatory Stage:

This will cover Classes 3 to 5, which will cover the age group of 8-11 years. At this level, there will be a gradual introduction of the subjects like speaking, reading, writing, physical education, Language, arts, science, and mathematics.

Middle Stage:

This will cover Classes 6 to 8, which will cover the age group of 11-14 years.

This level will introduce more abstract concepts in subjects like science, social sciences, arts, and humanities.

Secondary Stage:

This will cover Classes 9 to 12, which will cover the age group of 14-19 years. It is subdivided into two parts.

Class 9 and 10 in the first phase and classes 11 and 12 in the second phase. During these 4 years of study, multidisciplinary study along with deep and critical thinking will be inculcated.

Multiple options of subjects will be available for selection

2.B: Higher Education

NEP 2020, introduced a 4-year multidisciplinary undergraduate programme with multiple exit options. This will include professional and vocational areas and will be implemented as follows

A completion certificate after 1 year of study
A Diploma after completion of 2 years of study
A Bachelor’s degree after completion of 3 years of study
A 4 Year multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree.

M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy) courses will be discontinued.

A Higher Education Council of India (HECI) will be set to regulate higher education. HECI will have four verticals:

National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC), excluding the medical and legal education- Regulation of higher education including the teacher’s education.
General Education Council (GEC)- focuses on Standard-Setting-
Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC)- for Funding and financing of Universities and Colleges.
National Accreditation Council (NAC)- for Accreditation.

Other professional councils such as Veterinary Council of India, Council of Architecture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and National Council for Vocational Education and Training.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will now be conducting all the entrance examination across the country in addition to the JEE and NEET

The policy also emphasizes internationalize education in India.

Foreign Universities can now set up their campuses in India.

The fees for both the private and public universities will be fixed.

2.C: Teacher Education

To be eligible for becoming a teacher, one would have a 4-Year Bachelor of Education with the minimum requirement needed by 2030.

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) will frame a National Curriculum Framework for Teachers Education by 2021 and a National Professional Standards for Teachers by 2022.

SOME IMPORTANT FACTS TO BE NOTED :

The national education Commission will be headed by the Prime Minister of India.
Academic Bank of Credit is a digital storage of credits earned to help the students to resume education by using credits for further education.
National Research and Foundation to focus on improvement of research and innovation.
Special Education Zone, to focus on the education of the underrepresented groups in a disadvantaged region.
Gender Inclusion Fund for assisting the nation in the education of female and transgender children.

National Education Technology Forum, a platform to facilitate the exchange of ideas on the technology used to improve learning.

Comparison between National Education Policy (NEP), 2020

VS

National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986

NEW EDUCATION POLICY 2020	NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION 1986
Ministry of Education	Ministry of Human Resource Development
Gross Enrollment ratio -50% (2035)	Gross Enrollment ratio -26.3% (2018)
Format is 5+3+3+4	Format is 10+2
Age bracket Age 3-8 years Age 8-11 years Age 11-14 years Age 14-18 years	Age bracket Age 6-16 years Age 16-18 years
Exam to be conducted Class 3, 5, 8, 10 ,12	Exam conducted every year till Class 12
Board Exam- Twice a year and the format would be objective and descriptive	Board Exam- Once a year and the format was descriptive
The stream can be selected on the basis of the interest and desire	Only three streams for selection-Arts. Science & Commerce
One mandatory vocational subject at class 6-8	Not mandatory
Health card and checkup will be done	Health card and supplements program is already running
Three languages by State, Region, and choice of the students	Three languages -Hindi, English, and the regional language
Preparatory class Balvatika for children below the age of 5 – Only ECCE qualified teacher	Not applicable
Report cards to be evaluated by the teachers, peers, and students.	Report card to be evaluated by the teachers.
360-degree holistic report card for the students including the skills.
Coding to be taught from class 6 onwards	No such options available
E-Content in 8 languages	Lack of regional languages E-Content
Multiple entries and exit options for incomplete courses. The credit will be transferred through the Academic Bank of Credits	No such options available
Free boarding schools like JNV for poor students
National Scholarship Portal for SC, ST, OBC, and SEDG.	National Scholarship Portal for SC, ST, OBC, and SEDG.
Minimum qualification for teaching- 4 years integrated B.Ed. degree.	No such options available
IITs will include multidisciplinary streams like Arts, Humanities, etc.	No such options available
Four options for higher studies 1 Year -Diploma 2 Year- Advanced Diploma 3 Year- Graduation 4 Year -Graduation with research	Four options for higher studies 1 Year -Diploma 2 Year- Advanced Diploma 3 Year- Graduation 4 Year -Graduation with research
After graduation, a Master’s degree with 1 or 2 years of research options are available	After graduation, a Master’s degree with 1 or 2 years of research options are available
M. Phil is discontinued. A doctorate can be pursued after Masters	First M. Phil then Doctorate can be pursued.
Controlling authority: Divided into 4 parts 5. Regulation- National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) 6. Standard-Setting- General Education Council (GEC) 7. Funding- Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) 8. Accreditation- National Accreditation Council (NAC)	Controlling Authority: Some are below 1. UGC 2. AICTE(Technical) 3. ICAR (Agriculture) 4. BCI (Legal) 5. CCIM (Medical) 6. ICAI 7. CBSE 8. NCERT etc.
New academic session to begin in September-October 2020

