Tips, tricks and exam guides
शॉर्टकट ट्रिक्स, वैदिक गणित और परीक्षा रणनीति
Shortcuts that save seconds on every question — percentages, averages, squares, roots and Vedic maths multiplication — each with worked examples and a quick self-check. Then put them to work in the practice sets.
Exam guides and free resources · परीक्षा गाइड
- RRB NTPC and Group D 2026: exam pattern, syllabus and a free preparation planआरआरबी एनटीपीसी और ग्रुप डी 2026: परीक्षा पैटर्न, सिलेबस और मुफ्त तैयारी योजनाThe exact CBT pattern for RRB NTPC (CBT 1 and CBT 2) and RRB Group D, what to study in each section, a 60-day plan, and free full mock tests in the real pattern.
- SSC CGL, CHSL and GD 2026: exam pattern and the new 15-minute sectional timingएसएससी सीजीएल, सीएचएसएल और जीडी 2026: परीक्षा पैटर्न और नई 15 मिनट सेक्शनल टाइमिंगSSC CGL and CHSL Tier 1 now give each 25-question section its own 15-minute timer. Here is the full pattern for CGL, CHSL and GD, how sectional timing changes your strategy, and free mocks that use the same timers.
- IBPS PO Prelims 2026 pattern: why Quant and Reasoning carry different marksआईबीपीएस पीओ प्रीलिम्स 2026 पैटर्न: क्वांट और रीज़निंग के अलग-अलग अंकIn the 2026 IBPS PO prelims, 35 Quant questions carry 30 marks while 35 Reasoning questions carry 40. See the full pattern, what each question is worth, and how to use your 20 minutes per section.
- Best free YouTube channels for Railway and SSC exam preparation (2026)रेलवे और एसएससी परीक्षा की तैयारी के लिए सबसे अच्छे मुफ्त यूट्यूब चैनल (2026)Channels that two independent 2026 round-ups both recommend for RRB NTPC, Group D and SSC preparation, what each is best for, and how to combine videos with timed practice.
- Tech interview preparation roadmap for freshers and campus placementsफ्रेशर्स और कैंपस प्लेसमेंट के लिए टेक इंटरव्यू तैयारी रोडमैपWhat software companies test freshers on — aptitude, one programming language, data structures, CS fundamentals, SQL and projects — and a 6-week plan with free practice sets.
Current affairs · करंट अफेयर्स
- Current affairs this week: 19–25 October 2026इस सप्ताह के करेंट अफेयर्स: 19–25 अक्टूबर 2026Key exam facts from 19–25 October 2026: hill councils for all Ladakh districts, three new UNESCO tentative sites, the Jio Platforms IPO, the India–New Zealand FTA, the Land Warfare Doctrine 2026, AUSTRAHIND and SIMBEX, India's record Asian Para Games, Pankaj Advani's world title, India–Poland and SCO meetings, and important days.
- Current affairs this week: 12–18 October 2026इस सप्ताह के करेंट अफेयर्स: 12–18 अक्टूबर 2026Key exam facts from 12–18 October 2026: NSAP renamed PM Samajik Sahayata Yojana, IDBI Bank stake sale, September inflation and trade data, Ladakh projects, Ramsar sites at 103, defence contracts and exercises, Asian Para Games, the economics Nobel, six new Governors, BIMSTEC and important days.
Maths · गणित
- Mixtures in seconds: the alligation (cross) ruleमिश्रण के सवाल सेकंडों में: एलिगेशन (क्रॉस) नियमWhen two things with different prices (or strengths, or profit rates) are mixed to get a mean value, the quantities are in the ratio (dearer − mean) : (mean − cheaper). Draw the cross, subtract, and read the ratio.
- Time and work in seconds: the LCM (total work) methodसमय और कार्य सेकंडों में: LCM (कुल काम) विधिTake the LCM of the days as the total work. Each person's work per day then becomes a whole number, so you only add, subtract and divide — no fractions.
- Average speed trick for equal distances: 2xy ÷ (x + y)समान दूरी पर औसत चाल की ट्रिक: 2xy ÷ (x + y)When you go somewhere at one speed and come back the same distance at another, the average speed is 2xy ÷ (x + y) — not the simple average of the two speeds.
- Successive percentage change in one step: a + b + ab/100लगातार प्रतिशत बदलाव एक कदम में: a + b + ab/100Two percentage changes one after another combine into a + b + (a × b ÷ 100). Use a minus sign for a decrease. Works for price rise and fall, population, discounts and area changes.
