Cracking SBI PO Mains: My First Attempt Strategy for Current Affairs and Attempting 36/50!

Summary

Tanu Gark shares her detailed strategy for cracking SBI PO Mains, focusing on current affairs, banking awareness, and exam preparation. She explains how she struggled initially but refined her approach using key sources like Gaurav Garg Sir’s videos, Ashish Gautam Sir’s resources, and Affairs Cloud PDFs. Her strategy included progressive learning, consistent revision, and daily quizzes from various platforms to improve accuracy. Tanu emphasizes the importance of understanding the details in videos, practicing quizzes regularly, and using sticky notes for quick reference. She concludes by recommending a tailored strategy based on personal strengths and weaknesses for success.

Takeaways

• 😀 **Start Early and Stay Consistent**: Begin current affairs preparation early and maintain consistency by revising regularly, especially focusing on the past 6 months before exams.
• 😀 **Focus on Reliable Sources**: Stick to trusted sources like Gaurav Garg Sir’s videos, Ashish Gautam Sir’s YouTube content, and Affairs Cloud PDFs for efficient preparation.
• 😀 **Avoid Overloading with Notes**: Don’t waste time on handwritten notes. Instead, focus on printed PDFs and videos to save time and effort while still covering all important topics.
• 😀 **Make Learning Progressive**: Follow a progressive learning method where you tackle recent months first (e.g., June), then progressively move to older months as your exam approaches.
• 😀 **Use Quizzes for Active Revision**: Take quizzes from multiple platforms (e.g., Smart Keeda, Olive Board, Affairs Cloud) to reinforce what you’ve learned and improve your accuracy.
• 😀 **Prioritize Banking Awareness**: Make sure to dedicate time to banking awareness, as it plays a significant role in both SBI PO and IBPS PO exams.
• 😀 **Track Mistakes and Reattempt Quizzes**: Analyze mistakes from quizzes, note down the correct answers, and reattempt them to ensure better retention and understanding.
• 😀 **Leverage Speed for Efficient Learning**: Watch educational videos at a faster speed (1.5x) to cover more content in less time without compromising on comprehension.
• 😀 **Focus on the Latest News**: Prioritize the most recent current affairs and banking events, as they are often more relevant to the exams, especially in the last few months leading up to the exam date.
• 😀 **Personalize Your Strategy**: Adapt the preparation strategy to suit your strengths and weaknesses. Focus more on your weaker areas while maintaining your strengths.
• 😀 **Revise Actively and Frequently**: Active revision through notes, quizzes, and multiple rounds of practice is crucial for retaining current affairs and banking awareness information effectively.

Q & A

What was the candidate's approach to preparing for current affairs in SBI PO Mains?

The candidate initially did not focus on current affairs but later incorporated daily revision using videos and PDFs. They followed sources like Ashish Gautam Sir, Gaurav Garg Sir, and Affairs Cloud for current affairs updates and quizzes. The focus was on revising key topics regularly and taking multiple quizzes from different platforms.

Why did the candidate stop using handwritten notes for current affairs?

The candidate found that making handwritten notes was time-consuming and inefficient. Instead, they switched to using printed PDFs and focused more on revision through videos and quizzes, which proved to be faster and more effective.

Which sources did the candidate rely on for current affairs preparation?

The candidate primarily used Ashish Gautam Sir's video lectures, Gaurav Garg Sir's content, and Affairs Cloud's weekly PDFs. These sources were supplemented with quizzes from Smart Keeda, Practice Mock, Olive Board, and Affairs Cloud.

How did the candidate manage the revision of current affairs for the exam?

The candidate followed a structured revision schedule. They started with daily current affairs updates, then moved to weekly PDFs and quizzes. In the final month, they focused on revising the Best 300 questions and banking awareness, ensuring to cover both the latest and previous months' materials.

What was the candidate's strategy for revising banking awareness?

For banking awareness, the candidate watched relevant videos, printed out PDFs, and highlighted important information. They followed a systematic approach, revising the material three to four times using a combination of video revisions and note-taking.

How did the candidate ensure they remembered key facts from current affairs?

The candidate used several techniques to enhance retention, such as marking key information in printed PDFs, highlighting important points while watching videos, and writing down notes on sticky notes for quick reference. They also regularly revisited this material to reinforce their memory.

What role did quizzes play in the candidate's preparation?

Quizzes were a major component of the candidate's preparation. They took quizzes from multiple sources and reviewed the correct and incorrect answers to understand where improvements were needed. The quizzes helped reinforce key concepts and boosted confidence in answering questions correctly.

What mistake did the candidate recognize in their initial preparation for the exams?

The candidate initially underestimated the importance of banking awareness and current affairs details provided in the videos. They realized that focusing on both, especially banking awareness, was crucial to performing well in the exams.

How did the candidate deal with the overwhelming amount of data during preparation?

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, the candidate broke down the material into manageable chunks. They focused on daily updates, then gradually moved to weekly PDFs and specific quizzes. They also filtered out less important content and concentrated on high-yield topics.

What did the candidate consider crucial for their final revision before the exams?

In the final days before the exams, the candidate focused on revising the most recent current affairs, such as those from October and November. They also reviewed the Best 300 questions series and took quizzes to assess their preparedness, ensuring they were familiar with the format and types of questions likely to appear.