CRACKING THE CODE

AN APCH TO PREPARING YOs

FOR COURSES, PROMOTIONAL
& COMPETITIVE EXAMS

VISHAL KUMAR
 2

Dedication

Dedicated to all the Young & Energetic Youngsters

of my unit the ownership of whose professional

growth I have taken on

&

To all the Commanding Officers who have

genuine concerns for their unit Officers

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

How do you thank when literally almost everyone has a

role to play in your work ! Right since my

Commissioning days, I have been fortunate enough to

be surrounded by Good People (Offrs, JCOs & OR alike)

who have ingrained a sense of dedication,

commitment, sincerity & professionalism in me. I

would especially like to thank all the Four COs I have

served with till dt who have laid a strong foundation

for my service by their continuous guidance &

mentoring. I must confess there are many of my

juniors too from whom I could learn a lot. As it is said

that ‘A Small Good Action is a lot Better than a Great

Intention’, I express my heartfelt thanks & Gratitude

to those wonderful & kind people for making this

Small Good Action of mine possible.

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Before kick starting, let’s make a head start!!!

Dear Readers,

This isn’t a novel or a self-help book; nor is it a thrilling page turner. But I bet
my ranks, it has the potential of adding an immense value (and hence
staggering results) to a YO who is given a piece of this. I personally feel that
we have a right to crib or grimace over something that’s not right only if we
are willing to commit to positively contribute towards bringing about a change
once we are in-charge of things or in a posn to influence the same. Lest, we
ain’t different from the 95% of crowd who play victim their whole lives and
contribute little. My work is an atmt to gain an entry to the balance 5% &
concurrently inspire offrs for the same.

I, by no means am trying to suggest that courses and gradings are all that an
offr should care about & not bother one bit about soldiering. In fact, I feel
more strongly that the sys must evolve to create better assessment
methodologies which isn’t restricted to cramming up answers and
reproducing on paper during courses & exams and be proudly branded
as ‘High-Flying’. But, you all will agree that this aspect has, over a pd of
time, become an essential ingredient of self-esteem, affecting the
performance of offrs on grnd as well (shockingly, irrespective of their combat
experience of leading tps into ops). So, I guess we will have to settle for it
now till a change (if at all there must be!) ensues.

Thus, this booklet is to give that much needed impetus to the self-esteem of
many aspiring YOs who, like me are rather slow on uptake & assimilation
and often end up realizing only when it’s too late.

As Steve Jobs said - “Ask for feedback from people with diverse
backgrounds. Each one will tell you one useful thing”, I therefore, humbly
request you to kindly share your honest feedbacks (positives & negatives
alike) either email on viz3458chl@gmail.com or Whatsapp or SMS on
9697292881.

Cheers & Regards

Vishal
 5

PREFACE

“True guidance is like a small torch in a dark forest.

It doesn’t show everything once but
gives enough light for the next step to be safe”

- Swami Vivekananda

1. We are stuck in that era of our org wherein most of us (upto 13 yrs
service bracket) haven’t yet been baptised in a full fledged war barring CI/
CT Ops. Thus, the only perceived tangible indication of an Offr’s worth is
his performance in courses. We all would agree that many thoroughbred
professionals get overlooked/ superseded just because of performance in
courses/ being non-PSC (albeit ACRs do matter). An Offr’s success rests
on two pillars – His Attitude & The Guidance by his Srs. You miss one,
you can’t thrive too long. An offr auto learns about the unit Dynamics &
Unit Tartib in about 4-5 yrs into his service but if there is ever a single
aspect unaddressed adequately today, it is this - Quality guidance to
offrs proceeding on courses or preparing for promotional/
competitive exams. Many so called ‘High Flying’ intellectual offrs would
argue that an offr is supposed to be studying during the course & not
scratch his brain before. Some offrs even argue that an offr’s career is his
own baby. Sure it is, but their concept is valid only if none of the offrs who
proceed on various courses or are prep for any exam do any kind of pre-
course or receive any prior guidance & mentoring. Sadly, that is not the
case. An offr suffers just because he is posted to such a unit where there
is less focus in this area while his other counterparts have their noses
ahead. Remember, you don’t have to be ten times smarter; all your
need is your noses ahead & the rewards are ten times greater.

2. One of my COs used to say “Our unit offrs are Hardworking Non-
Performers’’. What an oxymoron! How can even that be possible?
Hence, a deconstruction of this theory was imperative & no surprises, I
discovered that the term ‘Non-Performer’ is almost solely due to
performance in courses & competitive exams.
 6

It doesn’t matter what the dictionary defines the word ‘Regimentation’, I am

sure it is much more than just celebrating raising days, sharing war cries &
socialising. While these aspects are very important too, Regimentation in the
truest sense is this – Touching each other’s lives so as to enable
Professional & Personal Growth for only then a sense of belongingness
will run through an offr’s vein which is unadulterated & unfettered.

3. We as Offrs give a very vague kind of guidance to our juniors

proceeding on courses or preparing for exams often emphasizing only on its
importance than actually guiding on how to methodically & smartly go about
tackling them. I call it ‘Broad Brush Guidance’. Some of the illustrations of
this kind of guidance are as under :-

(a) YOs Course. “Do well. It lays the foundation for the rest of your
life”.

(b) Adv Gunnery. “Do well. You are going to be at OP for most part
of your unit life”.

(c) LGSC. “Clear LGSC in first atmt & become God of Gunnery as
only IsG are respected in Arty after Staff College”.

(d) JC. “Get an AI. It’s a course worth Rs 24 lakhs”.

(e) Part B. “Don’t worry. Clear it in parts”.

(f) Part D. “Clear it in time so that you can appear for staff”.

(g) DSSC/DSTSC Exam. “Must clear staff. You see, there are only
two kinds of offrs in IA – PSC & Non-PSC”.

4. To guide your subordinates to become professionally sound, you

primarily need two things – Time & Inclination. You lack one of them & it
won’t materialise. And some genuine soul searching will reveal that Time is
seldom the factor that is lacking. Yet, inspite of whatever little inclination
offrs have to help out, it really works out to be a meagre amount. However, if
the same mentoring is documented, it might well end up becoming a game
changer. Thus, the thematic premise on which this booklet or a compendium
(if so be said) is based is to create a ‘Documented Institutional Memory’ in
the unit to enable offrs get a Head Start or Noses Ahead.
 7

5. A pre-course/ prep for a course doesn’t require an offr to

undergo the entire course content. We need to change this misplaced &
ill-informed concept/ pxn of pre-course. Any course of IA has its contents
broadly divided into Theory & Concepts. While the theoretical part needs
to be memorized, the concepts need to be assimilated & understood.
While theory can be memorized during the course, it is the concepts
that consume most of your time. So, you now know which part you
should focus on, don’t you? If we can understand this simple yet
uncommonly perceived fact, you can nail any course/ exam with ease.
Thus, I have made an atmt to iden such aspects so as to give fillip to an
offr’s outlook. I must also place on record the fact that the guidelines are
also to some extent based on the inputs of Instrs at various ests & also
those who instantly agreed to assist me the moment I apch them (incl
those who didn’t succeed). I would genuinely like to thank those handful,
yet large hearted offrs. Some of the aspects in this booklet might seem
repetitive but they are only born out of essence & not out of loss of words.
The guidelines given in this booklet are based on the opinions & capb of an
average offr who has spent 90% of his service in the unit bearing all the
brunt of ground soldiering & knowing very well the difference between
Careerism & Professionalism. So, it’s a caution for all the so called
‘Doing Well Types’, who might shelve this booklet calling it rudimentary.
This booklet has 21 chapters which graduate chronologically as per an
offr’s service profile. Each chapter is also preceded by an inspirational
story (titled in ‘red’ in the index) of offrs from everyday life (some real
& some inspired) so as to fuel your thoughts & motivation towards
leading the life of a soldier worth his salt. My humble advice to all the
YOs would be to read all of these apart from going through the relevant
chapters.
6. Finally, whatever thoughts I have penned down may go out of
content or syllabus but will never go out of essence. If this small yet
seemingly selfless work of mine could help even one offr get a head start, I
would consider this effort a grand success.

‘Good Shooting’ & ‘Happy Reading’

 8

Chapters 7,13,15 & 17 given in the index to follow are

applicable only to Arty Offrs and hence can be skipped

by other arms
 9
WHAT’S IN STORE!

1. Losers Ask Why Me, Winners Say Try Me……………………….. 10

2. A Typical Course Profile of an Offr………………………………… 11

3. Notes Within Source Technique (NOWIS)……………………….. 12

4. Charity begins at Home……………………………………………... 20

5. Answering Techniques: The Secret Unlocked…………………… 21

6. Integrity gets Greater Applause…………………………………… 32

7. An Apch to Prep for YOs Course………………………………….. 33

8. The High Headed Adjutant…………………………………………. 42

9. An Apch to Prep for MH & CA……………………………………… 43

10. How’s Your Cake?....................................................................... 50

11. An Apch to Prep for Mil Law……………………………………….. 51

12. The Jack Sparrow…………………………………………………… 56

13. An Apch to Prep for Adv Gunnery Course……………………….. 57

14. What’s Your Tagline?................................................................... 66

15. An Apch to Prep for LGSC Entrance Exam………………………. 67

16. Success is All About Luck, Ask any Failure………………………. 79

17. A Roadmap to Success in LGSC………………………………….. 80

18. Motivation & Demotivation………………………………………….. 83

19. An Apch to Prep for JC Course……………………………………. 84

20. Kindness has a Way of Coming Back…………………………….. 95

21. An Apch to Prep for DSSC/DSTSC Entrance Exam…………….. 96

 10
LOSERS ASK WHY ME, WINNERS SAY TRY ME
If the story of Avnish Bajpai, an unassuming & perhaps the most
humanely human being I have ever met, can’t inspire you, I doubt what
else will. Avnish got enrolled as an ‘Airman’ in the IAF, apparently due
to financial issues (he had responsibilities of his mother & sister in
absence of father). Hungry for more, as he wanted to be their Man-
Friday, he toiled hard & cleared SSB interview to join as Direct Entry
at IMA. He always admired The Gorkhas & it was his dream to serve in
a Gorkha unit. Hell broke loose on the De-classification day. He didn’t
get his choice of arm. Extremely dejected, he couldn’t sleep for weeks.
However, he accepted this as his fate & decided to make it count. Two
months into his unit, he was already an Offr & a Gentleman to adore.
Always had a sincere, dedicated & an everlasting smile & so was his wk
ethics. Hell broke loose again! During one of the Fd Firings of AGL, the
Grenade prematurely burst & he suffered a splinter/shrapnel injury in
his left leg. For reasons best known to the intellectuals of higher
hierarchy, he wasn’t air evacuated in time & thus due to profound
bleeding had his leg amputated. He once again accepted this as his fate
& decided to make it count. He made ‘Fitness’ as his mantra & began
running marathons pan India using an ‘Artificial Limb’ and even did
parasailing. Then Hell broke loose again! God, can you take a break?
There was some error in operating his leg which had cumulative effects
& over the next 3 yrs, he was operated upon 20 times. And what did
he do? You Guessed it right. He decided to make it count. Unfettered
by all this, he kept running marathons. To this day, he has run 8
Marathons. Meanwhile, his arm had to be changed from Inf to AEC due
to emp restns. He took it as a challenge yet again, worked like crazy &
guess what! he was adjudged as Best Student in AEC YOs course. He
also figured in the Limca Book of Records in 2017 for being the First
Indian Amputee to run Full Marathon competing with able bodied
runners in the Under 35 cat running for 7 hrs continuously with a
Prosthesis! I am proud to be his course mate. He is a real winner who
always prompts life to try him. If his story doesn’t inspire you, I doubt
what else will.
 11

TYPICAL COURSES PROFILE OF AN OFFR

“Prep for war is an expensive, burdensome business,

yet there is one important part of it that costs little - Study”

- Fd Marshal Viscount Slim

1. Gen. An offr typically undergoes some 4-5 courses till he gets

promoted to Lt Col’s rk; some mandatory & some competitive. All other
courses thereafter are nomination based. Ideally, an offr gets to do all of
them provided he has the inclination of appearing in competitive exams
(and why should one not?), but till almost 9 Yrs of service, his life will be
inter- sprinkled with these mandatory courses mentioned in subsequent
paras.

2. Typical Profile. Barring the promotional exams viz. Part B & Part
D, a typical course profile of an offr would somewhat be like this :-

These are applicable to all arms as each have their own set
of equivalent(EQ) courses in similar timelines
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NOTES WITHIN SOURCE TECHNIQUE(NOWIS)

“All change is hard at first, messy in the middle

& gorgeous in the end”

- Robin Sharma

INTRO

1. Many of us (me included) have been fwg the archaic methodology of

studying/ prep for a course/ exam. We have been taught by our parents to
study, memorize & prac by writing. My mother constantly used to encourage
me through the phrase – “Sau Bakna, Ek Likhna”, meaning it doesn’t matter
even if you bark around a 100 times, if you haven’t written it down once. True
to their advices, many of us follow it even to this day. We only have coined a
term to that process called ‘Making Notes’. And how do we do it? (or atleast I
did it?), reading the precis/ source, memorising it & prac it by writing (read
reproducing) it on a register/ note book after which we proudly shelve the
précis because guess what?, we now have our own notes!. And what are
these notes? – 90% reproduction of precis on a notebook in your own
handwriting. I call it ‘The Replica Method’. Does this help? I bet my rks it
helps. It helped me through my school days, & also till my mandatory courses.
But does it help when the syllabus is too vast? I bet my last ten bucks, it
doesn’t.

2. First of all, if you have not been one of these kinds of offrs (like me), you
need not read any further. For others, here is some piece of advice for you all
to optimize your performance. Necessity is the mother of invention & my own
compulsions forced me to adopt this technique & boy! it works wonders.
Remember the quote of Robin Sharma given at the beginning of this chapter.
Adopting this change might be a little hard & messy but I bet it will all end
gorgeously well.
 13

AIM

3. The aim of this chapter is to enable my brother offrs to optimize the

process of making notes thereby saving time & efforts and enhancing
performance.

SCOPE

4. The chapter is broadly divided into the fwg parts :-

(a) Demerits of Replica Method.

(b) Mechanics of NOWIS Technique.

(c) Merits of NOWIS.

(d) Illustrations.

Demerits of Replica Method

5. The Replica Method. Like I brought out earlier, this method is

adopted by many (if not most) offrs esp the Non-techies of NDA. It
involves cramming up the content of precis & reproducing or replicating
ditto into a register or a notebook.

6. Demerits. Anything that doesn’t save time & is not optimal

considering other options has its own demerits. Some of the glaring
demerits which directly impact the state of preparedness (& hence the
result) are as under :-

(a) Time Consuming. Writing the entire content takes

abnormally vast amount of your time often making you slog much
more than others who don’t follow the same & the competitive edge
it gives is disproportionate to the efforts.

(b) Prep on Last Day. It is a time tested & a proven fact that
revision of the entire content on the last day contributes to
atleast 40% of the outcome in any exam. So, if the content to
be revised itself is quite vast, more often than not, we end up doing
 14

very little on the last day leaving a lot of portion un addsd. This has a
definite impact on your performance on D day.

(c) Psy Factor. Looking at the vol of your notes itself has
such a demoralizing & intimidating effect on you that you
subconsciously procrastinate opening the book itself on D minus 1
day.

Mechanics of (NOWIS)Technique

7. Why Adopt it ?. To avoid the demerits stated in para 6.

8. Concept. The concept of NOWIS entails making cryptic notes in

bullet or pt form within the precis or pamphlet itself in whatever space
available in the pg.

9. Mechanics of NOWIS. The technique has the fwg stgs :-

(a) Reading & Highlighting. It is self-explanatory. It simply

means, you have to read the entire content/chapter once & keep
highlighting the imp parts as perceived by you. The benefits of this
are two fold – Firstly, it gives you a fair idea of the content & its
maj heads. Secondly, it also gives you an idea of the kind of
questions to expect from that particular chapter. Remember, this
process should go on at a brisk pace without attempting to
memorise anything at all. And don’t worry about the authenticity
of your highlighting. What you perceive as imp may not be the
 15

same for another. Hence, it is purely personality driven process

aided by both pxn capb & background knowledge of an indl.