Glossary

Acronym	Definition
ABC	Academic Bank of Credit
AI	Artificial Intelligence
AC	Autonomous degree-granting College
AEC	Adult Education Centre
API	Application Programming Interface
AYUSH	Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy
B.Ed.	Bachelor of Education
BEO	Block Education Officer
BITE	Block Institute of Teacher Education
BoA	Board of Assessment
BoG	Board of Governors
B.Voc	Bachelor of Vocational Education
CABE	Central Advisory Board of Education
CBCS	Choice Based Credit System
CBSE	Central Board of Secondary Education
CIET	Central Institute of Educational Technology
CMP	Career Management and Progression
CoA	Council of Architecture
CPD	Continuous Professional Development
CRC	Cluster Resource Centre
CWSN	Children With Special Needs
DEO	District Education Officer
DIET	District Institute of Education and Training
DIKSHA	Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing
DSE	Directorate of School Education
DST	Department of Science and Technology
ECCE	Early Childhood Care and Education
EEC	Eminent Expert Committee
GCED	Global Citizenship Education
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
GEC	General Education Council
GER	Gross Enrolment Ratio
GFR	General Financial Rule
HECI	Higher Education Commission of India
HEGC	Higher Education Grants Council
HEI	Higher Education Institutions
ICAR	Indian Council of Agricultural Research
ICHR	Indian Council of Historical Research
ICMR	Indian Council of Medical Research
IGNOU	Indira Gandhi National Open University
IIM	Indian Institute of Management
IIT	Indian Institute of Technology
IITI	Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation
ISL	Indian Sign Language
ITI	Industrial Training Institute
M.Ed.	Master of Education
MBBS	Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
MERU	Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities
MHFW	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
MoE	Ministry of Education
MOOC	Massive Open Online Course
MWCD	Ministry of Women and Child Development
NAC	National Accreditation Council
NAS	National Achievement Survey
NCC	National Cadet Corps
NCERT	National Council of Educational Research and Training
NCF	National Curriculum Framework
NCFSE	National Curriculum Framework for School Education
NCFTE	National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education
NCIVE	National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education
NCPFECCE	National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education
NCTE	National Council for Teacher Education
NCVET	National Council for Vocational Education and Training
NETF	National Educational Technology Forum
NGO	Non-Governmental Organization
NHEQF	National Higher Education Qualifications Framework
NHERC	National Higher Education Regulatory Council
NIOS	National Institute of Open Schooling
NIT	National Institute of Technology
NITI	National Institution for Transforming India
NPE	National Policy on Education
NPST	National Professional Standards for Teachers
NRF	National Research Foundation
NSQF	National Skills Qualifications Framework
NSSO	National Sample Survey Office
NTA	National Testing Agency
ODL	Open and Distance Learning
PARAKH	Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic development
PCI	Pharmacy Council of India
PhD	Doctor of Philosophy
PTR	Pupil-Teacher Ratio
RCI	Rehabilitation Council of India
RPWD	Rights of Persons with Disabilities
SAS	State Achievement Survey
SCDP	School Complex/Cluster Development Plans
SCERT	State Council of Educational Research and Training
SCF	State Curricular Framework
SCMC	School Complex Management Committee
SDG	Sustainable Development Goal
SDP	School Development Plan
SEDG	Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Group
SEZ	Special Education Zone
SIOS	State Institutes of Open Schooling
SMC	School Management Committee
SQAAF	School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework
SSA	Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
SSS	Simple Standard Sanskrit
SSSA	State School Standards Authority
STEM	Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
STS	Sanskrit Through Sanskrit
SWAYAM	Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds
TEI	Teacher Education Institution
TET	Teacher Eligibility Test
U-DISE	Unified District Information System for Education
UGC	University Grants Commission
VCI	Veterinary Council of India

