How to score 150+ in General English for UPSC conducted NDA/INA written examination?

Introduction:

General English categorizes as the major score booster component of Paper-II (GAT) of NDA/INA Written examination, carrying 50 questions and weightage of 200 marks.

Scoring 150+ in this subject will hold multiple benefits, be it, in terms of increasing the overall score leading to chances of getting a higher rank in the final merit list.

Linguistic efficiency doesn’t come overnight, it requires consistent efforts, understanding and most importantly, interest of the learner. For a global language like English, which is not a subject to cram, but a subject to comprehend, everyday learning is an essential for its mastery. And this subject is not only vital from NDA point of view, but any national competitive examination has a section from this subject, which is focused on application of the knowledge of this subject. There are two parallels for English: Vocabulary and Grammar.

Following are some tips on whose adoption and execution, you can improve your performance in the General English section.

1. How to improve Vocabulary?
2. Do not just know the meaning of the word, go to the root level, know the origin of the word, and the meaning of its root word. Know the usage of the word in different contexts. Learn other words that are based on the same root. e.g., The word ‘Magnanimous’ is based on two roots – Magna , which means big (magnify), and Animus, which means mind (Animosity, Animation, Animal in different contexts of mind) . So, Magnanimous means , Big mind.

To aid the learning of basics of Vocabulary, the workbook ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis is highly recommended. Practice one session of the book every day for 30-45 minutes, make notes of it, do not just read it, but read it happily with interest.

2. Reading is one of the fundamentals to develop Vocabulary. And Newspaper is the most accessible and economically viable resource for it. Every new word that you encounter in the newspaper, underline it, mark it and learn it’s meaning. This way, you will get two benefits. a.) You will never forget the context in which the word was used, so even if you forget it’s meaning, the context will not fade. b.) Most of the words asked in NDA/INA written examination are the words used in daily life in Newspapers or magazines or words in trend. e.g., there have been many instances where words like Quarantine, Inoculation, etc have come during Covid times. c.) Reading Newspaper develops your Comprehension skills and increases social awareness, sometimes, what you’ve read in Newspaper months back stays in your subconscious, and then you encounter the same thing in the examination.
3. Keep a Notepad for Vocabulary, every new word that you encounter, write it’s meaning, context, sentence as an application in this notepad. Give a glance at this notepad before going to bed every day. Associate acronym or a funny incident with that word. If you write even 5 words every day in this notepad from your surroundings like Newspapers, Magazines, Books, etc, your vocabulary will see a tremendous change.
4. For a short-term strategy, at D minus 60, i.e., 60 days left for the exam, paste a black chart or a notice board at a place you see many times a day, (over study table, above bed, etc) Write all the important words on sticky notes in brief, and glance through it every time, before you sit for study. Revise it before going to sleep, or when you’re freely walking after a meal. For people with Photographic memory, it has immense benefits.

How to improve Grammar?

1. Most of the students work on grammar by choosing the option which sounds most appropriate on applying. While this works 70% of the times, but it can’t be taken for granted. Therefore, basics of the grammar need to be understood meticulously.

2. Topics like Tenses, Active-Passive Voice, Direct-Indirect Speech, Parts of Speech. Its concepts should be crystal clear in mind of the learner. Arihant’s General English by SP Bakshi is a standard source for learning English Grammar.

3. Listen to English news channels and good English movies, the motive here is to make the learner start thinking in English. Once, you begin thinking in this language, even if you aren’t able to identify the exact error-correction, you will get to know in which part the error lies, because the syntax of the language will get imbibed in your mind.

4. Practice Previous Year Question Papers of the last 5 years, you will get to know of the trends of the examination and it’s pattern. Sometimes, the words given in options of the Previous Year Questions come as separate questions in the next year examination. So, look at the whole PYQ very carefully.

Conclusion: At the end, you would now have realised that it will take time to develop the understanding of this subject. And it is not a subject to be mastered overnight. Hence, it is suggested to prepare for English at least 5 months prior to the NDA examination, so that you have enough time to revise this and devote to other subjects like Mathematics and General Knowledge near the end.