(b) Bulleting. This is your sec vis to the source wherein you
make small bullets or pts adjacent to the main text itself (preferably
with pencil) in as small a font size as readable & legible by you (&
not bother about others). You could use stick on pads as well. Just
to make it look a little more interesting & colourful, you could make
headings in a coloured pen. This directly stems from the fact that we
humans are more attracted towards colourful pgs & text than a
plain black & white content. I have att a sample of my own notes
at the end to illustrate the same. This process again should take
place at a faster pace (albeit slower than previous as it entails
writing) & avoid memorizing yet.

(c) Memorising & Correlating. This step is crucial as it’s the

meat of it all. If you can nail this one, then the results are out of
proportion. All you need to do is go through the bullets & try to
correlate to the main text using the bullet as a cue. It won’t happen
in one go but couple of glances & you will be game. Thereafter, all
you have to do is memorise only those bullets & let your own
articulation of English do the talking in the exam. Mind you, it
doesn’t require some Shakespearean English. The advantages of
this step are aplenty but mainly can be summarized as under :-

(i) Independence. You are not enslaved to the

content or language in the text which kind of tempts you to
cram it up ditto (as in Replica Method).

(ii) Meat isn’t Lost. You are anyways bulleting the

imp catch words which actually is the meat. Rest of it is all
English & one shouldn’t really sweat a lot on that.

(iii) Instills Para Heading Technique. Examiners or

evaluators are only looking for those catch words (read chapter
4 on Answering Techniques) & not really bothered about your
artistic/literary abilities. This method enables you to put a para
heading in each pt & then amplify the same which not only
 16

looks militarily pleasing from SD pt of view but also greatly

assists the evaluator & why would he not reward you for that !

(iv) Easier Subsequent Revisions. It will be astounding to

see the amount of time it takes to wrap up your successive
revisions. All you need to go through is those bullets & you are
game! And what’s more! you will no longer require to correlate
to the main text during your subsequent visits.

(d) Discarding the Main Text. Once you are through with the first
three steps, the fourth one is more incidental than methodical.
Discarding the main text becomes more of a default step than by
design. And how do you discard it? Just put a gentle cross or single
strike with a pencil indicating that you no longer need to ref the same.
Pencil is more advisable esp during courses as the precis normally
are deposited back.

Merits of NOWIS Technique

10. I can bet all I have on this method to be head & shoulders above any
other method of making notes esp with a voluminous syllabi; lesser talked
of the Replica Method, the better. One can go on till eternity describing its
advantages, however, a notable few which matter are as under :-

(a) Max Repetitions. When it comes to prep for an exam, race

is always against time & success in any exam depends directly
on the quality & qty of repetitions or revisions one is able to
squeeze in. This is possible only when you keep reading those
cryptic bullets subsequently.

(b) Prep on Last Day. It is a time tested & a proven fact that
revision of the entire content on the last day contributes to atleast
40% of the outcome in any exam. So, if the content to be revised
itself is quite vast, the only practical way of dealing with it is NOWIS
method.

(c) Psy Factor. Looking at the vol of your notes itself has
such a demoralizing & intimidating effect on you that you
subconsciously procrastinate opening the book itself on D
 17

minus 1 day. However, having such cryptic notes always has that
moral ascendency that it isn’t too much & you can wrap it up
overnight.

(d) Self Improvement. As you aren’t enslaved to the main text,

it always enables you to improve your abilities to articulate facts &
concepts in your own words & as per your own understanding (while
not losing out on catch words). This has a profound influence on
your abilities to write mil papers, concept papers or making
feedbacks which most of us get willy-nilly embroiled in after a certain
service.

Illustrations
18
 19

CONCLUSION

11. Many would argue that making cryptic notes separately (outside the
source) has the same benefits too. Sure it has, but here is a thing – For
correlation, you will have to repeatedly keep falling back to main text &
more importantly it can’t merely be as cryptic as bullets (like NOWIS) &
needs little more amplification to make sense. All of this takes greater time
(which is premium). NOWIS technique will mean whatever you want it to
mean depending on what are your study habits. But believe me, once
embraced with full faith in its payoffs; it can become a definite game
changer. It’s esp hard for offrs fwg the Replica Method to adapt to this but
once adopted will bring in a sea change. I sincerely hope my brothers offrs
have the courage to undergo this change.

‘Good Shooting’
 20

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

Three course mates were posted in the same fmn & cantt.

All three were appearing for DSSC/DSTSC entrance exam.

Needless to say, they were hoping & praying that their COs

spare them for prep. On one fine day, as all three had gotten

together for a cup of tea, one of them revealed that his CO

has spared him from today & that he will see him in office

only in Sep. The sec offr jumped out of excitement and said,

“The story is different in my case, I wish I had spare time for

prep like you.” To this, he replied, “You must wish to have a

CO like mine”. Hearing these two, the third offr said, “The

story is different in my case too, but I wish I was a CO like

yours”. What an amazing thought. Charity begins at home &

your mindset is your home. Unless you devp a mindset of

giving, you may never receive.

 21

ANSWERING TECHNIQUES: THE SECRET UNLOCKED

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining;

show me the glint of light on broken glass”

- Anton Chekhov

INTRO

1. Human brain is doctored or wired to choose the more colourful or

artistic things over plain & simple (barring very few for whom simplicity runs
through their vein).This applies literally to everything in life – From Buying
clothes to shopping anything & everything (on internet & shopping outlets
alike). Perhaps this fact has led to the genesis of the famous Hindi saying
that goes - ‘Jo Dikhta hai wohi Bikhta hai’. Having said that, the same
analogy applies to writing of answers in exams too. Our org has devised a
unique way of assessment (compared to others) called the Directing Staff
Soln (DS) which an evaluator is supposed to be ref to while checking the
answer sheets with utter disregard to his own knowledge, judgment or
wisdom. Sure enough, it has been embraced by us with our arms wide
open since ages & shall so continue, perhaps, forever. The culture of
Rote Learning that has seeped into offrs’ method of prep stems from
this very fact which rewards those who write answers closer to DS
solns (some even replicate it ditto). Rote Learning surely will sail you
through most of your initial courses but things get nasty once the syllabus
starts bloating up with subsequent courses like LGSC, JC & DSSC/DSTSC
etc. Though some amount of Rote Learning will still be reqd, if one can
master the art of articulation of thoughts in ways more presentable than
others, things can be startlingly different & results achieved will be out of
proportion & exponential.

2. The so called evaluator or examiner (an offr with a slightly higher

qualification & experience than you) who checks or evaluates your answer
sheet is either on TD for the task or is already preoccupied with many other
tasks (in case of courses). If we deconstruct the amount of time he spends
in going through your answer, you will be amazed to know that he barely
spends less than half a min. So considering the same, it goes without
 22

saying that the answer which is better presented will yield greater mks.
Analyse the quote by Anton Chekov I have stated in the beginning &
you will realise how much presentation matters.

AIM

3. To enable my brother offrs master the art of Answering Techniques.

SCOPE

4. The chapter will be covered in the fwg parts :-

(a) Comparative Analysis of Various Kinds of Answers.

(b) Ingredients of a Good Answer.

(c) Answering Techniques.

(d) Benefits of Good Answering Techniques.

5. Comparative Analysis. To enable you understand the vitality &

importance of presenting your answers in a manner more pleasing than
others, I conducted this small experiment with my own unit offrs. I will now
pose two questions & you will see two samples of answers for each of
them. And all you have to do is put yourselves in the shoes of an examiner
& award your mks assuming it to be a 30 mks question: -

Q1. COVID-19 pandemic has jolted the entire world off its comfort
zone defying the conventional logic of medications & precautions. IA
isn’t an exception to it either. There are instrs of frequent lockdowns,
sanitisation, social distancing & respiratory etiquettes to name a few.
As a subunit cdr of a unit in a peace stn, what challenges do you
visualize & how do you intend to overcome them?
 23

Sample I

---------
30

Sample II

---------
30
 24

Q2. NDA/OTA/IMA (as applicable) is known to be one of the

toughest trg academies in the world. The methodical apch of shaping
a mil offr’s mind to lead men into battle has been lauded world over.
Briefly describe how the academy is org into various bldg blocks
(coys & bns).What are the specific trg aspects that aim to instill will
power & dispel fear factor in a cdt?

Sample I

---------
30

Sample II

---------
30
 25

(a) Analysis. Without going much into detls about the matter
content of the answer & assuming that the matter therein is more or
less similar, you will see for yourself that you tend to award more
mks to sample II in both the cases! Why is it so? It’s again
because you are targeting the evaluator’s mindset. Anything that
looks well-structured looks more pleasing to the eye. And what’s
more interesting about this fact is that it can even make up for lack of
content should you ever confront such an unprepared question.

(b) Why it Pleases the Examiner. Anything well-structured is

indicative of the fact that your mind is well org, analytical & you can
apch a problem rather methodically than haphazardly. Thus, you
score over others when he is trying to weigh your answer vis-a-vis
the so-called DS Solution.

6. Ingredients of a Good Answer. There are three factors that

embody an answer & hence dictate how much you score when compared
with the DS Solution: -
 26

(a) Content. This ref to the matter content you have actually
penned down in addressing the question. It must encompass the
fwg :-

(i) Relevance. The answer must not incl unnecessary &

irrelevant detls not asked in the question. In case, you are
totally unaware of anything, ensure that atleast the broad
headings & para headings are relevant (sometimes they can
also be taken from the question itself!)

(ii) Address the Core. Never lose sight of what is being

asked. There is lot of prelude to a question fueled by choicest
of flowery English but a careful look at any question will
reveal that the core of it is pretty simple & straight. Hence,
all your pts should revolve around addressing the core. Some
even call it the operative part. Eg. In Q1 of samples, the
core or op part is the adm challenges in the unit &
measures to overcome.

(iii) Usage of Catch Words. This is by far the most

commonly professed aspect. The evaluator has no time to
match word by word & sentence by sentence. Hence, you
must make an atmt to mention those catch words & make it
unmistakable (underlining or para heading) so that it
facilitates him in checking your paper with ease. One of the
best ways of ensuring This is to make notes using NOWIS
Technique I explained in chapter 3.

(iv) Mks to Content Ratio. Like it is said – Never Bite More

than What You Can Chew, the same analogy applies while
answering. You could know so much about a thing but if that
portion isn’t the maj part of the question, don’t spend too
much time radiating your knowledge to the evaluator. Thus,
mks to content ratio & hence the time must always be
adhered to in letter & spirit. eg. In DSSC/DSTSC paper the
mks to content ratio is such that questions of Sec I must be
addsd in about 17-20 mins each, Sec II in 10-12 mins each &
 27

Sec III in 5-7 mins each so that you have some buffer time both
for revision & also to tackle the so-called ‘Bouncers’.

(b) Structure. A well-structured answer lays the foundation for a

better assessment by the evaluator & as also for getting those 1-2
mks extra. It must encompass the fwg :-

(i) Div into Relevant Parts. Here, Relevance is the Key.

So when you read a question, you must quickly glean the Core
or the Op Part & thereafter divide your answer in those
relevant parts. The advantages of this are three-fold – Firstly,
it assists you to stick to mks to content ratio & hence mgt of
time, Secondly it assists the evaluator in faster & better
assessment of your answer & Thirdly, it creates a lasting
impression in an evaluator’s mind that you are more
organized & methodical which will have a bg on the mks he
awards you. eg. In Q2 the relevant parts could be four to incl
Gen/Intro, Org & Hierarchy, Aspects instilling Will
Power & Aspects dispelling Fear.

(ii) Minor SD. Sticking to Minor SD is like Playing by the

Rules & anyone who doesn’t follow is bound to attract lesser
mks even with the same content.

(iii) Para Heading Technique. This is a definite game

changer. Evaluators are looking for catch words & if you
present those catch words as para headings which you are
bound to underline by default, you will have your noses
ahead in every single answer you write. Make a para
heading even for the simplest of pts eg. If the pt to be
highlighted is bad wx then instead of just writing bad wx you
write: Wx. The wx was bad & inclement. Or Bad Wx. The ops
were carried out in inclement wx conditions. You will be
surprised to see the difference it makes!

(iv) No Lengthy Para Headings. Once you have homed

onto the relevant para headings, make sure it isn’t very
lengthy. Be cryptic in writing these headings or para headings.
 28

eg. In Q1 instead of writing Adm Challenges being faced in

the Unit as one of the headings, you can simply write Adm
Challenges.

(c) Handwriting. Though a good handwriting does play a role in

fetching you more mks but it won’t be at the cost of the other two
factors. Hence, don’t sweat a lot if your handwriting isn’t that
great & at the same time don’t assume your good handwriting
will do all the talking. Certain aspects to be kept in mind are as
under :-

(i) Legibility vs Beauty. Not everyone is born or is gifted

with a good handwriting. In fact, one of the researches also
professes that intelligent people have bad handwriting as
they are more focused on the content than the pstn of it. That
notwithstanding, your aim should be to write legibly. If the
evaluator has to take a guess as to what you have written, you
have lost it! & sure enough, it will be reflected in the mks you
get. Some offrs write so wonderfully in Cursive that it looks
epic but on trying to read, it takes ages to cull out what is
written. What’s the pt! So, the key here is to give more
emphasis to legibility than beauty. You will be amazed to
see the stds of handwriting of people who have passed the
staff college exam vis-a-vis those who haven’t made it.

(ii) Spacing Out. Should you be not so lucky or gifted

with a good handwriting (which is not at all a necessity), the
best way to make it look neater & organized is to space it out
& write a bit more freely. If you are say, writing 8 words in a
line, write only 5-6. The answer automatically looks
neater.

(iii) Avoid Cutting or Overwriting. Cutting or overwriting

makes it look shabby & unorganized. It also gives an
impression to the examiner that your thought process is not
very clear & this definitely won’t help your cause inspite of
whatever relevant answer you would have written. So, even if a
 29

cutting is inevitable, do it gently so that prima facie it doesn’t jut

out of the pg.

(iv) Choice of Pen. When it comes to making your answer

look more presentable than the others with the same content,
Pen is Mightier than the Sword that will do the talking. Take
out a ball pen & some good pen like a Parker roller ball or a
fountain pen or the pilot V series etc (btw I ain’t paid to
advertise them !) & write a pg each with these pens. You will
see for yourself that unless your handwriting is epic, the ball
pen is going to look less attractive & less neat. So, be careful
with the choice of your pen. This by no means establishes
any theory that ball pens are a No Go. It’s just about comparing
& about making better choices. One of my own COs passed the
staff college exam with a Reynolds Ball Pen!

(d) Weightage of Factors. If I would have to weigh the inter se

importance of all the three factors, I would say this :-

WEIGHTAGE OF FACTORS

10%
40%
50%

CONTENT STRUCTURE HANDWRITING

7. Benefits of Good Answering Techniques. The benefits are

manifold & incremental. It is not apparent at the first glance but a critical
analysis of answer sheets of such indls who have adhered to these simple
steps would reveal how big an impact it has in the overall scheme of
things. I have elucidated a few important ones subsequently: -
 30

(a) Incremental Benefits. I have heard people say these

techniques would hardly fetch ½ to 1 mk extra in each answer. I
must confess that there is an element of truth in it. But they are totally
missing the pt !Imagine how much½ a mk extra in a paper of 20
questions would add up to. It’s 10 mks. So you see, they are
incremental yet instrumental.

(b) Masks the Lack of Content. Like I have brought out

earlier, if you compare two answers with similar content, you will be
inclined to award more mks to the one who has structured it better.
What it also does is that it even makes up for the lack of content
(unless totally out of context) if you have only scanty knowledge
about what is being asked.

(c) Augments Analytical Capb. This might appear a little weird

but here is a thing – If you have made it a habit to follow this
answering technique which is so methodical & organized, you will
apch all issues in your life rather methodically & systematically too,
professional & personal alike.

(d) Self Improvement. It enables you to improve your abilities

to articulate facts & concepts in your own words & as per your own
understanding (while not losing out on catch words).This has a
profound influence on your abilities to write mil papers, concept
papers or making feedbacks which most of us get willy nilly
embroiled in after a certain service.

