General Knowledge (GK) preparation for competitive exams - Strategy and Tips
Published on Apr 23, 2020
General Knowledge is a crucial topic for any competitive examination like UPSC, State Services, SSC, Banking, Railway etc.
Why is General Knowledge Important?
- General Knowledge questions are helpful not only for candidates in qualifying the examination but also play a crucial role in doing well at the time of GD / Interview round.
- General awareness has always been taken lightly by many candidates only to realize later how essential it can be in competitive exams.
How to Prepare General Knowledge (GK) for Competitive Exams
Students aspiring for Government Jobs or preparing for Entrance Exam for admissions in various courses, are often tense over one question: How to Prepare General Knowledge?
The important topics covered under GK are:
- Physical Geography
- Indian and World Geography
- Indian and World History
- International Organizations
- Everyday Science
- Awards and Honors
- Indian Economy
- Indian Polity
- Constitution
- Current Affairs
- Current Affairs
- Other Miscellaneous GK
Read Newspapers Daily
We need to create a habit of reading newspapers regularly. I’ll recommend you to read two to three papers.
It is recommended that you read one paper of your mother language, and another of English. Some useful news papers are “The Times of India”, “The Hindu”, “The Hindustan Times” etc.
- Reading newspapers daily can make learning General Knowledge easier. Keeping oneself aware of what’s happening around will definitely go a long way in enhancing awareness.We all know that staying updated is always a good idea, as it will be a shot in the arm for you.
- Watch News Channels: Watching News channels daily improves your general knowledge considerably. For preparing General knowledge for entrance exams, choose a newsreader of your choice and a suitable time for yourself, make a schedule of the best news channels and episodes and watch them regularly. View breaking news and headlines.
Some informative shows that may help you in preparing for current affairs, GK and GD’s are:
- Prime Time shows with feature programs on BBC News, Al Jazeera, Times Now and other Indian and International private news channels
- Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Parliament Sessions on Doordarshan, RSTV, and LSTV
Prepare notes to study General Knowledge
For current affairs and GK preparation, noting down is the best way. Keeping a notebook in your own handwriting is always a good idea.Make a note of everything that is happening around the world.
Note down what seems important to you as memorizing everything is practically impossible for anyone.
Use the internet to study general knowledge
For preparing General awareness for entrance exams, the internet is a good option. YouTube, Wikipedia, and Google are a great source of information on the web.
In case you don’t have enough time to read the newspaper every day, follow the GD forum, the online version of these newspapers. Interesting conversation on the latest current affair topics, takes place on these forums.