SSC

SSC CGL Preparation Tips

Posted on by Akashdeep Singh

Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is all set to conduct SSC CGL 2018 Tier 2 from September 11 – 13, 2019. The exam is conducted every year for the recruitment of candidates in various Grade ‘B’ and ‘C’ posts in different departments and ministries under the Government of India. Find various SSC CGL Preparation Tips in the following article.

There is a slight change in the SSC CGL Exam Pattern and mode of exam. This article will provide you information regarding SSC CGL 2019 and help you devise a strategy that shall give you the impetus required to ace the exam. 

Candidates must check the SSC CGL Exam Syllabus for better preparation. SSC CGL recruitment comprises of 4 tiers. While the first two tiers are computer-based objective examinations, the third tier is a descriptive pen and paper-based examination to be conducted in both English and Hindi. 

There is an additional tier 4 consisting of DEST (Data Entry Skill Test) and CPT (Computer Proficiency Test) for selective posts. Candidates can even prepare for the SSC CGL exam online through several websites and apps.

SSC CGL Preparation Tips for Tier 1 Exam

Preparing General Intelligence and Reasoning for SSC CGL 2019 Tier 1

  • Solve practice papers and last year’s question papers.
  • Practice GI and Reasoning questions every day.
  • Topics like puzzles, figure-based questions, analogy, coding-decoding, series, are particularly scoring. Start solving these and then, move on to more versatile questions. You will witness a significant improvement in your accuracy within a few weeks if you practice regularly.
  • Non-verbal reasoning topics like image assembling, figure-counting, etc. demand you to employ visual imagination. Do not skip or ignore these questions as they may seem time-consuming to you initially. Practicing them is the best way to make them less time-consuming.
  • While practicing, you should aim at attempting at least 15-20 questions in 20 minutes with reasonable accuracy. In the exam as well, try to complete this section is not more than 20 minutes.

Preparing General Awareness for SSC CGL 2019 Tier 1

General Awareness (GA) is observed to be the most scoring section of the exam in recent years.

  • If students start preparing this section thoroughly two months before the exam, it will not take more than 10 minutes to finish this section. They can utilize the time saved here for doing calculations in Quantitative Aptitude.
  • This section mostly consists of more questions from Static GK than current affairs. Thus, focus more on static GK and concurrently stay in touch with the current affairs.
  • Prepare the subjects in the order of priority mentioned here; it is in accordance with the trends observed in the last few years. Science> Polity> History> Geography> Economy> Miscellaneous
  • Static GK is related to Culture, Indian History, Economy, Geography (India + World), Polity and Environment.
  • Avoid cramming. Make notes and mind maps to remember facts, a chronology of historical events and dates.
  • Students should try attempting at least 75 questions of GA every day in a span of 30 minutes.
  • When it comes to General Awareness, revision is the key.

Preparing Quantitative Aptitude for SSC CGL 2019 Tier 1

Quantitative Aptitude (QA) is the toughest and most time-consuming segment of this exam. Check out a list of the best books to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for practice.

  • Begin with topics like percentage; profit and loss; speed, distance and time; boat and stream questions; ratio and proportion; data interpretation, etc.
  • Formulate a list of all shortcuts, formulae, concepts, and tips. Shortcut tricks can help you big time in Quantitative Aptitude.
  • The focus should be on topics like simplification, age problems, interest, percentages, ratio, and proportion as they are simple and quite scoring.
  • Memorize all important formulae by heart. Solve an array of questions so you are aware of your strong and weak areas.
  • Try to allow at least 2 hours every day to practice questions from QA.
    In the exam, do not devote more than 25 minutes to this section.

Preparing English Section for SSC CGL 2019 Tier 1

  • The three key aspects that you need to efficiently prepare for SSC CGL Tier 1 English test are vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension. Half the battle is won if you achieve proficiency in vocabulary and grammar. 
  • The pattern and questions in this exam are repeated time and again. Thus, thorough preparation can help you wrap up this whole section in not more than 20 minutes.
  • Practice at least 2 comprehension passages each day. Whenever you come across a new word, look for its meaning, synonyms, and antonyms.
  • Skim through the newspapers daily.

