Thursday, July 28, 2016

How to Crack SSC CGL TIER 1(Getting Started)

CGL 16 , Tier 1 will be from 27Aug 16 to 11 Sept 16, keep preparing. Strategy and book list will be same.

Edit: 1 July 16:  SSC has changed its pattern, visit Here  and Here for official Notice.


Tier 1 and Tier 2 will be online. Tier 3 will be descriptive , Tier 1 will consist 100 questions of 2 Marks each and there will be negative marking. Time duration of Tier 1 will be 75 Minutes.

 SSC CGL 16 Notification out, Download Notice and Read carefully. Major Points: Tier 1 will held Online on 27 Aug 16 , A new post category added and No interviews for Group B posts.  Age limit increased for few categories.

I will discuss only the strategy that must be followed by a candidate who is appearing for the SSC exam.

Before you start reading my blog ,it is recommended that you  should read official SSC Notification, Which will tell you  about exam structure and other eligibility criteria.Candidates are also advised to visit SSC official site regularly for latest news and notifications. Click Here to Visit

Now coming back to the point:-  It is assumed that you have read SSC notification for CGL 2016 and know about syllabus for TIER 1.

1. General Intelligence:  50 Marks
2. Numerical Aptiude:   50 Marks
3. General Knowledge: 50 Marks
4. English Language:     50 Marks

But Remember: Tier II : English Language and Comprehension- 200 Marks
Numerical Aptitude: 200 Marks

So out of 600 Marks; 500(250+250) Marks will be of Numerical Aptitude and English Language. So when you start preparing, think twice, how much time should be given to these subjects as compared to GK.

I am not saying, not to prepare for GK but don't spend too much time on GK. It is of 50 marks and if you have a good command on GK, then you can lead in TIER I exam.

Remember: If you study 8 hours daily, then you must give 5-6 hours to Mathematics and English.

Tier 3 : Descriptive Paper in English/Hindi

It will be of 100 marks , you will have to practice Essay/Precis/Letter/Application writing You can do these practices after Tier 2,

Choose the language you are most comfortable with. I recommend WREN& Martin Book   for English Tier 3.

Before you start  further preparations : You must have good books. Don't purchase too many books. Don't make your home a library. Read books mentioned below  2 -3 times instead of purchasing different books.

Please note that these books are not only for SSC exams, these books are reference books for almost all exams except IAS Mains or some other exam which is subject specific.

In this post I will tell you only which book to buy. In my next post, i will tell you, how to approach these books and why not to buy other books. Their merits and demerits.

For Reasoning:  

1. A Modern Approach to verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning By R.S. Aggarwaal Click Here

2. Analytical Reasoning  By M.K. Pandey Click to purchase

For reasoning section, these two books are more than enough and do not waste your money on purchasing more books for reasoning. 

Books For English:

1. A Mirror of Common Errors - By Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh (Anglo-Hindi) Now available ONLINE.

Note: It is highly recommended for those who have hard times with English.

2. Objective General English by S.P. BAKSHI (Arihant Publication) Click Here

3.  For Vocabulary Word Power Made Easy Click Here   (Best Book of Vocabulary)

4. For Descriptive English Paper  WREN and Martin, Prepare and Practice from It after Tier 2 exam.

If you are more comfortable with Hindi, then Go with Hindi Descriptive Paper. You need to prepare for Precis, Essay Writing, Application Writing etc. 

We will discuss more about it later.


Books for Mathematics: 

1. If you don't have your doubt clear, than first go through NCERT Mathematics books which can be downloaded for free from NCERT official website. Click here 

2. Now Mathematics depend only on practice and do not just read it. It requires just only practice and it is not a difficult subject.  To have a good practice and short cut tricks to save time in competitive exams, I recommend  Quantam CAT By Sarvesh Kumar Verma Buy From Here 

This book starts from basics and will lead you to success. You will be delighted after reading this book.

4. Books for General Knowledge:


Remember Don't give too much time to GK. No matter how good you are, you will hardly get above 35 out of 50.

