Mock tests are as crucial as classroom preparation for cracking competitive examinations, particularly police recruitment tests, Regional Commissioner and Mysuru City Corporation Administrator Nitesh Patil said here on Tuesday.

He urged aspirants to devote at least 30% of their preparation time to practice examinations.

Inaugurating a mock test for the Karnataka State Police Civil Constable recruitment at the City Central Library at People’s Park, organised in association with the Jnanagangotri Competitive Examination Centre, Mr. Patil said candidates, irrespective of how thoroughly they prepare at home, must familiarise themselves with the pressure, time constraints and examination hall atmosphere through mock tests.

He warned that even minor errors while filling OMR answer sheets could prove costly and result in candidates losing out despite adequate preparation. “Even if you study for 12 to 16 hours a day, it will be difficult to succeed if you do not write mock tests. Aspirants should earmark at least 30 per cent of their total preparation time for practice examinations,” he said.

Stressing that there was no shortcut to securing a government job, Mr. Patil said hard work remained the only path to success. He advised candidates not to underestimate any competitive examination, recalling that he had appeared for several tests, including the Civil Services, KPSC, PDO, banking and RBI recruitment examinations.

He also urged aspirants not to view entry-level government jobs as insignificant since one could begin as a constable and rise through the ranks to become a Police Sub-Inspector or even an IPS officer.

Sharing motivational examples, Mr. Patil said one of his batchmates, who had worked as a nurse, is now an IAS officer, while several candidates who studied through open universities have also cleared the Civil Services examination.

Addressing concerns over language proficiency, he said Kannada-medium students should not feel disadvantaged. Mr. Patil said he himself had studied in Kannada medium and had chosen Kannada literature as one of his optional subjects in the Civil Services examination.

He said former Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde and Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi, who, despite having studied in an English-medium school, wrote all their UPSC examination papers in Kannada and successfully cleared the examination. “Language is never a barrier. Hard work and perseverance are what matter,” he said.

Mr. Patil also advised aspirants not to expect instant success and observed that many candidates spend the initial months understanding the examination pattern and preparation strategy, while others have succeeded only after seven to eight years of sustained effort.

City Central Library Deputy Director B. Manjunath, Jnanagangotri Competitive Examination Centre Head Ramesh Narasayya and others were present.