Education

Preparing the General Knowledge (GK) portion has been a challenging task for most students preparing for competitive exams. Today, when most of the competitive exams expect you to stay updated with the current affairs going around in the world, a lot of students struggle to find reliable sources to follow the same.

If you are also preparing for competitive exams, here is a detailed guide with reliable sources to help you study current affairs and GK for your preparation.

1. International Newspapers –

Newspapers are the first and the most important source of information for preparing daily current affairs and staying updated with relevant GK for competitive exams. However, a lot of students don’t know which newspapers they should rely upon for their daily dose of information. Most students are not aware and keep reading news from regional newspapers instead of referring to the international ones.

The most reliable newspapers to study current affairs for competitive exams are The Hindu, Times of India, Indian Express, and LiveMint which provide authentic international information relevant for exams that have current affairs portions as a compulsion.

2. Year Books –

It is a known fact that the information studied from newspapers is not enough for knowing current affairs. Hence, we all need to supplement our knowledge with relevant books that give us general knowledge and information about current affairs in a more digestible and compact form.

These are mostly yearbooks such as Manorama Yearbook, The Mega YearBook, etc. which comes with compact study notes of current affairs covering the entire year in news structured in the form of interesting charts, diagrams, tables, etc.

3. Current Affairs Magazines –

Students who like to study current affairs regularly and revise it multiple times to memorize it better often supplement their study with the help of various current affairs magazines which vary from weekly to monthly subscriptions. Some of the most trusted magazines for this purpose are PIB, Pratiyogita Darpan, Competition Success Review, etc.

4. News and GK Websites and Apps –

The best way to stay updated with current affairs and GK topics is to surround yourself with the information and engage with it during your day-to-day activities. This doesn’t mean that you have to roam around with bulky books or newspapers, it just means that whatever you do throughout the day, you keep updating yourself with information related to current affairs.

You can do this by incorporating some interesting websites and apps into your daily activities, just like you use social media on a daily basis. GK Exams is a website that can help you to achieve this. The website provides you your daily dose of current affairs in a summarised digestible form, along with interesting daily quizzes updated daily on various topics.

You can also find GK quizzes, GK Mock Tests, GK quizzes in Hindi, and many more on this website. Another significant app of this type is the InShorts app.

5. YouTube Channels for competitive exams –

If you further wish to indulge more in daily current affairs and supplement your daily dose of knowledge, you can subscribe to some reliable YouTube channels that post daily news analysis and important current affairs regularly. You can watch one or two videos daily before going to sleep, or during your lunchtime, or any time of the day when you find spare time.

Such YouTube channels are especially helpful for those who cannot find international newspapers where they live or those who do not find the time and space to carry a newspaper with them and read it on a daily basis.

Watching videos on the phone can be more comfortable and feasible for some people. But while doing this, make sure that you stick to only one reliable YouTube Channel that you find the most suitable for yourself, rather than watching a different one every day. It is a waste of time to watch multiple newspaper analysis covering the same topics on a single day.

6. Coaching resources –

Last but not the least, if you are seriously preparing for any competitive exams, and have enrolled for the preparation of the same with any online or offline coaching institute, you should always refer to the resources and course material that your coaching institute provides you, whether it is in form of e-notes, e-books, newsletters or in form of physical books.

A lot of coaching institutes ask their tutors to create study material from a mix of various newspapers, magazines, etc. Hence, this material is the most concise and reliable for you to follow, while it is often ignored by students.

If you haven’t enrolled with any coaching institute you can take advantage of some free resources available on the websites of popular Indian institutes such as visionIAS, IASbaba, Law Prep Tutorial, etc.

Most importantly, always remember that the most effective way for preparing current affairs and GK Mock Tests, Question Answers for your competitive exam is to take an actual interest in the subjects and in all the events and issues that are going around in the world. If you don’t have a genuine interest in any of this, you will keep forgetting the facts, no matter how many times you mug them up aimlessly.

Ifama

Hi! This is Ifama. I am a student and giving my services in SEO. I have a lot of experience in digital marketing. Travelling is my hobby and I love visiting different hilly areas and doing adventures.

