General Awareness
VIBGYOR for Classical Dances — Remember 8 classical dances: BMS-KOM-OK (Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam, Sattriya, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kathakali, Kuchipudi). Learn origins: Kerala=3 (Mohi/Katha-kali), Tamil Nadu=Bharata, Assam=Sattriya.
Padma Award Hierarchy — Ascending order: Shri → Bhushan → Vibhushan (think "Shri is entry, Vibhushan is victory"). Bharat Ratna stands alone above all, max 3/year.
Nobel Prize Memory — PEPLMC: Peace, Economics, Physiology/Medicine, Literature, Physics, Chemistry. Economics added last (1968), not original. Peace & Literature decided by Norway & Sweden respectively.
Commonwealth Games → Asian Games → Olympics — Scale ladder: Commonwealth (smallest, 4-year cycle, odd years after Olympics), Asian Games (medium), Olympics (largest). Remember CWG years: 2010+8n pattern.
Reasoning Ability
Direction Sense: NESW Clock Rule — Visualize clock: N=12, E=3, S=6, W=9. Right turn = +90° clockwise, Left = -90°. If facing North and turn right, you face East (12→3 on clock).
Blood Relations Gender Trap — "No gender assumption": Sibling/cousin/parent can be any gender unless specified. Doctor/Engineer/Teacher = gender-neutral. Watch for "only son" or "only daughter" clues.
Dice Opposite Faces Sum — Standard dice: opposite faces always sum to 7. So 1↔6, 2↔5, 3↔4. If two faces shown, third visible face + hidden faces can be calculated instantly.
Coding Pattern: +1 Next Letter — A=1, B=2...Z=26. For position-shift: CAT → if +1 shift → DBU. Quick check: C(3)+1=D(4), A(1)+1=B(2), T(20)+1=U(21).
Syllogism: No → Some Not Conversion — "No A is B" converts to "Some B are not A" (valid). "All A are B" converts to "Some B are A" (valid). Draw Venn circles for complex statements.
Mirror Image: LEFT ↔ RIGHT Rule — Only horizontal inversion occurs. Letters symmetric on vertical axis (A,H,I,M,O,T,U,V,W,X,Y) look same. Asymmetric letters flip: b↔d, p↔q.
Quantitative Ability
Divisibility by 11 — (Sum of odd-position digits) - (Sum of even-position digits) = 0 or multiple of 11. Example: 1331 → (1+3)-(3+1)=0, divisible.
Percentage-Fraction Quick Converts — 12.5%=1/8, 16.67%=1/6, 33.33%=1/3, 66.67%=2/3, 87.5%=7/8. Memorize these for instant calculation without calculator.
Profit/Loss Base Confusion — Profit% always on Cost Price; Discount% always on Marked Price. If SP > CP = profit; if SP < CP = loss. Never mix bases.