English Paper in Government Jobs – How to Crack?

in Exams Preparation

Recruitment of Government officials is carried out through competitive exams held at various levels. One of the most prestigious and sought after government job in India is the Indian Administrative Services. Commonly known as IAS, these officers are recruited through the Civil Services Exam held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). While top rankers in the exam secure the highest posts, recruitment for other government positions are also carried out via this examination. Such positions include posts in Indian Foreign Services, Indian Customs Department, Indian Police Services and Indian Railways.

Government banks have their own system of recruiting new candidates. The Reserve Bank of India holds the All India Exam; while the Probationary Officers’ Exam is held by the Central Recruitment Board (SBI).All these competitive exams have a similar two tier exam pattern: the Preliminaries and the final Interview.

• The first part of the preliminary exam is basically General Awareness Questions and questions based on Logic and Reasoning.
• The following part is usually referred to as ‘The Test of English Language’. This segment has 50 marks allotted to it, and includes several essay type questions.
• The time permitted for this section is roughly 45 minutes and the range of questions cover grammar and comprehension as well as précis or essay writing.
• Usually, candidates need to answer three out of four questions with restricted space for the answers.
• The objective is to test the candidates’ analytical and comprehension abilities. It also tests the applicant’s capacity to generate unique ideas and his/her control over the language itself.

Even though this part of the exam seems easy, it is actually not. The questions are tricky and all the answers –especially in the grammar and comprehension part – seem correct. Therefore, to crack the English test one must have a strong grip over the nuances of the language itself. The points that need to be remembered are:

• Grammatical Errors – Most applicants lose marks in this segment due to grammatical errors. A simple grammatical defect in a sentence can change the entire meaning of it. The best way to avoid these careless errors is to play the sentences in your head before actually penning them. This reduces the possibility of mistakes and enhances your grammar as well. Therefore, you must devote sufficient time in polishing your grammar skills.
• Spelling Mistakes – Spelling errors play a key role in marring your answers. Careless spelling errors leave a bad impression on the examiner. Your essay or article should be rich in vocabulary, use words that are uncommon. But you must take every precaution to avoid spelling errors. Constant reading and writing in the language can cure your spelling errors, while at the same time, enrich your vocabulary.
• Sentence Construction – Another important factor to be remembered is your sentence construction. If your sentence construction skills are poor, no amount of articulation will convey your thoughts to the examiner. Extensive reading and writing in English alone can better your sentence construction.

However, language proficiency alone is not enough to master the English Test. You also need to be innovative, and receptive to new ideas and concepts. All these taken together form the backbone of your preparation for the English Exam in Government and private sector jobs.