1. One and Only answer: NCERT BOOKS free download from here  + Lucent's GK for quick Revision.

2. For Polity: M. LAXMIKANTH (Both Hindi and English editions are available ) Click Here

3. Lucent General Knowledge for Quick Revision of facts. For Hindi  & For English

4. Download Current affairs App from Google Play Store. Select CGL from Exam Categories. Select apps with High Rating. 

I will discuss in more details about current affairs , what to read, what not to read and how to get best of above mentioned books.

So first purchase some or all of above mentioned books and start preparing. If you have purchased , then see my other articles, how to get best of above mentioned books.


Best of luck for competitive exams.

Edit : Post Genuine Comments and Queries,  Spam comments will be Deleted. 

Saturday, May 28, 2016

How to prepare for English ( SSC & other competitive examination)


Edit: Tier 1 & 2 will be online. Click here for Exam structure.
Hi Everyone

In today's post, i will tell how to  get best result in less time?

A proper strategy is necessary for any competition exam. Just follow steps given below.

Don't take English part lightly and Don't think that You can't crack it. Many students from village background & many from states like UP, find it hard. Nothing is impossible and don´t underestimate yourself and think that all of the peoples have 24 hours and you also have  exactly the same.

If you haven´t purchased  recommended books then purchase them because they are necessary . These books are Standard Books and will help you to prepare for LIC, BANK PO, Various State LeveBooks for Mathematics: l Exam. Don´t go for copy paste material in JHOOLACHAP Books, printed with just a change in name on the cover page.

Except GK and some vocabulary nothing can be asked outside these books. 
Click here for recommended books.

Now For CGL Tier 1:  From CGL 16 Onwards Tier 1 English is of 50 Marks consisting 25 Questions, and English Section in Tier 2 will be of 200 Marks consisting 200 Questions.

There will be negative marking of 0.5 in Tier1 and 0.25 in Tier 2 (English Section)

Question will be asked from Vocabulary  which include Antonym, Synonym, Idioms,  spelling check , fill in the blanks, idioms etc , English Grammar and Comprehension, which include a unseen passage, Error correction, sentence improvement. There is no hard and fast rule , how many questions will come from a specific topic but Vocabulary section will contain 25-30 questions and passage will be of 5 marks , there might be a clause test of 5 marks, Distribution of marks in various years is given below.

These graphs are outdated and SSC has changed its Scheme of Examination but these graphs still hold valid for CGL 2016.

Tier 1:
Now see the pictures given below,  you will get a idea, how many questions are being asked from which section, although there is no hard and fast rule, but you will get a rough idea, 




Grammar Section:


Now Category wise analysis is given below: These charts are self understood and will help you indirectly in solving questions in Mathematics. HAHAHA


Now you have rough idea about number of questions being asked from a particular section. Well how to prepare for Vocabulary and Grammar?


For Vocabulary:
Read  Word Power Made Easy By Norman Lewis, This book is a real gem, if you don't have this, then you must purchase it,  because this book will tell you about origin of words and you will hardly forget the words learnt from this book.

Remember Cramming will not help you anyway in Vocabulary. You will have to understand the meaning of the words.

Moreover many times SSC has directly asked question from this book. This book will help you guess the meaning of the words, even if you see the word for the first time.

There are also other books with same name but they are not recommended. Now how to approach NORMAN LEWIS and prepare for vocabulary. :)

There are about 40 chapters.  You may study with your own pace. Try to do one or two chapters daily. You will be able to complete it in one month. Practice from practice exercise at-least 2-3 times and mark words you forgot with red pen. Next time your attention will be there and you will remember that word forever.

Now after completing this book, make a habit of reading  English newspaper like THE HINDU or Indian Express  and take a  big notebook and write down meaning of new words (Use Dictionary or Online)you come across while reading.

Don't forget to revise your notebook and use learnt words in your conversation and make memory link up with words you know. It depends on you, how you link up your memory to recall.