Abbreviations

ABC Academic Bank of Credit

AI Artificial Intelligence

AC Autonomous degree-granting College

AEC Adult Education Centre

API Application Programming Interface

AYUSH Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy

B.Ed. Bachelor of Education

BEO Block Education Officer

BITE Block Institute of Teacher Education

BoA Board of Assessment

BoG Board of Governors

BRC Block Resource Centre

B.Voc Bachelor of Vocational Education

CABE Central Advisory Board of Education

CBCS Choice Based Credit System

CBSE Central Board of Secondary Education

CIET Central Institute of Educational Technology

CMP Career Management and Progression

CoA Council of Architecture

CPD Continuous Professional Development

CRC Cluster Resource Centre

CWSN Children With Special Needs

DAE Department of Atomic Energy

DBT Department of Biotechnology

DEO District Education Officer

DIET District Institute of Education and Training

DIKSHA Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing

DSE Directorate of School Education

DST Department of Science and Technology

ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education

EEC Eminent Expert Committee

GCED Global Citizenship Education

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GEC General Education Council

GER Gross Enrolment Ratio

GFR General Financial Rule

HECI Higher Education Commission of India

HEGC Higher Education Grants Council

HEI Higher Education Institutions

ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research

ICHR Indian Council of Historical Research

ICMR Indian Council of Medical Research

ICT Information and Communication Technology

IDP Institutional Development Plan

IGNOU Indira Gandhi National Open University

IIM Indian Institute of Management

IIT Indian Institute of Technology

IITI Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation

ISL Indian Sign Language

ITI Industrial Training Institute

M.Ed. Master of Education

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

MERU Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities

MHFW Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

MHRD Ministry of Human Resource Development

MoE Ministry of Education

MOOC Massive Open Online Course

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

Phil Master of Philosophy

MWCD Ministry of Women and Child Development

NAC National Accreditation Council

NAS National Achievement Survey

NCC National Cadet Corps

NCERT National Council of Educational Research and Training

NCF National Curriculum Framework

NCFSE National Curriculum Framework for School Education

NCFTE National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education

NCIVE National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education

NCPFECCE National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education

NCTE National Council for Teacher Education

NCVET National Council for Vocational Education and Training

NETF National Educational Technology Forum

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NHEQF National Higher Education Qualifications Framework

NHERC National Higher Education Regulatory Council

NIOS National Institute of Open Schooling

NIT National Institute of Technology

NITI National Institution for Transforming India

NPE National Policy on Education

NPST National Professional Standards for Teachers

NRF National Research Foundation

NSQF National Skills Qualifications Framework

NSSO National Sample Survey Office

NTA National Testing Agency

OBC Other Backward Classes

ODL Open and Distance Learning

PARAKH Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic development

PCI Pharmacy Council of India

PFMS Public Financial Management System

Ph. D Doctor of Philosophy

PSSB Professional Standard Setting Body

PTR Pupil Teacher Ratio

R&I Research and Innovation

RCI Rehabilitation Council of India

RPWD Rights of Persons with Disabilities

SAS State Achievement Survey

SC Scheduled Caste(s)

