Government & Defence Entrance Exam

LIC Syllabus For AAO Exam:
For Preliminary Exam: Quantitative Aptitude Reasoning Ability, English Language with special emphasis on grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension. For Mains Exam (CA/Actuarial/Rajbhasha/IT): Reasoning Ability, Insurance, Financial Market Awareness, General Knowledge, Current Affairs Professional knowledge, English Language (Letter Writing & Essay). For Mains Exam Legal Reasoning Ability, Professional Knowledge, General Awareness, Current Affairs insurance, Financial Market Awareness, Legal Drafting for AAO. LIC Syllabus for the three categories in the ADO exam;
Category: Open Market
Paper-I (Same for all): Reasoning Ability & Numerical Ability
Paper II (Same for all): General Knowledge, Current Affairs and English Language. Paper-III: Insurance and Financial Marketing Awareness with special emphasis on knowledge of Life Insurance and Financial Sector, Principles of Insurance. Category: LIC Employees
Paper-III: Practice and Principle of Insurance Marketing. Category: LIC Agents
Paper-III: Elements of Insurance and Marketing of Insurance. LIC HFL Syllabus:
1- English Language: Spot the Error, Para Jumbles, Cloze Test, Phrase Substitution, Sentence Improvement, Sentence Connectors, Spelling Mistakes, Idioms & Phrases, Fill in the Blanks, Synonyms & Antonyms, Reading Comprehension.
2- Quantitative Aptitude Simplification & Approximation, Number Series, Data Interpretation, Quadratic Equations, Ratio & Proportion, Speed Time & Distance, Time & Work, Boats & Streams, Age Problems, Permutation & Combination, Probability Mixtures & Alligations, Inequality, Interest, Profit & Loss, Average.
3- Reasoning: Seating Arrangement, Blood Relations, Coding-Decoding, Direction Sense, Inequality, Data Sufficiency, Statement & Assumption, Word Formation, Syllogism, Ordering & Ranking, Alphanumeric Series, Input-Output.
4- General Awareness: Current Affairs Important Dates, Geography, Banking Awareness, Books & Authors, History, Arts & Culture, Polity, Sports, Computer Knowledge, Indian & International Economy, Inventions & Technology.

You need at least three to six months to prepare both papers, taking the syllabus into account. The General Knowledge section is relatively vast, whereas the English . Paper has a limited syllabus. You can balance these papers by making a proper study schedule for each one. For instance, you can study for two hours for GK, then, after a short break, study English . You can also allot separate days for GK and English . Subjects. Both papers have 100 questions and two hours of time. On English . Paper, speed and accuracy matter more than on GK paper. You need to devote one month to practicing for both sections. You also need a minimum of two months to cover the syllabus, provided you are studying for eight hours a day.

The General Knowledge paper consists of 100 questions, each worth one mark. To prepare this section, you can follow the given tips:
1. Select your study material based on the syllabus of the GK paper.
2. The NCERTs are the best books to prepare for the GK section, particularly history and culture.
3. Read newspapers daily to stay updated with current events.
4. Analyze important themes based on the previous year's papers and study them well.
5. Make notes of important facts about GK topics for last-minute revision.
6. You must prepare the Current Affairs of the last 6 to 7 months diligently.
7. For practice, use any other reference material, such as Arihant. The syllabus for this section is vast; you must limit your resources and revise well.

Best Books for Quantitative Aptitude;
1- Data Interpretation by Arun Sharma (TMH Publication)
2- Magical Book on Quicker Mathematics by M Tyra B.Sc. Publication)
3- Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma
4- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R. S Agarwal (S. Hand Publication)
Best Books for Reasoning Ability;
1- A modern approach to verbal Reasoning by R. S Agarwal
2- Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
3- A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal by BS Sijwali, Indus Sijwali
4- How to Crack Test of Reasoning: In All Competitive Exams English by Arihant Publication. Best Books for the English Language;
1- High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin
2- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
3- Objective General English by SP Bakshi (Arihant Publication)
Best Books for Computer Aptitude;
1- Objective Computer Awareness by Arihant Experts
2- Computer Knowledge by Shikha Agarwal
Best Books for General/Financial Awareness;
1- Lucent General Knowledge.
2- General Knowledge by Arihant Experts
3- Financial Awareness for Competitive Exams.
4- Current Affairs Yearly 20 by Arihant Experts
Best Books for the Hindi Language:
1- Full Hindi Beginnings for Intermediate Courses: Increased E-Books (Teach Yourself) by Simon Weightman
2- LIC Assistant Prarambhik Pariksha 2019. For more information, you may visit the Shiksha Life Insurance Corporation of India exam page. (https://www.shiksha.com/exams/lic-aao-exam). I hope this will help you.