Are you going to attend the IBPS Clerk exam? You need to do an IBPS Clerk Exam Analysis. It helps you to get how much focus you need to put on each section. Quantitative aptitude is one of them where most candidates get confused. If you are going through the same confusion, then we will be helping you to understand it in a detailed manner.

Attractive IBPS Clerk Salary is the core reason why most people want to apply for this job post. Therefore, you must not run behind the competition since you can crack this exam just by being a bit attentive. Here, we will be telling you the most practical ways to prepare “QA” for the IBPS exam.

Simple Tricks to Have a Good Preparation Of Quantitative Aptitude

To pass this exam, you need to be a focus on 3 prominent sections. However, Quantitative Aptitude is regarded as quite tricky. Here, we are going to share some beneficial tricks, which can make it easier for you indeed.

Quantitative Aptitude: Different Aspects Of This Most Important Section

You will be finding the total number of 35 questions. You should give only 20 minutes to this section. To get good at this section, you may also take online help. Go on the trustworthy sites, where you can do practice to get good at it.

Moreover, doing this will also make you good at it. You should visit those education-based sites where you could practice. Do you know what topics are asked the most in this section?

Here, we are going to share in a detailed manner

Yes, it is quite important to understand that what those prominent topics are you must not forget to prepare. You need to be good at calculation speed. It can be done if you keep doing practice. You can do online and offline practice to enhance your speed.

If you love Maths, you will surely enjoy this section. The best thing is that you can have more scores in this section if you do practice in the right way. Make a list of topics that seem easier and simpler to you. Then make a list of tricky topics that need more time to prepare.

Sharp Your Brain Practicing Simplification and Approximation – It is all about mental calculation. It does not only sharpen your mind but also enhances your way of understanding. Yes, you can save your time along with taking your score up in quant if you get good at this section.

Get Into Maths Learning Number Series – The next on the list is called the number series. To have a stronghold on this, you need to practice this section. You would be needed to spend ideally 30-50 seconds to solve a question. Practice is the key to get good at this section. This will also help you to understand what pattern is being followed in this series.

Moreover, you get to understand the trick indeed. If any question takes you more time to get it solved then you may skip it. You need to practice these different things such as Cubes, Tables, Sq. Roots, Squares, Cube Roots, and so on.  

Get Prepared To Find The Changes In Inequality Pattern – The next on the list is the inequality topic. You may find it in quadratic form or two quantities. It means you need to stay aware of both patterns. You need to be ready to find the changes in the pattern. If you are mentally prepared, you would not be having any trouble. Do not forget to practice the new types.

Apart from it, you should also practice getting a good understanding of solving quadratic equations. We would like to mention that that topic is indeed quite easy to do.

Practicing Data Interpretation Can Bring More Marks To You – It is regarded as being a prominent part of the quantitative aptitude section in the context of the banking exam. This section holds a great weightage and you can have a good score indeed. You would be needed to practice different charts and graphs, DI and Tabular.

Arithmetic Questions – Arithmetic also cannot be ignored while practicing it. Here, you need to emphasize an arithmetic portion of quant.  Talking about the important topics you need to prepare for are Ratio, Speed Distance, Time and Work, and so on.

Once you are done with these then you need to jump on to the next sections called Reasoning Ability and English Language.

In The Last – The practice is everything indeed. The more you practice, the better you would be doing in your exam.

Denis Woods

Danis Woods in Businessman, investment banker and stock exchange traders. On the same time he loves writing financial blogs to shed lights on different aspects that new and existing businessman are not aware of.

Are you often overwhelmed by your assignments and can’t seem to stay on top of it? College life is thrilling and challenging, and as you endeavor to strike and maintain a balance between personal life and schooling, handling assignments is among the top considerations. You don’t submit poorly done assignments or miss deadlines, which could sink your grades and affect your educational pursuits. As you strive to consistently submit top-class work, boost your grades, and maintain a spot among the top students, here are a few tips to keep in mind while handling your college assignments.

Be Organized

Do you have a schedule, and have you tailored a study space? Being organized is an essential time management tool that facilitates efficiency. With a practical schedule, you can track your progress, ensure that no assignment slips off your mind, and ensure that you complete it before the deadlines. With an exact schedule, you won’t struggle to stay focused, as you can easily make it a habit, developing a routine that eases your studies and assignment completion.