SCDP School Complex/Cluster Development Plans

SCERT State Council of Educational Research and Training

SCF State Curricular Framework

SCMC School Complex Management Committee

SDG Sustainable Development Goal

SDP School Development Plan

SEDG Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Group

SEZ Special Education Zone

SIOS State Institutes of Open Schooling

SMC School Management Committee

SQAAF School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework

SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

SSS Simple Standard Sanskrit

SSSA State School Standards Authority

ST Scheduled Tribe(s)

STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

STS Sanskrit Through Sanskrit

SWAYAM Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds

TEI Teacher Education Institution

TET Teacher Eligibility Test

U-DISE Unified District Information System for Education

UGC University Grants Commission

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UT Union Territory

VCI Veterinary Council of India

Career path analysis helps you in getting the best road map. Get your career assessment test by appearing for the free student profiling process. https://eduxact.edumilestones.com/

Click the link below and get an exhaustive career report and book for a free counseling session. For Studying abroad in 15000+ across 20+ Countries visit the mentioned link.

Click: Start Study Abroad Profiling to get access to 15000+ Universities across 20+ Countries

Please share your valuable inputs regarding the article. Also, help me develop other information guides by giving your suggestions.

You can comment in the section below for sharing your thoughts.

Career Research and Its Importance

9 Comments / Career Counselling / By Anuradha Mandal / December 31, 2020

Do you know how important is Career and Career Research?

If your answer is ‘Yes’, Good to know that.

But in case your answer is ‘No’, then it’s advised to go through this article.

Ultimate Guide on Career Research — Download this in eBook Format

Meaning of Career

A career is what you do for a living and how you advance through a profession or company.

Career is the most integral element in everyone’s life and hence it is suggested that each one should choose it wisely.

Let us understand this by a very simple example.

For example, if you are good at Painting but you are not gaining any monetary benefits from it, then this will be considered as your hobby and not as your Career.

Similarly, if you start showcasing your artwork in exhibitions, art fairs, and festivals and start getting some reward out of it, then Painting becomes your Career.

You start your career at the age of around 23-28 years and work till the age of 60-65 years.

On average most, individuals have a Career life of around 40 years. You are going to invest 80% of your life’s time in the job or business which we call a Career.

According to the Career change statistics, an average person changes their Career about 5-7 times in their working life.

The study also shows that 80% of the working professionals are not happy and satisfied with the work they are doing.

There is a tendency to change the Career even after 10-15 years of experience.

Again, as per the survey, 93% of the Indian students are aware of only seven Career options out of 250+ Career options.

So, it is very important that you research properly before selecting the one. This can be taken care of by proper Career counseling and Career Research.

Benefits of Career Research

It helps us to make more informed decisions from others’ expertise and experience.

In the case of making career decisions Career Research is one way that renders support and constructive guidance in several ways :

Discovers your strength and weakness.
Sets objectives and goals.
Decides the right career
Provides good resources
Combat and minimizes the frustration and confusions
Getting useful support and motivation.

Career Research Process

Career Research Process is an ongoing process that happens in several steps. This is not a one-time job. This consists of the following stages:

Stage 1: Self-Assessment

This stage is where you need to self-assess yourself on various traits like your interests, skill sets, personality, etc. You can self-assess with the help of several tools and techniques.

These can be done with the help of some of the test mentioned below :

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Test
Emotional Quotient (EQ) Test
Adversity Quotient (AQ) Test
Aptitude Test & Personality Test includes the following tests

Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) /16 Personalities Test.
Test Color
DiSC Assessments
Berkeley Emotional Intelligence Test
PATH Assessment

Multiple Intelligence Test: This test involves the below-highlighted intelligence

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence
Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence
Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Interpersonal Intelligence
Naturalistic Intelligence
Existential Intelligence

The result of this test gives you a detailed and clear description of each intelligence.

Psychometric Test:

A psychometric test is an assessment to evaluate an individual’s overall performance and not restricted to skills, abilities, personality traits, and Job potential. Some of the best Psychometric test used widely are listed below:

The Meyer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
16 Personalities Factor
DiSC
Logical Reasoning Assessment
Numerical Reasoning Assessment
Verbal Reasoning Assessment.

