Candidates who have applied for the posts of LDC, JSA & DEO in various government departments are engaged in the final phase of their preparations as the SSC CHSL Exam is scheduled to be held from 1st to 12th July 2024.
Each candidate follows a particular strategy to prepare the topics mentioned in the syllabus for each subject. Among the four subjects asked in the Tier 1 exam, the General Awareness section is the most unpredictable and candidates generally seek help in finalizing the strategy they should follow for scoring maximum marks in this section. In this article, we have attempted to answer the question ‘ How to Score 40+ marks in the General Awareness Section in the SSC CHSL Exam?
How Important is the General Awareness Section in the SSC CHSL Exam?
If we look at the pattern of the question paper of the SSC CHSL Tier 1 exam, we will see that the 100 questions that are asked in the exam are equally divided into the four sections i.e. General Awareness, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude and English Language. So, the General Awareness section covers one-fourth weightage of the Tier 1 exam.
| Particular | Detail |
| Number of Questions | 25 out of 100 |
| Maximum Marks | 50 out of 200 |
| Negative Marking | 0.5 |
How to Score 40+ marks in the General Awareness Section in the SSC CHSL Exam?
As mentioned above, the GA section carries one-fourth share of the SSC CHSL Tier 1 Exam which makes it a great opportunity for the candidates to increase their marks and maximize their chances of advancing to the next level of the selection process. The steps given below are in the form of suggestions that the candidates can follow and integrate into their personal strategy in order to score 40+ in the GA section of the SSC CHSL Tier 1 exam.
Getting Familiar with the Syllabus
The syllabus for the General Awareness section has been mentioned in the detailed notification available for download on the official website ssc.gov.in. The candidates should prepare all the topics mentioned in the official notification which is also provided here for reference.
- Questions are designed to test the candidate’s general awareness of the environment around him and its application to society. Questions are also designed to test knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspect as may be expected of an educated person. The test will also include questions relating to India and its neighboring countries especially pertaining to History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General policy and scientific research.
Narrow Down the Resources
In the era of the internet, no information is out of the grasp of aspirants preparing for any competitive exam. The General Awareness section is a subject that deals with various facts and figures related to the topics mentioned in the official notification. The candidates should be careful in selecting the sources that can help them cover the entire syllabus in an efficient manner. The table below shows some of the most reputed sources available in the market for the candidates to prepare various sections of the General Awareness subject.
| Topic | Source |
| Basic Subjects (History, Culture, Geography, Economic Scene, General policy and scientific research) | NCERTs of Class 6th to 12th |
| Static General Knowledge | Lucent GK |
| Current Affairs | Daily News from AIR, PIB, etc. as well as monthly compilation magazines. |
| Previous Year Question Papers | Kiran Publication |
Going Through the Previous Year Papers
The Previous Year’s Papers are the best and the most authentic source for the overall preparation of the GA section in the SSC CHSL Exam. It provides the candidates the opportunity to analyze the latest trends and patterns of the questions asked in the Tier 1 Exam. These papers also act as a repository of exam-level questions for practicing the concepts learned. They also help the candidates keep the preparation focused and in line with the syllabus.
Making Handwritten Notes
To build a relationship with the concepts learned, the candidates should make notes for each topic and sub-topic mentioned in the detailed syllabus. It helps them manage the entire syllabus in an organized manner. It is also helpful in covering a lot of topics in less time in the revision phase of the preparation.
Attempting Mock Tests
Solving sectional and full-length mock tests is a way to solidify the concepts learned and practice done on the topics mentioned in the detailed syllabus. The sectional tests help the candidates recognize their strengths and weaknesses and the full-length tests help them adapt to the exam pattern and figure out the best way to approach the paper to mange the time in the most efficient manner.
Repeated Revision is the Key
As the syllabus of the General Awareness section covers a number of subjects, it is the responsibility of the candidate to be able to recall any of the concepts in the examination hall in a split second. To achieve this, the candidates should do multiple revision of all the concepts at regular intervals to keep all of them fresh in their memory. In fact, many of the steps mentioned above contribute to the revision process.
- Making Handwritten Notes helps them cover more topics in less time.
- Solving Previous Year’s Papers helps them go over all the basic concepts asked in the earlier installments of the exam.
- Mock Tests are a great way to put the candidates’ understanding and memory of the concepts in an exam simulation.
The candidates should remember that these points are mere suggestions and the proper strategy is the one that works best for them according to their strengths and weaknesses. The candidates who integrate these steps in their preparation strategy will surely see better results and if followed properly till the exam day, can help them score more than 10 marks in the General Awareness section of the SSC CHSL Exam 2024.
Wishing you all the best with your preparations.
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