- Difference between compound and simple interest for 2 years: P × (r/100)²2 वर्ष के चक्रवृद्धि और साधारण ब्याज का अंतर: P × (r/100)²For 2 years, compound interest is more than simple interest by exactly P × (r/100)² — the interest earned on the first year's interest. No need to calculate both.
- Multiply by 5, 25 and 125 instantly5, 25 और 125 से तुरंत गुणा5 = 10/2, 25 = 100/4 and 125 = 1000/8. So multiply by 5, 25 or 125 by adding zeros and halving, quartering or dividing by 8 — usually faster than long multiplication.
- Unit digit of big powers using cyclicityबड़ी घातों का इकाई अंक — चक्रीयता (cyclicity) सेThe last digit of powers repeats in short cycles: 2, 3, 7 and 8 repeat every 4; 4 and 9 every 2; 0, 1, 5 and 6 never change. Divide the power by the cycle length and use the remainder.
- Fractions as percentages: the table every exam topper knowsभिन्न को प्रतिशत में: टॉपर्स की ज़रूरी तालिकाKnowing 1/8 = 12.5%, 1/6 = 16.66% and 1/12 = 8.33% by heart turns percentage, profit-loss and data interpretation questions into simple fractions.
- Square any number ending in 5 in seconds (Vedic maths)5 पर खत्म होने वाली संख्या का वर्ग सेकंडों में (वैदिक गणित)Use the Vedic sutra “Ekadhikena Purvena” (one more than the one before) to square 35, 85 or 115 in your head: multiply the front part by the next number and write 25 after it.
- Squares of numbers near 100, 1000 or 50 (Yavadunam method)100, 1000 या 50 के पास की संख्याओं का वर्ग (यावदूनम् विधि)Square 97, 104 or 996 without long multiplication: add or subtract the difference from the base, then write the square of the difference after it.
- Multiply numbers near 100 instantly (Nikhilam sutra)100 के पास की संख्याओं का तुरंत गुणा (निखिलम् सूत्र)The Vedic sutra “Nikhilam Navatashcaramam Dashatah” turns 97 × 96 or 103 × 107 into one subtraction and one small multiplication.
- Multiply any number by 11 in your headकिसी भी संख्या को 11 से मन में गुणा करेंAdd neighbouring digits and place the sums between the first and last digit. Works for two-digit and longer numbers, with a simple carry rule.
- Two-digit multiplication: vertically and crosswise (Urdhva Tiryagbhyam)ऊर्ध्व-तिर्यग्भ्याम्: दो अंकों का गुणा एक लाइन मेंThe general Vedic method for any multiplication: multiply vertically, then crosswise, then vertically again, carrying as you go. Works for every pair of numbers.
- Find the square root of a 4-digit perfect square in 10 seconds4 अंकों के पूर्ण वर्ग का वर्गमूल 10 सेकंड मेंThe last digit tells you the two possible unit digits of the root; the first two digits tell you the tens digit; one quick product decides between the two.
- Cube root of a perfect cube in one lookपूर्ण घन का घनमूल एक नज़र मेंFor a perfect cube up to 6 digits, the last digit fixes the unit digit of the root and the leading digits fix the tens digit — no division needed.
- Percentage tricks: fractions, swaps and successive changeप्रतिशत ट्रिक्स: भिन्न, अदला-बदली और क्रमागत परिवर्तनMost percentage questions fall to four ideas: know the fraction for common percentages, swap x% of y, build any percentage from 10% and 1%, and use a + b + ab/100 for successive changes.
- Average shortcuts: assumed mean, middle term and replacementsऔसत के शॉर्टकट: कल्पित माध्य, मध्य पद और प्रतिस्थापनStop adding long lists. Guess an average, correct it with the deviations, use the middle term for evenly spaced numbers, and solve “one person joins or is replaced” questions in one line.
Reasoning · तर्कशक्ति
- Clock angle in one line: |30H − 5.5M|घड़ी की सुइयों का कोण एक सूत्र में: |30H − 5.5M|The angle between the hour and minute hands at H:M is |30H − 5.5M| degrees (take 360 minus it if it is more than 180). The same idea finds when the hands meet, are opposite or at right angles.
- Find the day of the week for any date: the odd days trickकिसी भी तारीख का दिन निकालें: विषम दिन (ऑड डेज़) ट्रिकOnly the days left over after full weeks (odd days) decide the weekday. Add the odd days of the centuries, the years and the months, take the remainder after dividing by 7, and read the day: 0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday … 6 = Saturday.
- Negative marking: when should you guess?नेगेटिव मार्किंग: अनुमान कब लगाएं?A blind guess is worth almost nothing, but ruling out even one option makes guessing pay off under ¼ and ⅓ negative marking. Here is the arithmetic and a simple rule to follow in the exam hall.