SSC CGL Exam Preparation Strategy

Every year millions of aspirants appear for the SSC CGL exam with one goal to succeed in it. Years of preparation, referring to unlimited study material, attempting so many mock tests, and many more... are the efforts that aspirants put into achieving this goal. Now this year, the SSC CGL exam has already been conducted for Tier-I and Tier-II. Read on to know the further exam dates and preparation strategy.

Candidates must note that there are in total four tiers i.e. Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 to this examination. In this article, we will help candidates to clear their SSC CGL exam on the first attempt by providing certain tips that are very crucial from the exam point of view. So, let’s dive into the tips to crack the SSC CGL exam below.

Major Challenges During SSC CGL Preparation

The SSC CGL preparation should be very systematic and must be in accordance with the guidelines of the commission to qualify for the exam on the very first attempt. 

Important Tips and Tricks for SSC CGL Preparation

The SSC CGL aspirants must create a preparation strategy for the exam. Some of the important elements of the SSC CGL preparation strategy are as follows: 

1. Learn or understand the syllabus for the exam very well.
2. Point out the topics of the syllabus which are your strengths and which are your weaknesses.
3. Do not waste too much time on ‘not so important topics of the syllabus.
4. Identify your source of study  
5. Make a Timetable and follow it religiously.
6. Align your study material
7. Learn short tricks that will save your time in the exam.
8. Take the help of the internet but do not waste too much time there.
9. Enroll in online mock tests.
10. Keep solving last year’s question papers.
11. Practice is the only Mantra.
12. Keep your calm and stay motivated.

The SSC CGL Preparation strategy should be according to the syllabus. The preparation of the major scoring parts of the SSC CGL syllabus i.e. Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude and Abilities. 

Tips For The Preparation Of Reasoning Questions in The SSC CGL Exam:

1. Read the questions carefully.
2. Understand the instructions given in the paper along with questions.
3. Manage your time according to the total number of questions asked.
4. Do not waste too much time.
5. Enhance your logical thinking by solving puzzles or by playing Sudoku and other crossword puzzles.
6. Attempt the question when the answer is sure. 
7. Work hard on vocabulary by reading newspapers, novels, magazines, etc.
8. Practice grammar rules on a daily basis.

Tips for the preparation of Quantitative Aptitude and Abilities questions in SSC CGL exam:

1. Prepare the basics of each topic in detail 
2. Use revision notes.
3. Try to create or learn shortcuts that will save time in the exam.
4. Remember all the formulas, tables and important data. 
5. Don’t go by your assumptions in mathematics.
6. Keep taking the speed test.

Best Reference Books for Math:

1. NCERT Math (Grade 6- 11) 
2. Quantitative Aptitude by Dr. R.S Aggarwal
3. Advanced Math By Rakesh Yadav 

Best Reference Books for English:

1. Objective General English by SP Bakshi 
2. Wren & Martin- High School English Grammar and composition 
3. Perfect Competitive English- V.K Sinha 
4. Quick Learning Objective General English by RS Aggarwal and Vikas Aggarwal

Best Reference Books for General Awareness: 

1. NCERT Books of class 10, 12
2. General Knowledge- Lucent Publication 
3. Manorama Yearbook

Best Reference Books for Logical Reasoning:

1. Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by Dr. R.S Aggarwal
2. How to prepare for Logical Reasoning by Arun Sharma
3. Analytical Reasoning by M.K Pandey

Prepare a Study Plan for SSC CGL Exam

Candidates must make a study plan so that they can manage their time effectively. Making a study plan will be useful for knowing the time given to each subject, keeping a track of the entire syllabus completion, and in better organization. 

Solve Mock tests and previous year question papers 

You need to solve mock tests daily as that will boost up your preparation and help you to know whether you are on the right track or not. In addition to this, solve previous years’ question papers to get well-aware of the exam pattern and the type of questions asked in the SSC CGL exam.

Important-Topic Wise Preparation for SSC CGL

One of the most effective SSC Preparation tips is to divide the topics according to their importance. For now, let’s focus on the Tier-1 paper as that will be your main gateway for entering further stages of the exam. 

Quantitative Aptitude - This section requires a thorough practice of mathematics. Here, questions related to Algebra, Arithmetic, Data Interpretation, geometry & mensuration, and trigonometry are asked. Note that the highest weightage in this section is given to arithmetic.

How to prepare for SSC English Comprehension? 

Reading is very necessary when it comes to this section. Read newspapers, magazines, online blogs, etc to improve your grammar and reading comprehension skills. You can also refer to the thesaurus, which you can easily find online to improve your vocabulary. Developing a good habit of reading will definitely help you to score the best grades in SSC CGL English comprehension section. 

General Awareness- In this section, questions related to general science, static gk, current affairs, and miscellaneous are asked. The highest weightage here is given to the general science and Static Gk section. 

How to Prepare for the SSC General Awareness section? 

To prepare for the general science section, refer to some good books on Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc. The same tip goes for the static GK section where you need to refer to some reliable books for learning History, Geometry, Indian Polity, etc. 

To prepare for the current affairs section, read newspapers and be well-aware of the national and international happenings. Whereas for the miscellaneous section, be thorough with concepts like various books and their author’s name, computers, national schemes, important days, logical analysis, and so on. 

General Intelligence & Reasoning - This section covers verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Here a candidate’s problem-solving skills and thinking ability are evaluated.

How to prepare for SSC General Intelligence & Reasoning? 

The most important tip to crack SSC CGL General Intelligence and Reasoning is to practice. Solve numerically based on logical reasoning and get a hold of it. Be well-aware of certain concepts like the directions i.e North, south, east, and west. Also, remember the correct alphabetical order as that can be a bit tricky to solve.

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released new notifications recently which you can check from their official website https://ssc.nic.in. 

All The Best To All The SSC CGL Aspirants!