General Studies and General Abilities
- VIBGYOR for Rainbow Orders — For remembering spectral sequences or any 7-item list in Science/Geography: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. Also applies to wavelength increasing order (reverse for frequency).
- BRICS Nations Mnemonic — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. Remember as "BRICS build emerging economies" for quick recall in International Affairs questions.
- Five-Year Plan Anchors — First Plan (1951), then add 5 years: 1956, 1961... till 12th Plan (2012-17). NITI Aayog replaced Planning Commission in 2015 (January 1st).
- GDP vs GNP Trick — GDP = Domestic (within borders), GNP = Nationals (citizens anywhere). If Indian earns abroad, counts in GNP only, not GDP.
Telangana — History, Movement, Geography and Policies
- Telangana Formation Date — June 2, 2014 (2/6/2014). Remember as "2-6-2014" = 2+6=8, 2+0+1+4=7; 8-7=1 (1st linguistic state from division).
- Major Rivers Mnemonic "GKM" — Godavari, Krishna, Musi are Telangana's primary rivers. Godavari is longest, Krishna second, Musi flows through Hyderabad.
- 10 Districts Original — At formation, Telangana had exactly 10 districts (now 33). Remember initial capitals: Hyderabad, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak, Rangareddy.
- Asaf Jahi Dynasty Span — 1724-1948 (exactly 224 years). Founded by Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I; ended when Sardar Patel integrated Hyderabad State (Operation Polo, Sept 1948).
Arithmetic and Numerical Ability
- Divisibility by 3 & 9 — Sum all digits; if sum divisible by 3/9, original number is too. Example: 12345 → 1+2+3+4+5=15 → divisible by 3, not 9.
- Percentage ↔ Fraction Quick Conversions — 10%=1/10, 12.5%=1/8, 16.67%=1/6, 20%=1/5, 25%=1/4, 33.33%=1/3, 50%=1/2. Memorize these for instant calculation speed.
- SI vs CI First Year Trick — For 1 year only, Simple Interest = Compound Interest always. Difference appears from 2nd year onward when interest compounds.
- Speed-Distance-Time Triangle — Draw triangle: D on top, S and T at base. Cover what you need: D=S×T, S=D/T, T=D/S. Works for all motion problems.
- Profit % Formula Shortcut — Profit% = (SP−CP)/CP × 100. If SP=120, CP=100, then (20/100)×100=20%. Loss% uses same with (CP−SP).
- Compound Interest 2-Year Trick — If rate=R%, CI for 2 years = Principal × [R/100 × (2 + R/100)]. Example: 10% for 2yrs = P × 0.10 × 2.1 = 21% total.
- Average Addition/Removal — When new value added, new average = old avg + (new value − old avg)/(n+1). When one removed, subtract similarly. Saves recalculation time.
- Time & Work LCM Method — Convert days to work rates via LCM. If A=12 days, B=15 days, LCM(12,15)=60 units. A does 5 units/day, B does 4 units/day; together 9 units/day → 60/9 days.
Mental Ability and Reasoning
- Blood Relation Gender Trick — Mother's/Father's side: maternal/paternal. Brother-in-law: spouse's brother OR sibling's husband (two meanings—watch carefully). Daughter-in-law = son's wife only.
- Direction Clockwise "NEWS" — North → East → South → West (clockwise). Right turn = next letter, Left = previous letter. 180° = opposite (N↔S, E↔W).
- Odd Days for Calendar — Jan 1, 1900 = Monday (anchor). Ordinary year=1 odd day, Leap=2. Century rule: 1600,2000=0 odd days; 1700,1800,1900=5,3,1 respectively.
- Coding Pattern ABC→DEF — If each letter shifts +3 (A→D, B→E, C→F), it's Caesar cipher +3. Check consistency: pattern must apply to all letters equally.
- Syllogism Venn Diagrams — Draw circles for each category. "All A are B"=A inside B. "Some A are B"=overlapping circles. "No A are B"=separate circles. Visualize, don't just read.
- Clock Angle Formula — Angle = |11M − 60H|/2 degrees, where H=hour, M=minutes. At 3:15, |11×15 − 60×3|/2 = |165−180|/2 = 7.5°.