CONCLUSION

8. This is the secret which, if told to YOs at their inception stg, will yield
staggering results & enable them grow professionally at a much faster
pace rather than getting entangled in the Great Game of Rote Learning.
There is a reason why I have put the quote by Anton Chekov at the
beginning. If YOs adopt this methodology rt through their formative yrs,
they can nail any exam of IA with ease. We must understand that the aim
of these answering techniques is not to fool an examiner by masking what
you don’t know but to articulate what you know in a manner more
 31

presentable than others so as to make the most of it or in other words,

presenting the same facts rather systematically than by merely putting pen
to paper. The fact that it makes up for the lack of content to an extent
is by default & not by design. It’s purely incidental & not intentional. This
has a profound influence on the examiner itself as it makes his job that
much more easier. Hence, I urge you to use these techniques in that very
spirit. The ingredients of a good answer viz. Content, Structure &
Handwriting must not be lost sight of while articulating your thoughts & it is
so much more important to realise the subtle difference between legibility &
beauty of your handwriting. I sincerely hope this small piece of advice
helps my brother offrs.

‘Good Shooting’
 32
INTEGRITY GETS GREATER APPLAUSE

It’s a tale of two offrs undergoing YO’s course - Lt MEAN

& Lt KEEN. MEAN was more interested in grading than

learning, more in getting greater mks by hook & crook than

by writing the correct answers & hence was restless

throughout the course. He was not happy & content. He was

not happy because he was not content. On the other hand,

KEEN was more interested in learning than grading (albeit

grading did matter to him too), believed that he always got

more than what he deserved & hence stayed happy & content.

He was happy because he was content. After midterm exams,

during the confirmation of answer books, MEAN was at his

usual best- pestering instrs to increase ½ a mk here & there.

And guess what! he ultimately ended up being topper in that

exam. On the other hand, as KEEN was scrutinising his answer

sheet & mks, he discovered that he was awarded 5 mks extra

due to a totalling error. Without a sec thought, he walked upto

the instr & apprised him of the same. The instr (apparently

perplexed at his Integrity) looked into his eyes straight & said

– “KEEN, I have seen many sincere souls, but if I will ever

think of integrity, your face is gonna flash back& forth in my

mind. Proud of you my boy.” And to KEEN’s shock, the instr

announced this proudly & urged the cl to give KEEN a

standing ovation. Which of the two – ‘MEAN’ or ‘KEEN’, do

you think went back to his room happier & satisfied that day?
 33

AN APCH TO PREP FOR YOUNG OFFRS’ COURSE

“I have No special Talent,

I am only passionately curious”.

- Albert Einstein

INTRO

1. We often hear offrs saying they are prepared for YO’s course when
they actually have prep for only those 33 secs of Fire Discp. However, on
landing up at Deolali, they suddenly realize they are prep for only 2.5% of
the course content (weightage wise). While it is practically impossible to
prep for the entire syllabus, which spans out for six months, we must
critically analyse the content & cull out what aspects take time to
comprehend & conc only on those. The course content of any course is
broadly divided into Concepts & Theory. While the theory can be read,
studied & memorized even during the course, it is the concepts that eat up
most of your time. My atmt through this booklet is therefore to asst the YOs
iden those & prep accordingly. Because, though hard work always pays, a
little amount of Smart Work will yield out of proportion results.

2. There is a reason I have put the quote by Albert Einstein above. For
a YO to be thoroughly conversant with the Gunnery, he has to be curious &
inquisitive 24x7 for atleast first four yrs of his service.

AIM

3. The aim of this chapter is to enable my brother offrs prep smartly &
methodically for YOs course.
 34

SCOPE

4. The docu will be covered in three parts :-

(a) Broad Content of the course.

(b) Concepts & Theory.

(c) Gen Guidelines.

BROAD CONTENT OF THE COURSE

5. The course content can be broadly divided into the fwg :-

(a) Gunnery.

(b) SATA.

(c) Tac.

(d) Own Eqpt Trg (OE).

6. Source. These contents are covered from the fwg sources with
each source also backed up by a power point pstn :-

Ser Content Maj Aspects Source Remarks

(a) Gunnery Fire Discp
Dply
Pamph 8/04
Gun end & OP end tech
aspects of fire cont
Proj Shakti UHB
Amn Pamph 3
Eqpt Pamph 1A
Ballistics Ballistics
Pamph
 35

Ser Content Maj Aspects Source Remarks

(b) SATA Svy Pamph 1/11
Orientation &Fixation (Principle of
SvyAsst Arty Svy)
Concept of BP Pamph 9/11
(Principle of
Astro Regt Svy)
Pamp 3/64
( Fd Astro for
Arty Svy)
(c) Tac Basic ops of war – Attk & THOFA
Def GS Pamphs
Fire Plg SATM No 21
AMTAB & its difference from
conv amn calculation
(d) OE Leg Understanding how different Respective Much of it
is the Eqpt from IFG User Hand will be
Book (UHB) clearer in
unit itself.

CONCEPTS & THEORY

Concepts

7. What are Concepts? By definition, a concept is an idea or a

principle on which a particular aspect is based e.g. check parallelism by
star is based on the concept of parallel lines meeting at infinity, OFC
wk on the concept of total internal reflection, Guns are laid in C/A
based on the concept of corresponding angles being equal etc.

8. Why Do they take time to Comprehend? Most of it because they

are new & also require lot of visualisation, making diagrams &
illustrating with examples. Thus, if you are able to devote time before
hand & assimilate, you will have your noses ahead. First step to this is to
iden & differentiate b/w these concepts & theory and prep accordingly.

9. Concepts Identified. I have made an atmt to iden the concepts in

each of the broad contents. This is strictly based an experience & my
wisdom aided by memory. You can add on a few more if you so feel. Let us
now see which are those :-
 36

Ser Contents Concepts Iden Remarks

(a) Gunnery  How Gun is laid in C/A. - Ask your
 Why dial sight & Dir are seniors for
designed the way they guidance &
are. mentoring.
 Thematic premise of
check parallelism by star.
- Getting a
 Wk of Telescope & Dial
Sight during engagement chance to
of tks. attend a
 How is dir laid in C/A incl Prac Camp
svy asst. before
 FSE procedures. going for
 Understanding Arty Bd YOs is a
as a Bird’s eye view of big bonus.
Guns, OP & Tgt Area.
 Basics of Form Filling
(eg. Gun corrn, Fz corrn,
Datum deduction, CPSF,
R&R etc).
 Understanding CPSF
(Translation of Map data
into predicted data).
 Concept of Recoil Sys.
 Smk shoots – Smk
Screen &Quick Smoke
(Numerical).
 Ill shoot (Numerical).
 Linear Shoot (Concept of
Linear bg, False Linear
bg & conduct).
 Stop watch shoot -
concept & calculations.
 OP end – concept of
obsn of Fire, Rg & Line
corrns. LAA & conduct of
IN, Regn & Linear Shoot.
Smk & Ill is bonus.
 ETC – Basic shoots &
GIS
 37

Ser Contents Concepts Iden Remarks

(b) SATA  Meaning of Orientation Pamph No
& Fixation. 9/11
 Types of Svy Asst– (Principles
Normal & Minimum. of Arty Svy)
 Concept of Initiating a
Grid.
 Prep of BP & Tie into
BP.
 Basics of Astro.
(c) Tac  Evolution of FP & its
sequence of exec (FP,
TT Pgme Shoot/ GPO FP
Gun Pgme).
 Mechanics of a Basic * With 3 Pl
FP*. locs & a cgy
 AMTAB calculation & loc. Bn
how & why it is attack with
economical vis-à-vis 10-12 FUs
conv method.
 Basic org of Inf, Armd & #
Concept of
Mech units (incl org for CT/CG/CC
combat) #

Theory

10. What is Theory. Whatever I skipped in Para 9. They are those

aspects which don’t take time to understand & assimilate and have to be
memorized as such eg. Reqmts of a Good OP posn, Reqmts of a GAP,
Siting considerations of RV, Threats to a Gun A from local def pt of
view, Duties of GPO/ Tp Ldr/ Adjt/ 2IC/ RSO/ IO/ CO in action etc.
These can be prep & memorized during the course as well w/o maj loss of
time.
 38

GEN GUIDELINES

11. Pillars of Success. Your success on this course depends on the

fwg factors as per weightage below: -

WEIGHTAGE OF PILLARS

60% 40%

UNIT SP OWN EFFORTS

OWN EFFORTS

20%
40%

40%

TILL D MINUS 1 D MINUS 1 D DAY

(D Day ref to each exam day throughout the course)

12. Study Partner. In YOs, your room i.e becomes your study partner
willy nilly. While most YOs would have strong desires of doing well, there
 39

are unfortunately a few disillusioned lot & you must make conscious effort
to avoid them. Should you be ‘Not so Fortunate’ in terms of room ie, you
must be a little selfish & look for the fwg in your partner. Remember, It
Takes Two to Tango:-

(a) Acquaintance. Has a previous acquaintance with you.

(b) Thought Process. Shares the same thought process &

wavelength as you.

(c) Habits. Is not an excessive drinker who makes excuses for a

getaway.

(d) Attitude. Is wholeheartedly wanting to do well on YOs.

(e) Flexibility. Is flexible as regards the routine you follow.

(f) Truthful. Doesn’t lie a thing about to you.

(g) Helpful. Is caring & sharing.

13. Follow this &You will Come up Trumps.

(a) Go Full Throttle. This is a course which lays foundation for

your professional & career profile and more importantly earns the
much needed accolades & respect from your Seniors and
Subordinates. So, go full throttle because half-hearted efforts
produce No Results & Not Half Results. It is better to wear out
than rust out.

(b) Focus on the Sys & NOT Results. Don’t get unduly stressed
out by thinking of doing well at all costs. Most of the time, it is not
the fear of failure, but the fear of reactions back in unit that will
haunt you. This is not at all healthy. Just device a system & focus
on fwg the sys & you will surprise yourself with the results. Keep
working sincerely everyday & you will come up trumps w/o fail. The
best insurance for tomorrow is a job well done today.

(c) Don’t Repeat Mistakes during the Course. Learn from

your & as well as others mistakes. A fool makes the same
mistake twice.
 40

(d) All you Need is a Little Extra. You don’t need to become a
‘psycho’ or a ‘Bookworm’ to succeed. Be consistent & discp in your
routine. You don’t have to be 10 times smarter. All you need is
your nose ahead & the rewards are 10 times greater.

(e) Have a Belief Sys. Be clear as to why you want to nail this
course because if the why is clear, how becomes easier. People
do a lot for money, more for a good leader but most for a belief.
So what is your ‘why’? Is it the desire to Comd your unit? or being a
professionally competent soldier? or rise high in rks? Have a belief
sys & chase it with all madness.

(f) Take Rest but Don’t Quit. These were the words of
inspiration by my wife which will remain etched in my heart. Steam
doesn’t move engine unless it is confined. So always channelize
your thoughts monomaniacally towards doing well on the YOs
course.

(g) Distance from Negative Influencers. Please avoid interacting

with negative & toxic people. Who are they? They are those who
either say ‘it’s too easy’ or ‘It’s too difficult’. The fact of the matter
is it’s not their view but your efforts that will determine the degree of
difficulty.

(h) Failure is a Detour. Failure is a detour & not a dead end.

So even if you don’t succeed, consider it God’s decision & your fate;
refresh, reboot & bounce back harder next time. No org on this planet
earth gives as many opportunities to bounce back as IA.

14. Myths. Clutter is the en of clarity & hence it is imp to dispel myths
to de-clutter your mind. Some of the myths are as follows:-

(a) Previous Baggage Matters. It is a common myth that offrs

who were appts (Bn Level) in academies continue to do well in
service as well. This can be at best exception rather that a rule.
Four yrs into your service, you will be surprised to see how some of
your so-called mediocre coursemates are making waves!
 41

(b) Performance on YOs Dictate your Future. YOs course is too

early to write anyone’s fortune. While it certainly boosts your
confidence & to some extent incr your chances of getting an instr
posting to Cat A ests, it is foolish to think of it as ‘End of the Rd’.
Army gives you umpteen opportunities to bounce back which your
will see for yourself as you grow in service.

(c) Luck Factor. Success is all about luck, ask any failure.
The fact is that luck favours only those who help themselves. The
harder you wk, the luckier you get.

CONCLUSION

15. YOs course is first of the many feathers that get added to your cap of
qualifications. Hence, performing well does a world of good to your
confidence & keeps you motivated to wk hard subsequently in unit too.
Most COs these days (barring few) too are quite critical about a YO’s worth
& link it directly to their performance on courses. So, like at or lump it, you
got not choice but to slog. I sincerely hope this small amount of guidance
from my side gives you that much needed impetus.

‘Good Shooting’
 42

THE HIGH HEADED ADJUTANT

A YO was given the ch of performing the duties of Adjt within

a yr of his joining the unit. Fresh from a spectacular ‘D’

grading in YOs course, the offr understood little about

empathy, compassion, gratitude & concept of offr-men

bonhomie. On the very first day he sat on chair, he started

behaving like God’s Own. On one fine morning, a soldier

entered his office & soon enough, the offr picked up his

telephone & started pretending to spk on it (while signalling

the soldier to wait). He kept on saying the phrases- “Not a

problem, I’ll handle it’’. Not an issue, I’ll see to it”. After 5

Mins, he dropped the phone & asked the soldier what he

wants. Guess what the soldier said – “Sahab aapka telephone

theek karne aaya tha”. The YO couldn’t face him for life. Offr-

men bonhomie is symbiotic & not symbolic. Stay humble, stay

grounded. The org asks nothing much of you.

 43

AN APCH TO PREP FOR MIL HISTORY & CURRENT AFFAIRS

FOR PROMOTIONAL & COMPETITIVE EXAMS

“If I had six hours to cut down a tree,

I would spend the first four sharpening the saw”.

- Abraham Lincoln

INTRO

1. Promotional exams are aimed at keeping the offrs abreast with latest
devp around the globe militarily & technologically while also attempting to
inculcate the habit of mil reading as a routine. They are deliberately inter-
sprinkled across our service profiles so as to enable us evolve &
grow as mil ldrs. Having said that, it’s a no brainer to realize that today,
they have become more of a pain than gain esp given the prep time in the
units & often end up being a bugbear. While the COs are increasingly
finding it difficult to spare their offrs, the policies of these exams are getting
more stringent ; Be it the service criteria of 1 yr for appearing in Part B or 3
yrs for Part D or worse still, implications on your foreign postings & SB3.
Who is suffering at the end of the day? The offrs or the org at large? It
needs to be addsd smartly.

2. Having understood that there is no escape from these exams, it is

essential for us to device a foolproof & a practical method of studying (read
smart study) than the conventional method followed hitherto fore. Barring
CA & MH, all other subjects are so familiar to offrs that one may walk in
w/o any prep & still be able to write relevant answers (albeit passing is not
guaranteed). However, the same is not true about CA & MH as they
require deliberate prep & background knowledge .Towards that end, I have
made an atmt to simplify the methodology of tackling these subjects so that
they don’t become stumbling blocks or impediments to your career.
 44

AIM

3. To enable my brother offrs to study smartly & crack MH & CA in

Promotional/Competitive exams.

SCOPE

4. This paper will be covered in two parts :-

(a) Cracking MH.

(b) Cracking CA.

CRACKING MIL HISTORY

5. Gen. The subject normally consists of one/two campaigns & a

Biography/Autobiography of a mil ldr relevant to the campaign. There are
‘Prescribed’ & ‘Recommended’ books for the said campaigns.
Additionally, there is an ‘op Art’ as well for the DSSC/ DSTSC entrance
exam. Let us see how to simplify this subject.

6. Methodology. Follow this & you will seldom fail. The sequence of
prep should be as under :-
 45

7. The Big Picture. We often commit the mistake of going from micro
to macro level & try to fix the entire jig saw puzzle all by ourselves like
historians. This is an exam & must be treated as such & the surest way of
doing that is to understand the desired end state & the broad story to begin
with. Videos & animations are time tested & scientifically proven
methods of understanding this big picture & you know where to find
them don’t You (Tube)?. The big picture so understood must enable you to
clearly cull out the fwg:-

 The campaign was fought b/w ____ & ____.

