Rourkela: Clear understanding but not in-depth knowledge of one's optional subjects is required to crack the UPSC-conducted civil services examination, said experts at the two-hour interaction programme with aspirants here on Saturday.

Among the experts present at the programme were Rourkela additional district magistrate Monisha Banerjee and police superintendent Umashankar Dash.

The experts were of unanimous opinion that one should chose the subjects based on one's strength and confidence.

Police superintendent Dash said: "Luck certainly plays a big role, but to be lucky you have to work hard."

"You should have a proper writing style. You need to be able to express yourself clearly without jargon or big words," he said.

On how to tackle the pressure, Banerjee said: "From my experience I can say you can have time for fun while you prepare. I saw films and visited malls when I was preparing."

To the question, was it necessary to go to Delhi to prepare, the answer that emerged from the experts was that you can prepare anywhere if you have access to the right kinds of books and study materials. But since access to these is easy in Delhi, many people go there.

Speaking on the importance of coaching centres, Dash said: "Coaching centre is not a guarantee for success. But they are professionals and keep a tab on the changing patterns of examination."

On the interview, the experts thought candidates should not act smart, lie, try to guess or try to lead panellists on a subject. They should be natural and there is no formal dress code.

Over 60 aspirants were present at the interactive session.