Best Books for SSC CGL English Comprehension

SSC CGL English Section is a crucial section. It consists of 25 marks in Tier 1 and 135 marks in Tier 2. Thus, one should prepare for English thinking of it as a decider of one’s selection in the SSC CGL Examination.

Candidates, who are preparing for SSC CGL exam, must start their preparation with a good plan and in a timely manner. If they prepare well between notification publication and Preliminary exam, they can easily qualify. Read SSC CGL Latest news and updates.

SSC CGL exam is now conducted in 2 stages i.e Tier 1 and Tier 2. There is a set syllabus for the entrance exam that candidates need to follow thoroughly. Check SSC CGL Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The exam is approaching fast and the candidates who are going to appear for the exam would be looking for some useful advice and tips to score well in the English section. Catch up on Government News and Updates

Recommended Books for English Subject

The following books are recommended for the preparation of English topics in SSC CGL:

1. Quick learning Objective General English by RS Aggarwal & Vikas Aggarwal
2. Perfect Competitive English by V. K. Sinha
3. Competitive General English by Kiran Prakashan
4. Objective General English by S P Bakshi
5. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

Most importantly one should follow the previous years’ examination papers as model test papers to be aware of the pattern and speed required during the actual examination.

Topic Wise Books and Preparation Strategy

Following are the topic-wise recommended books, preparation tips and more to aid the candidates in preparing better for the exam. 

Spotting Error

You have to find grammatical errors in the sentences. Four to five questions are expected to come in the Exam.

Recommended Book: A mirror of Common Errors

Tips: One should carefully read the complete sentence. In most cases, an error can be detected in the first go itself.

While reading the entire sentence, you must carefully check the subject-verb agreement. If you are not able to detect the error or you are still unsure of the correct answer, then one must read each distinct part of the sentence and closely inspect or scrutinize which part consists of an error.

Know about SSC CGL Post-wise Salary Structure

Fill in the Blank

In this section, it is expected that there will be questions with only a single fill in the blank.

Recommended Book: English Advanced Vocabulary and Structure Practice

Tips: Read the statement carefully and choose the word from the options which is suitable for the answer. Method of elimination can be used by simultaneously checking which of the options best satisfies both the entries.

Also one must make sure that the word inserted in the blank allows reading the sentence smoothly and correctly.

Synonyms and Antonyms

Following are the recommended books and preparation tips for Synonyms and Antonyms:

Recommended Book: One Word Substitution

Tips: Learning at least 10 new English words daily can be a doze to have a good vocabulary. One can note down the meaning and example of each word you find unfamiliar or difficult to remember. Make shortcuts, tricks to make the learning of words easy, and try to use them in your daily life. The most important thing is to study all the Synonyms and Antonyms from the previous paper as you know that SSC usually repeats a lot of questions.

Idioms/Phrases & One Word Substitution

Following are the recommended books and preparation tips for Idioms/Phrases & One Word Substitution:

Recommended Book: One Word Substitution

Tips: Sum up all the one-word substitutions and Idioms and phrases from the previous yearbooks and learn them to score well in the English section in the SSC CGL Exam 2017.

Spelling Mistakes

Following are the recommended books and preparation tips for Spelling Mistakes:

Recommended Book: English Spelling Practice Test for SSC CGL (Disha Publication)

Tips: From this topic, you can easily get all the marks in your pockets. Learning some rules for spelling errors is very important to have an understanding of the usage of spellings in English Grammar.

Sentence Correction

Although, finding the correct alternatives may improve the sentence, sometimes there is no correction required then your answer will be no improvement.

Recommended Book: Sentence Improvement Practice (Disha Publication)

Tips: One must try to spot grammatical errors by reading the original sentence carefully and identifying if something “sounds” wrong. If the novel sentence seems fine, pay attention to the grammar that it tests and look through the choices systematically to see if any option provides a better alternative. As you look through all the choices, start eliminating all of the choices that contain that error. One must not read each answer choice back into the sentence individually as that only wastes time and invites inaccuracy.

Reading Comprehension

Read more and More Passages, this will improve your speed in reading and understanding English.

Recommended Book: SSC CGL English Language & Comprehension Tier II

Tips: Identify the tone of the paragraph; it helps in answering questions very quickly. Read questions first so that you know what you are looking for. Previous year’s question papers are a must to practice. This will help you understand the type and style of questions asked.

SSC CGL English Comprehension: Paper Analysis

The main aim of the English section in SSC CGL is to judge the candidate’s ability to understand correct English. Grammar, Comprehension, Sentence Completion would be tested through the questions included in the examination.

Many candidates are comfortable with the Reasoning and Quant section but they somehow face difficulty in attempting the English section, as it is the least prepared section of this examination.

English gets mixed answers from CGL aspirants depending upon their educational background as well as the preparation level. For some, this is an easy task but for others, this section becomes a nightmare and the biggest hurdle in getting a good score in the exam.

English is not something you can expect to master in a day. But from an exam point of view, if you spend time consistently, you can perform well in it in relatively less time as compared to the Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning sections.

The number of questions from each topic and their difficulty level has remained similar over the years. As you know this subject contains 25 questions. In this section questions will be based on:

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