Home > Career > Question
Need Expert Advice?Our Gurus Can Help

Working professional seeking SSC CGL prep advice: How to manage study time?

Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |11575 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Oct 09, 2024

Nayagam is a certified career counsellor and the founder of EduJob360.
He started his career as an HR professional and has over 10 years of experience in tutoring and mentoring students from Classes 8 to 12, helping them choose the right stream, course and college/university.
He also counsels students on how to prepare for entrance exams for getting admission into reputed universities /colleges for their graduate/postgraduate courses.
He has guided both fresh graduates and experienced professionals on how to write a resume, how to prepare for job interviews and how to negotiate their salary when joining a new job.
Nayagam has published an eBook, Professional Resume Writing Without Googling.
He has a postgraduate degree in human resources from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Delhi, a postgraduate diploma in labour law from Madras University, a postgraduate diploma in school counselling from Symbiosis, Pune, and a certification in child psychology from Counsel India.
He has also completed his master’s degree in career counselling from ICCC-Mindler and Counsel, India.
... more
Ekta Question by Ekta on Oct 04, 2024Hindi
Listen
Career

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.

To know more on ‘ Careers | Education | Jobs’, ask / follow Us here in RediffGURUS.
Career

You may like to see similar questions and answers below

Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |11575 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Jul 11, 2025

Career
Sir i want to know how can I manage my time because I have coaching of about 1:25 to 8:15 along with this i want to revise 11th and current study revision with test series
Ans: Irfan, To make the most of limited study time around your 1:25 pm–8:15 pm coaching block, adopt a structured daily routine that blends new learning, revision and regular mock testing. Begin your day with a short, high-intensity review: Wake by 6:00 am and spend 60 minutes revising the previous day’s weakest topics in Physics, Chemistry or Maths, using concise note-cards and formula sheets. After breakfast, allocate 8:00 am–1:00 pm to focused school-and-coaching homework: divide this into alternating 45-minute study sprints (Pomodoro technique), interspersed with 5-minute active breaks to sustain concentration. During your 1:25 pm–8:15 pm coaching, please consider each session as a mini-lecture: make clear margin notes and highlight concepts for focused self-study. From 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm, dedicate two blocks: first (60 minutes) to immediately revise new coaching material, and second (30 minutes) to solve a mini-test of 10–15 questions drawn from your test-series schedule. Reserve 10:30 pm–11:00 pm for light conceptual review before sleep; this “pre-sleep recall” enhances retention. Weekends should emphasize full-length mock tests under timed conditions, followed by detailed error analysis to refine your test strategy and time allocation. Maintain at least seven hours of sleep and include short physical activity breaks to optimize cognitive function and avoid burnout.

recommendation Craft your personal timetable around these principles—early-morning revision, Pomodoro-driven self-study, immediate coaching follow-up, and disciplined mock-test practice—to ensure comprehensive coverage of 11th-grade material and January JEE Main readiness, while steadily building towards May/June JEE Advanced. All the BEST for Admission & a Prosperous Future!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

..Read more

Latest Questions
Dr Nagarajan J S K

Dr Nagarajan J S K   |3063 Answers  |Ask -

NEET, Medical, Pharmacy Careers - Answered on May 24, 2026

Asked by Anonymous - May 23, 2026Hindi
Career
Can u rank smvit, rnsit , dr ambedkar instute of tech, dsce, rv institute, dsu, dsuat, bnmit
Ans: HI,
GREETINGS FROM REDIFFGURUS!
When ranking colleges, consider the following factors:

1. Location-wise
2. Course-wise
3. Syllabus-wise
4. Infrastructure-wise
5. Faculty-wise
6. Hostel-wise
7. Lab facilities-wise

Among these, which criteria should you prioritize? Be careful not to compare too many colleges; it may lead to confusion and could prevent you from joining a course.

**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.

Key factors to consider:

- **Infrastructure**
- **Lab Facilities**
- **Faculty**

Having a sufficient number of experienced faculty members is important.

**How to Research**

Visit private colleges that participate in the NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) and review data from the past 2-3 years. This will help you assess which college has better faculty. For lab facilities, make sure to visit in person to compare.

**Location Considerations**

If a college is located in a remote area, it might be best to avoid it, as the quality may not be up to par. Additionally, teacher turnout tends to be higher in such locations.

ALL THE BEST

...Read more

Dr Nagarajan J S K

Dr Nagarajan J S K   |3063 Answers  |Ask -

NEET, Medical, Pharmacy Careers - Answered on May 23, 2026

Career
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
Ans: HI AJIT,
GREETINGS FROM REDIIFFGURUS!
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.
For JEE, securing a seat for Computer Science Engineering (CSE) or Electronics at NITs and IIITs will be challenging based on your rank. Nevertheless, you have strong opportunities for less competitive branches in newer or North Eastern NITs, newer IIITs, and Government Funded Technical Institutions (GFTIs).

Here are some possibilities for you:

1. NITs:
- NIT Agartala: Production Engineering, Bio-Technology, or Chemical Engineering.
- NIT Mizoram/NIT Nagaland/NIT Arunachal Pradesh: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
- NIT Srinagar: Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering.
- NIT Raipur/NIT Jalandhar: Bio-Technology or Industrial & Production Engineering (possible in CSAB special rounds).

2. Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs):
- Target newer public-private partnership (PPP) model IIITs, particularly for Smart Manufacturing or specialized tech branches.
- IIITDM Jabalpur: Smart Manufacturing.
- IIIT Bhagalpur: Mechatronics Engineering.
- IIIT Manipur: Computer Science Engineering or Electronics & Communication Engineering (highly likely in CSAB special rounds).
- IIIT Kurnool: Mechanical Engineering (with specialization in Design and Manufacturing).

3. Government Funded Technical Institutions (GFTIs):
- Securing a seat in GFTIs is the safest route, with the highest probability for competitive branches like Computer Science (CSE) or Information Technology (IT).
- Assam University, Silchar: Agricultural Engineering or Computer Science Engineering.
- Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar: Computer Science Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
- Mizoram University, Aizawl: Information Technology or Computer Engineering.
- Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi Institute (SLIET), Longowal: Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
- Central University of Jammu/Central University of Rajasthan: Biomedical Engineering or computer-related fields in later spot rounds.

The choice is yours. If you are looking for CSE, consider opting for NE-NITs or GFTIs. Plan, participate, and seize the opportunities for your future career.

All the best!

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

Close  

You haven't logged in yet. To ask a question, Please Log in below
Login

A verification OTP will be sent to this
Mobile Number / Email

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to

Resend OTP in120seconds

Dear User, You have not registered yet. Please register by filling the fields below to get expert answers from our Gurus
Sign up

By signing up, you agree to our
Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Already have an account?

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to Mobile

Resend OTP in120seconds

x