BY GAHNA ARORA
SSC CGL OR STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION- COMBINED GRADUATE LEVEL Examination is the most famous recruitment exam among the graduates as there is no limitation of stream backgrounds, anyone from any stream can appear for the exam, making the competition more vigorous. For the 2017 exam, the SSC said, about 3,026,598 candidates filled in the online application, of which 1,543,418 candidates took the exam. 226,229 candidates passed Tier 1, and 47,003 candidates passed Tier 2.
The SSC CGL selection process consists of four tiers :
TIER I : PRELIMINARY : The Tier I exam consists of a written objective multiple-choice exam with four sections, covering General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude,English Comprehension. (25 QUESTIONS HAVING 50 MARKS PER SECTION)
TIER II : MAINS EXAM : It consists of written objective multiple-choice exam having four sections , covering , Quantitative Aptitude, English Language and Comprehension, Statistics, General Studies, which is subdivided into: Finance & Accounting, Economics & Governance.
TIER III: DESCRIPTIVE PAPER: An “offline” exam in which candidates are required to do write essays letters, and applications. The exam can be done in English or Hindi.
TIER IV: COMPUTER PROFICIENCY TEST/ DATA ENTRY SKILL TEST
CGL Exam Preparation Tips
To put everything in one place for you, we’ve listed a deep insight into the exam :
“If I have belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning”
– Mahatma Gandhi
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE AND REASONING
Do not invest all of your time in this section. It is quite easy as compared to others. Focus on solving the variety of questions. Here, I would say, Quantity is more important because these questions test your reasoning abilities. However, timing yourself is crucial, you must not take too much time for solving one question. Important topics include – analogy, number series, non-verbal reasoning, coding-decoding, etc.,.
22/23 out of 25 questions in this section is considered as a good attempt.
GENERAL AWARENESS
This section is vast. It is important for you to prioritise the topics and position all your focus on to them. Reading newspapers daily is the key to being able to answer most of this section. Remember, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
Important topics include– Constitution of India, Modern History and Geography(7-8 questions) ,Polity and Economics (6-7 questions), Current affairs prior to 6 months of the exam (4-5 questions),
Now, here, do not try to learn facts. Just go through them twice or thrice so that you can just have an idea. This way, much of your time will be saved which you would have rather invested in cramming. Also, when you find that particular question in the exam, you will be familiar with the answer. So, it’s like killing two birds with the same arrow.
ENGLISH
Vocabulary, is a part of this section,that gives many people goosebumps. Highlighting the importance of newspaper again,you should find the meaning of all those unknown words you come across. Now here, patience plays a very important role. Also, you can download vocabulary enhancement applications for your go-to revisions.
Questions from grammar, sentence correction and error spotting also form a part of this section. Check out Free online Tests in English for Practice
QUANTITATIVE ABILITY
This section involves most of the questions from Higher math section (12-13), approximately 7-8 questions from easy to moderate level arithmetic and around 3-5 questions from Data Interpretation.
They mantra for success in this section is PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND PRACTICE! And if that falls short, then more PRACTICE. Basic concepts must be crystal clear for being able to solve these. Also, it is advisable to solve these questions on paper rather than doing them orally.
STATISTICS AND GENERAL STUDIES
For Tier II exam, there must be a shift of focus from accuracy to speed, considering we’ve already focussed on the former one before. There will be 100 questions each from both these sections holding 200 marks each . the negative marking for this paper is .25 marks.
By failing to plan, you are planning to fail, So, HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES TO GET YOU STARTED :-
FAMILIARITY
Being familiar with the syllabus and what’s important and what’s not is of prime importance to give you a kick-start for getting started.
Visit the official website of SSC for accurate syllabus. Also, keep an eye on the updates, important notices, circulars, etc. on their website.
MAKE YOUR OWN NOTES
Once you start studying, it is beneficial to make your own hand-written notes. Writing notes help in better retaining of information. And to act as the icing on the cake, This will help you in future. You won’t have to go through the study material again and again. (you can thank me for this tip later 😉 )
PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION PAPERS
Previous year question papers act like cheat codes for the exam game. They help you analyse the pattern, keep a check on your speed and accuracy, leaving you with a deep understanding of your doubts, weak and strong points.
PLAY SMART
“DREAM BIG, ACT SMART, ACHIEVE SUCCESS”
Be clear with your strategies Focus more on topics that are being repeated frequently in the previous year exam papers.
HOPE
“CHALLENGES ARE GIFTS THAT FORCE YOU TO SEARCH FOR A NEW CENTER GRAVITY. DON’T FIGHT THEM. JUST FIND A NEW WAY TO STAND “
Celebrate your little achievements and treat yourself from time-to-time on achieving your goals. It is vital to take breaks , watch movies, go out with friends, meditate, take long walks and anything that charges your energy back in you.
Read “instructions to candidates on skill set” on their website.
Read the questions properly, especially in the Quant section.
FOCUS
You should be very selective about your focus. It should be on developing an in-depth understanding of the topics, subjects, concepts, basics, and pattern of the exam. Vary the time you devote to each subject, depending upon your preparedness.
- Don’t compromise on your health . Eat healthy, Stay healthy.
- VISUALISE
- “MINDSET IS WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THES BEST “
One must not underestimate the power of a positive outlook. After you’ve put in your best and worked hard, all you need is to visualise your dream becoming a reality.
-START WHERE YOU HAVE, USE WHAT YOU HAVE, DO WHAT YOU CAN.