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The Indian Railways is one of the largest employers in the country that provides jobs to millions. Many of the young aspirants seeking a decent job tend to choose a job in the railways for the numerous advantages that come along with it. However, attaining your dream job in the Indian Railway, is not a walk in the park. The recruitment to various vacancies in the Indian Railways is carried out by the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB). As a matter of fact, each year the board issues notifications to various posts within the organization. Subsequently selection procedures will be carried out in order to fill the vacancy. For any aspirant who dreams of taking the railway examinations, the result will be achieved only by constant and continuous practice. With this being said, in this article, we will give our readers some basic and practical tips to prepare for railway exams 2021 at home.
What’s special about Railway Jobs ?
In a country like India, most of the young graduates and job seekers aspire for a Government job. The obsession of the people to Government Jobs is real and hence the competition proves to be tougher. Each year lakhs of aspirants apply and attend various competitive examinations conducted for the Government Job posts.
Likewise, whenever there arises vacancies in the Indian Railways, the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) who is in charge of the recruitment drives to railways, calls for applications from eligible and suitable candidates through a recruitment notification. Following this, the selection processes are carried out as per the schedule and the final selection of the suitable candidate is made.
Perks of a Job in Railways
As the Indian Railways come under the Ministry of Railways of the Central Government, an employee in Railways will enjoy numerous benefits. Therefore, lakhs of aspirants are attracted to railway sector jobs in our country. Some of the major attractions are listed below:
- Stability of the job
- Attractive salary which includes basic pay and other benefits.
- Additional benefits cover Grade Pay, Dearness Allowance, Travel Allowance, House Rent Allowance, etc
- Ample Holidays
- Minimum work stress
- Dignity and reputation of the job.
- Educational Expenses for offspring
- Free rail passes to travel throughout the country.
- Recession proof jobs ensure maximum security.
- Free training for the employees for skill enhancement.
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Types of Railway Exams
As we have ,mentioned in the above sections, the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) is the sole organization that is responsible for recruiting eligible and suitable candidates to various posts in the Indian Railway. However, the selection processes to different posts are not the same. They vary greatly from one another. Before understanding more about the differences between each railway exam, it is essential for us to know the types of railway examinations that are conducted presently by the RRB.
Even though RRB conducts four major exams like RRB Junior Engineer (JE) Exam, RRB Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) Exam, RRB Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) Exam, RRB Group D Exam/RRC Level 1 exam , there are other examinations also that are equally loved by the aspirants. We have tried to list them up in this section of the article.
- Ticket Checker (RRB TC)
- Assistant Manager
- Railway Services Grades
- Traffic Apprentice
- Traffic Assistant
- ECRC
- SCRA Exam
- Railway Group-D Exam
- RRB Para Medical
- RRB Ministerial and Isolated Categories
- Section Engineers
- Section Engineers
- Railway Group-D Exam
- Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) Exam
- Assistant Station Master (ASM)
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RRB Exam Preparation Tips
In this section of the article, we will provide some useful, practical and easy to follow tips to all the readers who are going to take up any railway or RRB examination. Follow for more tips!
Perceive the Subjects
Even though there are different examinations conducted by the Railway Recruitment Board to select candidates to various posts, most of the exams have a similarity in the basic subjects. So, perceive the subjects included in the examination beforehand for a smooth learning journey. Most of the railway examinations have the following subjects in their stage 1 written examination.
- General Awareness
- General Science
- General Intelligence & Reasoning
- Numerical Ability
Know the Pattern
The pattern of the examination followed for every railway exam need not essentially be the same. Therefore, when a candidate decides to take up any railway exam, check out the exam pattern of that particular recruitment in particular. Usually the railway examinations have two stages of written examinations followed by the document verification, typing test or a final interview. As the existence of written examinations are for sure, the candidate must get ready for acing the examination in order to move to the higher rounds of the selection processes.
Say No to Parrot Fashion
Now, this is where most of the aspirants lose the track. Never try to learn any topic or subject without understanding the basic concept. Whenever you try to by heart a specific or important topic, it will not help the preparation go the right way. Such a type of learning will be rendered fruitless to the aspirant. So, stay away and say no to parrot fashion of learning.
Hand-Pick the Best Study Material
If the selection of your study material for the examination goes wrong, then this will reflect very badly in the result. It is an obvious fact that sometimes learners try to ignore. Whatever be your choice of learning methods, keep in mind to select the best study materials to compliment it. Research and enquire to real people on the best books, coaching classes, PDF notes, etc that are available to help you crack the railway examinations easily. Even though you might lose some time in the process, this will be beneficial in the long run. That is for sure!