 Genesis of conflict was _______.
 Maj belligerents were _____.
 Outcome of campaign was _____.
 Maj lessons for modern day war fighting were ____.
 Mil ldr who was most influential in the campaign ______.
 Maps to understand how it all unfolded.

8. Reading Prescribed Books. We must understand the difference

between ‘Reading’ & ‘Studying’. When you read, you only are interested
in broadly knowing how the story unfolds but when you study, you try &
memorize relevant portions. However, in order to make reading more
fruitful, you must ensure the fwg :-

(a) Flagging. Some portions announce themselves as obvious

questions. Pl do flag them with relevant captions. During your next
vis (only if necessary), you may look for only those pgs. Rest of the
portions are ‘junk’ & irrelevant for your exam eg. author would have
described the lovely wx or some personal family detls etc which are
not needed.

(b) Highlighting. Next step to flagging is highlighting so that you

don’t have to re-read the entire flagged pg. Many prefer
photocopying the highlighted portion to condense it into a small
booklet. You can suit yourself.

9. Studying Precis. Once you have homed onto precis, it should be

the primary source of studying till your last day. All other previous mtrl
are just aids to augment your knowledge to enable you back up & pad up
 46

your answers substantiating facts & relevant lessons. Studying can be best
attempted in the fwg steps:-

(a) Glancing. Just breeze through once ‘Cover to Cover’ w/o

getting much into detls. Try & cull out only maj headings & portions.

(b) Previous Yr QPs. Once you have glanced through the precis,
going through the QPs will give you a fair idea of the nature of
questions. You should also go through the questions given in the
precis & USI.

(c) Studying. Now, intelligently apch this precis by first finding

answers to questions iden in para 9 (b)above& highlight the answers
& memorize. Hop on to bal portions only after you have addsd these
questions threadbare.

10. D minus 1 Day Apch. Be smart & go through only the fwg in the
priority as given below (anything more is always a bonus):-

(a) Questions of Precis.

(b) Questions of USI.

(c) Maps (Only Maj Questions).

11. D Day. Like ‘Plan is the First Cas in War’, all your efforts can be
for naught if you don’t keep your wits about on ‘D Day’. Adhere to these
simple steps & you will come up trumps :-

(a) Atmt all Questions. No mks can be given to a question not

attempted. So even if the examiner is trying to sail you through, this
mistake of yours might cost your dear. Draw maps only where
necessary.

(b) Stick to word limits. If you sincerely stick to word limits, you
will have adequately addsd all questions with atleast 10 min to spare
for final revision.
 47

(c) Plan your time. Write down with pencil/pen the running time
by which you need to finish answering a particular question. Trust
me, it works wonders.

CRACKING CURRENT AFFAIRS

12. Gen. CA is often an ‘Out of comfort Zone’ subject for most

offrs & most of it stems from the lack of desire to know what is happening
around the globe & within the country. Let’s admit it, not all of us have that
flair for news or newspaper/magazines. But does it mean those who have
such inclination stand greater chances of passing? You will hear more
‘NOs’ to this question from such people themselves than others. So,
let us crack the code smartly.

13. Methodology. The syllabus albeit vast is broadly divided into

National & International Affairs. While the former holds some weightage, it
is the latter that accounts for about 60% of the questions. Follow this & you
will seldom fail :-

(a) Sequence of Apch. International National Affairs.

(b) Methodology of Apch.

14. Fwg News on App. It precisely takes 5 mins to glance through

daily relevant news if you do it w/o any interruptions.
 48

This keeps on bldg the base knowledge & eventually helps you to pad up
your answers with relevant facts & figs.

15. Studying QPs. USI QPs are released over a pd of three/four

months & cover latest topics. Studying these is a must. DSSC/DSTSC
exam QP for that yr also should be studied threadbare as many
questions fig in some form from it.

16. Studying Precis. You must be smart enough to cull out what is
relevant. The fact that these precis are very thick is primarily due to too
much of background info which may be imp in the hindsight for
knowledge but not relevant for exam. As a rough guide, in international
affairs, last 2-3 pgs are latest additions in each topic. National affairs
also must be critically reviewed for relevance. Take help of your unit offr
who has recently appeared in DSSC/DSTSC exam & it will make your job a
lot easier. An imp aspect of studying CA is to ‘Memorize facts & fig’. The
meat of any CA answer is the factual data & not generic info like other
subjects. Remember, in CA, generic pts fetch you generic mks & those
will be short of 200 !

17. D Minus 1 Day Apch. Be smart & go through only the fwg in the
priority as given :-

(a) USI & DSSC/DSTSC QPs.

(b) Only relevant & imp portions of the now condensed precis.

18. D Day. Like ‘Plan is the first cas in war’ all your efforts can be
for naught if you don’t keep your wits about on ‘D Day’. Adhere to these
simple steps & you will come up trumps :-

(a) Atmt all Questions. No mks can be given to a question not

attempted. So even if the examiner is trying to sail you through, this
mistake of yours might cost your dear. Draw maps only when
necessary.
 49

(b) Stick to word limits. If you sincerely stick to word limits, you
will have adequately addsd all questions with atleast 10 min to spare
for final revision.

(c) Plan your time. Write down with pencil/pen against each
question, the running time by which you need to finish answering a
particular question. Trust me, it works wonders.

CONCLUSION

19. Famous crib. Most of us will crib now that this methodology takes
lot of time & we don’t have any. Well, then you can start this process as
early as six months before & as late as one month before depending on
how forthcoming is your CO & how favourable are org conditions. The
studying part can begin last month as well (esp if that is the only/one of
the two subjects left).

20. For whatever conceived value they add to your professional acumen,
these promotional exams are what they are & there is no escape from
them. They can mean whatever you want them to mean depending on
your pxn & aspirations. Nevertheless, a smarter apch than the
conventional hard toil will more often than not sail you through easily.

‘Good Shooting’
 50

HOW’S YOUR CAKE ?

A certain Lt SWARTHI got a ‘D’ grading in YOs. That wasn’t

a surprise as the offr was a BUO in Academy itself. Soon, he
became too obsessed with his career, success & rks. He spent
more time in managing his own time, hobbies, interest & of
course lve. He never spent a min extra to know about his
men, his unit & aspects of welfare. His course grading sailed
him through first 6 yrs of his service & sure enough, he spent
the actual formative yrs in cat A ests & foreign postings.
There was another offr, Lt VIDYARTHI who got
commissioned six months later to same unit. This guy was
totally opposite, fwg The Chetwode Code in letter & spirit.
He excelled in all sports & professional activities & led his
unit to victories. He was, for obvious reasons admired by his
men like crazy. However, being avg in studies, he spent his
entire service in unit barring a few imp courses. Then came
the time for the ‘Lipsticks to Don’ zone of their careers - the
SB 3. Only one of them was going to command the unit. As
the present CO was a little confused with the choice, he recd
a flurry of anonymous letters from his men wanting
VIDYARTHI to be their CO. Who was chosen finally? That’s
not even the pt. We must realise that the qualifications you
hold is only an ‘Icing on the Cake’. But is your cake (your
nature as a Person & a Leader) worth it? The men don’t care
about how much you know. They want to know how much
you care. So, How’s Your Cake ?
 51

AN APCH TO PREP FOR MIL LAW FOR PROMOTIONAL EXAMS

“ A Wishbone without a Backbone (read plg & hardwork)

doesn’t really get you very far ”

- Anonymous

INTRO

1. This subject is taught rt from the PCTA (Pre-Commission Trg

Academy) days albeit at varying depths as an offr matures in his service. It
is a full-fledged subject of 500 mks for Part B & D but figures as a small
(yet decisive) portion of 100 mks as part of Adm & Morale paper in
DSSC/DSTSC entrance exam. Once an offr gets commissioned, the only
structured trg in tackling Mil Law paper happens during Pre-Staff courses
run by various comds as a precursor to the prep for DSSC/DSTSC
entrance exam. Though, there is a culture of prep capsules for Part B &
Part D now being devp by most fmns, the seriousness with which they are
conducted & as also the extent to which the offrs are made available to
undergo the same is debatable. Thus, my whole aim of this chapter is to
help apch this subject methodically without trying to be Mil lawyers
ourselves (lve that to JAG folks !).

2. The subject being sort of an Open Book Test is only a false

sense of security which we all get befooled with.Mil Law is a subject
which can become a real prick if one is not smart enough to glean what is
necessary to crack it. However, once the apch is rt, the scoring rate is
pretty high (almost beyond 80%).

AIM

3. The aim of this chapter is to guide my brother offrs to methodically

prep for Mil Law for promotional & competitive exams.
 52

SCOPE

4. The paper will be covered in fwg parts :-

(a) Source of Study Mtrl.

(b) The Super 30 Flagging.

(c) Preparation.

5. Source of Study Mtrl. It’s a no brainer to home onto this, yet I

thought it would be prudent to just pen it down for the record:-

(a) Law Books. There are a total of 5 books (bilingual print in the
same book) :-

(i) Manual of Mil Law (MML) Vol I to III.

(ii) DSR Vol I & II.

(b) Precis. Respective DGMT/Pre-Staff Precis (Part B/D/Staff).

(c) USI QPs of USI are also helpful as after all USI is a def org &
its relevance needs to be maint.

6. The Super 30 Flagging. It’s such a misnomer when someone

says that exhaustive flagging helps you a lot in the exam. I have seen
offrs decorate the law books with choicest of colourful flags many a times
stacked one beneath the other & mostly unreadable. And sure enough,
they hardly ever find it useful. My aim through this chapter is also to dispel
this myth & acquaint the offrs with the bare minimum flagging (about 30 in
all) that would enable you sail through effortlessly. The same is given as
follows: -
 53

Book/Vol Flagging Reqd Remarks

MML Vol I - Arrest - Chapters
III to VIII
- Courts Martial
-Total
- Evidence Flags 6

- Civ Offences
-
- Aid to Civ Powers

- Service Privileges
MML Vol II - Gen Index (Gp the alphabets in Total Flags
a flag to reduce the No of flags) 12-13
- Offences(only first pg to mk the
beginning)

- AR (only first pg to know

demarcation)

- Samples of Ch Sheets (Only first

pg)

- Courts Martial

- Courts of Inquiry
MML Vol - AFT Act 2007 Total
III Flags 6
- CPRC

- IEA

- IPC

- RTI
DSR Vol I - Courts martial Total
Flags 4
- Courts of inquiry

- Courts of inquest

- Arrest
DSR Vol II Use of Tps by State Govts (pp Total
446) Flags 1
 54

7. Preparation. The key to how you can nail this subject with so little
flagging lies in how methodically (yet smartly) you prep for it. The same will
be amply clear once I elucidate its mechanics :-

(a) Sequence of Studying. The ‘R’ sequence of studying is as

under :-

(b) Doctoring the Law Books as per your Needs. This step is
by far the most crucial once which actually makes the difference.
We all know that MML Vol II has Gen Index given at the end of it.
This index can be used to reach the various secs with the help of the
catch words. However, the index is not exhaustive & adequate.
Infact, I would rather say it’s not tailor made to crack an exam as
there are many aspects given in the index which offrs don’t visit at all
even during prep esp for DSSC/DSTSC entrance exam.Thus, it
needs to be doctored to favour you in the fwg steps as under :-

(i) Identifying. Go through the various sources

mentioned in paras 5(b) & (c) and atmt solving them by the
 55

natural process of ‘Search through Gen Index’. In this

process, you will know which are the portions or answers which
cannot be reached using this natural process. You can also
highlight them. The aim here is to just iden them (if they can’t be
reached during prac, they can’t be reached easily during the
exam either). And what good does an open book test do if you
can’t home onto the answer in time!
(ii) Indexing. After iden, you must now see the catch words
or phrases which will enable you to reach that particular portion &
add it to the Gen Index using pencil in the same chronological
order under the same alphabet as given. For eg. The concept of
Fraud & Defraud (pp 44-45) is not indexed & hence can be added
suitably under alphabet ‘F’. Another eg. is the procedure for loss
of proceedings of courts martial (pp 211) which can be added
under courts martial heading of the index. Now, the books are
tailor made or doctored to your needs !! You could also index the
imp aspects of other Volumes in this Gen Index which makes
your job easier. And pl don’t mistake this for cheating. There is a
huge amount of difference between indexing & cheating. I
need not amplify it any further.
(iii) Revisiting. This is more of a confirmatory process
which assures you that the doctoring is correct & in the process
enables you revise as well.

CONCLUSION

8. Many offrs spend countless No of hrs in prac & studying for this because
we all as humans fear that what if I am not able to home onto the relevant sec
in time? What if the answer lies in some godforsaken 10thpt of notes given
below a sec? The only practical way to dispel this fear & boost the confidence
is this method of prep. Remember, we are combatant soldiers trained to lead
our men into war. We ain’t Mil Lawyers. You only need to be gen aware so as
to enable you deal with cases in your units & of course crack the only three
exams for this subject you will ever appear in your lives. So, treat this subject
as such. I genuinely hope this small piece of guidance helps all my brother
offrs.

‘Good Shooting’
 56

THE JACK SPARROW

This Story explains why butterflies are not assisted in coming out
of cocoon when the caterpillar transforms. There was an offr
named Maj PATTI. He was fortunate to have his ex CO as one of
his intrs during his YOs course. Sure enough, like many today, he
too took advantage of it & apch him to help him out in getting
addl mks (those invisible outdoor ex mks which are never shown)
in ex, telling important sure shot questions for exams & stuff like
that. No surprises, PATTI did exceedingly well in YOs. Then came
another course. This time around again, he was fortunate to have
one of his school types as instr & again sailed through with flying
colours. Then came another, then another & then another. With
every passing course, his energies, dedication & hardworking
attitude kept dying out & all he was interested the moment he
got detl on a course was to look for acquaintances (The Jack). He
also became famous as Jack Sparrow of his course as they used to
call him. Some even took guidance from him on how to make
contacts so that it assists them in courses. What an aspect to be
mentoring on! Thus, over a period, he was no longer his
usual/original self. Horror unfolded when he was detl for the so
called most important course in any offr’s career, the JC. As luck
would have it, he didn’t find my acquaintances. His energies were
low & so was his attitude to learn. The outcome - he performed
rather atrociously in the course raising much speculation of his
abilities. What did PATTI teach us all unintentionally? I am not
even talking of Integrity here. There was a science experiment
that was done to prove that when a caterpillar was helped
manually to break the cocoon, it died in minutes whereas self-
struggled success made its wings strong. What a resemblance to
PATTI’S tale!
 57

AN APCH TO PREP FOR ADVANCE GUNNERY COURSE

“ Success is never owned, it’s rented.

And the rent is due everyday ”

- Rory Vaden
INTRO

1. Adv Gunnery is the second mandatory course during the career

of a Gnr Offr after YOs which normally an offr gets detl anywhere rg from
3 yrs to 9 yrs of service depending on personal commitments & exigencies
of services. Strictly speaking, this course may not give that much of a fillip
to your profile per se; however, it does put an offr back on tr as far as
studies are concerned. An avg offr soon after his YOs gets so embroiled
in unit dynamics in a quest to est & prove himself in the unit (which is
necessary) that he hardly finds any time for professional reading. This also
primarily stems from the fact that a YO is not that matured & inclined to
manage his time to sharpen his knife (read knowledge) in the thick of
unit tarteeb. Add to that, the omnipresence of some seniors in every unit
who are more punitive than corrective when it comes to grooming YOs, any
possibility of the same is further dwindled. Thanks to the Annual Prac
Camps which atleast give some semblance of a re-touch. Having said all of
this, I personally feel this course is a welcome change for an offr who gets
an official opportunity to get back to business of professional reading.

2. Considering the time an offr gets to prep for this course, going
through the entire course content is virtually impossible. However, if one is
smart enough to glean the essential aspects to be conc on & concepts to
be learnt, the process is effortless & results are astounding.
 58

AIM

3. To enable my brother offrs to methodically yet smartly prep for Adv

Gunnery Course.

SCOPE

4. The paper will be covered in the fwg parts :-

(a) Reasons for poor performance in Adv Gunnery.

(b) Broad Content of the Course.

(c) Source of Study Mtrl.

(d) Concepts Iden for Prep.

(e) Aspects to be borne in mind.

(f) Benefits of Doing Well on Course.