After you have successfully completed these tests you come up with 5-10 Career options. This collected information will help you to make a decision.

This is the stage you need to take the help of your Parents, Teachers, Siblings, Mentor, etc. You need to narrow down your choices to 1-2 Career options.

Just, for instance, you came up with a final Career choice of Doctor and Lawyer.

Stage 2: Getting into their Shoes

You have to get into their Shoes to get an insight into the Career.

What you need to do is you need to approach these professionals and spend 1-2 days with them.

Take a sneak peek at their work, their daily activities, responsibilities, salary, lifestyle, and ask their opinion regarding work-life, culture, and the sense of satisfaction from their work.

Make a list of questions and ask them what made them select this Career or Professions and what kind of preparation they have taken to get into this field.

Also get to know about their skillset, interest, abilities, natural inclination, hobbies.

You have to collect the responses from these professionals. Make a report of it, study and analyze it.

Stage 3: Mapping the Information

The most important step, you need to start mapping the information collected from these professionals (Doctors and Lawyers) with the information collected from your self-assessment.

Stage 4: Overlapping

The overlapping section of the information between both the data mapped will help you in getting the best possible result.

This will draw a conclusion for you.

For example, you came with a final choice of becoming a Lawyer by Profession. Your Goal is finalized, now you need to reach that goal.

Stage 5: Taking Action

Start taking guidance from your Parents, Teachers, Mentor and make a roadmap to reach the set goal. There are several ingredients you need to work on to achieve your goal.

As you have finalized on becoming a Lawyer. Start to find the core subject for the same, what the different entrance examinations are for getting into Law School or Colleges, find out the eligibility criteria, list out the names best Colleges and Universities, find out the application and selection process, etc.

Stage 6: Implementation & Final Call

This is the final stage which focuses on the execution and implementation of all the above-mentioned steps. This is your Final Call to just go and grab the opportunity.

Myths related to Career Research

There are myths in almost everything surrounding us and Career counseling is not an exception. Today we are going to highlight some of the myths regarding Career counseling.

Myth 1: Choosing a Career is very simple and easy.

Myth 2: There is an age for Career Counselling.

Myth 3: Career counseling is only meant for school students.

Myth 4: Only unconventional careers need Career Counselling.

Myth 5: Career Counselling helps in getting jobs and placements.

Conclusion

Career Research is the most ignored practice by Students, Parents, Guardians, and Professionals. Though people find it not very important in reality, it should be considered as one of the vital practices.

It is the foundation that revolves around making the right academics and professionals.

Hope these have given you an in-depth knowledge of how to do Career Research before selecting the best fit for you.

It is advisable for each one to follow the process and get an insight into it before jumping into the final decision.

Career path analysis helps you in getting the best road map. Get your career assessment test by appearing for the free student profiling process. https://eduxact.edumilestones.com/

Click the link below and get an exhaustive career report and book for a free counseling session. For Studying abroad in 15000+ across 20+ Countries visit the mentioned link.

Click: Start Study Abroad Profiling to get access to 15000+ Universities across 20+ Countries

Please share your valuable inputs regarding the article. Also, help me develop other information guides by giving your suggestions.

You can comment in the section below for sharing your thoughts.

…

Career Research and Its ImportanceRead More »

Will the Concept of Career Counselling ever change the Mindset?

8 Comments / Career Counselling / By Anuradha Mandal / December 22, 2020

Have you ever given a thought to the concepts of Career Counselling and will it ever rule the mindset?

Career is of prime importance. A career is the most integral part of everyone’s life.

A career is an occupation or profession that one undertakes for a longer period in one’s life and derives a monetary benefit from it.

Let’s take an example to understand the meaning of a career in a layman’s language.

If you are good at Astrology but you do not gain any monetary benefits from it, then this will be considered as your hobby and not as your career. Similarly, if you start consulting your clients and start getting some reward out of it, then Astrology becomes your Career.

On average, most individuals have a career life of around 40 years. You are going to invest 80% of your life’s time in the job or business which we call a Career. According to the career change statistics, an average person changes their career about 5-7 times in their working life. As per the survey, 93% of the Indian students are aware of only seven career options out of 250+ career options.

