SSC Pharmacist cheat sheet

Number series: check differences, ratios, squares/cubes, alternating patterns, and prime gaps before assuming a single rule.

Coding-decoding: map letter positions (A=1 … Z=26); for shifts, apply the same offset to every letter and verify with at least two examples.

Blood relations: draw a family tree; use + for male, − for female, horizontal line for siblings, vertical for parent-child; never assume gender from a name.

Syllogism: valid conclusions must be true in every possible Venn diagram; 'some' does not imply 'all', and 'no' statements convert.

Direction sense: net displacement = vector sum; use Pythagoras for right-angle turns; left/right depends on current facing direction.

Seating arrangement: fix the most constrained person first; for circular arrangements, clockwise vs anticlockwise matters unless the question says otherwise.

Analogy and classification: identify the relationship type (cause-effect, part-whole, synonym, worker-tool) before choosing the pair.

Coding inequalities: A > B ≥ C means A > C; combining requires the same direction; 'either-or' applies when conclusions are complementary.

Indian Constitution: adopted 26 November 1949, enforced 26 January 1950; Fundamental Rights in Part III (Articles 12–35); DPSP in Part IV.

Indian polity: President is constitutional head; Prime Minister heads the Council of Ministers; Rajya Sabha max 250, Lok Sabha max 552 (530 states + 20 UTs + 2 Anglo-Indian nominated, now lapsed).

National symbols: national bird Indian peacock; national animal Bengal tiger; national flower lotus; national fruit mango; national river Ganga.

Indian geography: Tropic of Cancer passes through 8 states; Western Ghats are a biodiversity hotspot; Deccan Plateau is bounded by the Satpura and Vindhya ranges to the north.

Indian history: Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2500–1500 BCE) sites - Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal, Kalibangan; Mauryan Empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya (321 BCE).

Indian economy: RBI established 1935, nationalised 1949; NITI Aayog replaced Planning Commission in 2015; GST launched 1 July 2017.

General science: speed of light ≈ 3×10^8 m/s; pH < 7 acidic, > 7 basic; photosynthesis converts CO2 + H2O to glucose + O2 in chloroplasts.

Current affairs: track appointments, awards (Bharat Ratna, Padma awards), sports events, and government schemes announced in the last 12 months.

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

Profit/loss: SP = CP(1 ± gain%/100); discount = marked price − selling price; successive discounts x% and y% give net discount x + y − xy/100.

Simple interest SI = PRT/100; compound interest CI = P[(1 + R/100)^T − 1]; for 2 years, CI − SI = P(R/100)^2.

Time-speed-distance: distance = speed × time; convert km/h to m/s by multiplying by 5/18; relative speed adds for opposite directions, subtracts for same direction.

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

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

Mensuration: area of circle = πr²; circumference = 2πr; volume of cylinder = πr²h; volume of sphere = (4/3)πr³; volume of cone = (1/3)πr²h.

Permutation and combination: nPr = n!/(n−r)!; nCr = n!/[r!(n−r)!]; probability = favourable outcomes / total outcomes.

Data interpretation: read axes and units carefully; compute percentages from totals, not from individual bars, unless stated.

Subject-verb agreement: singular subject takes singular verb; 'each, either, neither, everyone' are singular; 'and' joins to plural unless the pair is a single idea.

Articles: 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds (an hour, a university); 'the' for specific or unique nouns.

Prepositions: 'since' with a point in time, 'for' with a duration; 'between' for two, 'among' for more than two.

Tenses: present perfect (has/have + past participle) for past actions with present relevance; past perfect (had + past participle) for the earlier of two past actions.

Active to passive: object becomes subject; verb becomes be + past participle; by-agent is optional.

Direct to indirect speech: change pronouns to match the reporter; shift tense one step back unless the reporting verb is present; change time/place words (now → then, here → there).

Idioms and phrases: 'at the drop of a hat' = immediately; 'break the ice' = start a conversation; 'once in a blue moon' = very rarely.

Cloze test: read the whole passage first; choose the option that fits both grammar and meaning; eliminate options that break collocation.

Pharmacopoeia: IP is the Indian Pharmacopoeia; USP (United States), BP (British), EP (European), JP (Japanese) are other official compendia.

Routes of administration: oral (first-pass metabolism), IV (100% bioavailability, no first pass), IM, SC, topical, inhalation, rectal (partial first-pass avoidance).

Bioavailability F = (AUC oral / AUC IV) × (dose IV / dose oral); for IV, F = 1 by definition.

Pharmacokinetics: first-order elimination half-life t½ = 0.693/k; volume of distribution Vd = dose / plasma concentration; clearance CL = k × Vd.

Prescription abbreviations: bd = twice daily, tds = three times daily, qid = four times daily, hs = at bedtime, ac = before meals, pc = after meals, prn = as needed, stat = immediately.

Drug stability: Arrhenius equation k = A e^(−Ea/RT); shelf life t90 = 0.105/k for first-order degradation; refrigeration (2–8 °C) slows hydrolysis.

Sterile products: autoclave 121 °C, 15 psi, 15–20 min; dry heat 160 °C for 2 h; membrane filtration 0.22 µm for heat-labile solutions.

Pharmacology: agonist binds and activates receptor; antagonist binds without activation; competitive antagonist shifts dose-response curve right without lowering Emax; non-competitive lowers Emax.

Pharmaceutical analysis: Beer-Lambert law A = εcl; titrations - acid-base, redox, complexometric (EDTA for metal ions), non-aqueous for weak bases.