5. Reasons for Poor Performance. There are three main reasons

why many offrs find it difficult to perform in this course :-

(a) Lack of Preparedness. Offrs seldom get time to prep for

this course in the unit as most of them would be donning the Hot
Seats (Adjt/QM) & knowing the perceived imp of the course, few
COs would be willing to spare an offr for prep.

(b) Duration vs Content Asymmetry. There is too much taught

in too little a time for an avg mind to comprehend & anyone who
wishes to do well needs to work out of his skin to perform well. Add to
that the unwritten ‘Quota Sys’ of Offrs getting ‘A’ grading out of
an avg str of 50, the problem only gets further compounded.

(c) Futile Comparison. Many offrs also end up performing

poorly primarily because of making unnecessary comparisons of
state of preparedness with that of their YOs course. The fact to be
realised here is that a YO needs to learn everything from scratch
(& hence the time he gets) whereas an offr at 3 yrs service needs to
only build on the foundation already laid.
 59

6. Broad Content of the Course. The course content can be broadly

divided into the fwg :-

(a) Gunnery.

(b) SATA.

(c) Tac.

7. Source of Study Mtrl. These contents are covered from the fwg
sources with each source also backed up by a power point pstn :-

Ser Content Maj Source

Aspects
(a) Gunnery Fire Discp
OP end tech Pamph 8/04
aspects of fire
cont
Proj Shakti UHB
Amn Pamph 3
Pamph 1A
Ballistics Ballistics Pamph
(b) SATA Svy Pamph 1/11
Orientation & (Principle of Arty Svy)
fixation at OP Pamph 9/11
MSB & SBI (Principle of Regt Svy)
Concept of BP Pamp 3/64
Astro UHBs
Svl – LORROS ( Fd Astro for Arty Svy)
& ELM 2140
WLR, UAV
DIGICORA,
GPS
 60
Ser Content Maj Source
Aspects
(c) Tac Basic ops of war THOFA
– Attk & Def GS Pamphs
Fire Plg SATM No 21
AMTAB & its
difference from
conv amn
calculation
Ops in DCB,
Cnl & Deserts

8. Concepts Iden for Prep. Any course content can be broadly

divided into Theory & Concepts. While theory can easily be tackled
because there is little to understand & mostly needs memorisation, it’s the
concepts that take most of your time. Concepts are basically ideas or
principles on which a particular aspect is based on e.g. check parallelism
by star is based on the concept of parallel lines meeting at infinity,
OFC wk on the concept of total internal reflection, Guns are laid in
C/A based on the concept of corresponding angles being equal,
Calculation in TIIOE & FSE being based on Trig ratios etc. They take
time to comprehend as there is lot of visualization & diagrammatic
analysis involved. So, as we have already realised that doing the complete
syllabus is impossible, if you are able to atleast grasp these concepts
before landing up at deolali, you will be much more comfortable; in fact
very comfortable. I have made an atmt to iden the concepts in each of the
three broad contents. This is strictly based an experience & my wisdom
aided by memory. You can add on a few more if you so feel. Let us see
what are these :-
 61

Ser Contents Concepts Iden Remarks

(a) Gunnery  Conv shooting procedures Go through
(IN, Regn, Datum, Linear, ill, PPTs &
AB, stopwatch, FSE, Mike & consult your
smk). sr who has
recently done
 IOE shooting procedures for AG or an IG if
all of the above. available in
unit
 IOE integrated with Shakti
for all of the above.

 Numericals (ill, stop watch,

smk, AB, FSE, IOE, rev
slope engage ability, False
linear bg).

 Concept of hill shooting &

compensatory corrns.

 Theory of artificial inflation

of tgt.

 HHTI shooting procedures.

 Varns of FSE (Oscar

360, Bg & Dist, Conv, IOE,
IOE + Shakti, ICO, HHTI).

 DOSA,MFDT& MPI adj menus

in Shakti.

 Rules of LAA & its applns.

 62

Ser Contents Concepts Iden Remarks

(b) SATA  Basics of LORROS, Go through

ELM2140, WLR, DIGICORA PPTs. Hands
& GPS. on exposure
from any local
 Concept of MSB & SBI. SATA unit is a
bonus.
 Revision of svy philosophy.

 Basics of UAV & its emp

philosophy.

 Basics of Astro.
(c) Tac  FP
 AMTAB (incl its comparison
with conv method of amn
calculation)

 Task Table Genr

 Trn Analysis (format only –

O,C,O,K,A)

 Basics of Map Mkg

 IPB theory

 Theory of Op Lgs

 Desert W Gen

 Org of Armd Regt/MIB/

R&S Bn

 Basics of Mech W

 Basics of DCB & Cnl ops

 63

9. Aspects to Borne in Mind. This course adv at a rapid ph & it’s imp
to keep up with it. Certain aspects that need to be kept in mind to enable
you stay at the top of the game are as under :-

(a) Study Routine. Considering the ph of each leg, there is little

scope for postponing studies. Hence, make it a habit of finishing
studying the aspects covered in the cl the same day. Certain spill
overs can always be dealt with on weekends.

(b) Question Banks (QB). Whether or not the questions appear

from them, studying these QBs certainly give you an insight as to
what kind of questions can be framed & hence it is imp to go
through all the latest QBs that you can lay your hands on. It’s best to
manage these from any local unit offr or your own unit offr before
reaching for the course.

(c) Inter se Imp of Legs. Based on the weightage & the level of
difficulty, I personally feel Tac & SATA need to be handled with a
little bit of extra diligence as Gunnery is kind of familiar subject &
can be dealt with effortlessly.

(d) Performance in Shooting. It is imp to get shortlisted atleast

in the top 8 in the race for Best Shot as it contributes that many
more addl mks to your outdoor assessment apart from the
impression you make in IsG minds. Hence, prep well for the shoots
the previous ni by spending atleast half an hr on revising the
shooting procedures.

10. Benefits of Performing well on the Course. There are plenty of

positives of doing well on this course (though not necessarily in terms of
boosting your profile) :-

(a) Precursor for LGSC Entrance Exam. This puts you rt on tr

towards prep for LGSC entrance exam as the syllabus for the exam
incl both that of YOs & AG. Some offrs are fortunate enough to be
appearing for the exam in the same yr in which they did AG which
is a big plus. Nevertheless, it doesn’t guarantee anything without
hard work.
 64

(b) Posting as G2. Although I am not a great fan of an offr doing

G2 in an Arty bde of all the places, it might also happen that you get
an opportunity to get posted as G2 to some Inf Bde or an Armd
Bde which certainly places you a notch higher than your
counterparts. A good performance on this course can therefore incr
your chances for the same.

(c) Confidence in Unit. As after AG, an offr gets almost

permanently shifted to OP during Annual Prac Camps, it certainly
boosts your confidence & you will be better poised to handle OP end
aspects incl trg your men.

11. Bare Min Prep. Let’s assume you don’t either get adequate time for
prep or you are detl at a short notice such that you are barely left with
about a month. In that case, there are certain bare min aspects which you
must have gone through before reaching for the course so that you are not
stumped. Though you will see many offrs landing up straight at deolali
without even having opened their books & end up even doing well in the
course. Well, that’s what they told you on reaching for the course! Didn’t
they? Everyone does their bit for any course they are detl for. Having said
that, let us see what are those specific aspects you must brush through :-
 65

CONCLUSION

12. Offrs often commit either of the two mistakes which costs them dear
during the course – Not iden concepts to be understood before hand &
not keeping up with the pace of the course. Either ways, it will cost you
your grading. And lastly, not doing reasonably well also dents your
confidence a little & doesn’t inspire your CO’s confidence when it comes to
tasking you at OP during Annual Prac Camps. I sincerely hope this small
piece of wk by me gives you that much needed head start.

‘Good Shooting’
 66

WHAT’s YOUR TAGLINE ?

As offrs & Mil ldrs, each one of us come with either of

the fwg three taglines & are hence employed based on the

same in our units/fmns:-

- ‘With you, we will win’

- ‘Without you, we will win’

- ‘Despite you, we will win’

So, what’s your Tagline?

- My ex CO
 67

AN APCH TO PREP FOR LGSC ENTRANCE EXAM

“ You don’t have to be great to start,

but you have to start to be great ”

- Zig Ziglar

INTRO

1. The highest qualification (& therefore respect) a gunner offr can

achieve in his professional life is being an Instr-in-Gunnery. An IG is called
by many names such as the God of Gunnery or The Walking Bible on
Gunnery. And rightfully so because by the sheer wt of his qualification, he
adds so much value to a unit & his CO and hence is tasked accordingly. IA
has a rather interesting concept of empowering an offr with addl
qualifications & thereafter creating avenues or opportunities which only offrs
with such added feathers are able to deal with (or atleast perceived to be
so). The only pt I am trying to make here is that doing LGSC & being an IG
is so important from both your career pt of view & as well as from your
employability in the unit or from an ERE pt of view that you can’t ignore it
anymore. I must confess that there is this strange thing about this entrance
exam which many stalwarts end up not making it even after three atmts
(max possible after 4 yrs service) while many average minds crack it in one
go. All I can make of this Not So Easily Digestible Fact is that as you grow
in service it’s both Method & Madness that matter. Both hard work & smart
work matter. May be those doing well types couldn’t get it.

2. Having said that, it’s important to understand what it takes to crack this
exam & why so many aren’t able to nail it despite having an enviable
background. This exam is spread over two days (normally in Jun) which I
shall explain subsequently. The pattern keeps changing back and forth
between Subjective & Objective pattern. Presently, it is in subjective pattern.
My atmt through this paper is to enable you understand the pattern as a
whole & apch it methodically so that you crack it in one go.

AIM

3. To enable my brother offrs to apch methodically & yet smartly towards

prep for LGSC entrance exam.
 68

SCOPE

4. The paper is broadly divided into the fwg parts :-

(a) Broad Syllabus

(b) Pattern of Exams

(c) Mechanics of Prep

(d) Why LGSC ?

5. Broad Syllabus. Don’t get intimidated by the voluminous block

syllabus they propagate. In short, it’s the combined syllabus of YOs &
Adv Gunnery plus Maths & Physics. The distr of mks for each subject
may keep varying each yr but the present detls are as under :-
S Subject Mks Reading Mtrl
No
(a) Gunnery (Weightage 250 Mks).
(i) Comprehensive Knowledge on :-
(aa) Duties of GPO & all 110 - DUAI No 1 Pamph
tech wk in the Bty & No 1/1975/ C of M.
Regt CP - DUAI No 1 Pamph
(ab) Duties of OP offr and 100 No 2/1988 Arty Bd.
procedures for - DUAI No 1 Pamph
Engagement of various No 5/1975 CFA.
types of Shoots (incl - DUAI No 1 Pamph
SHAKTI) No 6 Director.
(ac) SHAKTI Ver 7.0 40 - AT Vol III Pamph No
6 1972 Safety (Instrs
for Prac).
- Vol III Pamph No
8/2004.
- Vol III Pamph No 10
A/1987 Inst Cal.
- Vol III Pamphlet No
IIB 1990 A Tk Gnry.
-Gun drill Pamph
Total 250
 69

S Subject Mks Reading Mtrl

No
(b) Amn (Weightage 45 Mks).
(i) Explosives
(aa) Explosives Gen, cl and
definitions
(ab) Propellant 10
(ac) HE (incl initiators intermediaries
and bursting ch)
(ad) Gun powder, pyrotechnic
composns and tracers
(ii) Cart AT Vol III
(aa) Cart types, definations and Pamph No
types of chs 3/1976
(ab) QF & BL (build up and mfr)
(ac) Mkg of QF and BL cart 10
(ad) Primers, tubes and igniters
(ae) Combustible and semi
combustible carts
(iii) Proj
(aa) Definitions, types, design and
principles AT Vol III
(ab) Carrier Shell – composn and 10 Pamph No
functions (incl 155mm) to incl 3/1976
cargo amn
(ac) A tk projs (APDS, APFSDS,
HESH and HEAT)
(iv) Fzs 10
(aa) Intro and safety arngs in fzs
(v) Misc & Modern Trends.
(aa) Care, preservation & storage
of amn
(ab) Causes of blinds & premature
(ac) Sensor fuzed munitions – Pamph 155
Principles & characteristics 05 mm. Articles
(ad) Trajectory correctable Arty Journals/
munitions (TCM) – Gen Arty Tech
(ae) GMLRS – Unitary/ Guided rkts Updates
(af) ERFB, ERSC, ERFB-BT, RAP
and other amn being planned
for induction.
Total 45
70
 71
S No Subject Mks Reading Mtrl
(c) Eqpt (Weightage 60 Mks).
(i) Gen considerations, Ordnance,
Carriages and Mountings
(ii) Sighting Sys 40
(iii) Carriage & Mounting
(iv) Recoil Sys : IFG
(v) Characteristics of 155mm Bofors Gun, - 75 AT Vol
130mm Gun M46, 155MM Soltam, LFG, II Pamph No 1
Grad BM 21, smerch & PINAKA A/1970
(vi) Brahmos 20 - Arty
(vii) NGEs (incl ULH, K9 Vajra & other new Journals/ Mags
indn)
Total 60
(d) Ballistics (Weightage 45 Mks).
(i) Gen, definitions, ballistic angles, Met and 10
RT
(ii) Internal Ballistics.
(aa) Gen Principles 10 - Ballistics
(ab) Sequence of events in the bore Pamph
(ac) Propellants
(iii) External Ballistics 10 -105/37mm IFG
(iv) Variations & Corrections 05 RT
(v) Dispersion of Fire.
(aa) Theory of errors
(ab) Consistency 10
(ac) Accuracy of predicted fire
(ad) Probability factors
Total 45
(e) Maths (Weightage 35).
(i) Gen
(aa) Factorisation
(ab) Ratio and proportion 05 Prescribed
(ac) Interpolation and extrapolation books of CBSE
(ad) Vectors and Graphs Cl X & XII
(ii) Trig
(aa) Trig fns and Coord Geometry
(ab) Ht and Distance Plane
(ac) Trig formulae and appl 05 Trigonometry by
(ad) Solution of triangles and their SL Loni
properties
(iii) Coord Geometry Coord geometry
(aa) Cartesian and Polar coords 05 by SL Loni
(ab) Circles
 72

S No Subject Mks Reading Mtrl

(iv) Dynamics
(aa) Motion in a straight line
(ab) Velocity and acceleration Elements of
(ac) Equation of motion, momentum 10 Dynamics by SL
and force Loni
(ad) Laws of motion
(v) Statics. Composn of force & moments 10 Prescribed
books of CBSE
Cl X,XI & XII
Total 35
(f) Physics (Weightage 30).
(i) Light
(aa) Laws of reflection and refractions
Prescribed
(ab) Lens focal length and magnification
(ac) Prisms 10 books of CBSE
Cl X,XI & XII
(ad) Lasers
(ae) Thermal imagers
(ii) Sound
(aa) Production and Propagation
(ab) Elementary aspects of wave 05 Prescribed
propagation books of CBSE
(ac) Velocity of sound in air, solids & Cl X, XI & XII
liquids
(iii) E & M
(aa) Definitions and units
(ab) Nature of electricity Prescribed
(ac) Electron theory and electric 05 books of CBSE
charges Cl X, XI & XII
(ad) Electronic attraction and repulsion
(ae) Conductors and insulators
(af) Current
(iv) Electronics
(aa) Elementary amplifiers & rectifiers 05 Prescribed
(ab) EM waves books of CBSE
(ac) Semi conductor theory Cl X, XI & XII
(ad) IC and solid state devices
(v) Matter
(aa) Solid
(ab) Liquids 05 Prescribed
(ac) Gases books of CBSE
(ad) Std laws wrt to Matter Cl X, XI & XII
 73

Total 30
S Subject Mks Reading Mtrl
No
(g) Tac (Weightage 135)
(i) Glossary of Mil Terms 06
(ii) Org of Units, all Arms & 14
Services
(iii) Basic ops of war 35
(iv) Emp of Arty in various ops 70 (aa) Pamph Arty in
of war Battle
(ab) Pamph Arty Div in
Battle
(ac) THOFA
(ad) Fd Offrs Hand
Book
(v) Fire Plg incl AMTAB 10
Total 135
(h) SATA (Weightage 200)
(i) Definitions
(ii) Svy processes
(iii) Principles of Svy (Regt &
Arty Svy) (aa) Pamph No 1/11
(iv) Org & duties of Svy Sec Principles of Arty Svy.
(v) Linear measurement & Ht 56 (ab) Pamph No 9/11
(vi) Initiating a grid Principles of Regt svy.
(vii) Est of BP & tie into a BP (ac) Pamph No 3/64
(viii) Differences betn Regt & Fd Astro for Arty svyrs.
Arty Svy
(ix) Astro gen and definitions
(x) GPS & DGPS (aa) Pamph No 6/06
(aa) Intro & Principles User Manual Promark
(ab) Intro to Promark X X.
(ab) Liaison letter on
GPS & DGPS
Rdr Basics
(xi) Rdr fundamentals
(xii) Principles of rdr
(xiii) Appl of rdrs in fd role 28 Basic Science & Tech
(xiv) Factors affecting rdrs in fd Precis 1 & 2
role
(xv) Capb and limitations of rdr
 74

EL/M 2140 NG & LORROS.

