Best strategy to crack SSC CGL 2022 Exam

 
SSC CGL 2022 notification is finally out with 20000 tentative vacancies which is the largest number of vacancies announced by the commission in the past 10 years. This year you stand a golden opportunity to make the eyes of your parents' glimmer with pride and make all your dreams come true by securing a post in the prestigious departments of the Central Government. Aspirants who get through this examination are not simply “lucky”. Thorough preparation makes its own luck. So buckle up guys! You know it's going to be a tremendous amount of work, but be ready to embrace it. After all the best view comes after the hardest climb!

Through this article, we’ll help you prepare a streamlined roadmap to crack the SSC CGL 2022 examination in the first attempt even if you’re starting from scratch. We are going to discuss the following points in this article:
 

1. Scrutinize the Syllabus and the Latest Examination Pattern
2. Go through Previous Year's Question Papers
3. Spot your Position in the Crowd of Aspirants
4. Pay Attention to the Cutoffs
5. Make a proper study plan
6. Begin with the most confident section
7. Practice mock tests daily & track your progress
8. Set realistic targets and outshine yourself regularly
9. Use short tricks and work on your calculation speed
10. Attempt smartly
11. Take productive breaks
12. Final words

 

1. Scrutinize the Syllabus and the Latest Examination Pattern

Preparation matters: Every battle is won before it is ever fought. SSC CGL 2022 examination is no less than a battle for the aspirants. It is a battle to win a good future for yourself and turn the dreams of your loved ones into reality. Therefore, to set the stage for victory, you need to manage both your resources and your time wisely.
Comprehension of the examination pattern & syllabus for any examination is the first and foremost step in the preparation. It is very important to thoroughly understand and become familiar with the latest examination pattern and syllabus.

This year a lot of changes have been introduced in the examination pattern of SSC CGL 2022 to make the examination process smooth and less lengthy. We have prepared a detailed guide of the latest examination pattern and the major changes introduced in the SSC CGL 2022 examination. Getting familiar with the new pattern for SSC CGL 2022 examination and having an overview of the major changes introduced will help you to prepare a streamlined roadmap to crack the SSC CGL 2022 examination even if you’re starting from scratch.

Click here to understand the latest examination pattern for SSC CGL 2022 & the major changes introduced!
 

2. Go through the Previous Year's Question Papers

After scrutinizing the syllabus and the examination pattern thoroughly, you should go through the previous year's question papers for the SSC CGL examination. Analyzing the previous year's papers for the SSC CGL exam will help you understand the type of questions asked in the SSC examination and the topics you need to focus on more. There are certain types of questions that are always repeated in SSC exams such as dictionary sequence, Venn diagram, hidden figures, and water reflection, and most of the aspirants solve such questions in a trice.
Going through the previous year's papers will help you become familiar with such types of questions, thereby saving time and putting you ahead in the game.
 
 

3. Spot your Position in the Crowd of Aspirants

Just applying for the examination is not enough. Millions of candidates apply for the SSC CGL exam and 50% of them do not even appear for the preliminary phase of the exam. And most of those who appear are not well-prepared for the further rounds. Therefore, only the top 10% of the candidates are real competitors. You should not be scared of numbers, if you’re ready to give your 100%, you’ll surely crack it.  

It is really important to recognize where you stand among the crowd of aspirants. By knowing your position, you will have the motivation to push yourself harder and achieve your goals.
Now if you are a newbie in the field of competitive examinations, you might have a question in your mind, How do I know where I stand? Testzone SSC CGL 2022 mock tests are exclusively designed to give you a reality check of your preparation and share a clear idea of where you stand among your competitors.

4. Pay Attention to the Cutoffs

Before diving into the preparation part, it is very important for you to be well aware of all the ins and outs of an examination. The previous year's cutoff for any examination is one of the key aspects with which one should be familiar. Having a glance over the previous year's cutoff for SSC CGL Examination will give you a rough idea of your target score to clear the examination with a good score to secure a seat in the top central government departments at your preferred location.