For example:  Retch with Fetch and Difference between Retch and Puke or Vomit.

The notebook should be with you with constant updates until you clear some exam of your choice.


GRAMMAR ( Tier1 and Tier2) 
Now, Move on to Grammar Section, there are lot of books on Grammar and Comprehension, but you are in a competitive exam not in Board exams. It is always better to revise 2-3 times from the same book instead of purchasing new books and lost your time and money.

My recommended book for Error Correction is A Mirror to Common Error BY ASHOK KUMAR SINGH Click Here 

For Tier 3, Students who opted for English , WREN & Martin

Now How to Approach for Grammar:

One answer  practice and only practice so that rules of grammar can get trapped in your mind. Your practice should be like that you see the question and you should be able to find out the error within seconds.

How to approach SP BAKSHI's  and ASHOK KUMAR's books.

Do error corrections and practice (All 14 chapters )from Ashok Kumar's books.

Rest of Grammar portion must be revised 2-3 times from SP Bakshi's book.

Don't do double mazdoori like revising of Voices and Narrations from SP Bakshi also, when you have already done with them in Ashok Kumar's.

When you revise SP Bakshi, you will notice that the words you have learned from NORMAN LEWIS are repeated here but in Bakshi's book they are not explained in the right way. That's why Norman Lewis and your own hand made notes are preferred over them.


Comprehension and Passages:
Read English Newspaper daily, it will help sharpen your reading skills, fast and effective reading is necessary for any competitive exams otherwise your time will be over.

So make a habit of fast reading. Normally, first few lines of the passage, give you idea , what author is talking about. So, pay greater attention to first few lines.

So this concludes strategy for ENGLISH, Strategy will also remain same for Tier 2 , the major change is that questions are being asked in bulk, like 25 no. of Narration, 25 no. of Active-Passive. See charts given below for in depth analysis.




So to have merit, have special emphasis on these topics from the day you start preparing for competition exams and try to do things first which are static in nature like Error Correction , Voices, Narrations etc.

Some Final words,  there is no shortcut to success and  you can buy books with money but  you will have to read them. No body will read them for you  if you want to clear exam honestly.

 Best of luck for competition exams and have a nice day ahead!!

Friday, May 27, 2016

How to Prepare Mathematics for SSC and other competitive exams

Mathematics is an interesting subject. Many people find it hard to understand just because they don't have interest in Mathematics.

Mathematics and Reasoning enhance your problem solving skills not only in exam but also in real life. Both are  based on systematic approach and both of them need a lot of PRACTICE.

Now come to the point. How to prepare for Mathematics?

Mathematics section will be of 250(50+200) marks. You can not leave Mathematics as well as English. Both are equally important.

If you want to get success in SSC competition exam, there is no alternate way. You must have good grip over Mathematics & English.

Remember even if you are good in Mathematics and below avg. in English or vice-versa , you will not be able to get your dream job.

So give equal time to both subjects, when you feel bored in one, pick up another book and try to solve Mathematics questions at night to overcome drowsy feeling.

How to approach Quantam CAT by Sarvesh Kumar Verma

If you are absolute dull in Mathematics I recommend to join some good coaching of Mathematics,  who can give you time to get your concept clear otherwise you will have to suffer a lot and lot of time will be wasted.

I am mentioning, coaching institute who can give you time because many coaching institutes will take care of you only up to admission. 

This book is written from CAT point of view but it is equally applicable to SSC CGL, I assure you questions cannot come out of this book.

Author has over 20 years of experience and he has presented all the stuff in a step by step easy way. Exercise are distributed in various difficulty levels. 

From SSC point of view, Level 1 is sufficient, if you want more you can go for higher levels , Final Round and Miscellaneous exercises.  You can leave chapter 16,17 and 20. But I don't guarantee you that question will not come from these chapters. It is always a good idea to be well  prepared for worst conditions. So you  should do them if you have time.

I recommend you to start from chapter 1 and solve all questions even basic questions up to level 1, after that you should move to next chapter.

