How do I score more in the English Section of IBPS Clerk Exam
Today we are going to tell you how you can improve your score in English Section of IBPS Clerk Prelims paper. For some,English is the easiest of the three sections of IBPS Prelims Paper but for the rest, usually the one who have not studied at English medium schools from their early years of education, it is the toughest of the lot. IBPS Clerk Prelims 2017 exam is scheduled to be held from the first week of December and this leaves us with virtually no time for preparation. So let us quickly look at a few simple tips to bolster your already learned concepts and also to improve your performance during IBPS Clerk Prelims exam.
IBPS Bank Clerk Exam (Prelims) consists of 30 questions of 30 marks out of total 100 marks. If you have a good command over English then it should not take you more than 12-15 minutes to completely solve the English section and dedicate the remaining time to more time consuming section like Numerical Ability. The different topics of English Section are as follows
- Comprehension of a passage
- Sentence completion
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Para-jumbling
- Grammar
- Vocabulary
Let’s analyze them one by one.
Comprehension of a passage – It usually accounts for the highest marks percentage in English section. Usually it is recommended to read the paragraph thoroughly at least once before moving on to thequestions, but this takes time and in highly competitive exams like IBPS Clerk every second counts. First have a quick glance at the questions before reading the paragraph. Generally the questions asked are in a sequential manner to the paragraph. This way you won’t have to read the paragraph twice. Another important point is to get the theme of the passage. Without getting the gist of the passage, you won’t be able to answer the questions correctly. Make sure you practice, ample comprehension passages based on Banking & Economy, Moral stories and Social Issues as they have the highest chances of appearing in exam.
Sentence completion– These questions are usually tricky in nature. In case you are not able to find the answer directly, then try to eliminate the options. This works well because words with even similar meaning give the sentence a slightly different meaning. Look for words and phrases which act as hints to reach the conclusion.
Synonyms and Antonyms – Your ability to solve questions based on synonyms and antonyms depends a lot on your vocabulary. Build a extensive vocabulary to solve these questions. Case must be taken before finalizing the answer as all the options are usually somewhat similar with only slight difference. For example – Find the most suitable option among the given options.
This sauce will _______ the flavor of the meat.
- Increase
- Enhance
- Raise
- Grow
Ans: 2. Enhance.
As it can be seen from the above example, all the four options are almost similar. But “Enhance” is the most positive word among them. Enhance means to make better, whereas Increase means to make bigger or greater, Grow means to expand or gain and Raise means to move upward. You can understand this slight difference in the meanings of various words with practice as well as referring an advanced dictionary to learn the intricacies and various connotations of the words.
Para-jumbling – Para-jumbles require a lot of time, but are usually easy to solve. Try to make a structured paragraph using given sentences. A sentence which introduces a person, place or concept is probably the opening sentence. In further sentences, try to find the relation with the already introduced person, place or concept and arrange them accordingly. Make use of connectives, articles and pronouns to find the relationship of a sentence with other sentences.
In case everything else fails, then start arranging sentences as per given options and thereby eliminating the wrong options. Although it takes a bit of time, but it always yield results.
Grammar – Mastering grammar is a long and tedious process. It can’t be done within a week or two. The best thing one can do in such a short interval is to strengthen the already learned concepts. You must have knowledge of basic rules and their exceptions. It’s usually the exceptions from where the questions are framed. While attempting the questions you should not over-think! Over thinking can kill your sense of judgment. The first thing that comes your mind while attempting the questions based on grammatical rules is usually the right answer. “Objective General English” by SP Bakshi is a highly recommended book for improving your knowledge of English grammar.
Vocabulary – Just like grammar, building vocabulary too is a continuous process. Th best way to do so is to use hand written flash cards. Some reputed national newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express are also excellent tools for vocabulary building. There are many apps for androids and iOS with which we can not only access these standard newspapers, but also get to know the meaning of difficult words at the touch of our finger. It is recommended to learn the root words as it helps in retaining the word in memory for a longer interval of time. “Word Power Made Easy” by Normal Lewis is a highly recommended book for vocabulary building via root words. During the last few days, you must only revise the already learnt words and make simple sentences with each one of them to get used to them. One can also retain a lot of information in brain by using Mnemonics.
Some important instructions:
- Ample practice before the exam is a necessity for increasing your score. Last few days must be dedicated to a thorough revision of the already learntmaterial or else you might feel uncomfortable with even the simplest of questions.
- Proper sleep before the exam is equally important. During sleep our brain consolidates the memories of what we have learned that day and we are able to better recall it later. A good night’s sleep results in a good result.
We have provided in brief the various tips to improve your score of English section in IBPS Clerk Prelims exam. For in-depth explanation of various concepts and for practicing the same you may refer to our website.
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