The final allotment of posts is based on merit-cum-preferences of Posts given by the candidates. It means candidates with higher marks would be given preference for Department, post as well as location.
Therefore, aiming for the lowest cutoff will not help you in this exam. Let me explain to you with an example.  The cutoff to secure any post in CGL 2019 was 628.17 (Tax Assistant CBIC), while the highest cutoff was 669.86 (Inspector of Income Tax). If you aim to score anything around 625-635, you might hit two possibilities:

1. You might miss the cutoff with a very low margin if anything goes wrong on exam day.
2. With such low scores, you may not get your preferred location, post, or department even if you clear the final cutoff.

Therefore, you should aim for the highest cutoff while attempting the examination. “Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”.
 

5. Make a Proper Study Plan

Many a time students cling to a particular section they are interested in and do not give enough importance to other sections. I find many aspirants wasting time, solving high-level questions for Quantitative Aptitude and suggesting their fellow aspirants do the same. Questions asked in the SSC CGL exam are based on concepts. You need not master a particular subject to clear SSC examinations. These exams demand you to be a jack of all trades.  Therefore, it is essential for you to make a proper study plan where you give an appropriate focus to all the topics asked in the examination. Going through the previous year's paper will help you to understand the weightage of each topic asked in this exam and develop your study plan accordingly.
Strengthening your basic concepts and an ample amount of practice would definitely help you to crack the SSC CGL 2022 examination with flying colours.
                                                                                                                                                                                 

6. Begin with the most Confident Section

Unlike banking examinations,  there is no sectional time limit in the SSC CGL exam, and you can easily switch between the sections. So here you have an advantage if you have a strong hold over a particular section. Suppose, you are good at English and General Awareness but you get nervous at the Quant part. I would recommend you approach English and GA during the first quarter of the exam. As per my experience, there are certain benefits of beginning with the most confident section in an exam:

• It would help you to build enough confidence to attempt the rest of the paper.
• Solving the easy questions first will enable you to move quickly through each section of the test.
• You’ll be able to save an ample amount of time for the quant section. Using this strategy, you can easily score in your not-so-good section as well.
• You can save time for the questions marked for review and reattempt them in the next go.

7. Practice Mock Tests daily & Track your Progress

Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice. Simply reading the formulae and vocabulary will not help you until you practice them through SSC CGL mock tests. I’ll narrate to you an incident of my little sister who had a habit of mugging up the formulae instead of applying them to questions. She just learned that the circumference of a circle is given by 2πR. The next day I gave her a test and asked her to determine the circumference of the circle using the diameter. She went totally blank!! This was simply due to the lack of practice. Practicing questions on a certain topic helps you to know what kind of difficulties you might encounter while solving those questions, and allows you to find a solution to them.

• Practicing mock test help you to manage time better. It allows you to devise better techniques to solve questions within the stipulated time and manage your time better. 
• Mock tests help you to become familiar with the actual examination scenario and assist you to handle the examination pressure better.
• Taking mocks on a regular basis allows you to analyze your mistakes and make required changes to your study plan to avoid repeating those mistakes in the actual exam.
• You can try different strategies while taking mocks, like which section to attempt first, how much time should be allotted to a particular section, and discover what works best for you.
• Mock tests also help you to discover your strengths and weaknesses. The detailed analysis report at the end of each mock will give you a clear idea of your positives and negatives.

Therefore, you should try to take at least three mock tests per week and thoroughly analyze them on the same day. Consistent practice will help you master your weaknesses, sharpen your strengths and make your journey plain sailing.

Remember! Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong!
 

8. Set Realistic Targets and Outshine Yourself Regularly

Having understood the previous year's cutoff trends and the SSC CGL 2022 examination pattern, you need to set “smart targets” for yourself. Smart target means such targets or goals that are realistic and attainable. Setting unrealistic targets is a recipe for disaster. Like you should not aim to score 200/200 in the first mock or attempt 100 questions on Day one. Your targets should always be stretching, and challenging – but not to the level that they seem hopeless, as that will just be demoralizing.

