CSIR-CRRI JSA study plan
CSIR-CRRI JSA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
General Intelligence and Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude
Map the full syllabus of General Intelligence and Reasoning into its subtopics (series, analogies, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, seating arrangement, non-verbal) and rate your current accuracy on each
Solve 60 reasoning questions across at least five subtopics under a 45-minute timer to establish a baseline score
Revise percentage, ratio-proportion and average fundamentals by working 40 mixed arithmetic problems without a calculator
Build a personal error log template with columns for subtopic, error type (concept, calculation, misread) and corrective action
Your checkpoint
A one-page baseline sheet listing accuracy percentage per reasoning subtopic and per arithmetic topic, plus the first 20 entries in your error log
General Intelligence and Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude
Master coding-decoding, series (number, alphabet, mixed) and analogy by solving 25 questions of each type and reviewing every wrong answer
Learn the standard shortcut methods for syllogism (Venn diagram elimination) and apply them to 30 practice questions
Drill multiplication tables up to 20, squares up to 30 and cubes up to 15 in daily 10-minute speed sets
Complete 50 simplification and approximation questions within a 30-minute limit
Your checkpoint
A timed 30-question reasoning mini-test scored at 70 percent or above, with all incorrect questions re-solved and annotated in the error log
General Intelligence and Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude
Solve 40 seating arrangement and puzzle sets (linear, circular, floor-based) and record average time per set
Practice blood relations and direction sense with 30 questions each, drawing diagrams for every item
Cover profit-loss, simple and compound interest by solving 45 word problems
Introduce time-speed-distance and work-time formulas and apply them to 30 problems
Your checkpoint
A completed puzzle tracker showing average solving time per puzzle type and accuracy, plus a formula sheet for arithmetic topics covered so far
General Intelligence and Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude & General Awareness
Take a full-length mock covering reasoning and quantitative aptitude within the official time split and analyse section-wise accuracy
Revise all non-verbal reasoning types (mirror image, paper folding, figure series, embedded figures) with 40 questions
Start a current-affairs habit by reading a daily news digest and noting 5 items per day relevant to national, science and railway/transport affairs
Review and re-attempt every question missed in weeks 1 to 3
Your checkpoint
A mock-test analysis report identifying the three weakest subtopics overall and a written plan to fix each within the next two weeks
General Awareness & English Language
Consolidate static general awareness by preparing short notes on Indian polity (Constitution, fundamental rights, panchayati raj) and geography of India
Prepare one-page notes on basic science concepts frequently asked in railway and infrastructure exams (units, human body, inventions)
Revise English grammar rules for subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions and tenses, then apply them to 60 error-spotting questions
Practice 40 sentence improvement and fill-in-the-blank questions with reasoned answer choices
Your checkpoint
Three condensed static-GK note sheets (polity, geography, science) and an English grammar error log with at least 25 corrected rule violations
General Awareness & English Language
Memorise key dates and events of the Indian freedom struggle and post-independence milestones using a timeline you write yourself
Learn 100 high-frequency English vocabulary words with usage sentences and test recall at the end of the week
Complete 30 reading comprehension passages with a target of 80 percent accuracy
Practice para jumbles, cloze tests and synonym-antonym sets, 25 questions of each type
Your checkpoint
A self-written one-page timeline of modern Indian history and a vocabulary quiz score of at least 85 out of 100
General Intelligence and Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude & English Language
Take two full-length mocks on separate days and compare section scores to week 4 to confirm improvement
Re-solve the 50 most frequently missed questions from your error log without referring to notes
Practice data interpretation sets (tables, bar and pie charts) at 5 sets per session
Write 10 short essays or letters of 120 to 150 words each to build composition speed and grammatical control
Your checkpoint
A comparison chart of mock scores across weeks 4 and 7 showing improvement in at least two of the four domains
General Intelligence and Reasoning & General Awareness & Quantitative Aptitude & English Language
Revise only your own notes, formula sheets and error log, avoiding new material
Take three sectional tests in rotation, one per day, and fix remaining weak spots immediately
Simulate exam-day timing with two full mocks under strict conditions including OMR-style marking
Consolidate current affairs of the past six months into a single revision sheet
Your checkpoint
A final revision pack containing all formula sheets, static-GK notes, current-affairs summary and error log, plus a last mock scored at or above your target cutoff margin
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 70 percent on a timed 30-question reasoning test and show a documented error log with 40 or more entries
Week 4: Complete the first full-length mock and produce a written analysis naming the three weakest subtopics with a fix plan for each
Week 6: Demonstrate recall of 85 of 100 vocabulary words and 80 percent accuracy on reading comprehension passages
Week 8: Achieve a final mock score that clears your target cutoff by a comfortable margin and submit the completed revision pack