How to Prepare General Awareness for Competitive Exams

Competitive exams today are a litmus test of a student’s aptitude and problem solving skills. Also, an integral part of these competitive exams are the questions which test a student’s general awareness. Most of the competitive exams are meant for selection in services which directly or indirectly affects the general public, thus it is important for candidates to practice the general knowledge questions and answers for competitive exams.

Competitive exams in this era are of paramount importance, not only for people who so ardently desire for a government job, but also for people who keep the jobs through competitive exams as a plan B. Be it the UPSC exams or the bank P/O exams or any one of the myriad other competitive exams, what is common among all is that a candidate can only clear them if he has a thorough knowledge of the general knowledge questions and answers for these competitive exams. Since clearing these exams has become a status symbol, there is cut-throat competition and it is important to follow the right strategy, which has been described in the following sub headings.

Current scenario

Currently, the amount of hype created for the Competitive exams is just over the roof. Everybody is stuck in a rat race for the miniscule number of posts on offer through these competitive exams. It is just not as trivial as a race for those posts, clearing competitive exams has become a question of prestige for many students. As the competition gets tougher and more intense, the test also gets sterner. The pattern always has its twist and turns and always poses new challenges for students. It is important for students to get familiarized with the pattern as it is quite challenging. The extra difficulty and challenges posed by competitive exams are justified as well. The services that these exams are a test for, require high level of intelligence and out of the box thinking and they invariably involve some field work as well.

Therefore, the general awareness is quintessential. The out of the box thinking is required when some unique situation arises, which only the best problem solvers can handle. Therefore, it is essential that students be vary of the general happenings around the globe, which as stated above, are an integral part of the competitive exams.

Do’s for success

First of all, study for competitive exams requires planning and an intense one at that. An intense reading of reference books, and jotting down notes and their constant revision. There is a saying which goes like, “read anything of importance that comes to your hands”. Also practising questions from the previous general knowledge questions for competitive exams are again, as stated above a pre requisite. Constant revision, disciplined schedule and a sustained perseverance are all that is required. http://www.upsc.gov.in/examinations/question-papers is a good source for practicing past questions. Also, the opinion section of The Hindu should also be religiously followed. http://www.thehindu.com/. In the end all that will matter is how you have practiced and how much you have practiced.

Things to avoid

Panic is the most important thing when it comes to avoiding. Panic does not allow proper practice and inhibits the grasping power of the brain. Also mugging up the previous general knowledge questions for competitive exams is also a wrong strategy, which misleads many aspirants and ultimately it results in failure. The biggest mistake that aspirants make is of avoiding intense practice of the general knowledge questions which results in guaranteed failure.

Although the difficulty level of the competitive exams is increasing with every passing year, yet a simple and elegant solution for curbing the rising amount of failure is that aspirants should practice as much general knowledge questions as possible. Because it is never possible to cram up all the facts which are part of the syllabus, but only the practice of questions will allow you to remember the important facts that are required for competitive exams. Another drawback of just reading and not solving questions is that it invariably leads to a lot of useless reading and that is just a sheer waste of time, which it is. Keeping all these things in mind, and following a sustained and disciplined schedule, anyone can clear the competitive exams.