SSC CGL general english: Topic wise preparation tips

SSC CGL 2017 will be held on the new pattern and syllabus as prescribed by the examining body. It will be held in three tiers such as Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3. English Section is the most challenging section for the aspirants, the reason being that English is not our national language being an Indian. There are some language barriers which makes it a limiting factor for those aspirants who come from rural areas where English is taught from fifth standard onwards in the school. It makes it difficult for them to cope up with the competition when it comes to English Medium or Language Test.

Importance of English

If you speak of Importance of English in SSC CGL Exam in all the tiers, the bifurcation is as follows:

Tier-1:- 50 marks out of 200

Tier-2:-200 marks out of 400

Tier-3:-100 marks is purely English based

It means that from the total of 700 marks 350 marks are allotted to the English Language. Therefore it is an integral part of the SSC CGL Exam Preparation 2017.

Tier 1 is very important because after cracking tier 1, the journey of success starts.

In Tier 1, a total of 25 questions will be asked from the following topics:

Number of questions for Error Spotting are five

Number of Questions for Fill in the blanks are five

Number of Questions for Idioms and Phrases are five

Number of Questions for Vocabulary are five

Number of Questions for Reading Comprehension are five

Tips to prepare English Language Section topic wise 

1. Reading Comprehension

Generally reading comprehension questions are from easy to moderate difficulty level.

There are 20 per cent questions from Vocabulary. It is important to read the question carefully as sometimes it is asked to select the opposite word and sometimes similar word. Random reading will not solve the question correctly. Read the options carefully before marking the answer.

While solving the vocabulary questions there is no need to remember the exact meaning of the word. To answer such questions you need to read the passage again and understand how the word has been used in the passage. Guess the meaning of the word and then observe the options and select the one closest to your guess work.

Question related to the theme of the article or author’s view can be easily answered if you read the first and last paragraph. These paragraphs give the general ideal of the passage.

One can leave the questions demanding details or where one needs to read the entire paragraph. These questions take lot of time and then you are left with no time for complex sections like Quant and Reasoning.

2. Cloze Test / Fill in the Blanks

Read the cloze test or fill in the blanks without looking at the options and try to fill the blanks by guessing the options and then look at the options which match your prediction.

In case you are not 100 per cent sure about any option, leave it and do not waste much time on it.

If you are able to attempt more than 70 per cent of the questions you are more than average.

3. Grammar Questions (Error Spotting and Fill in the blanks)

Master the basic grammar rules to solve error spotting and fill in the blanks questions. Those who are weak in grammar since childhood need to practice more on the basic rules. Practice more to avoid any grammatical mistake.

It is advisable to read the error spotting questions carefully because out of 5 questions 1 or 2 questions will definitely have obvious mistakes. Attempt those questions first and then try other questions.

These tips are section-wise and will help the aspirants to prepare and practice the English Language Section effectively.

Hope the aspirants of SSC CGL 2017 will make their study plan accordingly to get a good score in this section. Above content is shared from IBT-Institute Delhi – A Leading SSC Coaching Centre’s faculty’s team.

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