The country’s largest PSU lender, State Bank of India and its associate banks conduct its competitive exam for hiring employees. Over 2.5 million women and men apply for various positions at State Bank of India through these entrance exams.
Other Popular Competitive Exams in India
There are several more competitive exams in India.
- Life Insurance Corporation.
- University Grants Commission.
- Reserve Bank of India.
- National Council for Education, Research and Training (NCERT).
- Indian Armed Forces- Combined Defense Services.
- Staff Selection Commission
- Railway Recruitment Board
- Assistant Central Intelligence Officer
- Combined Defence Services
- The Insurance Sector of India
Preparing for Competitive Exams
As you can see from the examples highlighted above, millions of qualified women and men apply for competitive exams in India every year. Barely 2% of these applicants pass these rigorous competitive exams.
This means you will have to prepare well to pass any competitive exam for a great career.
Remember, passing a competitive exam does not guarantee you will get the coveted job: you need to qualify with very high scores so that employers consider you for further steps of the hiring process.
Usually, government organisations will invite you for an interview only if you score very high marks in the competitive exam.
How to Prepare for a Competitive Exam
Nowadays there are several coaching classes organised by government and private institutes that train women and men on how to crack a competitive exam. You can register for any of these in your area. Here are some tips on how to prepare for a competitive exam.
- Past Papers: You will find substantial online resources of question papers that appeared in previous competitive exams. Downloading and reading these papers will give you a fair idea about questions that feature in each module. The best resource for these papers is websites of organisations such as UPSC and IBPS, among others.
- Mock Tests: These tests can also be found on UPSC, IBPS and other sites. Download these and take the tests regularly. This will help you complete the exam within the given deadline and fine-tune your writing skills. Identifying your grey areas is possible through such mock papers, which will enable you to prepare better for the real exam.
- School Books: Get hold of science and English textbooks used by Standard-IX and Standard X as well as Standard XII. Generally, questions asked in competitive exams are based on knowledge learned at this level of education.
- Year Books & Encyclopedias: Some outstanding yearbooks and encyclopedias can be bought online or at stores to improve your general knowledge.
- Dictionaries & Thesaurus: If you are not very fluent in English, buying a good dictionary and thesaurus will help add some firepower to your skills.
- Newspapers & Magazines: Since most competitive exams carry questions on current affairs, reading newspapers daily and keeping yourself updated with magazines is very helpful.
- Mobile Apps: Thanks to the smart-phone and mobile Internet boom in India, there are several useful apps available to learn English, and stay well informed about current affairs while acquiring general knowledge. Download some good apps. You can use them while travelling or commuting.
- Internet and TV: Yes, Internet and TV are also significant resources to gain knowledge that you will need to crack competitive exams.
Also, you need to systematically make your study plan for these competitive exams in order to excel with good marks.
In Conclusion
Preparing well for a competitive exam is very essential, as you have read now. To ensure you get good marks, download some past question papers and answers on general knowledge/ general awareness from organisations that conduct competitive exams and practice vigorously.
Once again, remember that passing a competitive exam is not enough, you need to crack interview as well, which requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Also, you need to score very high marks too to get the best jobs in India.
One more way to help yourself is by seeking advice from people that have successfully passed these competitive exams and are now working in the organisation of your choice. Proper planning is essential to ensure your success in competitive exams.
