Kerala Public Service Commission's University Assistant exam is almost here! The exam is scheduled for June 15 and aspiring candidates have just about a month to prepare. PSC coaching expert Mansoor Ali Kappungal, who has secured a place in 51 PSC rank lists, shares some valuable tips. With around 6 lakh applicants gearing up to crack the highly competitive exam, follow these tips meticulously to nail your dream job.

Revision, practice

Candidates who have been getting ready for the exam for the last several months have to modify their preparations during the final lap. Instead of wasting time learning new things, they should focus on revising what they already know.

The syllabus for the exam covers 10 areas. They are India, Kerala, Constitution, Malayalam, English, Science, Current events, Quantitative aptitude, Mental ability and IT & Cyberlaw.

PSC has so far conducted 22 exams with these ten subjects. The question papers are available on the PSC website. Candidates can go through these questions and answers as well as learn related information.

Things to remember

Topics like India, Kerala and Constitution can be learned now itself. They can be recalled for the exam. However, Science and Mental ability should be checked only during the days immediately before the exam. That would help candidates answer the questions correctly. Malayalam, English and IT need to be learned only when the exams are near.

Stress should be given to Geography and the National movement while learning about India. The Renaissance movement and basic facts should be given importance while studying about Kerala.

PSC’s trick

In exams where intense competition is witnessed, PSC resorts to some tricks to waste the candidate’s time. For instance, no correct answer will be provided intentionally for one or two questions. The candidate may find that the answer obtained by solving a problem is not available among the options. So he or she may spend time repeating the process. If the answer is not available even after a second attempt, skip the question, advises Mansoor Ali.

Focus on language

Even though Malayalam is their mother tongue, most Keralites commit errors in the PSC exams. For the degree-level tests, importance is given to vocabulary. Meanwhile, in the English paper, equal marks are awarded for vocabulary and grammar. A candidate may not be able to master English in one month but can maintain touch with the language and usage.

IT paper

The computer science paper is the shortest and also the easiest. Candidates need only to learn the basic facts as capsules. The areas under this topic are computer generations, input-output equipment, search engine, social media, important inventions and people who were behind these developments, IT and cyber law, cyber crime etc.

General knowledge

Current events need to be followed only up to March. The major developments from January 2018 to March 31, 2019, should be thoroughly learned.

Last minute preparations

The following facts should be remembered: Persons occupying major posts at the national and state levels (no need to learn names of central ministers); major research organizations; major projects of the state and central governments. Special attention should be given to programmes conducted by the social justice department, women empowerment projects and Kudumbashree.

Negative marks

As each mark is crucial, take extreme care to avoid negative marks. There is no need to rush to fill the options immediately after reading the question. Often, an answer that seems to be correct is given first. However, it would be the wrong answer. So candidates need to ponder for two seconds before marking the answer.

Another point to remember is that too much time should not be wasted for marking the answers with the pen.