If you are not a fresher in the field of competition exam, you can start from anywhere you like.

Author has presented the book from exam point of view. You don't have to solve each and every question in competition exam. You can guess sure shot answer from options also. Author has explained various logical ways, to omit wrong options and to find right answer.

This strategy is really necessary because you will have to do 200 (All four sections)questions in Tier 1 in 2 hours and 100 Mathematics question in 2 hours.

Now, from SSC point of view, Basic Mathematics, ALGEBRA, Trigonometry, Mensuration  and Geometry, DI all are equally important. 

 Below is the avg. category wise analysis of TIER 1 2013 EXAM


Below is the category division



For Bank PO exams, you must have good grip over Basic Mathematics, Algebra and DI no questions being asked from Trigonometry, Geometry etc.

So prepare accordingly, SSC is a like a mini IAS exam. They want you to be good in all areas. While preparing for SSC, give special attention to Geometry, Mensuration and Trigonometry and many  results of these sections are inter-related. Application of one is used in other.

You must have good grip over these sections which requires interest to learn, conceptual clarity and with large amount of PRACTICE.

You may take help of a good teacher and follow him/her religiously and get your concept clear because it is necessary.

Write down PRACTICE word on your wall as well as in your mind. It will motivate you.

Don't worry with hunger to learn and  with practice you will be able to crack SSC.

That concludes strategy for Mathematics. Tier 2 has little tough questions as compared to Tier 1 but they can also be cracked. Because nothing is impossible with PRACTICE.

Thanks for reading and best of luck for competitive exam. I wish for your bright future.

--

Kanhiya Deswal

Thursday, May 26, 2016

How to prepare for GK (SSC & Other competitive examination)


While going for any competitive exam, before you start preparing  have a through look on exam structure and syllabus. For Example: For IAS exam, you have to be a master in  General Studies. For Constables Mathematics is not of that much importance as compared to GK, although the person who is good in Mathematics will be able to get merit if he has good hold on GK, but you cannot expect 50 out of 50 in GK as this field is unlimited.

Our prime concern is to crack SSC CGL, so my articles will be mostly devoted towards SSC CGL. With the passage of time, i will write more articles for other exams also.

Keep one thing in mind, you are not preparing for IAS exam and GK is just only of 50 marks out of 600 marks and requires a knowledge of  History, Polity, Geography, Science, Current Events and Economics.

Once again From SSC CGL point of view, don´t give so much time to GK. Use smart approach and devote your quality time to Mathematics and English.


For SSC:
If you take a look at previous SSC papers, you will find that most of questions have been asked from Static+ Science 

Static: Static means simple questions based on History, Polity, Geography from NCERT text books.
Science :  Science questions from NCERT text books. Up to 10th
Current Events:  person in news, books published bla bla bla

While preparing for GK(SSC) keep one thing in mind, you will give most of time preparing for STATIC + SCIENCE part. New comers waste most of time in memorizing facts and other irrelevant data that come in magazines.

Most of static questions are from Indian Polity & Indian History not from World History,  basic question are asked in Economics which are based on current events , some questions in economics are definition based  and these question should not be attempted because they are not beneficial from cost of time point of view.


How to Prepare for History

For SSC,  History mean Indian History, hardly a question is being asked from world history, so it is recommended to read Indian History only.

What to prepare from History: Major preparation should be done from Medieval India to freedom of India. Some time one or two questions clash with Polity, about constitution of India but i will account them in History.

While studying don´t overload your mind by memorizing dates. In SSC question are asked from major events and major persons. As every person has limited amount of memorizing capacity, you will have to forgot something for something new. So use your memory smartly.

Try to understand and co-relate the events in Indian History and try to make relationship with your life. Its  your duty to create memory link up with the events.

