General Knowledge and Current Affairs
What is tested
General knowledge items mix static facts (geography, history, civics, science trivia) with current affairs from the months preceding the exam. For a polytechnic admission test, Bangladesh-specific knowledge carries significant weight.
Static knowledge to build
Bangladesh: independence and language movement timelines, national symbols, administrative divisions, major rivers and ports, principal industries, and key institutions. World: continents and oceans, capital cities, major rivers and mountains, UN and its agencies, and landmark events. Science trivia: SI units, common chemical names, human body facts. Sports, awards and famous personalities also appear.
Current affairs strategy
Do not try to memorise every headline. Instead, track recurring categories: national days, new appointments, major infrastructure, economic indicators, international summits, and sports results. Read a reliable daily digest weekly and note facts in a dated log; revise the last six months before the exam.
Traps
Questions often use similar-sounding names (e.g., two countries with similar capitals, or two rivers with similar names). Dates are frequently shifted by one year in wrong options. In current-affairs items, options may include facts that were true earlier but superseded; check the latest status.
Worked example
If asked which organisation publishes the Human Development Report, the answer is UNDP. Rule of thumb: link each international organisation to one flagship publication or function, and revise those pairs.
Practice habit
Maintain a single notebook with dated entries; review only the last six months in the final week.