(xvi) Intro & characteristics Maint manual, Opr
(xvii) Gen description and setting 28 manual & DUAI of
up LORROS & EL/M 2140
(xviii) Basic Concept NG
RPAS (aa) Arty Journal
(xix) RPAS sys configuration 28 (ab) Arty Tech Updates
(xx) Characteristics and role of
RPAS
WLR
(xxi) WLR AN/TPQ-37 14 DUAI, UHB, Liaison
letter & Manual
AN/TPQ-37
(xxii) WLR SWATHI 14 UHB of WLR SWATHI
BSS, SAI, Met & GIS
(xxiii) BSS, SAI, Met & GIS 32 (aa) Pamph NO 6/11 &
UHB of Digicora MW
13 & 15.
(ab) Pamph No 1/11
Principles of Arty Svy.
(ac) Arty Journals &
Arty Tech Updates.
Total 200

6. Pattern of Exams. The exam consist of two papers with present distr
of mks as under :-

(a) Papers

(i) Paper I. Gunnery, Amn, Eqpt & Ballistics.

(ii) Paper II. Maths, Physics, SATA & Tac.

(b) Distr of Mks. The broad distr of syllabus & mks for both papers
is as under:-

(i) Paper I.

(aa) Gunnery - 250 Marks (incl 40 Marks

for SHAKTI).
(ab) Amn - 45 Marks
 75

(ac) Eqpt - 60 Marks

(ad) Ballistics - 45 Marks
-------------------------------------------------------
Total - 400 Marks
--------------------------------------------------------

(ii) Paper II.

(aa) Maths - 30 Marks

(ab) Physics - 35 Marks

(ac) Tac - 135 Marks

(ad) SATA - 200 Marks

--------------------------------------------------------------
Total - 400 Marks
----------------------------------------------------------------

(c) Pattern of Question Paper. The pattern would be as follows:-

(i) Part – I. This part will be long answer type. Candidates

are reqd to answer in approx 250 words. The total
weightage will be of 120 mks i.e 30%.

(ii) Part – II. This part will be short answer type.

Candidates are reqd to answer in approx 80-100 words. The
weightage will be 200 mks i.e 50%.

(iii) Part – III.

(aa) This part will be objective type.

(ab) The total weightage will be 80 marks i.e 20%.
(ac) This part will comprise of four questions, one each
on True / False, Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice &
Match the Fwg.
(ad) There will be Negative marking for True / False,
Multiple Choice & Match the Fwg.

7. Mechanics of Prep. It’s important to have some Method to

Madness when confronted with such conceptually huge syllabus. If I were
to put it in one phrase I would say this – Study the Unfamiliar aspects
 76

First. Hence, my suggested sequence of prep precisely suggests the same

through the fwg aspects as under :-

(a) Sequence of Prep. It varies from person to person. Some

even say you must begin with an easy subject so as to get a morale
boosting head start, but here’s a thing– This holds good for Prep for
DSSC/DSTSC exam where in the syllabus is abominable & you
have plenty of time with the blessing of your CO. So my ‘R’ sequence
would be this :-

TAC

GUNNERY

AMN & EQPT

MATHS & PHY

SATA

BALLISTICS

(b) Revision. Devote atleast last 15-20 days for revision. This has a
profound influence on the outcome of the exam.

(c) Study Partner. It’s absolutely necessary that you study in conj
with a partner for better results & mutual benefits. It Takes Two to
Tango. Partner doesn’t have to be physically present in your stn. A lot
can happen over phone calls !

8. Why LGSC ?. One of the key aspects of keeping your motivation

high to do anything in life is to know it’s merits & payoffs. I am now going to
deconstruct the need for doing this course & also the necessity of doing it
early :-

(a) Early Stabilisation of Professional Life. Clearing it in first

atmt gets that hy wt monkey off your backs as it’s any Gnr Offr’s
 77

ultimate dream to be an IG. And more importantly, you can thereafter

conc on other aspects of professional, personal & unit life. Most of us
will also be in such a zone where marriage would be on the cards ;
So life would not get any easier going fwd.

(b) More time to Prac Gunnery. It’s a well established fact that
the more qualified you are (courses & exposures), more confident
you become in exec it. So doing it in time gives you that much more
addl time to prac your craft which only further sharpens your knife
(read knowledge). And what’s more, you will be such an asset to your
unit & the org.

(c) Emp in Unit. Let’s candidly accept the fact that a CO looks
at an IG through a different prism vis-a-vis others commonly known
as NIGROs(Non IG Regtl Offrs). Your emp will be such that you will
be well known in the envt as there are hardly 4-5 IsG in your bde or
fmn. Nothing selfish about it. It’s the way our org functions.

(d) Respect in Unit. Though it may not show up prima facie,

all rks in a unit look at an IG with lot of respect & gratitude as they are
the movers & shakers who matter in a prac camp & as also in trg of
the unit. A CO gets confidence in exec mostly due to their presence
(not discounting other offrs’ contribution though). Thus, you won’t
remain just another offr anymore.

(e) Advantage JC. It’s always better to do JC course with a

greater amount of service & experience and more importantly after
LGSC because Tac Leg of LGSC is worth Pure Gold. This poises
you better for the JC Course.

(f) Professional Satisfaction. I can bet my last 10 bucks on the

fact that the level of professional kick & satisfaction you get vis-a-vis
before LGSC is unparalleled. You get that Satisfactory Adrenaline
Rush every waking hr.

(g) Networking. Doing LGSC adds atleast 50 new offrs to

your kitty of friends circle which does a world of good when you
need any asst, professional & personal alike. I am not ref to
unethical asst here.
 78

CONCLUSION

9. Being an asset or a liability in your unit is purely a personal choice but

here’s a thing – Being more qualified adds that addl value to your emp & the
org. Anything that adds value is revered & respected. Towards that end,
though, with all due love & respect to those sincere souls who are not IsG,
the pinnacle of qualifications for any Gnr is this course & one must always
aspire to be the best in the business for only then you will be able to spur
your unit & men under comd fwd. Also, prep for LGSC, if done methodically
& smartly, is an exam that can be cracked by any avg offr (read all offrs). I
sincerely hope this small write up bolsters your confidence going fwd. Go
ahead & crack the code.

‘Good Shooting’
 79

SUCCESS IS ALL ABOUT LUCK, ASK ANY FAILURE

There was this offr named Maj KISMAT who had this self-fulfilling
prophecy that success all is all about luck & nothing else matters.
On seeing someone excel on a course, he would say ‘He got lucky
as the portions he didn’t study didn’t appear in exam’. On seeing
a Gallantry Award winner, he would say ‘He got lucky for
otherwise he would have got Martyred’. On seeing someone clear a
competitive exam like LGSC or staff college, he would say ‘He is
lucky to have a good CO’. He paid utter disregard to an indl’s
efforts & hard work in execution & casually blamed it on luck
every single time. God seemed to have been watching him all this
while & so was Maj HAPPY who was (un)fortunately his best
friend since academy days. Soon enough, KISMAT was posted to
RR Bn. Within a month of indn, he sprung into action
apprehending militants & killing them. He was awarded ‘SENA
MEDAL’. HAPPY told him ‘Lucky You’. For some strange reasons,
KISMAT felt a tinge of discomfort hearing this. As life is the best
teacher, he was detl to attend JC course from RR bn itself. He
worked very hard & got an ‘AI’ grading. Hearing the good news,
HAPPY again said ‘Lucky You’. His restlessness grew more. Then
came the litmus test of their lives, the staff college exam & guess
what KISMAT made it. Sure enough, HAPPY (who didn’t appear
that yr), once again said ‘Lucky You’ & congratulated him.
Intolerance & emotions had gotten better of KISMAT by now &
he confronted HAPPY. He said ‘I have put in my heart & soul in
whatever I have done, how dare you say I got lucky?’ HAPPY
calmly replied, ‘I am glad that you got my pt’. KISMAT had
changed forever. God helps those who help themselves. The harder
you work, the luckier you get.
 80

A ROAD MAP TO SUCCESS IN LGSC

1. There are seven maj legs (As on Dec 2019) in the course which are
chronologically mentioned with duration as under:-

(a) Basic (04 weeks)

(b) Gunnery (10 weeks & 06 days)

(c) Rkt & Msl (03 weeks)

(d) Mid Term break (10 days)

(e) SATA (10 weeks)

(f) Industrial tour (10 days)

(g) Basic Tac (4 weeks)

(h) Spl domain (Fd/Rkt & Msl/SATA) (04 weeks)

(j) Adv Tac ( 3 weeks & 02 days)

2. Centre of Gravity. Your performance in the u/m exams will in all

probability be overarching factor in your gradings :-

(a) Basic Leg. Two exams (Ballistics & Amn/Eqpt)

(b) Gunnery Leg. Two Exams (Gunnery I & II).

(c) Rkt & Msl Leg. One exam.

(d) SATA Leg. Two exams (Svy & Svl)

(e) Basic Tac Leg. Two exams (REs I & II)

(f) Spl Domain Leg. One exam.

(g) Adv Tac Leg. One exam ( RE III)

 81

3. Other Minor Exams. Though imp too after all, but an unfortunate
poor performance in these won’t cost you dear.

4. TPs. Teaching pracs are an integral part of the curriculum & you
must make an endeavor to secure an ‘X’ grading in the same. Other detls
are as under :-

(a) How Many. Three (incl two in Gunnery & one in SATA).

(b) What Constitutes an Overall ‘X’. An ‘X’ grading in at least

two of the TPs.

(c) Confirmatory TP. If you are graded an ‘X’ by the assessing

IG, it shall be confirmed by the Cdr of that Wg in your next TP. Simply
put, your next TP will be assessed/vetted by the Cdr to gd against any
favoritism.

5. Benefits of Getting Retained. There are hardly any cons of getting

retained. Some of the maj benefits you reap are as under :-

(a) JC Course. You get adequate time for its prep & more
importantly, you get a first hand expertise/guidance from offrs who
would have done recently. An ‘AI’ grading on JC of a retained IG more
a norm than an exception.

(b) Prep for DSSC/DSTSC Entrance Exam. You get the rt

amount & quality of guidance which ensures your success.

(c) Relevance in a Stamped Army. IA is a stamped Army where

in your reputation (Spoken & Official) reaches before you reach
physically. Being a retained IG would give that much needed impetus
to your professional life.

(d) Quality of Life. Although quality of family life depends entirely

on the couple irrespective of envt, Devlali as a Stn would bring in
that added dollop of charm & quality to your family life.
 82

6. Recipe for Success. If you follow the u/m strat, you will seldom fail :-

(a) Written Exams. Be in top 10 in each of the maj written

exams. But mind you, efforts of a topper & the one who is 10th are
more or less the same.

(b) TPs. Must get an ‘X’ grading in atleast two TPs.

(c) Discp. Keep your discp immaculate & do not antagonize any
instr.

(d) Breaks. Take adequate breaks (weekly, fortnightly etc) to

maint our steam through the 52 weeks of ‘Tapasya’.

(e) Resilience. We are humans & hence bound to commit

mistakes. One/two ‘Not so good’ performances in exams should not
drain off your motivation. It is a Marathon & must be treated like one.
This is perhaps the most imp recipe of all.

‘Good Shooting’
 83

MOTIVATION & DEMOTIVATION

There was a high headed CO who had offrs’ dignity for

breakfast. He Often consciously made it a pt to pass sarcastic

comments & sometimes even admonish offrs publicly in fallins &

gatherings. There were two offrs who were more affected than

others – Capt Prerith & Capt Peedith as both were performing the

duties of Adjt & QM respectively. Prerith was avg in studies &

professional aspects (till then!) but Peedith was heads & shoulders

above Prerith. One fine morning during a routine conf, apparently,

the CO wasn’t happy with their work & threw a file each on their

faces yelling – ‘With this attitude you will retire as a Lt Col’

Needless to say, like any soldier worth his salt, these two were hurt

too ! But how it manifested in terms of their subsequent behaviours

is quite astounding. Prerith thought about it for a while & made a

commitment to himself that he will strive hard to be more diligent

in his work & that he will definitely go beyond Lt Col’s rk (If that’s

what it took to disprove his CO). On the other hand, Peedith kept

grimacing & cursing his fate to be under such a CO. He thought his

efforts & performance are not given due credit; so why perform?

Just to prove a pt, he became lackadaisical with every passing day

& soon enough, it reflected in every aspect of his life – unit life &

courses alike. We all face challenges in life. Getting demotivated or

inspired is purely your own choice. Perhaps, that’s why china has a

single word for both – Crisis & Opportunity.

 84

AN APCH TO PREP FOR JUNIOR COMD COURSE

“Your ‘I CAN’ is more important than your IQ”

- Robin Sharma

INTRO

1. An offr gets detl for JC course anywhere between the service bracket
of 4-9 Yrs depending on postings & tenure profiles. Anyone who has done
this course (even if he hasn’t fared well) will vouch for the fact that it’s an
overhyped course. Let us deconstruct why is it so. For many of us (if not
all), rewards are more important than the outcome of any action; Gradings
are more important than knowledge- And why not? they are after all again
linked with the rewards! We all know the rewards of doing well on JC – The
prestigious UN Posting. Thus, due to the so called Higher Stakes here,
the course has over a pd of time become a Rocket Science of sorts often
making offrs much apprehensive about the outcome & rewards the day
they get detl. I must wholeheartedly agree that this course requires a
higher quality of guidance & mentoring by seniors in the unit vis-a-vis other
courses as it’s the first all arms course for most of the offrs. Add to this, the
str of the course (approx 500) these days & our org’s self-styled quota of
gradings fuelled by the unwritten pro-rata design of assessment, the
course only gets that much more competitive & of course a shade difficult
compared to others. But surely, it doesn’t deserve the hype it always
enjoys.

2. However, there is a Method to Madness in apch the prep for this

course. We must once again understand & assimilate the course content
(like I have stressed upon for other courses as well) & cull out what can be
prep before hand & what can be tackled during the course itself – the
Concepts vs Theory analysis. More than anything, it’s your belief in
your abilities unfettered by the hype that will sail you through & hence
the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I have made an atmt in assisting
you understand & tackle the same.
 85

AIM

3. To enable my brother offrs to prep & tackle JC course methodically

(yet smartly).

SCOPE

4. The chapter would be covered in the fwg parts :-

(a) Broad Content of the course.

(b) Mechanics of Prep.

(c) Reasons for Poor Performance.

(d) Key Takeaways of the course.

(e) Recipe for Success.

5. Broad Content of the Course.

(a) The Trilogy of Triumph. Your performance in the course

primarily hinges on how well you fare in the u/m aspects of the
course:-

AE
QUIZ

EX

GRADING
 86

(b) Broad Layout. The course is broadly divided into two

identical stgs called AEs (Assimilation Ex) with each comprised of
the fwg :-

(c) Other Minor Aspects. There are many other minor aspects
like writing of a Tac Handbook, writing of a Mil Paper etc which
is mostly inconsequential from course grading pt of view & can be
handled with ease through peer learning.

