How to Start Preparing for Government Jobs from Zero Level

How to Start Preparing for Government Jobs from Zero Level

Every year, millions of aspirants have dreams of bagging a government job owing to their security, good salary, career advancement prospects, pension scheme (if any), and work-life balance. Yet, many starters refrain themselves from attempting this journey due to the notion of lagging behind others or not receiving enough guidance.


The fact of the matter remains that thousands of aspirants crack the most challenging government examinations of all time without having a background of anything. All it takes is an effective strategy along with discipline and practice.


Here is a comprehensive guide on how starters can prepare themselves for govt jobs from zero level onward.


Understand Which Government Job Suits You


The initial task here is that you must select the right career path rather than registering for all the notifications available for recruitment.


Some popular categories in the government sector are as follows:


  1. SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD)
  2. Banking: IBPS PO, Clerk, SBI, RBI
  3. Railways: RRB NTPC, Group D, ALP, Technician
  4. UPSC Civil Services
  5. State PSC Examinations
  6. State Police Recruitment
  7. Teaching (CTET, State TET)
  8. Defence (Army, Navy, Air Force, CAPF)
  9. PSU Recruitment

Know the Complete Exam Pattern


Most beginners begin preparation without any knowledge about the exam itself.


Get the latest notification of your target exam and go through the following points:


  1. Number of stages
  2. Subjects included
  3. Total questions
  4. Marks distribution
  5. Negative marking
  6. Duration of examination
  7. Skill test requirements
  8. Physical test (if applicable)

Having knowledge about the exam pattern will save you time from preparing for irrelevant topics.


Build Strong Fundamentals


The candidates who start from scratch need to initially emphasize concepts over shortcuts.


Subjects which are generally part of all government exams are as follows:


Quantitative Aptitude


Understand the basics of mathematics that includes:


  1. Percentage
  2. Profit and Loss
  3. Ratio and Proportion
  4. Average
  5. Time and Work
  6. Time, Speed and Distance
  7. Simplification
  8. Number System
  9. Algebra
  10. Geometry
  11. Data Interpretation

Start studying NCERT mathematics textbooks if you lack fundamentals.


Reasoning Ability


Practice the following:


  1. Coding-Decoding
  2. Blood Relations
  3. Direction Sense
  4. Seating Arrangement
  5. Puzzle
  6. Syllogism
  7. Analogy
  8. Series
  9. Classification

Reasoning can only be improved by practice.


English Language


Concentrate on:


  1. Grammar
  2. Vocabulary
  3. Reading Comprehension
  4. Error Detection
  5. Sentence Improvement
  6. Cloze Test
  7. Synonyms and Antonyms

It will help in improving grammar and vocabulary to read newspapers and editorials regularly.


General Awareness


Understand the following:


  1. Indian Polity
  2. History
  3. Geography
  4. Economy
  5. Science
  6. Current Affairs
  7. Government Schemes
  8. Important National and International Happenings

Current affairs must be revised on a daily basis and not at the eleventh hour.


Create a Realistic Study Schedule


A proper schedule is far better than long periods of study.


A novice can adopt this schedule:


  1. Quantitative Aptitude - 2 hours
  2. Reasoning - 1.5 hours
  3. English - 1 hour
  4. General Awareness - 1 hour
  5. Current Affairs - 30 minutes
  6. Revision - 1 hour
  7. Mock Test Preparation - On alternate days

Consistency is far more important than putting in 12 hours of hard work over a few days and then resting for long periods.


Use Reliable Study Material


Do not collect too many books. Select one book per topic and finish that before moving on to another.


Some useful sources are:


  1. NCERT books for basics
  2. Competitive examination books
  3. Past year’s papers
  4. Notifications
  5. Authentic magazines on current affairs
  6. Mock test websites

Better performance is always achieved through good quality study material rather than a lot of material.


Solve Previous Year Question Papers


Previous year papers will give you an idea about:


  1. Difficulty level
  2. Repeated questions
  3. Pattern of questions
  4. Time management
  5. Important chapters

Most government exams repeat topics even when the questions vary.

Solve at least the previous five to ten years' question papers of your targeted exam.



Read: Best Sarkari Job Website Sarkari Network


Practice Mock Tests Regularly


Practice tests are necessary to improve one's speed and accuracy.

Your score could be initially very low, but don’t be disheartened.


After each practice test:


  1. Analyze your mistakes.
  2. Work on your weaker areas.
  3. Enhance your time management skills.
  4. Decrease your guesses.
  5. Monitor your improvement.

The analysis after the test is even more important than the test itself.


Strengthen Current Affairs Preparation


The latest CA have great significance in examinations like SSC, Bank, UPSC, Railway, State PSC and Defence.


Cover topics like:


  1. National News
  2. International Events
  3. Economy
  4. Budget
  5. Science and Technology
  6. Awards
  7. Sports
  8. Government Policies
  9. Important Appointments
  10. Books and Authors

Prepare short monthly revision notes for quick revision before the exam.


Accuracy First Then Speed


Most beginners think about doing only speedy solving of questions.


Instead:


  1. First understand the concepts.
  2. Then solve questions accurately.
  3. Go for speedy solutions step by step.
  4. Cut down unnecessary negative marks.

Accuracy helps improve the score constantly.


Consistently revise regularly


Revise to stay up-to-date with preparation.


A simple revision schedule can be as follows:


  1. Daily revision
  2. Weekly revision
  3. Monthly revision
  4. Revision of complete syllabus before the examination

Short notes, formulas, vocabulary, and current affairs notebook will make revision easy.


Keep yourself updated with official notifications


Schedules of government recruitment changes from time to time.


Always check for:


  1. New vacancy notifications
  2. Application dates
  3. Admit cards
  4. Exam schedule
  5. Answer keys
  6. Results
  7. Updates of the syllabus

Don’t depend on social media unverified recruitments.


Be consistent and motivated


Government exam preparation is a lengthy process. Sometimes the candidates clear in one attempt and sometimes in multiple attempts. Do not compare yourself with others.


Focus on:


  1. Daily target of studies
  2. Conscious improvement
  3. Having healthy routine
  4. Sufficient sleep
  5. Sufficient exercise
  6. Positivity of mind

Small daily improvements lead to great success eventually.


Common Mistakes Beginners Should Avoid


However, there are some common blunders made by the first-time applicants, which include:


  1. Poor planning for more than one exam at a time
  2. Failing to go through the syllabus issued officially
  3. Not revising
  4. Collection of unnecessary material for studies
  5. Neglecting mock exams
  6. Failure to analyze last year's papers
  7. Taking unauthentic information as a source for study
  8. Inconsistency in studies
  9. Neglecting current affairs
  10. Loss of confidence after poor mock results

Conclusion


While starting off at a zero level for government jobs preparation seems daunting, it can be done very easily through an organized method of preparation.


One needs to start off with choosing the appropriate examination paper and getting familiar with the syllabus and pattern, and then improving one's fundamentals and having a disciplined routine.


It is a well-known fact that competitive exams do not test how perfect you are, rather it tests whether you have been persistent or not. If you are committed to learning from your mistakes, then you can definitely compete with the people who are more experienced than you.