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SSC CGL 2018: Staff Selection Commission has released the CGL examination 2018’s notification last week Every year, over 20 lakh candidates apply for the SSC CGL and only a few get selected for this job. One of the reasons behind candidates not being able to make it to the final merit list is lack of preparation and the right strategy. In the following article, there is a comprehensive preparation strategy for the SSC CGL Tier-1 Examination:
Before you start solving questions, it is important to know what to prepare. On a clean sheet, make a list of all the topics you need to prepare for SSC CGL Tier-1 Exam. Tier-1 exam includes 4 sections, i.e., Quantitative Aptitude, General Intelligence Reasoning, English Language and General Awareness. Make a timetable and stick to it. Divide all the topics you need to prepare for and assign a time slot for each topic, every day.
English Language
You can expect around 5 questions from reading comprehension, fill in the blanks, one-word substitution, phrase replacement, error spotting and up to two questions from spellings and phrase or idiom meaning. While reading comprehension, error spotting and phrase replacement are time-consuming topics like fill in the blanks, spellings, phrase or idiom meaning and one-word substitution are less or moderately time-consuming.
Few other topics you can expect in the exam: Synonyms & Antonyms, Phrase/Idiom meaning, Cloze test, Direct & Indirect speech and Active and Passive voice.
Read | SSC CGL 2018 notification
General Awareness
The General Awareness section will predominantly include questions on static general knowledge and science. Based on previous year exam papers analysis, most questions under the general awareness section of SSC CGL examination will be from the static GK, followed by science and current affairs. Prioritise your study accordingly.
The Static GK will contain questions on History (India & World), Indian polity, world geography, physical geography, important dates, economy, environment, honors and awards, organisations, sports, art and culture, books and authors.
Science part of the General Awareness section will include Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Space science, Computers, Nutrition, Diseases & Pollution, Discoveries and Inventions based questions.
Others: National & International Current Affairs
Quantitative aptitude
In Quant, you can expect 1-2 questions from Simple Interest Compound Interest, Simplification, Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, Averages, Speed, Time & Distance, Problem on Ages, Number Series, Number System, Profit & Loss, Mixture Problems, Time & Work and up to 3-4 questions from Data Interpretation, Mensuration, Trigonometry, Algebra & Geometry.
While Simplification, Percentage, Simple & Compound Interest, Problem on Ages, Averages, Ratio & Proportion, are less time consuming and easy to solve, topics like Profit & Loss, Speed, Time & Distance, Mensuration, Number System, Number Series, Time & Work, Mixture Problems, Data Interpretation, Trigonometry, Geometry & Algebra might consume more time and are relatively tricky.
Some other topics that you can expect: Percentages, Boat & steam.
General intelligence reasoning
You can expect up to 3 questions from classification, coding-decoding, analogy, venn diagram, series and non-verbal reasoning and 1 or 2 questions from Word Formation, Direction & Distances, Missing Number, Blood Relations, & Verbal Reasoning.
While Analogy, Classification, Puzzles, Coding decoding, Direction & Distances, Venn Diagram consume less time to solve, topics like Word Formation, Blood Relations, Series, Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning might consume more time to solve.
General Intelligence & Reasoning
Reasoning tests your problem-solving and decision-making skills and analytical thinking. This isn’t the kind of skill you can master in a day or two. It will take time to master the Reasoning section and the only way it can be achieved is through constant and consistent practice. Practice variety of questions from different topics.
Try and solve at least 40-50 Reasoning questions every day. Take frequent mock tests and try to attempt at least 20 questions in 15-20 minutes with great accuracy.
General Awareness
The General Awareness section is less time-consuming and can be attempted quickly and with full accuracy. This section does not require any calculations and hence you have less chances of getting a negative marking.
Read newspapers every day for current affairs and subscribe to GK magazines like Yojana or Pratiyogita Darpan to review fortnightly or weekly news to stay updated. Take online daily GK quizzes and refer to GK capsules for Static GK. Attempt at least 70 GK questions every day and try and solve them within 30 minutes. Pay special attention to Static GK and science sections of General Awareness as most questions are based on those.
Quantitative Aptitude
Quant needs to be given more time than the other sections during preparation. Quantitative Aptitude tests your ability to use number appropriately and your number sense. The Quant section will contain questions that are of high school level, though they’re a little more complex in nature.
Start preparing by first brushing up your basics using NCERT text of 8th to 10th grade. Learn tables 1 to 20, cube and square roots, learn formulas and shortcut tricks. Maintain a practice workbook to note down all the important formulas and shortcut techniques you learn during practice. This will help you during your revision.
Focus on Advanced Quant topics like Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra and Mensuration.
Give the Quant section at least 2-3 hours of preparation time every day.
English Language
There are three things you need to master for the English Language section and those are: Vocabulary, Grammar and the Text Comprehension.
— To improve your vocabulary, whenever you come across a new word, look it up the dictionary immediately. Understand it’s meaning and also look up the synonyms and antonyms of the word. Use these words in your daily conversations to build vocabulary. Refer to ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis for a better vocabulary. Mnemonic techniques help in remembering vocabulary better.
— Brush up your basic English grammar; refer to ‘High School Grammar and Composition’ by Wren & Martin. Develop a reading habit to enhance your text comprehension. Read a variety of text, like novels, newspapers, and magazines. Try reading fast, by clubbing two-three words at a time and avoid sub-vocalisation.
— Take daily English Language quizzes every day. Practice at least 10 reading comprehension passages every day and solve 30 grammar questions.
Time Management
The SSC CGL 2018 Tier-1 Exam has sectional timing. Before you enter the exam hall, it’s a good idea to:
1. Strategise the order in which you will attempt the sections and
2. Time you will allocate for each section.
The best way to figure this out is to take SSC CGL Mock Tests. Take mock tests in different orders every time. Start with a different section in each mock test, till you figure out the order you’re most comfortable with. Spend more time on your stronger sections, so you can maximize your score and never get stuck on a particular question. You can always mark the difficult questions for a review later.
The SSC CGL Exam will need at least 10 hours of preparation every day. Allocate at least 3 or 4 hours to the Quant section and 2 hours to the other sections. During exam, try to solve the English and the General Awareness sections in 10 minutes and Quant and Reasoning sections in 20-25 minutes. However, use this as a guideline to formulate your own time allocation strategy based on your strengths and weaknesses.
Utilise the time saved from English and General Awareness sections to do calculations in Quant. Practice making mental calculations to save time and try and attempt maximum number of questions in minimum time.
Mock Tests
While it is important to study and practice questions, it is equally important to measure your progress. Mock tests are the best way to know your standing. Take these tests that will help you:
— Identify your strong & weak areas so you can improve on your weak areas
— Determine your speed and accuracy in every section
— Find the most comfortable order in which you can attempt the sections
— Strategise your time allocation per section
— SSC CGL 2018 exam has negative marking. So, absolutely avoid guesswork during the exam and only answer a question if you’re confident about it.
— Previous year question papers are important! So, make sure you refer to them, analyse them to understand the kind of questions that can be asked, as well as, to understand the exam pattern. It will also help you understand the kind of topics that are repeated more often and how much weightage is given to each topic in the exam.
— Read questions carefully before answering.
— Maintain a workbook to note down important stuff, to revise it before the exam.
— Do not over-burden yourself. Take frequent breaks during your preparation and be well-rested before the exam.
The author is the CEO and co-founder at Oliveboard, an online preparation portal