6. Mechanics of Prep. There is no limit to when one should start

preparing. More than your will, it’s the envt you are in that dictates the
favourable time to start. Offrs posted at Cat A ests or other ests outside
unit (less fmn HQs) get relatively greater amount of time to begin the prep
at the earliest while also enjoying the much needed quality mentoring by
their seniors in the ests. However, like always, it’s the offrs in unit who bear
the brunt as they have huge responsibilities (Sub unit Cdr/Adjt/QM) during
this service bracket which can’t be shied away. And sure enough, they
often begin prep only once they have been detl. Hence, the thematic
premise of my suggested methodology is to address these larger tgt
audience (Unit Offrs). Barring exceptions, most offrs get atleast a two
month notice while being detl on JC. Assuming the same & also assuming
that some kind of prep would have begun (albeit paltry), my advice is as
follows: -
 87

(a) Sequence of Prep. You must broadly follow the fwg

sequence in the order of priority:-

(b) Elucidation. Let’s address each of these sequentially:-

(i) Ex. Each AE predominantly comprises of these Exs

which could be either Sand Model based or outdoor based
highlighting the various ops of war in different trn as under :-

The names of these ex may change from time to time but

the essence remains the same
 88

(ii) Calculations. There are some calculation based

concepts which are taught in JC. They are like maths & fetch
you full mks if correct.

(iii) Trn Analysis. Every SMD is preceded by a Trn

Analysis given by one of the Student Offrs .If none
volunteers, offrs will be detl. However, that’s never the case.
Offrs are more than keen on taking this resp as this is one thing
where in your analytical capb are visible both to the conducting
DS & of course to other visitors like SI,CI or even Comdt. If you
are logical in giving your Trn Analysis as per the format, more
often than not, it will fetch you those so called brownie pts !So,
apch any sr in your unit (preferably who has done JC recently)
& he will be able to guide you better as regards the
methodology & format. An eff way of prac the same would be to
carry out a trn analysis of your unit’s actual area of ops on the
Map enlargement or Sand Model in your unit ops room & get it
vetted by an able sr. The most common sequence followed
(O,C,O,K,A) is as under :-
 89

(iv) Other Imp Topics. Apart from the maj topics or ex

mentioned in para 6(b) (i) above, some imp minor topics are as
under :-

(aa) AE I.

(aaa) Lgs Sp in Mtns.

(aab) Emp of Arty.

(aac) Emp of Engrs

(aad) Emp of Air & other arms incl Adm & Lgs in
offn & def ops.

(aae) RL armed forces.

(aaf) YL armed forces.

(aag) Glossary of Mil Terms (GMT)

(aah) Int Collection Plan at bn level (ICP)

(aaj) Comb leadership.

(aak) Motivation & Morale.

(aal) Morals & Ethics.

(aam) Org of Armd, Mech and Recce & Sp units.

(ab) AE II.

(aba) Basics of CI/CT Ops. Dynamics &

distinction in J&K and NE, Small Team Concept,
ROP, Cvy Protection, MCP, CASO, SADO, RAID,
Psy Ops, HR aspects, Org of RR,CRPF,BSF & TA
bns, prevention of PC & BC and FIBUA.

(abb) Lgs. In ORT & Desert trn.

(abc) Mech Ops. Fundamentals, CT Battle drills,

enclave & riverine ops

(abd) Engr Package. Tr wk calculation, brs in

ORT.
 90

(abe) Air Package. AB/HB ops, AH.

(abf) Sub Unit Cdr Package. Wks procedures,

CBRN, TNW, Social Media & Cyber Security, DPP
& DPM.

(abg) Leadership. Team bldg, stress mgt, case

studies, comn, decision making, dissent mgt.

(v) Fire Plg. This is one aspect which most offrs (of course
non Arty offrs) are apprehensive about surprisingly, not
because it is difficult but because it’s very scoring (almost like
maths) but a Huge Double Edged Sword. Normally, it is asked
for 20 mks & going by the mks to time ratio, you must be able
to wrap it up in about 10-12 mins. A caution for the Arty Offrs –
Over Confidence is Hara-Kiri. I lost 5 mks in FP despite being
a Gnr & guess what? In the end missed ‘AI’ exactly by 5 mks !
You will also be in for a shock when you will be forced to
unlearn certain aspects for sake of simplicity. Thus, prac well &
enough before you land up at Mhow as you may fall short of
time considering the hectic schedule esp in AE I. The best apch
to this is to apch any offr (unit or local unit) who has recently
done JC & got atleast a ‘BI’ grading.

(c) When Push Comes to Shove. What if you just couldn’t get
spared at all in the unit before the course & all you have is barely a
month before you depart for Mhow? Well, then here is a tip – just do
the exs of AE I, Calculations of AE I, FP & go through a couple
of prev courses QPs. You will still be comfortable. Once you score
well in AE I, your motivation to maint will be sky high in AE II
which will sail you through!

7. Reasons for Poor Performance. When I say reasons for poor

performance, it goes without saying that I am ref to only those offrs who
actually went there motivated enough to perform & not many others for
whom it was just another course, just another outing, just another away
time from unit & for whom results didn’t matter(reasons for this attitude
don’t matter either). Let’s analyse these so you can understand what to
avoid :-
 91

(a) Falling Prey to Hype. Many of us unfortunately fall prey

to the hype of this course being difficult. You see, a lie told a 100
times becomes a popular truth & we need to understand that this is
a lie. So every goddamn day you are prep for or undergoing the
course, there is this strong undercurrent of anxiety, worry & fear that
keeps you subconsciously occupied & no wonder it has a bg on your
result.

(b) Faulty Prioritisation. One must understand that the course

content is so vast that the entire syllabus can’t be asked during the
exams. There are many portions which are just informative & not imp
from exam pt of view. Effectiveness lies in doing the right things
& not doing the things right. Hence, it’s important to cull out only
imp aspects during prep.

(c) Studying in Isolation. Some offrs study in isolation with utter

disregard to what’s been doing the rds in the envt. This attitude
stems from either of the facts – The offr assumes he’s god’s own,
has prep very well & hence doesn’t want to waste(invest) time in
discussing or The offr is a little shy to ask & discuss with an
apprehension about him being judged. Either way, it doesn’t help
your cause. It’s always better to meet up over atleast a cup of tea for
10-15 mins in a day to discuss imp topics & help out each other.
What you discuss stays with you longer.

(d) Overconfidence. This might appear to be a cliché but the fact

is that it suppresses your abilities to wk hard. It also makes you
subconsciously commit silly mistakes in the exam which you will
regret for your life. So, stay grounded & don’t get overconfident
irrespective of your prep levels.

(e) Burden of Own Baggage. Each one of us carries a baggage

with us (professional & social) by which we are mostly known in the
envt. While it is important to be conscious of the same & wk towards
maint or upgrading it, getting unduly stressed will only yield disaster. I
have seen offrs who were course toppers in their YOs & doing
wonders even thereafter succumb to this self-inflicted need of
keeping up with the joneses during the JC & go back with lower
 92

gradings. Remember, it’s a clean slate to begin with & no previous

laurels whatsoever will accrue any benefits. So, begin this course
like a humble student willing to learn every waking hr.

(f) Performance in Phy Tests. This has by far become the most
stressful & overriding factor these days. There are PPT & other tests
conducted during the course. As per the latest policy, failures (after
requisite atmts) are denied an ‘I’ grading irrespective of their
aggregate. I have also seen an offr go back with a plain ‘A’. I
personally feel it’s a welcome change from fitness pt of view but
must also humbly submit, it’s a little too harsh for offrs coming from
remote fd areas. Failing in these tests keeps you mentally
preoccupied & will rob you of your peace & focus. So, prac well
before the course & nail it in first atmt.

(g) Giving up post AE I. This is again a very common factor for

non-performance. Many offrs, on not getting desirable mks in AE I
either get demoralised or demotivated to maint the steam & hence go
into a cocoon of self-fulfilling prophecies of Fate, Luck, Destiny
or Injustice little realising that they might have narrowly missed in
the overall scheme of things. I have seen offrs come back with an AI
Grading on scoring just 67% because of the low overall course
average. So, it ain’t over until it’s over.

8. Key Takeaways of the Course. Doing well on this course doesn’t

necessarily mean an ‘AI’ grading. Even if you managed a plain B grading,
you would still have learnt a lot & can feel satisfied that you did put in
efforts for otherwise countless No of offrs get ‘C’ as well. However, there is
always scope for improvement. Notwithstanding, certain notable takeaways
of the course are as under :-

(a) Precursor for DSSC/DSTSC Exam. This is specifically from

Tac B pt of view which is primarily based on the foundation laid in JC
course. So, though an ‘AI’ is most desirable out of this course, even if
you don’t get that but have understood thoroughly all tac aspects,
you will do a world of good to yourself.

(b) Broadening of Horizon. Till this course, most of the offrs are
within the cocoons of their parent arm. This being the first all arms
 93

exposure gives a tremendous insight into dynamics of other arms &

enables you understand the war fighting holistically.

(c) Analytical Capb. By attending numerous Sand Model Dscns

and outdoor ex where in your mind is populated with tac concepts
every waking hr, your mind kind of gets accustomed to the mil way of
apch a problem & analysing it to arr at suitable deductions & genr
options for exercising. This might sound like a cliché but I am sure all
those who have (sincerely) undergone this course will vouch for it.

9. Recipe for Success. Once you land up in Mhow, there are certain
aspects you must diligently & consciously execute (whether or not you like
it) in order to come out with flying colours. Let’s see what are these:-

(a) Prep for Cl. Though a cliché, in this course, it has the
potential of making a difference. Thus, on the previous day, just for
about an hr(max) depending on topics/ex scheduled the next day,
spend time in assimilating & make short cryptic bullets that enable
you gather your thoughts once they are being covered. Needless to
say, going through the topics on previous day will enable you
participate in dscns effectively.

(b) Cl Participation. Though it’s by & large your mks in the

written exam that count towards your final gradings, getting an ‘I’
grading hinges a lot on the impression you have created in your
Basic DS’s & other instrs’ mind. Thus, the only way to make your
presence & worth felt is to participate in Tutorial Dscns, Sand
Model Dscns & Outdoor ex. This is again a fall out of the
previous pt of prep for cl. And mind you, it’s your Basic DS who has
to recommend you for ‘I’ grading separately for both the AEs & DS
changes after AE I. So relaxing is not a choice till final day.

(c) Fly Solo atleast Once. Atleast once in each AE, you must
come fwd & give some kind of delivery ; Be it Trn Analysis or Plan
pstn or any other aspect (pl don’t bank on Intro to Sand Model to do
that for you. It’s JC & not YOs). By doing this, you announce yourself
as an offr worthy of being graded well.
 94

CONCLUSION

10. This course unlike other courses has its stakes sky high & hence has
ended up genr so much stress in offrs’ minds. There was a time when offrs
used to cram up the so called Pinks (DS Solns) of ex & other pstns before
landing up at Mhow & sure enough, since the Questions were framed
straight from these, ended up scoring heavily. What this kind of sys does is
that it gives an asymmetrically unfair advantage to those either posted to
Cat A ests/UN or those whose COs have been large hearted enough to
spare them for 2-3 months. Fortunately, of late, that is not helping their
cause any more as the QPs now are application based, often easily tackled
if one has paid attn in cl. In fact, in my course itself, an offr who got a
week’s notice before joining the course, walked away with an ‘AI’ grading.
Perhaps, it was Maj Gen Sengupta, as some reveal, who changed this sys
of rote learning when he was the Cdr JC Wg & ever since the same has
been embraced & continued. My heartfelt thanks & gratitude to the
Gentleman who envisioned this. I sincerely hope that it continues.

‘Good Shooting’
 95

KINDNESS HAS A WAY OF COMING BACK

It’s a tale of two offrs (Maj Tchoos and Maj Sant) both of whom

were hardworking & Intelligent but only differed in ideals &

attitude (& a huge difference at that) .Both were preparing for

DSSC/DSTSC entrance exam. Maj Tchoos was apparently a shade

better especially in Tac B since he was appearing for the sec time.

Maj Sant had his own apprehensions about the subject & hence

approached Tchoos for some guidance. Conscious of imp of time,

he humbly requested Tchoos to send across his answer sheets/notes

so that he would identify his mistakes & make necessary mid-

course Corrns. But Tchoos had other ideas. He had this self-

fulfilling prophecy fuelled by ‘win at all costs’ attitude that kept

him from sharing notes. Hence, he kept saying, “I will send it

tomorrow”, “I will send it in two days” etc. And sure enough,

tomorrow never came ! On the other hand, Sant always had a

large heart believing in the dictum of ‘Knowledge Multiplies when

Shared’ & held that ‘Teachers Learn the Most’. Thus, he

benevolently shared all his notes with others (many of whom

adored his meticulousness). The exams approached & passed by.

Come the D day - The Results Day, for some strange reasons,

Sant made it to competitive merit list whereas Tchoos didn’t

make it at all & missed by a whisker. Kindness (& selfishness) has

a way of coming back. Be kind hearted & helpful; we all hit our

graves empty handed.

 96

AN APCH TO PREP FOR DSSC/DSTSC ENTRANCE EXAMINATION

“A person who thinks he knows everything

has the most to learn”

- Shiv Khera

INTRO

1. As you now enter the zone of realization of self worth (read prep for
staff college exam), it is my moral obligation as a brother offr to guide you
in your quest for success. Apropos, I have amalgamated a few pieces of
advice gained both through my personal experience & my elders’ guidance
which might be of asst to you in your prep. The same are as per
succeeding paras. This is just one of the many apches which are ltd only
by imagination & ingenuity.

2. Plg. One properly planned min saves four in exec. Before nose
diving into studies, it is imp to chalk out a strategy keeping the syllabus to
be addsd in mind. Thus, plg is crucial because an aim without a plan is
just a wish.
AIM

3. To enable my brother offrs to methodically (yet smartly) prep for

DSSC/DSTSC entrance exam.

SCOPE

4. This chapter is covered in the fwg parts :-

(a) Source of Study Mtrl.

(b) Phs of Prep.

(c) Pillars of Success.

(d) Myths about this Exam.

(e) Gen Guidelines.

 97

5. Source of Study Mtrl. It is very common for offrs to get intimidated

by the study mtrl. However, a systematic apch towards dealing with each of
them spread over a pd will definitely make it a lot easier. Hence, as a start
pt, don’t get bogged down by the syllabus & mtrl at hand. Towards that
end, it is vital to home onto the correct study mtrl for otherwise your efforts
will be futile. It is also imp to realize that Tac A & SMT consume almost
50% of your prep time considering the vastness of syllabus.

Ser Subject Source Remarks

Should Know Could Know

(a) Tac A (i) CPSC Precis (Vol I to V) DGMT

Precis
(ii) USI Question Papers (QP) (Vol I to III)
(b) SMT (i) CPSC Precis (Vol I & II) ARTRAC
Precis
(ii) Diagrams from open (Vol I to V)
source/ YouTube

(iii) USI QP
(c) Adm & (i) Adm cryptic Notes (Vol I) CPSC Already
Morale Precis avlb in
& Mil (ii) CPSC Precis (Vol II) (Vol I) envt
Law
(iii) MML & DSR all Vols

(iv) CPSC Precis for ML

(iv) Prev 10 yrs QP solved

for ML

(v) ‘Plough your Way’ booklet

for ML

(vi) USI QP
[
 98

Ser Subject Source Remarks

Should Know Could Know

(d) CA (i) Vision IAS The Hindu

Editorial pg
(ii) CPSC Precis (only
selected topics)

(iii) USI QP
(e) MH (i) CPSC Precis

(ii) Prescribed books

(only flagged portions)

(iii) Pre-staff pstns

(iv) USI QP
(f) Tac B (i) Own handwritten formats Plenty
of maps
(ii) CPSC Precis are
issued
(iii) Own attempted papers for prac
with DS comments during
pre-
staff.

6. Prep. The entire prep/ revision cycle can be divided into the fwg six
distinct phs :-
 99

7. Pre Pre-Staff Ph. Can begin as early as Jan or as late as Sep-Oct

of previous yr. The fwg is ‘R’ during the same in any sequence as deemed
suitable to each indl :-

(a) MH. Gaining background knowledge on the campaign through

You Tube videos, Reading & flagging (imp portions) of prescribed
books. Reading of ‘R’ books is a bonus & may be resorted to only if
time permits.

(b) SMT. Gaining conceptual knowledge of all 15 chapters incl

diagrams where necessary through You Tube Videos.

