General Studies (Paper I)
BRICS Original Members — "BRICS" itself: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (joined 2010; first four were founding 2009 members as BRIC).
SDG Year Anchors — 2015 (adoption), 2030 (target). Remember "15-30" like a standard loan tenure to recall Sustainable Development Goals timeline.
Poverty Line Committees — "TALRT": Tendulkar (2009), Alagh (1979), Lakdawala (1993), Rangarajan (2014), Tendulkar updated methodology emphasizing consumption expenditure.
Five-Year Plan Discontinued — 12th Plan ended 2017; NITI Aayog replaced Planning Commission (2015). Remember "NITI @1-1-15" (January 1, 2015 formation).
Indian Economy Sectors by GDP — Services (55%+), Industry (~25%), Agriculture (~15-18%). Mnemonic: "SIA" descending order mirrors contribution ranking.
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairmen Order — Arvind Panagariya (first, 2015), Rajiv Kumar, Suman Bery (current 2023). Remember "AReSu" for chronological sequence.
Haryana Formation Date — November 1, 1966. Same day as Punjab, Karnataka (reorganization), Kerala formation. "Four states, One November" memory hook.
Banking Nationalization Years — 1969 (14 banks), 1980 (6 banks). Remember "14-69, 6-80" pattern: first batch under Indira Gandhi's economic policy.
Civil Services Aptitude Test (Paper II — Qualifying)
Divisibility by 11 — Alternating digit sum difference divisible by 11. Example: 121 → (1+1)−2=0, divisible. Quick check for Data Interpretation calculations.
Percentage-Fraction Anchors — 12.5%=⅛, 16.67%=⅙, 33.33%=⅓, 66.67%=⅔. Memorize these six common conversions for instant DI speed-ups.
Blood Relations Direction — Draw family tree always: males on left branch, females right. Prevents confusion in complex grandmother/nephew reasoning chains.
Venn Diagram Formula — Total = A + B + C − (AB + BC + AC) + ABC + None. For three-set problems in logical reasoning; write it down first.
Data Sufficiency: AD-BCE Rule — Check statement A alone, then D (both insufficient individually), then BCE (combine statements). Eliminates wrong options systematically.
Reading Comp: PICO Method — Read first sentence of each Paragraph, Identify main Concept, check Options, then full reading. Saves 40% time in qualifying paper.
Analytical Reasoning Seating — Linear: fix one person as anchor. Circular: clockwise/anticlockwise matters; rotate mentally always from same reference point to avoid errors.
Coding-Decoding Position Value — A=1, Z=26. For alphabet-number shifts, write "EJOTY" (positions 5,10,15,20,25) as landmarks for quick mental calculation.