Normally, preparing for the CDS takes six months, but with the right strategy, you can pass it in just three. Following tips may help your prepare for CDS (OTA) in three months
1. To assist you in selecting your study materials, read about the exam syllabus and pattern.
2. There is no math paper for OTA, so you can devote the first two months to studying English and GK.
3. For the GK exam, the NCERT books are sufficient, but you may also use Manorama or Arihant as a source of information.
4. You can use the grammar book by Wren and Martin or another author to study for the English paper.
5. You need to dedicate the first month to completely focusing on the concepts of both papers.
6. From the second month onward, you can start practicing mock tests.
7. The third month should be dedicated to practice and revision.
8. You must start any physical activity with the preparation phase itself, which will help you in SSB.

Here are some expert tips that can help you crack the CDS exam and get into your dream academy:
1. Understand the pattern of the question paper in order to select the appropriate study material.
2. Stick with the selected material and focus more on speed and accuracy.
3. Prepare a section-based study plan. For instance, to study for the math paper, you need to first understand the concept and then practice a lot.
4. Devote sufficient time for full-length mock practice in the last few months of the exam.
5. The SSB is more important in CDS because the written portion only accounts for 300 marks.
6. You should simultaneously prepare for the SSB stage with the help of a mentor.
7. You need to stay fit during your preparation phase, which will help you clear your physical and medical tests. With proper strategy and hard work, you can clear this exam.

You can start with the NCERTs to build the foundation of concepts for the CDS exam. Here is the list of paper-wise suggested books by toppers to prepare for the CDS:
1. Elementary Mathematics: For this paper, you can refer to NCERT mathematics. Additionally, you can take help from RS Aggarwal's Mathematics for CDS or Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations. You can also refer to the Pathfinder for CDS book for this paper.
2. General Awareness: The syllabus of this paper is huge, so you must refer to the NCERTs for this section. In addition, you can refer to the Manohar Panday or Manorama Yearbook. You must regularly read the newspaper to stay updated with Current Affairs that will help you in SSB.
3. English Language: To prepare the grammar section of this paper, you can refer to the Wren and Martin book. For other topics, you can refer to Objective General English by SP Bakshi and Norman Lewis's vocabulary book.

The syllabus of the CDS exam can be divided into three major subjects: math, English and general knowledge. For those who prefer OTA in their application, there is no math paper. The following is the CDS entrance examination syllabus:
1. Elementary Mathematics: You have two hours to complete the 100 questions on this paper. Questions on number systems, arithmetic, Algebra variations, geometry, and other topics are included in the subject.
2. English Language: Questions on topics like comprehension, vocabulary, word substitution, spotting errors, sentence structure, word choice, etc. Are included in this paper.
3. General Knowledge: Questions based on GK topics and current events are asked in this paper. It asks questions about defense, awards, defense, history, economics, and more. The complete CDS exam syllabus is available at this Shiksha Page: https://www.shiksha.com/exams/cds-exam-syllabus.

LIC AAO Selection Process: The LIC AAO (Life Insurance Corporation of India Assistant Administrative Officer) exam is conducted in 3 stages. Following are the stages in the Life Insurance Corporation of India Assistant Administrative Officer exam:
1- Preliminary Examination
2- Main Exam
3- Interview
Assistant Administrative Officer Interview:
The students who clear the Mains are eligible for an interview. The interviews are conducted at the designated offices of the Life Insurance Corporation of India. Along with the interview, the document verification process is also carried out which is very important because without document verification you are not eligible for the next step. For more details, you may visit the Shiksha LIC AAO exam page. (https://www.shiksha.com/exams/lic-aao-exam)
I hope this will help you.

The CDS preparation requires you to study with focus until the exam day. Here are some last-minute things you need to do before the CDS exam:
1. A month prior to the exam, stop reading all new material.
2. Examine papers from previous years to identify key themes that require multiple revisions.
3. To improve on test day, check your accuracy rate with a thorough practice test.
4. The important facts and formulas must be at your fingertips.
5. Begin preparing how you will approach the exam questions on the day of the written test.
6. Make sure you have all of the necessary items with you, such as your admit card.
7. Look after your health because you will have to take two or three papers on exam day.