General Knowledge and Aptitude
What the paper tests
This section pairs static and current general knowledge with quantitative aptitude, reasoning and data interpretation. On the GK side, expect Indian polity and the Constitution, geography, modern history, economy, sports, awards, international organisations, and shipping-linked current affairs such as the IMO, major Indian ports and the merchant shipping regulator. On the aptitude side, expect percentages, ratio and proportion, time–speed–distance, time and work, averages, simple and compound interest, number series, coding–decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogisms and table- or bar-based data interpretation.
Core rules to have at your fingertips
- Percentage change = (new − old)/old × 100; successive changes of a% and b% net to a + b + ab/100.
- Time and work: combined rate is the sum of individual rates; use LCM of days as total work units.
- Speed conversion: 1 km/h = 5/18 m/s; for a boat, downstream rate = boat + stream.
- SI = PRT/100; CI = P(1 + R/100)^T − P.
- Series: check first differences, then ratios, then alternating patterns before assuming arithmetic.
- Direction sense: draw the path on paper; net displacement uses Pythagoras when turns are at right angles.
Worked example
A can finish a job in 12 days and B in 18 days. How long do they take together? Take total work = LCM(12, 18) = 36 units. A's rate = 36/12 = 3 units/day; B's rate = 36/18 = 2 units/day; combined = 5 units/day. Time = 36/5 = 7.2 days, i.e. 7 days 4 hours and 48 minutes. The LCM device avoids fractions and makes the combined rate a single addition.
Traps that cost marks
- Reading a data table in thousands while the options are in lakhs.
- Confusing percentage points with percentage change.
- Assuming a series is arithmetic when it is actually a product or alternating pattern.
- In time and work, adding times instead of adding rates.
- Stale current-affairs facts; verify officeholders and recent maritime developments rather than relying on memory.