BPSC Headmaster cheat sheet

Permanent Settlement (1793, Cornwallis) fixed land revenue with zamindars in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa; Ryotwari (Munro, Madras) and Mahalwari (North-West Provinces) were the other two systems.

Indian National Congress founded 1885 by A.O. Hume; first session Bombay, first president W.C. Bonnerjee; 'Swaraj' as goal adopted at Calcutta 1906.

Fundamental Rights are in Part III (Articles 12–35); Right to Education (Article 21A) inserted by the 86th Amendment Act, 2002.

Article 356 (President's Rule) has been used most frequently in Bihar; first use in Bihar was 1968, and it was imposed in 1977 and 1980 as well.

Tropic of Cancer passes through 8 Indian states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram.

Monsoon onset over Kerala is normally 1 June; withdrawal begins from north-west India in September; Mawsynram (Meghalaya) records the world's highest average annual rainfall.

GDP at constant prices measures real growth; the base year for India's national accounts is 2011–12; CPI (Combined) is the RBI's nominal anchor for inflation targeting (4% ± 2%).

Financial year 2024–25 Union Budget was presented on 23 July 2024; Bihar was announced to receive a major package including expressways, power plants and heritage development.

Bihar Diwas is celebrated on 22 March, marking the separation of Bihar from Bengal in 1912.

Photosynthesis: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂; occurs in chloroplasts, chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light, reflects green.

Human blood groups: A, B, AB, O; O negative is the universal donor, AB positive the universal recipient; Rh factor determined by the D antigen.

Newton's three laws; F = ma; action–reaction pairs act on different bodies; momentum p = mv is conserved in collisions.

Electric power P = VI = I²R = V²/R; Ohm's law V = IR; household wiring is parallel so each appliance gets full voltage.

Greenhouse gases: CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, water vapour, CFCs; CO₂ has the largest share of anthropogenic warming; Global Warming Potential of CH₄ is about 28 times CO₂ over 100 years.

Ramsar Convention (1971) protects wetlands; India has 85 Ramsar sites (as of 2024), including Kanwar Lake in Bihar, the state's only Ramsar site.

Ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs UV-B; depletion is caused by CFCs and halons; Montreal Protocol (1987) phases out ozone-depleting substances.

Biomagnification: concentration of non-biodegradable toxins (e.g., DDT, mercury) increases at each trophic level; energy transfer between trophic levels is about 10%.

pH scale 0–14; pH < 7 acidic, > 7 basic; acid rain has pH below 5.6 due to SO₂ and NOₓ emissions.

Bihar borders Nepal to the north, West Bengal to the east, Jharkhand to the south and Uttar Pradesh to the west; capital Patna; 38 districts.

Major rivers: Ganga (enters at Chausa, Buxar), Sone, Gandak, Kosi ('Sorrow of Bihar'), Bagmati, Falgu, Punpun; Kosi originates in Tibet/Nepal and shifts course frequently.

Bihar's only Ramsar site is Kanwar Lake (Kabartal) in Begusarai district; Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (Bhagalpur) protects the Ganges river dolphin, India's national aquatic animal.

Bihar Diwas: 22 March; Bihar separated from Bengal in 1912; statehood reorganized in 2000 when Jharkhand was carved out.

Nalanda Mahavihara (Rajgir area) was a renowned ancient university; ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2016); Vikramshila and Odantapuri were other major Buddhist monasteries.

Bihar's traditional festivals: Chhath Puja (worship of the setting and rising Sun), Sonepur Mela (Asia's largest cattle fair, Kartik Purnima), Rajgir Mahotsav, Pitrapaksha Mela in Gaya.

Bihar'sGI/emblematic products: Madhubani painting, Bhagalpur silk, Sikki grass craft, Sujani embroidery (Bhusra, Muzaffarpur), Jardalu mango (Bhagalpur).

Bihar's economy is primarily agrarian; major crops are rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, litchi; the state has the lowest per-capita income among major Indian states.

Bihar education schemes: Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana, Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana, Bihar Student Credit Card, and the 'Mission Daksh' remedial programme for weak students.

Himalayan rivers are perennial (snow-fed); peninsular rivers are seasonal; Ganga is the longest river within India (2,525 km from Gangotri to Bay of Bengal).

Deccan Plateau is bounded by the Satpura range to the north, Western Ghats to the west, Eastern Ghats to the east; black soil (regur) is formed from Deccan lava.

Harappan sites: Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan), Dholavira and Lothal (Gujarat), Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Rakhigarhi (Haryana); script is undeciphered.

Mauryan Empire: Chandragupta (321 BCE) with Chanakya's Arthashastra; Ashoka (268–232 BCE) after Kalinga war (261 BCE) adopted Dhamma; Lion Capital at Sarnath is India's national emblem.

Bhakti and Sufi movements: Kabir, Mirabai, Tulsidas, Guru Nanak, Chaitanya; Sufi khanqahs and silsilas spread across the subcontinent.

Indian classical dances: Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh), Kathakali and Mohiniyattam (Kerala), Odissi (Odisha), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Manipuri (Manipur), Sattriya (Assam).

Mughal architecture: Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan), Red Fort and Jama Masjid (Delhi), Fatehpur Sikri (Akbar); Indo-Saracenic style blends Indian and Islamic elements.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bihar: Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodh Gaya (2002); Nalanda Mahavihara ruins (2016); Bihar's ancient capital Pataliputra was a major centre of learning and administration.

Average = sum of observations ÷ number of observations; if each value is increased by k, the average increases by k.

Percentage change = (new − old)/old × 100; successive percentage changes a% then b% give net change a + b + ab/100.

Simple Interest = P × R × T / 100; Compound Interest = P(1 + R/100)^T − P; for half-yearly compounding use R/2 and 2T.

