Verbal ability for All Government Exams

Verbal Ability or the English Language section is commonly a part of the various Government exams conducted in the country. For most competitive exams, the verbal ability section is one where a candidate can score more yet tends to lose marks due to the various options provided.

In this article, we bring to you the detailed syllabus for Verbal Ability in the various Government exams, along with the list of exams in which the section is included in the syllabus.

As the proverb goes “A stitch in time saves nine”, a well-planned preparation for these exams will help in saving more time during the examination.

To explore more about bank exams, check at the linked article.

With time management and other factors kept in mind, the Verbal Ability section shall prove to be the most scoring if a candidate is well prepared as no lengthy calculations or solutions are required for this section.

Given below are a few links which may help you ace the Verbal Ability section in the upcoming Government exams:

More such concept-based topics covering rules, lists with examples, important questions, etc. are given on the General English for Competitive Exams page. 

Given below is the list of topics which are a part of the verbal ability section:

List of topics:

1. Reading Comprehensions
2. Cloze Test
3. Fill in the Blanks
4. Match the Columns
5. Error Detection
6. Jumbled word/Paragraphs
7. Vocabulary & Grammar
8. One Word Substitution
9. Idioms and Phrases
10. Antonyms and Synonyms

To explore various SBI Exams at length, check at the linked article.

Aspirants of various competitive exams must know the difference between important and confusing words in the English language. Few of such words are given below:

Similarly, 100 Difference between Articles on various topics, subjects, concepts etc. are given on the link provided for your revision.

Listed below are the steps to solve Verbal Ability questions:

1. Read the question carefully and do not mark the answers in haste
2. Do not guess the answers as the options given are similar and candidates may get confused and lose marks
3. In case of confusion, candidates can start eliminating the incorrect options and this may help them reach the correct answer easily
4. Do not over complicate the questions and do not panic just by seeing the length of the question asked.

To explore more about SBI Clerk Syllabus, check at the linked article.

Tips to Prepare for Verbal Ability

The verbal ability is one of the most crucial topics for various government exams and it constitutes of basic English grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Though it is the most scoring section of any competitive exam, numerous candidates still struggle to score well; the reason being less acquaintance with the Language or conceptual knowledge. Hence, given below are a few verbal ability tips that might help the aspirants to prepare the section well.

• Include variety in Reading

Philosophy, literature, scientific papers, fashion, art, economics, politics, business are all those areas from where passages in the exam come. The inclusion of more variety will broaden your views on the worldly affairs, expose you to numerous views provided by different authors on the same topics, keep you updated with the latest developments and help you think of ways of developing an approach that most suits you. Needless to say, it will greatly help you in Reading Comprehension passages of the exam with vastly varying topics.

• Increase Vocabulary

As numerous questions related to synonyms and antonyms are asked in the exam, having a strong vocabulary is very crucial. Keeping a dictionary is the simplest and most effective way to increase your vocabulary and holds good for people of all ages and at all stages of reading skills. Voracious readers have done it in their earliest stages of reading, and it is never too late to start. Jot down all the given meanings of an unfamiliar word, look at the context of the passage and see which best suits it. Not only will you learn the meaning of the word in that context, it tells you more about its probable usages in other contexts.

You can check the following links for reference:

• Question more

At the end of each paragraph, question the tone and attitude of the author. Think creatively of all plausible questions and how the paragraph substantiates the answers to these questions. It will aid your comprehension abilities, help you answer questions relating to the tone/attitude of author type of questions and understand analogies which align with the author’s point of views as depicted in the paragraph. All of these will not only help you answer verbal aptitude questions during the examination but in the long term increase your general reading comprehension skills.

Candidates preparing for various competitive exams can check the following links on important English Question and Answers on various verbal ability topics:

1. One Word Substitution Questions & Answers
2. Tenses Questions And Answers
3. Direct & Indirect Speech Questions & Answers
4. Idioms and Phrases Questions and Answers
5. Synonyms Questions And Answers
6. Prepositions Questions And Answers
7. Sentence Correction questions

• Avoid distractions

With the increasing number of distractions and diminishing attention spans, it’s easy to lose focus on the work at hand. This turns out to be detrimental for candidates gearing up for an examination like wherein a clear, responsive and attentive head will push you further ahead than more than half of your competition. When practising, keep aside any distractions, clear out the clutter and choose a peaceful environment to continue with your preparation. Choose times of the day where you can be distracted the least.

• Practice

It’s an age-old saying and that most of the people know: Practice makes perfect. Waiting for the time to perfect your preparation isn’t the smartest choice to make; perfect it by practising regularly. Devote quality time each day to practice on your weaker areas and build your strengths. Regular practice for verbal ability questions will ensure you have time to analyze yourself frequently, which is another good practice to follow, especially while gearing up for Competitive exams.

Exams Comprising Verbal Ability as a Subject

Following is the list of exams where one finds the questions from all the topics given above.

1. CSAT
2. RBI Exams
   1. RBI Grade – B
   2. RBI Assistant Stage I
   3. RBI Assistant Stage II
3. SBI Exam
   1. SBI PO Prelims
   2. SBI PO Mains
   3. SBI Clerk Prelims
   4. SBI Clerk Mains
4. IBPS Exams
   1. IBPS PO Prelims
   2. IBPS PO Mains
   3. IBPS Clerk Prelims
   4. IBPS Clerk Mains
   5. IBPS SO Prelims
   6. IBPS RRB Prelims (Office Assistants)
   7. IBPS RRB Mains (Office Assistants)
   8. IBPS RRB Prelims (Scale I Officers)
   9. IBPS RRB Mains (Scale I Officers)
   10. IBPS RRB General Banking Officers(Scale I)
   11. IBPS RRB Specialist Cadres (Scale II)
   12. IBPS RRB Scale III Officers
5. SSC Exams
   1. SSC CGL Tier 1
   2. SSC JE Paper 1
   3. SSC GD
   4. SSC CPO Paper 1
6. RRB Exams
   1. RRB JE-First Stage CBT
   2. RRB NTPC
   3. RRB ALP
7. Insurance Exams
   1. NIACL AO Exam
   2. NIACL Assistant Exam
   3. NICL Exam
   4. LIC AAO Exam

Candidates preparing for the verbal ability section or any other section, which is a part of the upcoming Government exams, can turn to BYJU’S for assistance regarding the study material, syllabus, preparation tips and exam information.

Other links which may help you prepare for the competitive exams are given below: