Last Mock — Prelims Practice Test
⚡ Quant Speed Tricks
- Multiply any number by 11: Separate digits and add middle (e.g. 53×11 = 5_8_3 = 583)
- Percentage shortcuts: 15% = 10% + 5% (half of 10%); saves 4-5 seconds per calculation
- DI: Round off to nearest 5 or 10 for approximate answers; works 90% of the time
- Average: Find assumed mean first, then correct by deviation — 3x faster than full sum
- Ratio comparison: Cross-multiply only when ratios are close; otherwise inspect leading digits
🧩 Reasoning Fast-Track
- Seating Arrangement: Always fix one definite condition first; build around it
- Syllogism — Only-type: If "Only A is B", draw it as B⊂A to avoid confusion
- Input-Output: Identify the pattern in first 2 steps; confirm with step 3 — don't solve all
- Inequality: Combine consecutive relationships; skip if no direct link between target terms
- Blood Relations: Always draw a family tree — never solve in your head
📖 English Hacks
- RC: Read the questions FIRST, then skim the passage. Save 90+ seconds per RC
- Para Jumbles: Find mandatory pairs (pronoun → reference), fix them first
- Cloze Test: Read 2 sentences before and after the blank; context always wins over grammar
- Error Detection: Check Subject-Verb Agreement and Tense Sequence first — they cover 60%+ errors
- Sentence Correction: Eliminate options with passive voice, redundancy, and unclear pronoun reference
🌐 GA Power Strategy
- Banking Awareness: Learn HQ + tagline + MD/CEO of all PSBs — 5-6 guaranteed questions
- Current Affairs: Read only last 3 months for prelims; 6 months for mains
- Static GK: Focus on capitals + currencies + river dams — max ROI topics
- Budget & RBI: Learn top 5 allocations and recent policy rates — asked every year
- International: G20 decisions, WTO disputes, IMF/WB rankings — medium frequency, high mark value
🎯 Exam Hall Tactics
- First 5 min: Skim all sections, mark easy questions with ✓ — attempt them first
- Time budget: Quant 20 min · Reasoning 20 min · English 10 min · GA 10 min
- Skip rule: If a question takes >90s, mark and skip — return only if time permits
- Safe guessing: Never guess Quant (-0.25); guess GA if 2 options eliminated (net EV positive)
- Last 3 min: Review all skipped GA — many can be answered with elimination
💣 80/20 High ROI Topics
- Quant: DI + Simplification + Arithmetic = 65% of marks; master these first
- Reasoning: Puzzles + Seating = 40% of marks alone; daily 1 puzzle minimum
- English: RC + Cloze = 50% of marks; read newspapers for both simultaneously
- GA: Banking Awareness + Last 3 months current = 70% coverage in exam
- Overall: 20 marks improvement in weak area > 5 marks improvement in strong area
- ✓ Attempt only if 70%+ confident
- ✓ Start with your strongest section
- ✓ Never spend >2 min on any single Q
- ✓ GA: Attempt 20+ with confidence
- ✓ Quant: Attempt easy ones first, skip complex DI
- ⚡ Target 90+ attempts with 82%+ accuracy
- ⚡ Use elimination to guess in GA/English
- ⚡ DI: Attempt all — even complex ones with approx.
- ⚡ English: Attempt all 30 — high accuracy subject
- ⚡ Use last 3 min to revisit & guess wisely