Profit% = (SP − CP)/CP × 100; Loss% = (CP − SP)/CP × 100; if SP is same and profit% = loss%, net loss = (common%/10)².

Time and work: if A does a job in x days and B in y days, together they take xy/(x + y) days; efficiency is inversely proportional to time.

Speed = distance/time; 1 km/h = 5/18 m/s; relative speed adds when moving opposite, subtracts when moving in the same direction.

Area of circle = πr²; circumference = 2πr; volume of cylinder = πr²h; volume of sphere = (4/3)πr³; Pythagoras: a² + b² = c².

Ratio and proportion: if a:b = c:d then ad = bc; partnership profit shares are proportional to capital × time.

Number system: divisibility by 3 if digit sum divisible by 3; by 9 if digit sum divisible by 9; by 11 if alternating digit sum difference is 0 or multiple of 11.

Coding–decoding: identify the shift or reversal pattern (e.g., each letter +2, or positions reversed) and apply the same rule to the target word.

Blood relations: draw a family tree; use + for male, − for female; vertical lines for parent–child, horizontal for siblings/spouse.

Direction sense: fix north upward; a right turn from north is east; use Pythagoras for shortest distance after two perpendicular moves.

Series: check differences, then ratios, then squares/cubes; alternate series often mix two patterns (e.g., +3, ×2, +3, ×2).

Syllogism: 'All A are B' + 'All B are C' ⇒ 'All A are C'; 'Some A are B' does not imply 'Some B are A' is false-it is true by conversion.

Analogy: relationship may be cause–effect, part–whole, worker–tool, or degree; verify the same relation on both sides.

Seating arrangement: for a circle, facing centre means left is clockwise; facing outward means left is anticlockwise.

Odd one out: check prime/composite, perfect squares, vowel patterns, or shared letter positions; the rule must exclude exactly one option.

Calendar: ordinary year shifts 1 odd day, leap year 2; 100 years = 5 odd days, 400 years = 0 odd days; century leap year only if divisible by 400.

Piaget's stages: sensorimotor (0–2), preoperational (2–7), concrete operational (7–11), formal operational (11+); conservation is achieved in concrete operational stage.

Vygotsky: Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the gap between what a learner can do alone and with guidance; scaffolding is temporary support within the ZPD.

Kohlberg's moral development: pre-conventional (obedience, self-interest), conventional (good boy, law and order), post-conventional (social contract, universal ethics).

Erikson's psychosocial stages: trust vs mistrust (infancy), autonomy vs shame (1–3), initiative vs guilt (3–6), industry vs inferiority (6–12).

Bloom's taxonomy (revised): Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create; lower-order thinking (Remember–Apply) precedes higher-order.

Classical conditioning (Pavlov) pairs a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus; operant conditioning (Skinner) uses reinforcement and punishment to shape behaviour.

Inclusive education: adapting curriculum, assessment and classroom environment so children with disabilities learn in regular schools (RTE and RPwD Act 2016).

Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) assesses scholastic and co-scholastic areas continuously; formative assessment is assessment for learning, summative is assessment of learning.

Learning styles (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic) are preferences, not fixed abilities; teaching should use multimodal methods rather than labelling children.

POSDCORB (Gulick): Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting-core functions of school administration.

School Development Plan (SDP): a 3–5 year plan built from a needs assessment, with measurable targets, timelines, responsibilities and monitoring indicators.

Supervision is improvement-oriented, not fault-finding; clinical supervision cycle: pre-observation conference, observation, analysis, feedback, follow-up.

School Management Committee (SMC) under RTE: 75% parents/guardians, 50% women, proportionate representation of disadvantaged groups; monitors school functioning and utilization of grants.

Time-table principles: maximum utilization of resources, balance of subjects and teacher load, flexibility, and provision for co-curricular activities.

Educational management functions include human resource management, financial management (budget, audit), record keeping, and stakeholder communication.

Leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, transformational; democratic leadership correlates with higher teacher morale and participation.

Total Quality Management (TQM) in schools: focus on customer (student/parent) satisfaction, continuous improvement, and data-driven decisions.

RTE Act 2009 (effective 1 April 2010): free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 in neighbourhood schools; no detention until Class VIII (amended 2019 to allow detention after re-examination); no board exam until Class VIII; pupil–teacher ratio 30:1 at primary and 35:1 at upper primary.

RTE mandate: 25% reservation for disadvantaged and weaker sections in private unaided schools in Class I; no capitation fee; no screening; School Management Committee with 75% parents.

NEP 2020: 5+3+3+4 curricular structure (foundational 3–8, preparatory 8–11, middle 11–14, secondary 14–18); target 100% GER in school education by 2030; mother tongue as medium of instruction up to Grade 5 where feasible.

NEP 2020 governance: Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as single regulator; National Assessment Centre PARAKH; NISHTHA teacher training; Bagless days and holistic report card.

Bihar schemes: Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana (financial support for girls from birth to graduation), Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana (cycles to Class IX girls), Bihar Student Credit Card (education loan up to ₹4 lakh), Mission Daksh (remedial coaching for weak students in Classes 3–8).

Bihar education initiatives: 'Unnayan' for school infrastructure, 'Prakhand' for block-level monitoring, and e-Shikshakosh for teacher/student data; Bihar has one of the highest pupil–teacher ratios in India.

Right to Education is a Fundamental Right under Article 21A; the 86th Constitutional Amendment (2002) inserted it and amended Article 45 to early childhood care and education for children below 6.

RPwD Act 2016 mandates inclusive education and reasonable accommodation; at least one special educator per school and barrier-free infrastructure.

Contemporary issues: learning loss after COVID-19, digital divide, dropout after Class VIII, teacher vacancies, and low learning outcomes measured by ASER/NAS.