Follow the Schedule
Each person is different. Thus, the study patterns and study habits will also differ greatly from person to person. Hence, it is highly recommended to the aspirants to create an own time table for the exam preparation and follow the schedule promptly. While creating the study plan or schedule, ensure to keep in mind all your daily activities, your comfortable learning techniques, etc. However, the aspirant must learn to follow flexible schedules during the times of emergencies when you are unable to follow your time table.
Resort to Appropriate Revision Techniques
The entire process of learning will be complete only if you do timely revision of what is learnt. This can be using any method of your preference like mock tests, practice questions, previous year question papers, daily exams, etc. At the end of the day, recall what you have learnt and try to make short notes on it. These short notes can be carried by the aspirant always and hence will help in maintaining the continuity of the learning process.
Adopt an Online Platform
Digital study is the current favorite among the aspirants of Railway Examinations. In a situation that exists now, badly hit by the pandemic, it is a wise decision to do your Railway Exam Preparation Online. You can select any online coaching platform that gives you the best of all to ace the railway examinations. Online Coaching Platforms like Entri gives its users the best possible materials under expert guidance of mentors to ace the railway exams. Crash courses are often provided for various exams for all the late birds who tend to begin the exam preparations only at the very last moment.
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Strategy to Crack RRB Exam 2021
Master the basics
Start right from the elementary level. In doing so, you will be able to learn the higher level concepts without any difficulty. If you struggle with the basics then learning will not be exponential.
Subject- wise learning
Just before you start the preparation for RRB examination, go through the subjects and the topics asked for the exam. After that use subject wise strategy to continue with the learning. If you are a person who finds the numerical ability section more difficult than the rest, ensure to spend a little more time on that section compared to others. Also, choose the best books and materials for each subject rather than using an all-in-one book, as the details will be minimal in such a book.
Prioritize Railway GK
General Awareness and Current Affairs is an integral part of Railway Examinations. However, when we consider the case of Railway Examination, the chances of questions being asked from the history and current affairs of the railways is prominent. Therefore, make sure that you cover the Railway GK with utmost care. As it is a section where maximum marks can be scored easily, do not let this slide away.
Embrace Smart Learning
Gone are the times when hard work was considered the essential to ace any examination. In the present scenario hard work is replaced by smart work. Only those aspirants who work smartly to achieve their goal will be successful. This can be achieved by mastering your stronger domains (so that you get a perfect score in this section), improve current affairs on a daily basis, etc.
Time management
If you know the effective time management strategy for the railway examination, then you can be deemed as near to successful. An aspirant must improve the time management strategy so as to do well in the recruitment examination. This, on the other hand, is possible only through practice and more practice.
Gather your nerves
Most of the candidates are prone to lose their cool either during the preparation or when the exam date is near. Become your biggest motivator, and learn to keep calm rather than being tense. Your performance will be greatly affected if you don’t gather your nerves and face the examination with credence. Involves in any hobby that soothes and tranquil your soul, thereby helping you to deliver your best in the examination.
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Syllabus for Railway Exam Preparation
In order to successfully cover the important topics for the railway examination, the aspirant must be aware of the Syllabus in the first place. As most of the railway exams conducted by RRB have four subjects or sections, we will give the syllabus of the railway examination according to that in the section below. However, after the official notification regarding a particular examination releases, the candidate should cross check the subjects and the syllabus given in the official portal with what you have. Make sure to read completely.
General Awareness
National and international current affairs, sports and games, science and technology, important days, abbreviations and expansions, Indian Railway history, Important personalities, books and authors, History and Geography of India, Indian Economics and Politics, Environmental issues, Indian Literature, Major organizations, Computer fundamentals, etc.
General Science
Natural Products and Drugs, Nuclear Chemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Thermodynamics, Organic reaction mechanism, Stereochemistry, Organometallic compounds, Bioinorganic chemistry, and Polymers, Electrochemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Instrumental methods, Poisons and Pesticides ,Quantum Chemistry
Numerical Ability
Number system, Simple and Compound Interest , Profit and Loss , Algebra , Geometry , Trigonometry , basic Statistics, BODMAS , Decimals, Fractions , LCM , HCF , Ratio and Proportion , Percentages, Mensuration, Time and Work, Time and Distance
General Intelligence & Reasoning
Analogies, Alphabetical and Number Series, Coding and Decoding, Mathematical operations, Blood Relationships, Syllogism, Data Interpretation and Sufficiency, Decision making and Conclusions, Similarities and Differences, Analytical Reasoning, Para Jumbles, Venn Diagram , Classification. Direction Sense, Arguments and assumptions.
At the Tail End
While we conclude this article on the best tips to prepare for railway examinations at home, we hope that the aspirants follow them in their true spirits. The efforts and conscience that you give into the preparation of your railway examination will truly reflect in the result. So, hope for the best and start your railway exam preparation today itself. Remember that the road to success is not an easy one, it all depends on you how ready you are to start the race! Good Luck All!