Like you know your father´s birthday and some event has happened on this day in History, you may link it with your father´s birthday. :)


How to Prepare for Economy:

It's good to prepare Economy from book named Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh (Click to Buy ),   it will help you to grasp concepts of Economy and how things works and inter-related. . This book also contains important data like Economic Survey of India; Remember you are here to crack SSC not to do PhD on Economy, this book is more than enough to prepare for Economics section. You are not recommended to read micro and macro economics from XI and XII th class and if you have time, you can go for it.


Beside STATIC part, there will be one or two questions from current events in Economics. I will publish them time to time.


For Geography:
SSC most of time asks questions from Indian Geography. So don´t prepare for world Geography. Because it will not be beneficial to you from SSC exam point of view.

For IAS exams, it is mandatory to prepare for World History and World Geography, but from SSC point of view, don´t go for it.

Use NCERT books for proper concept building and finally use LUCENT GK for quick revision of facts.

What to read: 
Many information is factual in Nature but many concepts are scientific, like Monsoon, Rocks, soil type etc. Try to understand them. One or two questions always come from these concepts. Understand them with proper concentration and try to make relationship with outer space with soil, rocks, coal etc.

Note down major current events from Newspapers or some other magazine of good publication but keep in mind to note down major events only.

Don´t mess with irrelevant data.


For Polity
For Indian Polity I recommend to read from Indian Polity by Laxmikanth. This book is written in a great manner. The language is easy to understand. Hindi version of this book is also available.

Try to read chapter by chapter basis and try to relate with local government, central government, how do they work etc.

In that way you will be able to understand better and to secure marks It is necessary to have interest toward Indian Political System even though it is corrupted and need many reformations.

So like it or not, you will have to show some interest to understand anything.


Science:
 I mean to prepare for general science up to matric level from NCERT TEXT BOOKS and to understand it properly. Finally use lucent for quick revision of facts.

Tip: Now a days, many B.Tech students are also appearing for SSC exams, a tip for them, not to be overconfident that you are from Science and you can do it easily. B.Tech have specific specialization and you will not be able to attempt SSC questions properly and if somebody have issue over my tip then they can judge themselves by picking up previous SSC question papers.


Current Events:
What to read from Newspapers: Read Indian Express or THE HINDU

Major Events, For example:
Sports:  IN IPL who won, which team was against them, RED CAP holder etc.

Major events like Wimblendon Singles champion, doubles champion, chances increases if there is some major twist in results. Like Andy Mary (England )defeated Nowark Djovik No.1 tennis player. 


National Events like : Government Policy, Plans, Bills, Big Mega fests,  ISRO launch, SARC, G8 summit etc.


Strictly NO CRIME REPORTS, it hardly have importance in competition exams.

Major technological events, but not mobile launch by SAMSUNG, Car Launch by AUDI etc.

Two-three questions are now being asked from Computers, so prepare for them also. So far they are easy in nature but may be typical as competition increases.


With the matter of quality time devoted to the studies, your mind  will automatically start to sort out the necessary from unnecessary. If you have some time try to read editorial pages, it will help you to make decisions if a  typical question is being asked in interview and it will increase your vocabulary also.


For other Competitive Exams
For other competitive exams like Bank PO, clerk, LIC etc strategy will be same but  major changes in GK are not to prepare for History and Geography. Majority of questions will be asked from Economics & current events based on Economics and Computers Knowledge is necessary for Bank Exams. So prepare for them accordingly.

For example : For SBI PO exam, there is separate section for computers and Mangement Principles and in Numercial Aptitude (For Banks): Question are not asked from trigonometry and Geometry. So prepare accordingly after through studies of last year papers and syllabus.


Now this concludes strategy for SSC GK & other competitive exams in my next article i will guide you to prepare for English Tier I & Tier II.

Take care of yourself and have a  nice day!!


Thursday, February 27, 2014

Downloads


SSC MOCK TESTS

You can also purchase Practice work book for practice, because taking printout of the same may be costly for some students.

Practice is necessary, do it from anywhere you like. For Mathematics section Sarvesh Kumar Verma is enough. 

For overall practice, these mock test are enough except GK.

