Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Combined Graduate Level Examination for session 2019-20 has been announced and is in the process. All of you must be on the last lap of your preparation. With the opportunity of landing to a stable and secure government job, this is indeed a golden and 'Not-to-Miss' opportunity for all of you. But with the opportunity of achieving something big, comes the competition. SSC CGL is one of the most fierce competitive exams in India these days with millions of candidates appearing for it every year. Since the graduation is only eligibility criterion, many can apply for this job easily.
About SSC CGL Exam
The recruitment process starts with Tier I Examination followed by Tier II, Tier III & Tier IV Exam. The provided time difference between each of the tier exams is enough for the candidates to prepare well for it. The syllabus for tier-I exam consists of General Intelligence, Reasoning, English Language, Quantitative Aptitude and General Awareness sections. General Awareness is a time saving & scoring subject which is why it is advisable for the candidates to perform well in it. Don’t you want to stay ahead in the competition from the first round itself? If the answer is yes, here’s your gateway to that. Just go through this blog, follow the tips given and keep yourself way too ahead of others in this cut-throat competition.
In this blog, I am going to share the full-proof strategy to prepare for the General Awareness Section in SSC CGL. With the exam dates going to be announced any day now, it is high time that you just start with these tips in mind immediately without wasting another second.
Most Asked Topics in General Awareness Section of SSC CGL?
Though the section is known as General Awareness, the questions are often very tricky and you need to have a deep understanding of concepts in certain cases. This section is mainly known for its vast syllabus and the capacity of the candidate to mug up facts. The syllabus of General Awareness consists of the following?
- History – Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian History (Certain facts from World History should also be referred)
- Geography – Indian Geography, Physical Geography and also World Geography (Selected facts and information)
- Economics – Basic theories of Economics, Indian Economy and its features, Poverty Alleviation and Unemployment, Five Year Plans, Planning Commission and NITI Ayog, Different sectors of Indian Economy, etc.
- Polity – Important facts about Indian Constitution starting from the basic facts and formation of the same to the recent important amendments
- Physics – Units and Measurement, Light and Sound, Thermodynamics, Electricity and Resistance, Laws of Motion, Liquid, solid and gas laws, laws of gravity, etc.
- Chemistry – Various elements such as metals, non-metals and metalloids, chemical reactions, diffusion and osmosis, periodic tables and important facts, organic chemistry such as carbon bonding and properties of carbon, chemical reactions in everyday life and their characteristics
- Biology – Plants and their parts, animals and their parts, human anatomy, vitamins and their deficiencies along with various diseases, various diseases due to bacteria, fungus, etc.
- Static General Knowledge – It consists of capitals and currencies of countries, books, and authors, national and international organizations, national parks and sanctuaries, rivers and dams, thermal power stations, temples and airports, stadiums, nicknames of famous persons, etc.
- Current Affairs: National and international events of the last 12 months
- Computer Awareness: History of computers, input and output devices, computer memory, DBMS system, Important Abbreviations, computer terms, keys of the keyboard, shortcuts of various commands, various generations of computers, etc.
- Banking Awareness: History of banking, development of banking in India, different types of banks, RBI and its functions, credit appraisal in banks, fund transfer mechanisms such as RTGS and NEFT, important abbreviations used in banking, banking terms, etc.
How to go about the General Awareness Section in SSC CGL Tier I?
Now that we are aware of the entire syllabus of the SSC CGL Tier-I Examination and more specifically the General Awareness Section in the examination, here are the expert tips that will help you score well in this examination.
- Manage to Study All the Subjects Efficiently: Since there are a lot of subjects in the examination, you cannot focus only on one subject. Some people think that they will start with one subject at a time only. It will not be useful since you have to finish all the subjects and if you focus on one subject at a time, it will become difficult for you to keep track of all the topics in a subject. It is better to start with all the subjects at a time.
- Follow Your Daily Routine Strictly: Since there are so many subjects, you need to have a proper timetable for all the subjects every day. It will help you cover all the subjects in a day.
- Don’t Miss Out on GK Section Even For A Day: This is a very important section for most of the examinations. If you take leave from this section even for a day, it may cost you a lot. You need to go through the Daily Current Affairs every single day in your preparation phase.
- Revise Weekly: This is very important again mainly for General Awareness Section. Whatever you are studying in a week in various subjects, revise it without fail every week. Don’t keep it pending for long. You will forget everything. It is not that you just go through once and you will remember everything. That is not going to happen.
- Revise and Revise Again: It is not enough to revise weekly only. Keep a monthly plan also to revise the topics you have studied in that particular month. It will help you retrieve information without any effort in the examination.
- Relate Tough Topics With Your Daily Life to Memorize: It is really difficult to keep in mind so many things during the examination. Whenever you are studying anything, try to make a relation with something else that is very common to you so that whenever you see a question with this piece of information, you will definitely be able to recollect information whenever required.
- Make Mind Maps: It is easier to memorize information if you can make mind maps of those things. It helps you retrieve such information from memory. Making mind maps means relating one information to others so that you can remember everything if you remember only one thing.
- Make Notes: Going through anything for the first time and revising it should not be the same exercise. While revising, your main objective is to go through the salient points and not the whole thing. It becomes easier if you make notes while going through the chapters while studying them.
- Make it Interesting: Mugging up facts of various subjects may seem a boring job but you have to find ways to make it interesting by introducing such elements. You can make graphical notes or you can have audio notes so that your interest is sustained in studies.
- Practice with Mock Tests: Since this subject is mainly based on revision and retrieval of information from memory in the examination, it is very helpful if you simulate the same atmosphere many times before the exam. Taking mocks will help you achieve this objective.
Best Books to Cover GK Section in SSC CGL Tier I?
There are many books on the market but then it is very important that you do not get misguided by wrong information or unnecessary information. There are some standard books that can be followed for this purpose:
- Lucent’s General Knowledge (A Must-have book for CGL Aspirants)
- GK Today website for daily current affairs + Monthly capsules from sites such as Bankers’Adda/ Gradeup etc.
- Press Information Bureau website for government schemes
- Banking Awareness by Dhankar Publication or Arihant Publications
- Objective Computer Awareness by Arihant Publications
- NCERT Books of the relevant subjects such as History, Geography, Polity, Economics, etc.
Bottom Line:
SSC CGL exam provides the golden opportunity to get a job in the government sector with a decent salary and a good work-life balance. That is why lakhs of candidates, some after years of preparation, appear in this examination, all to get the desired post. Form all these instances, the mania for this exam in India can be acknowledged. General Awareness will play a very important role in this journey because it is scoring as well as less time consuming than other subjects. Unlike other sections, the only way to prepare for GK section is through continuous learning. You can only answer the questions if you already know the answer, there is no scope for any logic or estimation. There’s nothing that can be done about it.
So, be smart while attempting questions from this section so that you don’t lose marks from negative marking. I sincerely hope that these tips will help you score high in the General Awareness Section of the SSC CGL Examination. For any further queries or suggestions, drop your comments in the commenting section provided below. For more study material and expert tips, stay tuned to the www.examsbook.com. We will bring to you more of Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, English and General Awareness materials that will help you achieve your dream.
All the Best!!