Police cadre at 4th attempt: Javed Hossain’s success tempered by the loss of his father
Mohammad Javed Hossain secured a recommendation for his preferred cadre on his fourth attempt at the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination. In the recently published results of the 47th BCS, he was recommended for appointment as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
A graduate in Civil Engineering from Stamford University Bangladesh, Javed had previously failed to clear the preliminary examination of the 44th BCS.
In the 45th BCS, he was recommended for a non-cadre post as an instructor. He also reached the viva voce stage in the 46th BCS after passing both the preliminary and written examinations but was not selected in the final results.
He finally achieved success in the 47th BCS. His order of cadre preference was administration, police, customs, tax and audit.
Having graduated with a CGPA of 3.87, Javed told Prothom Alo that he began his preparation by analysing previous BCS question papers and the syllabus to identify his strengths and weaknesses in each subject.
He then set topic-based study goals, such as completing a particular period of Bangla literature within a set timeframe while simultaneously covering a chapter of mathematics and mastering a fixed number of English vocabulary items. For the written examination, he prioritised important topics and marked essential information in his books for quick revision.
He described preparing notes for the written examination at the beginning of his studies as the most challenging part of his preparation. Javed began preparing for the BCS towards the end of 2021 and devoted himself fully to his studies from early 2022.
Offering advice to future BCS candidates, he urged them not to lose hope but to remain focused and prepare with confidence. He also recommended having an alternative career plan, such as pursuing higher education, starting a business or seeking other employment opportunities in case they were unsuccessful in the BCS.
He further advised candidates not to buy multiple books from different publishers for the same subject. Instead, he suggested using one publication for the preliminary examination and no more than two publishing houses for the written examination. He also stressed the importance of reading newspapers regularly.
Despite his success, Javed said his achievement is overshadowed by personal loss. His father passed away on 8 February this year.
“My parents spent more than half their lives struggling to educate me. My father’s dream was to see me study engineering. Despite coming from a lower-middle-class family, he enrolled me at a private university in Dhaka. He always used to say, ‘As long as I am alive, I will continue to educate my son.’
“Even after I graduated, neither of my parents pressured me to find a job. They simply encouraged me to keep studying and said they would continue supporting me if I wanted to pursue further education. When I told them I wanted to prepare for the BCS, they stood by me throughout.
“My father always told my mother never to put me under pressure and to let me study for as long as I wished. Even when they were facing financial hardship, they never allowed me to feel it. They borrowed money to pay my semester fees but never told me. Even while I was unemployed, my father supported me beyond his means.”
Javed is a native of Charandwip in Boalkhali Upazila of Chattogram. He completed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) at Hawla High School in Boalkhali and his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) at Sir Ashutosh Government College.
Although he was recommended for a non-cadre instructor’s post in the 45th BCS, recruitment is yet to begin. He is currently employed as an Assistant Teacher at Syedpur Government Primary School.