                                   Click Here for mock tests.(Download)
                                    
                                       Practice Work Book


Sunday, January 26, 2014

How to Prepare for Reasoning (SSC)

Reasoning in SSC is only of 50 out of 600 marks . So give your time accordingly. It requires daily practice of hardly 1 hour once you have gone through all type of questions. One and only thing PRACTICE will lead you to success.

Books you should have : RS AGGARWAL & M.K. PANDEY

MK Pandey´s book is mainly for Higher level reasoning questions. Questions being  asked directly from this book in Bank PO exams but you should do Syllogism  and Puzzles and Blood Relation questions from this book. This book is like a teacher instructing you on the desk. Step by step approach is given  and this book is  written from exam point of view. Trust me, Study religiously and you will get the fruit.

Let us do some category wise analysis of Reasoning below is the picture of questions that were asked from various sections in last three years.



Now, from above chart it is clear that most of questions being asked from Series, which include Dictionary word arrangement, Analogy, Odd pair, missing number, missing letter, ranking  etc.
Arrangement Includes Line,table , circle,

Logic includes syllogism, venn diagrams, statement assumtions
Non verbal includes Water image, mirror image, cutting folding etc.

First you should have Alphabets´ position in your mind , it will save few seconds per questions and every second matters in competition exams.

Tip:  Position of Alphabets
E            J            O            T                Y
5           10          15           20                25 

For example: N 14 , just before O and you know the position of O which is 15, use these calculations in mind.
Reasoning requires practice and with practice you will be able to solve all 50 question within 25-30 minutes.
Tip: Reverse Order (Total SUM 27, So remember forward order you will find reverse order)
For Example: Reverse order of A is 26 and Forward order of A is 1, similarly Reverse order of R is 9 and forward order of R is 18(Sum 18+9)

Opposite Alphabet
AZ - a z SUNTE HO

BY- Boy
CX- CRUX YAMAHA
DW- Doodh Walla
LO    VE-   LOVE
FU-  Use your own memory link up
GT- GT ROAD
HS- Home Shop18 , Hamari Society
IR- Indian Railway
JQ- Jaipur Queen
KP- Kevin Pieterson or Kurta Pajama
MN-Mann na mora laage re

Most important thing is to remember , least important how do you remember. 

You may use your own memory linkup . While doing practice try to do questions in mind. In starting you will be slow but after enough amount of practice you will  be able to recall them within microseconds.

Now back to our general discussion,  SSC CGL Reasoning Approach

Try to do practice as much as you can from RS Aggarwall but solve questions based on  Puzzles, Blood Relations, Syllogism from MK PANDEY these are well explained by author. Hats off to Author for such a great book.

 After enough amount of practice, you will find your weak areas. Don´t worry you are on a right track. Try to solve your problems with the help of peers or teacher.

Give some extra time to your weak areas, it´s completely okay to make mistakes at home and rectify them but these mistakes must not be done in the exam.Very soon you will make your own strategy, according to your requirements.

Do Reasoning in the night, because it is interesting and you will not feel drowsy in the night. Do not overdo. Don´t try to do all of the Reasoning in one day, give some rest to mind also.

When you have gone through all of the sections, use some mock test papers from here. Set a timer and try to solve questions in time bound manner.Try to improve your performance. It will give you exam like environment.

You will be comfortable  in the real exam and SSC exam will be walk in the park for you.
Remember PRACTICE is the key to success. If you have any doubt, you may contact me.

This concludes strategy for Reasoning and have a nice day.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Current Affairs for SSC, IBPS and other exams

There is an app on Google playstore , install it on your mobile, best thing is that it is daily updated and almost all questions are relevant to competition exams.

So take advantage of technology and be Smart, Save time  and don't waste your time playing Candy Crush etc.


Click Here to go to playstore and Download app from there.

Once again, keep updating yourself.

Best of luck for competitive examinations!!

Regards
Kanhiya Deswal
Blogs at
http://simplesscguide.blogspot.in/



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