Reasoning Ability
• Blood Relations: Two-Generation Rule — Male's wife = daughter-in-law (to his parents); female's husband = son-in-law (to her parents). Draw quick tree with ♂/♀ symbols; maternal = mother's side, paternal = father's side.
• Direction Sense: WENS Clock — Place directions as clock: West=9, North=12, East=3, South=6. Left/right turns match clock rotation; back=180° jump. Pythagoras for diagonal distances: √(x²+y²).
• Inequality Symbol Chain — In A>B≥C<D: only certain pairs provable (A>B, B≥C). Never combine across direction change: C<D blocks A>D conclusion. Statements must share common term to link.
• Seating Arrangement: Fix One First — In circular/linear puzzles, anchor the most restricted person (e.g., "X sits between Y and Z") as reference. Circular: fix one to kill rotational ambiguity; clockwise/anticlockwise matters.
• Coding: Alphabet Position — A=1, Z=26; remember EJOTY = 5,10,15,20,25 as anchors. Letter ±n: A+3→D; reverse alphabet: A↔Z (1+26=27), use 27−position. Number coding: check digit-sum, prime patterns.
• Syllogism: Venn Diagram for All/Some/No — "All A are B" = A circle inside B. "Some A are B" = overlap. "Some not" needs at least one A outside B. Two positive premises can't yield negative conclusion.
Quantitative Aptitude
• Divisibility Quick Checks — 3,9: sum of digits divisible. 4: last 2 digits divisible. 6: even + divisible by 3. 8: last 3 digits. 11: alternating digit sum (1st−2nd+3rd−...) divisible by 11. 7: double last, subtract from rest.
• HCF×LCM = Product of Numbers — For two numbers: A×B = HCF×LCM. If three numbers given with LCM, find HCF by prime factorization (lowest powers). Co-primes: HCF=1, LCM=product.
• Percentage ↔ Fraction Anchors — 12.5%=1/8, 16⅔%=1/6, 20%=1/5, 33⅓%=1/3, 66⅔%=2/3. For x% of y: reverse as y% of x (20% of 50 = 50% of 20 = 10). Two successive changes: x+y+(xy/100).
• Simple Interest: PRT/100 — SI = (Principal × Rate × Time)/100. Amount = P + SI. If SI for 2 years = 600, 1 year = 300. Doubling time: 100/R years at SI.
• Compound Interest: Annual vs. Half-Yearly — A = P(1+R/100)^T. Half-yearly: use R/2, 2T. Quarterly: R/4, 4T. CI−SI for 2 years = P(R/100)²; gives P if R known. Growth≈R% per period for small R.
• Profit & Loss: MP-CP-SP Triangle — Discount on MP, Profit on CP. SP = MP(1−D%/100). Profit% = (SP−CP)/CP×100. False weight: Profit% = (Error/True−Error)×100. Successive discounts: combine as x+y−xy/100.
• Ratio Trick: Multiplier Method — If A:B=3:4 and B:C=5:6, make B equal: multiply 1st by 5, 2nd by 4 → A:B:C = 15:20:24. Mixture: (Quantity 1)/(Quantity 2) = (Price diff from 2)/(Price diff from 1) — Alligation.
• Average: Balance Method — If average of n numbers = A, sum = nA. Add one more x: new avg shifts by (x−A)/(n+1). Age problems: total age increases by n years when n people age 1 year.
• Mensuration: π≈22/7 or 3.14 — Circle: Area=πr², Circumference=2πr. Cylinder: Volume=πr²h, CSA=2πrh. Sphere: Volume=(4/3)πr³, Surface=4πr². Cone: Volume=(1/3)πr²h. Remember 1/3 for pyramid/cone.
• Data Interpretation: Percentage Bar Trick — When comparing percentages across years/categories, convert to base 100 or find absolute values first. Bar chart: read axis carefully (scale jumps). Pie chart: 1%=3.6°; half slice=50%=180°.
General Awareness
• RBI Governors Chronology — "RaMaSh-YagRaRa": Raghuram Rajan→Urjit Patel→Shaktikanta Das (current). RBI est. 1935 (April 1); nationalized 1949. HQ Mumbai; 4 deputy governors always.
• Banking Terms: CAR-NPAs-SLR-CRR — CAR (Capital Adequacy Ratio): min 9%. CRR: cash with RBI (4%). SLR: liquid securities (18%). NPA: Non-Performing Asset = loan overdue 90 days. Repo vs. Reverse Repo: RBI lends vs. borrows.
• Government Schemes: PMJDY-MUDRA-APY — PMJDY (Jan Dhan Yojana): zero-balance accounts. MUDRA: loans up to ₹10 lakh (Shishu/Kishore/Tarun). APY (Atal Pension): ₹1000-5000/month post-60. PMMY under MUDRA for micro-enterprises.
• Organization Abbreviations: SEBI-NABARD-SIDBI — SEBI (1992, Mumbai): stock market regulator. NABARD (1982, Mumbai): agriculture/rural. SIDBI (1990, Lucknow): small industries. IRDAI (Hyderabad): insurance. Remember HQs for match-the-following.
• Currency & Capitals: BRICS-SAARC — BRICS: Brazil-Real, Russia-Ruble, India-Rupee, China-Yuan, South Africa-Rand. SAARC 8: remember "BISMANPP" (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan). Afghanistan=Afghani, Sri Lanka=Colombo.
English Language
• Subject-Verb Agreement: SANAM Rule — Some, Any, None, All, More/Most — take singular/plural verb based on the noun after "of". "All of the water *is*"; "All of the students *are*". Each/Every/Either/Neither = always singular.
• Tenses: Perfect = Has/Have/Had + V3 — Present Perfect: has/have + V3 (completed action, present relevance). Past Perfect: had + V3 (earlier past action). By/since: Present Perfect. Before/after in past: Past Perfect for earlier action.
• Active-Passive Voice: By+Doer — Active: Subject does action. Passive: Object + is/am/are/was/were + V3 + by + Subject. Modals: can→can be V3. Remove "by them/people/someone" if vague. Present: is/are+V3; Past: was/were+V