(c) CA. Compiling of imp topics, preferably from Vision IAS

beginning atleast from Oct of previous yr, going through daily news
(Preferably WION) & reading editorials of The Hindu (through app).
More emphasis be given initially to international relations.

(d) Tac A. Browsing through the CPSC précis & highlighting imp
portions (‘R’ sequence of Vols is 5, 4, 1, 2, 3). Cryptic notes within
the précis itself be made (if time permits).

(e) Adm & Morale & Mil Law. Adm & morale to be dealt with only
pre contact pgme ph onwards. Mil law will be taken care of during
Comd Pre-Staff course.

(f) Tac B. Only know the broad format (R,A,F,C,O) as taught

during Adv Gunnery, LGSC & JC. Rest will be taught in great detl
during the pre-staff course.

(g) Bear Min Reqmt. Even if you don’t end up achieving the
above, the fwg atleast must be ensured :-

(i) Tac A. Vol 5 & 4.

(ii) SMT. Atleast 10 chapters.

(iii) CA. No change.

 100

(iv) MH. Max YouTube Videos & prescribed books of

campaign less Op Art & Biography.

8. Pre-Staff Ph. Comd Pre-Staff course org at each comds under the
aegis of a div are a means to orient the aspirants in the rt direction. They
are by no means exhaustive & tools for ‘Know it All’ but definitely
provide you with the envt & impetus to get going.

(a) Expertise Offered. The fwg expertise is offered during the

Comd Pre-Staff course :-

(i) Mil law. A capsule is conducted by a retd offr which is

very educative & should suffice.

(ii) Tac B. As many as 10-12 appre are prac during the

entire duration with bfg & de-briefing for each by a dedicated
Syn DS.

(iii) CA. Pstns by a team of instrs comprising of an offr ex

fmn, a retd offr & a rep of USI.

(iv) MH. Pstn by MH team detl by MT-2.

(v) Bal Subjects. Tac A & SMT are dealt only superficially
as they are vast & cannot be covered in entirety.

(b) Recommended Methodology. Apart from expl the expertise

offered, it is strongly ‘R’ that Tac B & a sec subject (usually MH)
be dealt with threadbare. A quasi third subject in CA may be dealt
with routinely on a daily basis. This way you end up catr for three
subjects which is quite a reasonable proportion. You must follow the
fwg guidelines: -

(i) Tac B. Write only first appre by looking at the precis

for exposure & to get an idea of time taken. For all subsequent
appre, try & memorize the format from précis/ notes & atmt w/o
ref to them. You must treat every prac as an exam & wrap it
up in 3hrs (& hence learn time mgt).
 101

(ii) MH. You can dedicate first 1 ½ weeks to read the

prescribed book if left undone during previous ph. Thereafter
hop on to the Pre-Staff precis & start making cryptic notes in
the précis itself (read chapter 3). Atleast 80% of your notes
should be complete by the end of pre-staff.

(iii) CA. Process is same as previous ph. However, glean

selectively from pstns while continuing to follow up Vision IAS.
Memorisation of factual data must begin to an extent. No
separate notes reqd as the cryptic ‘Notes Within the Source
Technique’ is ‘R’ (read chapter 3).

9. Pre-Contact Pgme Ph. This is the ph imdt after pre-staff & you will
see for yourself that your confidence level would have risen a bit after
necessary orientation & impetus. This is the time for prep &
consolidation of notes & dealing with bal subjects not dealt with adequately
during previous ph. ‘R’ methodology is as follows:-

(a) Tac A. Prep of notes (within precis) by end of May (can get
spilled over to 1st week of Jun).

(b) Tac B. Prac one appre every Sunday (usually 0900-

1200Hr). Getting it checked is not a necessity but if possible, is a
bonus.

(c) SMT. Prep of notes & diagrams by end of May (can get spilled
over till 1st week of Jun).

(d) Adm & Morale. Reading cryptic notes already available in

the envt & prep of notes for Vol II of precis (if issued) by end of Jun
(can get spilled over to 1st week of Jul).

(e) Mil Law. On Sundays Post AN.

(f) CA. Intensify memorization of factual data, continue the daily

process & intelligently strike off irrelevant topics. Wait for pre-staff
precis to further add to your notes.

(g) MH. Prep of notes for portions left undone during pre-staff ph.
 102

(h) When to Start Memorising. Your sec vis to the subject is

the time you try & memorise by any technique suitable
(Pneumonic, codes, diagrams, etc).

(j) Prep Cycle. Studying only one subject in a day may make
your routine monotonous & mundane often leading to complacency
& lack of urgency thereby covering lesser grnd. Follow the u/m
technique: -

(i) Div of Subjects. All six subjects must be broadly

divided into two cat viz. Easy & Difficult.

(ii) Daily Routine. Deal with subjects in buddy pairs incl an

easy & difficult one in each cycle.

(iii) Suggested Sample.

Easy Difficult

CA Tac A

Adm & Law SMT

Tac B MH

(iv) Div of Time in a Day. You can follow 60/40 principle.

For instance, if you study for 13 hrs a day, 8 hrs can be for
difficult subject & balance 5 hrs for an easy one.

(v) Duration. Give equal importance to all buddy pairs in

this ph.

(vi) Spill Overs. Strict No-No. All subjects are important &
any spill overs can be dealt in next vis/cycle for the subject. So
follow the schedule strictly.

(viii) Suggested Div of Time. The duration of Apr & May

should be covered @ 18 days per buddy pair in the pattern
of 7,6,5 days each & remaining be kept as buffer to catr for
spill overs & cgys.
 103

10. Contact Pgme Ph. School of Arty, Deolali usually conducts this
capsule for a pd of two months viz. Jun-Jul. You will be org into syn with a
dedicated mentor DS. Note that this pgme may not be attended by all
as the capacity is limited. However, the mtrl can very well be sought
in soft copy & followed as a non-contact model. Another alternative is
to undergo the Contact Pgmes org by USI. It’s my earnest advice to
all aspirants to undergo either of these in some form for reasons
given in succeeding paras. Maj highlights of this capsule are as under: -

(a) Model Papers (MPs). Three model papers are conducted

over the entire duration with the first set beginning as early as in the
1st week itself. Pts to be borne in mind :-

(i) Atmt All Papers. No pt skipping them so as to stabilize

your revision cycles. Exposure to exam conditions are as imp
as the revision itself.

(ii) Conc of Answering Technique. A lot depends on how

you structure your answers (esp if you have scanty
knowledge) & hence the three MPs must be utilized to the
fullest to hone these skills.

(iii) Tackling/ Prep for MPs. As you would still have not
reached the level of revising the whole subject the day previous
to the exam, the fwg is ‘R’ :-

(aa) Selection of Topics. Earmark selected topics

from each chapter & prep only those thoroughly. Any
questions appearing from outside your homed on topics
can be dealt with common knowledge/ previous memory
backed by a well-structured answer.

(ab) Subsequent MPs. Select different topics for

subsequent MPs & avoid repeating previous topics. This
way, you would have squeezed in the entire precis over
these MPs. Not with standing, a few very imp topics
may be repeated.
 104

(ac) Tac B. As many as 7-8 Appre are practiced during

the capsule which is a big plus. So in a way, by the end of
this capsule, you will be very comfortable for Tac B
atleast.

(b) CA. CPSC Precis get uploaded by the end of Jun. Download
the soft copy, take print outs of only selected topics not already part
of Vision IAS notes & add to your CA folder. This process must be
done by dscn with your study partner. Thereafter, avoid any new
topic floating around in envt unless very imp.

(c) Assessment & Mentoring. All MPs are assessed & offrs are
mentored to address their indl weaknesses by the DS body.

(d) Key Takeaways.

(i) Exposure to three MPs in exam conditions.

(ii) Quality guidance & prac for Tac B.

(iii) An envt for studies & a discp routine.

(iv) Facility to continue to stay put even after termination of

capsule.

11. Post Contact Pgme Ph. This ph is primarily from late Jul till late
Aug before you push off to your respective exam.Pts to be borne in mind :-

(a) Get all subjects at Par. Invariably you end up giving more
imp to a few subjects leaving others less addsd. This duration is
meant for the levelling of prep for all subjects.

(b) Transit to Exam Centre. Mov to exam centre atleast four

days in adv.

12. Addressing USI & QP. You must sift through the USI & previous yr
QPs with examiner comments regularly as a routine starting from post
pre-staff ph onwards. USI is esp imp for CA, MH & Mil Law.
 105

13. Exam Ph. Difference between Success & Failure is the

difference between doing exactly rt & doing almost rt. Towards that
end, your performance during those 3hrs on D Day are as important as the
entire process. You are really punishing yourself with addl 365 days of
burden if you don’t keep your wits about on D Day. Pts to bear in mind :-

(a) Atmt Methodology. Pl suit yourself with the sequence of

atmt. Many ‘R’ the sec II, I, III methodology in that order as sec II
constitutes 300 Mks. However, attempting all is more imp than fwg
any sequence.

(b) Fire & Forget. Irrespective of how you fared in the exam
today, do not dwell upon or discuss with anyone. Just get back, have
lunch, take some rest & move onto tomorrow’s subject. Remember, if
it was tuff for you, so was it for everyone. So the actual race ends
only after last exam.

(c) Sleep. A min sleep of 4 hrs on previous ni is ‘R’. Anything

more is a bonus but not at the cost of revision.

14. Pillars of Success. Your success in this exam is dependent on the

fwg factors as per their weightage. Failure in any of them means failure in
the exam:-

CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS

20%
40%

40%

UNIT SP FAMILY SP OWN EFFORTS

 106

OWN EFFORTS

20%
40%

40%

TILL D MINUS 1 D MINUS 1 D DAY

15. Myths. Clutter is the en of clarity & hence it is important to dispel

myths to de-clutter your mind. Some of the common myths are as under:-

(a) Previous Baggage Matters. It is a common myth that your

previous tr record in terms of grading in JC, LGSC etc matters & only
those already doing well types succeed. Truth is this – ‘Everyone
begins with a clean slate & anyone who rests on his previous
laurels will more often fail than pass.’

(b) You Require atleast 7-8 Revisions. Most demotivating myth.

I strongly feel that you require only 4-5 (incl your first vis) such
revisions if you do it sincerely.

(c) Mil & Non Mil Subjects Theory. It is commonly professed

that you need to pass only in Mil subjects (Tac A, Tac B & Adm &
Mil Law) & that even if you miss the Non-Mil subjects by a small
margin, you will still cross the line. Believe me, there were plenty of
 107

offrs who didn’t qualify due to failure in CA/MH/SMT alone. So

where is the theory?

(d) Pre-Staff Performance Dictates Your Fate. Pre-staff is too

early to write anyone’s fortune as there will be atleast 4-5 months
still remaining. Moreover, there are plenty of examples of offrs who
did exceedingly well during pre-staff & yet failed to qualify.
(e) You Need to Study 16-17 hrs a Day. It is a blatant lie & is
only possible if you also incl duration of your incessant smart phone
peeping. One can reach a max of 13-14 hrs excl time reqd for
talking to your wife/ parents, meals, freshening up & some leisure
time. Let me deconstruct this for you :-

Ser Activity Duration(hrs)

(i) Morning ablutions incl bathing 1
(anytime in the day)
(ii) All three meals 1.5
(iii) Spk on tele or spending time 1
with loved ones
(iv) Phy ex 1
(v) Total sleep in 24 h cycle 6
(incl AN sleep)
(vi) Leisure time 0.5
(vii) Bal time for studies 13

(I know some would want to grab more sleep.

Well, then compromise on ser (ii), (iv) & (vi) in the table)

(f) Don’t opt for ALMC/ ISC in First Atmt. Nothing tells this
world more louder about your indecisiveness than this. You are
matured enough to take a call even if you qualify for ALMC/ ISC. The
only advantage the former gives is that you will know your mks
whereas there is only a list of offrs who qualify (& NOT mks). Does it
in anyway mean you will require to study any lesser in those so-
called passed subjects? I doubt. There was an instance where in
an offr passed in all subjects less Tac B in first atmt & failed in
all less Tac B in second atmt ! So where is the assurance? Also,
there are plethora of other intangibles that effect your sec atmt. An
 108

offr decided to go ahead with ALMC even in his first atmt due to
his family compulsions. Anyone who thinks that this will enhance/
bolster his prep efforts is fooling himself.

(g) You Need Atleast 6-8 Hrs of Sleep before exams. These
are pure excuses. Four hrs of sleep previous ni is pretty decent
because syllabus is so vast that you invariably would have to skip
many topics if you want so much sleep.

16. Study Partner. It takes two to tango. Having a suitable study

partner is a vital ingredient for your success. Be selfish & choose your
partner wisely because you will study with him during the last three
months & maint a good tempo of slogging during that pd is crucial.
Your study partner should be the one who :-

(a) Acquaintance. Has a previous acquaintance with you.

(b) Thought Process. Shares the same thought process &

wavelength as you.

(c) Drinking Habits. Is not an excessive drinker who makes

excuses for a getaway.

(d) Attitude. Is wholeheartedly wanting to pass & not there

just because he is eligible to appear & needs some time off unit life.

(e) Flexibility. Is flexible as regards tweaking of study routines.

(f) Truthfulness. Doesn’t lie a thing about to you.

(g) Helpful. Is caring & sharing.

17. Follow this & you will Seldom Fail. As you are eagerly waiting for
this agonizing chapter to end, let me conclude by sharing my final
thoughts :-

(a) Go Full Throttle. First atmt is best atmt. Half hearted efforts
produce No Results & Not Half Results. Thus, just put your heart
 109

& soul as you embark on this ‘Tapasya’. You see, it is better to wear
out than rust out.

(b) Don’t Focus on Results. Don’t get unduly stressed out by

thinking about final day & results. Most of the time, it is not the fear
of failure but the fear of reactions back home/ unit that haunts us.
Even a body builder doesn’t start searching for six pack abs the
very first day. Keep working sincerely everyday & you will come up
trumps w/o fail. The best insurance for tomorrow is a job well
done today.

(c) Don’t Repeat Mistakes. Learn from your own & others
mistakes during prac. A fool makes the same mistake twice.

(d) All you Need is a Little Extra. You don’t need to give up your
life to succeed. Be consistent & discp in your routine. You don’t
have to be 10 times smarter. All you need is your nose ahead &
the rewards are 10 times greater.

(e) Have a Belief Sys. Be clear as to why you want to nail this
exam because if the why is clear, how becomes easier. People
do a lot for money, more for a good leader but most for a
belief. So what is your ‘why’? Is it the desire to Comd your unit? or
being a professionally competent soldier? or rise high in rks? Have a
belief sys & chase it with all madness.

(f) Luck Factor. Success is all about luck, ask any failure.
The fact is that luck favours only those who help themselves. The
harder you wk, the luckier you get.

(g) Take Rest but Don’t Quit. These were the words of
inspiration by my wife which will remain etched in my heart. Steam
doesn’t move engine unless it is confined. So always channelize
your thoughts monomaniacally towards passing this exam.

(h) Distance from Negative Influencers. Please avoid interacting

with negative & toxic people. Who are they? They are those who
either say ‘it’s too easy’ or ‘It’s too difficult’. The fact of the matter
 110

is that it’s not their view but your efforts that will determine the degree
of difficulty.

(j) Failure is a detour. Failure is a detour & not a dead end.

So even if you fail, consider it God’s decision & your fate, refresh,
reboot & bounce back harder next time.

CONCLUSION

18. One of my COs used to say aspiring to comd your unit is not
careerism. I couldn’t have agreed more with him. A bare min aspiration
every YO must have is to comd his unit so that he gets that much
needed opportunity to take his team to greater hts & achieve greater
laurels by implementing all the things he thought as a youngster to be
useful for the unit. It’s a no brainer then to realise that qualifying on
DSSC/DSTSC exam places you heads & shoulders above other
counterparts while also giving that much needed fillip to your basic
aspiration of comd. Having said that, one must put his heart & soul into
prep for this exam. And apart from all of this, the very process of prep or
journey of those six odd months inculcates grit, willpower, sense of
determination & commitment in us that was longing to get unearthed &
sharpened after our youngster days. And of course, at the cost of
repetition, Have a Belief Sys & Chase it with all Madness.

‘Good Shooting’