Tailoring and organizing a study space is also essential, as it improves your productivity. Find a spot that matches your style, such as a calm area, and tailor it to support your learning endeavors. A well-organized study area makes it easier to access all the materials you need to furnish your assignments. With minimal distractions, it facilitates the required concentration to work on the assignments, enhancing productivity.

Avoid Procrastination and Multitasking

Procrastination and multitasking can significantly affect your productivity. Pushing an assignment tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and so on, could see the deadlines fast approaching, forcing you to complete it hurriedly. This means that you won’t be as thorough, translating to insufficient quality work submission. Be disciplined and stick to your schedule; that way, you won’t do an assignment weeks later after assigned.

Apart from procrastination that steals your time, multitasking drags your progress. Chatting with your friends on your phone while doing an assignment might seem like a fun thing, but it’s a lot more destructive than you might anticipate. The divided attention means that one gets the short end of the stick, and it is usually the more demanding task, in this case, the assignment. While multitasking is quickly becoming the default for most people in today’s fast-paced world, it could affect your productivity, lowering it by as much as 40%. Complete one assignment at a time, and focus solely on it, not juggling with other activities.

Seek Help

Among the top reasons college students procrastinate while handling their assignments is hitting a problem that they can’t seem to crack. Instead of postponing, it would help if you asked for assistance. Your friends, classmates, study partners, and others in your social circles can help you handle your assignments and stay on track.

You could also kick the efforts a notch higher and enlist professional help. Online assignment help services like Homeworkdoer are convenient, as they are readily available whenever you need help. The 24/7 availability means that you don’t have to alter your schedule to find practical assistance. With their thorough step by step assignment help, you get a chance to secure good grades and accrue more skills even in the most challenging areas.

Completing your assignments isn’t only about beating the deadlines. You need to submit quality work to keep your grades up. Assignments are also a learning tool, and the more you handle them, the better you become at a particular field. With effective measures such as highlighted above, you can up your assignments game and accumulate the necessary skills to ensure that you emerge as a competent graduate, ready for the competitive job market.

Denis Woods

Danis Woods in Businessman, investment banker and stock exchange traders. On the same time he loves writing financial blogs to shed lights on different aspects that new and existing businessman are not aware of.

A strategic study plan, the right approach, and SBI PO previous year question paper is crucial for your success in SBI PO Exam 2020. Once you do your preparation tactfully, you perform well and get the best scores.

Since the exam is slowly approaching, it is time that you start preparing. The following are the best preparation strategies for SBI PO 2020 that you must not miss.

Familiarise Yourself with the Latest Exam Pattern 

Even before you start your preparation, make sure you know about the updated SBI PO exam pattern. You should know that:

• The question pattern of SBI PO has already altered with the introduction of the sectional time in the prelim’s exam.
• Now, you cannot spend time as per your preference and ease in the exam.
• There will be sectional timing for each section, and you will need to attempt each section in only 20 minutes. Make sure you do maximum questions with total accuracy.

Draw a Preparation Plan and Divide Your Tasks

You may calculate the time you have for the SBI PO exam preparation and prioritize the topics that you need to study. Furthermore, prepare a time table to attain your daily goals and assign more time to the syllabus’s weaker sections.

Refer to Previous Year SBI PO Papers 

Check the SBI PO previous year question paper, and it will help you to narrow down the syllabus and focus on the important topics first. Similarly, when you know what type of questions have been in the previous year’s papers, modify your preparations accordingly. 

For example, check all the concepts related to the questions that repeatedly made their way in the PO exam. Once you have clarity about the topic concepts, you can solve any related question.

Proper Practice and Revision is a Must 

If you are only learning new concepts, it is not sufficient to study a few hours every day. Instead, indulge in daily practice and revision. Once you practice the previous year question papers and different questions from different books, it will improve your speed and accuracy in answering questions.

