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First-time SSC CGL Tier 2: How to Balance Revision and Mock Tests for Peak Performance?

Inderpaul

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Leadership Coach - Answered on Feb 19, 2025

Major Inderpaul Singh (retired) served in the Indian Army for eight years.
In the year 2008, he moved to the corporate sector and worked with Century Plyboards for 14 years, specialising in people management and organisation improvement interventions.
He is currently employed as a partner with Amishrit Terrene Pvt Ltd, an IT solutions start-up located in Mohali, Punjab.
A certified life coach, he also helps students and individuals handle challenges in their personal and professional lives.
He holds a commerce degree from DAV College, Amritsar, and a post-graduate diploma in business administration from Symbiosis, Pune. ... more
Asked by Anonymous - Jan 14, 2025Hindi
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As a first-timer in SSC CGL Tier 2, I’m excited but nervous. How should I approach the last few days of preparation, especially when balancing revision and mock tests, to ensure peak performance on exam day?

Ans: Hello
Last few days should largely go in taking mocks and critically analyzing results for improvement areas.
Most important is to implement learnings at each practice stage. Practice Practice Practice !!! That is the key.
Also the need of taking good care of health cannot be over-emphasized i.e. right food, sound sleep, physical activity go a long way in ensuring optimum performance levels on the D day.
All the Best!
Major Inderpaul
HR Expert, Career & Relationship Coach
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I wanted to start preparation for SSC CGL. Please Guide me .. How to manage time for studing ? I am working. My office timing is from 10 to 7. I live alone , i have ti prepare dinner also.
Ans: Ekta, (1) First of all, 10-15 days, do a thorough research (if already not done) about SSC CGL Exam such as (a) Number of applicants (b) Vacancies (c) Success Rate (d) Exam Pattern (e) Preparation Strategies (f) Sources for Preparation & (g) Minimum number of months required to prepare for the same (2) You have mentioned your office timings is 10 to 7. By the time you reach home, you will be mentally/physically tired and have to prepare your dinner also. So, you will get hardly 2 to 2.5 hours at night (assuming you will go to bed by 10.30). As concentration power will not be that much, you should plan for studying next day morning and / or you can revise whatever you have prepared till date (3) Smart work is more important than hard work. (a) As you are also working and have to prepare for SSC CGL, you should definitely have minimum 6.5 to 7-hours sleep so that you can focus on both. (b) Involve in some physical activities (like yoga or meditation or simple physical exercises at home) for 20-30 minutes daily either morning or evening (c) As you are loving alone & self-cooking, always make sure that you eat healthy food (d) NEVER study continuously for / beyond 45 minutes. Study for 45 minutes and take a break of 10-minutes and continue studying for 45-minutes to fully focus and get maximum output. (e) Try to have your short notes and keep revising them frequently which you can do in the evening after your office hours (f) Try to practice as many questions as possible (offline or online) & keep analysing your speed and accuracy (g) If possible, have separate note-book for wrongly answered and skipped questions. If time does not permit, mark it with a red pen to revise them again and again. (h) Fully utilise your weekends & holidays to cover maximum syllabus. (4) MOST IMPORTANT: Practice time-bound tests to ensure speed and accuracy. All the BEST for Your Prosperous Future, Ekta.

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I’ve always aspired to work in the Ministry of External Affairs, but I know the competition is tough. I will be appearing for the SSC CGL exam this year. For Tier 2, which sections or strategies should I prioritise to boost my chances of landing my dream role in this recruitment drive?
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Quantitative aptitude (200 Marks) is a high-scoring but time-consuming area, with areas such as algebra, geometry, trigonometry, menuration, data interpretation, and number system. Practice and strengthen basic skills, focusing on accuracy and speed. Resources for pattern comprehension include R.S. Aggarwal's Gradeup and Testbook quantitative aptitude with online mocks.

English language and comprehension (200 Marks) is high-scoring and essential for MEA, with areas like grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, synonyms and antonyms, and sentence correction. Strategies include daily reading schedules, vocabulary expansion using Norman Lewis's Word Power Made Easy, and solving cloze tests.

General awareness (100 Marks) is crucial for MEA aspirants, with areas like current affairs, international relations, Indian polity, geography, history, and economics. Stay informed about foreign policy changes, NCERTs, and NCERTs for stationary sections.

General intelligence and reasoning (60 Marks) is a scoring section, with areas like puzzles, coding-decoding, blood relations, series, and direction tests. Techniques include trying full-length mock tests, time management, previous year reports, and preparing for essays and letter writing on global concerns. All the Best for SSC CGL Exam.

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**How to Choose a Program**

Your selection should be based on your future career goals. Make your decision independently, rather than relying on friends' advice. Once you've selected a program, remember that since all the colleges are private, they may claim 100% placement. Therefore, don't focus solely on placement statistics. Because all these institutes belong to the same university, there shouldn't be issues with the curriculum.

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Sir my daughter has rank in vir 49558 and jee mains rank 182200 crl and ews rank is 28200 what do I get in both
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Regarding your rank in the VITEEE, with a rank of 49,558, your admission chances for top-tier Computer Science programs at Vellore and Chennai are highly competitive. However, you do have excellent opportunities in core branches such as Civil, Mechanical, Biotech, and Chemical Engineering in categories 1 and 2 at both Vellore and Chennai campuses, as well as Computer Science Specializations at the Bhopal and Andhra Pradesh campuses.
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Here are some possibilities for you:

1. NITs:
- NIT Agartala: Production Engineering, Bio-Technology, or Chemical Engineering.
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2. Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs):
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