Why Most Candidates Fail to Qualify SSC CGL Exam?

Planning to answer the SSC CGL Exam? It would be a good idea to know some points about why do most candidates fail to qualify SSC CGL exam so that you can tweak your preparation strategy accordingly and get success.

The Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level Exam otherwise known as SSC CGL is a national level exam conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). The exam is conducted every year by the SSC to shortlist eligible candidates for Group B and Group C posts in various departments, ministries and offices under the Government of India.

Each year lakhs of aspirants appear for the exam but only a few thousand successfully make it through the selection process to bag a reputed and lucrative government job. Despite their hard work, many candidates fail to clear the exam. They unknowingly commit a few mistakes that hamper their preparation of the written examinations.

On that note, let's talk about some common mistakes that candidates can avoid during preparation for the SSC CGL exam.

Unaware of the Updates in Exam Syllabus and Pattern

The pattern and exam syllabus of almost every government exam changes a little and SSC CGL is no different. For instance, before 2019 if a candidate cleared Tier-II were eligible for the Tier-III exam. This process was a bit time-consuming and tedious. To avoid this problem, a new process was introduced which allowed candidates who cleared Tier-I to become eligible for Tier-II and Tier-III as well.

Similarly, there have been few changes in the exam pattern regarding the mode of examination, the number of questions, time limit, cut-offs and more. This also includes the addition and subtraction of topics in the syllabus. Some candidates do not follow these changes; hence they do not come up with the solutions to counter them while preparing for the exam.

Unfamiliar with the Online Mode of Examination

Some candidates lack familiarity with the online mode of examination. This can cause technical problems for them during the examination. Some students don't know how to switch between sections or submit their answers before moving to the next question. These candidates eventually fail to qualify for the sectional cut-off, not because of their preparation but because of their unfamiliarity with the online mode of examination.

Multiple Government Exam Preparation App and portals have come up in the recent past that allow students to take online mock tests which offer a similar interface as that of the real examination.

Exam Fear

Exams like SSC CGL have a limited time for students to attempt all the questions. So students not only have to attempt the questions on the screen but at the same time have to tackle the pressure of the ticking clock.

This often results in anxiety and tension, due to which some candidates fail to think clearly and quickly to attempt the given number of questions correctly in the given time.

Students can kill their exam fear by attempting regular online mock tests which will help them get used to examination experience and will make them calmer and confident during the exam.

Vague Clarity of Concepts

Some of the students avoid in-depth study of the fundamentals behind concepts in every topic. This is a recipe for disaster as the majority of questions asked in major government papers like SSC CGL are concept-based questions and can range from easy to advanced levels.

Although the use of formulas and short tricks will save time in the exam, students should have a sound understanding of the basic concepts behind every question. This way they will be able to rescue themselves when encountered with a complex question where only the fundamental knowledge of concepts will work.

Referring to Multiple Sources for Study Content

Often most students end up wasting too much of their time and end up confused by jumping from one book or study material to another in search of the best and most credible source to study from.

To avoid this stress, students must make sure that the content of the study material and sources secured by them are updated, reliable and conform with the latest SSC CHSL syllabus.

However, students can now access the best quality sources for guidance and learning material to prepare for the exam in the comfort of their homes. Some ed-tech startups offer a one-stop solution to all learning needs of students preparing for various competitive exams by offering live classes, study notes, online test series, quizzes, previous years papers, current affairs and more.

Hesitancy Towards learning Short Tricks and Formulas

While the knowledge of the basic method of solving a question is important, if used in exams can be time-consuming. Therefore it is advised that students learn useful short tricks and formulas in every topic to avoid long time-consuming steps to reach the answer quickly and save time. The time saved could be used to attempt other questions and sections later.

Not Solving Previous Years Papers

This is one of the main reasons behind the failure of students in any competitive exam. By solving previous years' SSC CGL papers students will get an idea of how the paper is set by the SSC and will give them important inputs such as the type/pattern of questions to expect and the trend in the weightage of different topics in each section.

Not Attempting Regular Mock Tests and Lack of Self-Evaluation

Without speed and accuracy, it is difficult to crack the SSC CGL exam. Students often underestimate the positive effect of attempting mock tests regularly. It not only lets students track their progress but also gives insights into their strengths and areas of concern that need to work on to improve their performance.

Students must attempt regular topic-wise and sectional mock tests and quizzes and should take full-length mock tests once done with the majority of the syllabus. This will help them develop the ability to attempt questions fast with greater accuracy.

Lack of Practice

Only learning concepts, formulas and short tricks and not practicing questions won't work if you are planning on cracking a competitive exam. Especially subjects like quantitative aptitude and logical reasoning need a lot of practice.

Students must practice enough questions of different types in each topic to get a good grip on them. Attempting practice sets and sectional quizzes will help them to self-evaluate and improve their performance.

Random guesswork

There is a negative marking for every incorrect attempt in the SSC CGL exam. Often students tend to forget about this and use wild guessing to answer the questions that they are unfamiliar with to clear the qualifying cut-off.

Calculated guesswork at times can work in favor of the students but sometimes it can be dangerous and can reduce your score. This can also result in you failing to clear the exam. Avoid any type of guesswork and attempt only those questions that you know the answer of.

Attempting difficult questions first

Candidates often start and get stuck with the tough questions. This consumes a lot of their valuable time and later on, they regret missing out on easier ones due to the lack of time.

Candidates are advised to start by scanning through the sections and must attempt the easy or familiar questions first. This will save their time and will boost their confidence to tackle more complex questions later. Furthermore, Through this candidates will fetch marks for all easy questions at first and could avoid regretting missing out any later.