Moreover, when you revise your questions and topics weekly or fortnightly, you end up with clarity about everything. After all, the SBI PO exam is difficult, and you cannot just keep on feeding material in your mind. Hence, you must do a regular revision to ensure that you have no confusion about any topics you learned at the beginning of your SBI PO prep.

Take Mock Tests 

Mock tests will help you stay on track and learn from your errors. Moreover, mock tests after every topic or multiple topics will help you to know about your progress, weaknesses, and strengths. Hence, you can work on your overall preparation accordingly to ensure no gaps in your studies.

Stay Consistent and Healthy 

Once you prepare for the SBI PO exam consistently, it will help you improve your knowledge, skills, and confidence. Consistency ensures that you do not procrastinate while you prepare for this exam, and hence, you learn new concepts and topics every day.

Furthermore, when preparing for SBI PO, make sure that you are not compromising on your food and sleep. You must sleep for a minimum of 6 to 7 hours at night and take healthy and proper food because a lack of sleep or skipping meals may lead to lesser energy during the day. 

To sum up, if you use SBI PO previous year question paper, maintain a proper SBI PO preparation schedule, do weekly revisions, and stay dedicated, you will pass the SBI PO test with flying colors.

Ayesha Saeed

Ayesha completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and started her career as a College Lecturer in 2013. Today, she’s a happy mom of 2 Kids in the field of digital marketing. She loves reading books, spending time with her family, and making delicious food for her husband.

“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”- Robert Frost

Education is an integral part of an individual’s life. It helps in the holistic development of a person and that of society. From providing fresh perspectives to illuminating thoughts, there are a lot of advantages to quality education. Today, we will be looking at the importance of education and how it helps to develop a nation.

Importance of Education

As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of advantages that come from education. Educated citizens are an asset to the country. Let us look at the advantages or benefits one by one:

Character Building

One of the most important things that a man can possess is a great character. What the world needs is people who can understand other people and education plays a huge role in character development. Over the years, there has been a paradigm shift in the field of education and the syllabus and curriculum now place focus on important aspects such as teaching. The main aim of education is not just to impart knowledge but also to build character. The purpose of education is to be able to listen to others, to be compassionate, and to realize that you don’t know everything.

Employment and Career

Education opens doors to new opportunities and possibilities. The better educated an individual is, the better the chances are of a great career. Again, another important point that we have to underline here is that education is not just about degrees and certifications, it is also the books that one reads, the experience that one gains, the observations, and the growth. More often than not, people restrict the term education to schools, colleges, and other similar institutions. Whereas, in reality, education is a much bigger realm and is a lifelong process.

Economic Development of a Country

The more educated a country’s citizens are, the more developed the country can become. For instance, people who are well educated in the field of science and medicine are trying hard to find a cure for the pandemic that has put us all to the test. The more educated minds are at play, the better the chances are at winning.

A well-educated nation can conquer new heights and achieve great success. We have resorted to new ways of education such as online teaching and virtual classrooms. There are brilliant Edtech start-ups that are redefining the education sector altogether. For instance, Teachmint is an app that is a one-stop solution for online teaching. With a host of amazing features like automatic attendance, online whiteboard, live class recording, and more, it has enabled teachers and tutors across the country to take their classes online. This development is a result of quality education.

Society/ Community Building

Man is a social animal and education helps to understand and define boundaries and create and develop meaningful ties. It helps the enrichment of society and as mentioned to builds strong, meaningful communities. In addition, education helps the community and contributes to its advancement. In fact, being educated is an advantage to help our people and build a good society.

Builds Confidence

An educated person knows better. They have an understanding of the ways of the world and how things work. This adds to confidence. We cannot say that education is the only thing that contributes to building confidence, but it is one of the most important parameters that help to build, develop, and sustain confidence. The importance of education goes beyond words.

Self Dependency

Another advantage of education is that it helps people to be self-reliant and self-dependent. Being able to stand on one’s own feet is extremely important in today’s time. It not only helps to secure a good social reputation but promises a secure future and a stable life. Nothing is better than being financially independent.

