How to prepare for Government job exams
Most other government recruitments (PSUs, ministries, courts, universities, hospitals, municipal bodies, cooperative banks) select through a written or computer-based test, sometimes followed by a skill test or interview. The written tests draw on the same handful of subjects.
- Common selection methods
- What the written test asks
- Skill tests and interviews
- A simple 12-week plan
- Common mistakes
Common selection methods
- Written or computer-based test, often with negative marking.
- Skill test for clerical and stenographer posts (typing or shorthand speed).
- Trade test or practical for technical and ITI posts.
- Interview for officer, faculty and specialist posts; walk-in interviews for many contract posts.
- Many PSUs shortlist engineers by their GATE score instead of a separate exam.
What the written test asks
- General awareness: static GK and current affairs.
- Reasoning and quantitative aptitude at class 10 level.
- English or Hindi grammar and comprehension.
- A professional section for technical, nursing, accounts or law posts, from your degree or diploma syllabus.
Skill tests and interviews
- Typing tests usually ask 35 words per minute in English or 30 in Hindi on a computer: practise daily on the font and layout named in the notification.
- For walk-in interviews, carry original certificates, self-attested copies, photos and the filled application form.
- For interviews, know your own subjects and the organisation's work; answer briefly and honestly.
A simple 12-week plan
- Weeks 1–2: read the official syllabus and solve one previous year paper without preparation, to see where you stand.
- Weeks 3–8: one subject block a day (for example Maths and Reasoning on alternate days), plus 30 minutes of current affairs and 30 minutes of revision of the previous day.
- Weeks 9–10: one full mock test every second day. After each mock, spend as long reviewing the mistakes as you spent taking the test.
- Weeks 11–12: a full mock every day in the same time slot as the real exam, and revise only your own short notes.
Common mistakes
- Guessing blindly where there is negative marking. Attempt a question only when you can rule out at least two options.
- Collecting many books instead of finishing one. One standard book per subject plus previous papers is enough.
- Skipping the official notification. Age, qualification and the exact pattern are printed there, and they change between years.
- Leaving the photo, signature and documents for the last day. Keep them ready in the sizes the form asks for.
Next steps
- Confirm the exact pattern in the official notification of your exam: it can change from one year to the next.
- Practise with previous year papers and keep your photo, signature and documents ready in the sizes forms ask for.
- Other guides: SSC exams, Railway exams, Bank exams, Police exams, Teaching exams, State PSC exams, Defence exams, UPSC exams.