SSC CGL Preparation Tips for Tier 2 Exam

Preparing English Language and Comprehension Paper for SSC CGL Tier 2

SSC CGL Tier 2 English Language Paper has 200 questions carrying 1 mark each. The duration of this paper is 2 hours.

  • 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer. So if you are not confident about a particular question, it is preferable not to attempt it.
  • The pattern of this section is very similar to that of tier 1 but the level of difficulty is much higher.
  • Nearly 40- 50% of the question is based on grammar. So, if you are adept in the language you will not face difficulty in attempting this paper.
  • Read newspapers with attention to detail. Practice the questions given in the books on grammar and last year’s question papers.

Preparing Statistics Paper for SSC CGL 2019 Tier 2 

SSC CGL Tier 2 Statistics Paper has 100 questions carrying one mark each. The duration of this paper is 2 hours. Each correct answer will get you 2 marks while ½ a mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.

  • SSC CGL – Statistics Tier – 2 (Paper – 3) Practice Work Book is a comprehensive book for students preparing for SSC CGL exams. It is based on the new pattern and comprises solved papers of exams held in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
  • Focus on important topics like skewness and kurtosis, correlation and regression, probability theory, time series analysis, sampling theory, statistical inference, etc.

Preparing General Studies (Finance and Economics) Paper for SSC CGL 2019 Tier 2

With the introduction of the new post of Assistant Audit Officer (AAO), Paper 4 has been added to CGL Tier 2. The duration of this paper is 120 minutes. It will consist of 100 questions of 2 marks each. 0.5 mark will be deducted for an incorrect answer.

  • This paper does not involve the application of formulae and tricks or cramming vocabulary which takes a lot of time. It is easy to learn and score in Economics and Finance with accuracy.
  • Prepare thoroughly definitions and concepts pertaining to Indian and world economies. It takes hardly 2-3 seconds to answer questions based on them.
  • Candidates should have the knowledge of basic topics of class XI and XII like national income and aggregates, foreign exchange demand, supply, economic development, the balance of payment and national and international financial institutions.
  • This paper holds maximum weightage in the general awareness section. About 3-5 questions are asked from this section. Here are the topics you should cover at any cost as it is observed that approximately 7-10 questions are based on them in SSC exam:
  1. Five Year Plans
  2. Indian Tax Structure
  3. Money and Banking
  4. Economic Terms
  5. Economic Reforms in India

SSC CGL Preparation Tips for Tier 3 Exam

Preparing for SSC CGL 2019 Tier 3

  • This paper assesses the writing skills of candidates. The best strategy for this paper is to practice. The more you write, the better you get.
  • Good content and the ability to provide a proper structure to content are significant to write an essay or letter. If you practice, then both these skills can be improved over time.
  • There will be essay/letter/ application/precise writing in the exam. So, practice writing essays as it will build your confidence.
  • Read the newspaper every day to comprehend the efficacious way of writing and be aware of the latest crucial happenings. Analyze how the paragraphs are connected to each other and the approach that the editor has taken.
  • Read the editorial section of an established newspaper and try to contrive your own arguments pertaining to the topics.
  • Buy a good book that contains a number of essays as it will provide you good content on important topics and enhance your vocabulary.

SSC CGL Preparation Tips for Tier 4 Exam

Computer Proficiency Test (CPT)

CPT includes the following three modules:

  1. Word Processing: You will be given an English passage; 2000 key depressions have to be made in 15 minutes. This is not difficult if you practice typing daily.
  2. Spread Sheet: In this module, the students will be asked to perform basic mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on the Microsoft Excel sheet. For this, they should well-versed with the basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
  3. Generation of slides: The students will be asked to create slides on Microsoft Powerpoint. To do well, it is must to have an understanding of header, footer, inserting date and time and foundational skills of Microsoft Powerpoint.

Data Entry Speed Test (DEST)

DEST consists of only a typing test wherein the students have to make 2000 key depressions in 15 minutes. It is a speed test that can be cleared without a hitch with regular practice.

Akashdeep Singh