Conclusion

We have discussed the importance of education in this article. Education develops a mindset and prepares a person for the life ahead. And not to forget, it is a continuous process. It is like a guiding light that gives the basic guidelines as to what is right and wrong and how a person uses it varies according to their background, wisdom, and wit. Educated citizens make and develop the country and are a great asset to the nation. As it is rightly said, there is nothing such as too much knowledge and too much education. Education is wealth.

Denis Woods

Danis Woods in Businessman, investment banker and stock exchange traders. On the same time he loves writing financial blogs to shed lights on different aspects that new and existing businessman are not aware of.

“It’s not that I am so smart, its that I stay with the problems longer”- Albert Einstein.

Although these are just a few words from Albert Einstein, they mean a great deal when it comes to developing the mindset. Having a PhD in Psychology, Carol Dweck has characterized two different mindsets after multiple studies. 

One of the mindsets is called a growth mindset. Individuals with a growth mindset have a hunger for gaining knowledge throughout life. Furthermore, failures seem like an opportunity to learn and strive to achieve higher goals. 

On the other hand, a fixed mind lets the individual have a fear of failure. They believe that all individuals are born with intelligence, and it is not changeable. As a result, they do not set higher goals for themselves. 

The role of education plays a vital role in developing a particular mindset. Both educators and parents are responsible for teaching the young ones that achieving anything in life is possible. 

Carol Dweck’s Studies

Carol Dweck, an American psychologist, studied over 1000 students’ behaviors. She noticed that some students rose back to their feet after small setbacks while others were devastated by their failures. Hence, she concluded her findings into two terms, growth mindset and a fixed mindset. 

Advanced research shows that the human brain is more adaptable than we ever encountered. Research shows that the connectivity between neurons changes with experience. In other words, neural growth is in our hands. The connections become stronger when using different strategies, finding answers to questions, and having a healthy lifestyle. 

Furthermore, studies have shown that there is a direct link between mindsets and achievement. For example, a group of 7th graders was taught and encouraged to believe that intelligence is malleable, which resulted in lots of efforts. Hence, they were able to achieve excellent grades in mathematics. 

Two Types of Mindsets

People with a fixed mindset are prone to believing that intelligence and abilities are inherent and fixed. So, no matter how hard they try, they will never exceed the limit of inborn intelligence. This type of mindset leads to a setback in achieving higher personal goals. People with such a mindset lose the belief of succeeding after a failure. Hence, failure is a dead-end for them.

On the other hand, people with a growth mindset are well aware of the fact that that some people are born with natural intelligence. The thing that makes them stand out from the crowd is the belief that working hard and learning new skills will eventually lead them to success. They do not give up easily when there is a failure. They embrace challenges, gain information, and seek inspiration from others to give out the best of their abilities.  

The Role of Education in developing Mindsets

The goal of education should not be to pass the skills and knowledge only. Instead, education should teach the student the ability to problem-solve and take on challenges. This way, the student will be well-prepared to tackle an issue outside the school and later on in life. Both parents and educators have an equal role in developing a growth mindset. 

Educators Role in Developing a Growth Mindset

Education is broader than achieving a particular course or degree. Research shows that students’ mindset plays a crucial role which affects how comfortable and motivated they are when faced with a new or difficult problem. Students with a growth mindset have been able to take on difficulties and challenges more effectively than those with a fixed mindset. Hence, educators should incorporate growth mindset strategies in their interaction with students.

Parents Role in Developing a Growth Mindset

Likewise, parents should encourage their children to explore, embrace new experiences, and enjoy challenges. Encouragement and appreciation to both success and failures help immensely in the early stages of developing a mindset. 

Parents should focus on the process of hard work rather than the outcome. For example, instead of commenting “you are so smart”, a parent should give an insightful comment like “I like the choice of colour of that picture.” It sends a message to the child that the efforts, hard work, and dedication are more important than being smart. It enhances growth in the present and the future. 

Quratulain Merchant

A content mother, a former student of Hisham Sarwar, and a professional SEO blogger on multiple niche giving services at Fiverr.

When you’re a teacher you have to practice a lot of patience with your students. Older and younger kids want to have fun and enjoy time with their peers which can lead to a chaotic classroom if you allow it.