So it is very important that you research properly before selecting the one. This can be taken care of by proper career counseling.

Career Counselling

Career Counselling is an ongoing process that happens in several steps. This is not a one-time job. So it should be taken under the guidance of a good Career Counsellor. This consists of the following stages:

Stage 1: Career Counselling -Initiation

This stage is very crucial and sensitive where the counselor has to develop the relationship and trust with the clients. This will help in getting to know about the students or clients.

The next step is to extract the information from the clients(Students/Parents etc.) and this can be done by the questionnaire and forms.

Stage 2: Exploration

In the second stage of Exploration, the client is asked to give their own detailed analysis regarding the career options. Proper assistance is given for exploring the detailed analysis of the students by taking some of the assessment tests mentioned below :

Intelligence Quotient ( IQ) Test.
Emotional Quotient (EQ) Test
Adversity Quotient (AQ) Test
Aptitude Test
Personality Test
Multiple Intelligence Test
SWOT Analysis Test
Psychometric Test

Upon successful completion of these tests, you come up with 5-10 career options. Once you reach this stage you need to take the help of your parents, teachers, siblings, and mentor. This will help you to narrow down your choices to 1-2 options.

Just, for instance, you came up with a choice of Doctors and Lawyers. Now, go and approach these professionals and spend 1-2 days with them.

Take a sneak peek at the kind of their work, their daily activities, salary, lifestyle, and their opinion regarding their work life.

Make a list of questions and ask them what made them select this career and what kind of preparation they have taken to get into this field. Also get to know about their skillset, interest, abilities, natural inclination, hobbies.

The next step is very important. Start mapping the information collected from these professionals (Doctors and Lawyers) with the information of your assessment results. This will help you to come to a conclusion.

Stage 3: Decision Making

At this stage, the counselor’s job is to bring the students and the parents together on a common platform. This is the most critical stage in decision making which involves the selection of the best fit from a range of alternatives.

Stage 4: Preparation

This is the action plan and is going to be the real implementation of all the above-mentioned stages. Explore the roadmap to reach the destined career options. This pathway will have several ingredients like the eligibility criteria, entrance examination, colleges, universities, application, and selection processes.

Stage 5: Implementation

This is the final stage which focuses on the execution of the action plan with the career counselor.

Benefits of Career Counselling

No one is born perfect with all the information and knowledge and therefore each one of us needs guidance at some point in time. It helps us to make more informed decisions from others’ expertise and experience.

In the case of making career decisions Career Counselling is one way that renders support and constructive guidance in several ways :

Discovers your strength and weakness.
Sets objectives and goals.
Decides the right career
Provides good resources
Combat and minimizes the frustration and confusions
Getting useful support and motivation.

The myth regarding Career Counselling

There are myths in almost everything surrounding us and career counseling is not an exception. Today we are going to clear the myth regarding career counseling in some of the points discussed below :

Myth 1: Choosing a Career is very simple and easy.

Myth 2: There is an age for Career Counselling

Myth 3: Career counseling is only meant for school students

Myth 4: Only unconventional careers need Career Counselling

Myth 5: Career Counselling helps in getting job and placements

Career Counselling is the most ignored practice by Students, parents, and guardians. It is often considered and seen as the least important option but in reality, it should be considered as one of the vital practices which revolve around making the right academics and professional possibility.

Hope these benefits of Career Counselling have given you an insight into it. If you need any help and seeking guidance, then get in touch with an expert at contact@eduxact.com.

Career path analysis helps you in getting the best road map. Get your career assessment test by appearing for the free student profiling process. https://eduxact.edumilestones.com/

Click the link below and get an exhaustive career report and book for a free counseling session. For Studying abroad in 15000+ across 20+ Countries visit the mentioned link.

Click: Start Study Abroad Profiling to get access to 15000+ Universities across 20+ Countries

Please share your valuable inputs regarding the article. Also, help me develop other information guides by giving your suggestions.

You can comment in the section below for sharing your thoughts.