Setting targets should solely depend on your own capabilities but you should constantly try to outshine yourself. Suppose you were able to score 100/200 in the first mock, you should try to hit a target of 110 in the next test. Once you achieve the smaller goal, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment and pride. It will give you enough confidence and motivation to move to the next target.
In this era of cut-throat competition, practicing more and more will help you to stand out and hit the nail right on the head.
 

9. Use Short-tricks and Work on your Calculation Speed 

Your speed and accuracy are the two main factors that will decide your fate in SSC CGL 2022 examination. Sometimes your exam might fall into a tough shift and you need more time to solve complex questions. In such a scenario, faster calculations and short tricks will help you a lot to sail through. You can save an ample amount of time for tricky questions by using faster calculation methods and short-tricks. You can use the following strategy to increase your calculation speed for the quant section of the SSC CGL 2022 examination :

• Learn the Multiplication Tables from 1 to 30, Squares up to 30 & cubes up to 20. This will help you to improve your calculation speed and attempt more questions in the saved time.
• NEVER use a calculator during your preparation and mock tests.
• Try to minimize the use of pen and paper and train your mind to mentally deal with the questions.
• Learn the important formulae and identities by heart and avoid deriving them during the exam.
• Develop your own short tricks and use them during your preparation to have a good hold over them.

10. Attempt Smartly

Competitive examinations work on the theory of survival of the fittest. If you’re able to handle the pressure and the challenges that the examination is going to throw at you, you’ll get through it. Therefore, before entering the examination hall you need to develop an approach. Attempting the question paper smartly is an art you need to master before reaching the examination hall. The following points can help you in smartly attempting the question paper:
 

• Take a bird’s eye view of the question paper to understand the level of your shift and strategize to manage your time accordingly.

• Always attempt the easy questions first, and then move on to the tricky ones. This will ensure that you’re not missing any question you’re well aware of and also boost your confidence for the challenging questions.
• Avoid guesswork. There is a negative marking of 0.50 for each incorrect answer in the SSC CGL 2022 exam. So while trying to score more, you’ll end up losing your positive marks as well.
• Use elimination technique for the English Language sections. Like in antonym-synonyms, you will find three options having a similar meaning. You eliminate them and go ahead with the correct answer.
• Master the art of skipping and do not take any of the questions to your ego. Getting hooked up with a question can be a huge risk. If you are unable to solve any question in the first go, mark it and move on to the next question without wasting a second. Once you are done with all the easy questions, move on to the marked ones.

 

11. Take Productive Breaks

Most of you must be having trouble following a tight schedule made in the form of a “Time-Table”, where there is no time for distractions. In such a scenario, if you allot 4 continuous hours to Quant, it mostly turns into 1 hour of practicing Quant and three hours of checking your Instagram, Facebook, or scrolling through the Hot deals at Amazon in the name of “a short break”.  Well, it is obviously important to take breaks between long study hours. According to research, taking purposeful breaks to refresh your brain increases your productivity and ability to focus.

But what if I tell you that your breaks can be efficient as well? Yes! You read it right. In an effort to manage your distractions and make your breaks efficient, Team Smartkeeda, India’s leading test series platform for SSC, Banking, Railways, Insurance, and other government job examinations, has developed India’s first Education-Gaming-Social (EGS) platform, Qudoo, which can work as a productive filler during your long and exhausting study sessions.

As an EGS platform, Qudoo provides you with absolutely free short quizzes in English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, General Studies, and Current Affairs, where you can validate your knowledge during short breaks. Here, you can throw challenges, compete with your friends or with random aspirants in any subject in real-time, and follow and connect with them as well.

Click here to know more about the Qudoo app.
Click here to download the Qudoo app now!!
 

12. Final Words 

Dear Aspirants, SSC CGL is one of the most sought-after exams in India & cracking such a prestigious government job demands your full potential. Developing a roadmap as per the above-mentioned techniques will surely help you to bring home the bacon and excel in the SSC CGL 2022 examination with flying colours.

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph!

All the best!!

 
Thanks & Regards (Team Smartkeeda)