Knowing how to discipline students is not easy, especially when you are a new teacher. Things can go from bad to worse if a class is not in order. The last thing you want is to have the students be the “rulers”. Read this guide to help you learn a few helpful tips to manage your classroom if you are having a hard time figuring out what to do.

The Importance of Classroom Management

The best way you can learn to discipline a student or students is by establishing, maintaining, and restoring relationships. This starts on the very first day. The stronger relationship you have with your students, the more everyone can understand and respect one another. 

Classroom discipline can be easier by doing this alone and can lower disruptions as much as 80%. Welcome your students as they enter the room and set one-on-one meetings to get to know one another better. Alone time with a student can also be ideal during moments you need to repair bad situations or misunderstandings before they get worse. 

1. Keep a Neutral Tone When Speaking

You do not have to speak in a loud voice with your students to get your point across. Using a clear, neutral, and stern voice is more than enough to get their attention. If you have to shout to get your students to stop, you may have already lost control of the classroom. 

Talking in a less aggressive tone is better. You can even drop your voice lower to spark attention. This method works wonders. Going loud then quiet is also a good idea. You can raise your voice for a moment to get their attention. Then, you can lower your voice so they work harder to listen. 

You can track, manage, and modify how your students act when you take advantage of access research-based classroom behavior management strategies.

Another tip that may seem counterproductive is to acknowledge good behavior and ignore low-level disruptions. Rather than targeting certain students, you should learn when to praise certain behavior that you want to reinforce. When you have a few students turn in their work on time, talk about that instead. 

Other than knowing when to focus your attention on good behavior, it’s ok to let students talk when it’s minimal. Children will often stop on their own without you having to say anything. Just remember you should always set clear expectations on what you want in classes. Talk with your students and explain why it is important. 

2. Use Body Language and Cues

When you want to create order in the classroom, talking is not the only way to get your point across. Sometimes you have to reorient your students through body language and cues, especially when you are dealing with a noisy classroom. 

Students get excited about conversations with their teachers and with each other. It can be easy for them to get side-tracked. Most of them will continue if they believe it’s ok. You can encourage students to get back on track with either of the two without appearing as controlling, or forceful. 

For example, one body language you can use is to sit back down at your desk and stare at your students. Cues such as clapping or flickering the lights are also something they will understand. Rather than raising your voice, it is more effective to do the opposite. 

You can bring awareness and enhance rapport with your students when you use non-verbal communication to restore order. Focus on your posture and use your hands as an indicator. Maximize every inch of your class too and do not be afraid to move around to gain their attention. 

3. Address Concerning Behavior Right Away

Disciplining students is not fun or easy, but learning how to manage your classroom can make the difference whether or not your students respect you. You must remain consistent in applying the rules you set. When you let something slip more than a few times, one student or many students will start to think it is ok. 

Remember not to single out a certain student — it’s the bad behavior you want to correct. Be mindful of how you react to bad behavior and how you correct them. The best way to do this and to make sure behavior does not get out of hand is to always actively supervise your students as you teach. 

This means you want to be near them most times and stay away from the desk whenever possible. Slipping away to your desk is a tempting invitation to students who do take this as the teacher being relaxed.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sit at all. Just be aware to stay active. Move and talk with your students. 

When you speak and a student does not listen to you the first or second time, you want to be stern and take action. For example, if you have problems with one or two students talking, you should alter the seating. While you can focus on changing only the seats for the students causing trouble, it is better to change everyone’s seat.

It’s good to give your students choices as one way to boost performance and reduce anxiety. You will learn to take away privileges, even if it’s temporary when you notice students are unable to get their work done.  

Discipline Tips That Work for Younger and Older Students 

Just because you have to discipline your students when it’s needed doesn’t mean you will look bad in their eyes. Even when they do not want to listen, they do understand why they have to. If they don’t, you should explain it to them.

Never allow your students to feel as if you are targeting them when you do have to manage the class. You can build a great relationship with your students and keep things in order when you learn the proper way to gain their attention. 

Jason Obrien

Jason is the Marketing Manager at a local advertising company in Australia. He moved to Australia 10 years back for his passion for advertising. Jason recently joined BFA as a volunteer writer and contributes by sharing his valuable experience and knowledge.