How to Prepare English for SSC CHSL – Easy Tips to Clear CHSL Exam
Bhupinder Kour
| Updated: Feb 12, 2021 13:38 IST
SSC CHSL exam is conducted for Combined Higher Secondary Level to recruit eligible candidates for various posts such as Postal Assistant, Lower Divisional Clerks, Court Clerk, Sorting Assistants, Data Entry Operators, etc. The SSC CHSL written exam consists of four sections namely English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, and General Awareness. Those candidates who are preparing for the SSC CHSL must prepare well for each section separately by knowing the important topics. How to Prepare English for SSC CHSL is the question that comes in every exam preparing candidates. In this article, we have provided SSC CHSL English Preparation Tips, the difficulty level of each topic, the average number of questions that are asked in the exam, and some other general tips.
SSC CHSL Exam Pattern
Before starting the preparation candidates must be aware of the SSC CHSL exam pattern to know the distribution of marks section carries.
| Subject | No. of Qs. | Max. Marks | Time |
| General Intelligence | 25 | 50 | 60 Mins (80 Mins for VH/OH & Cerebral Palsy) |
| English | 25 | 50 | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | 50 | |
| General Awareness | 25 | 50 | |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
SSC CHSL English Important Topics
Below are some of the important topics in English that candidates should go through before starting their exam preparation for the English section.
1: Vocabulary
- Antonyms & Synonyms
- Spelling Rules
- One word Substitution
- Idioms & Phrases
- Grammar
2: Voice
- Spotting the Error
- Sentence Improvement
- Narration
- Reading Skills
3: Cloze Test
- Sequence of Sentence
- Sentence Completion
- Comprehension Passage
How to Prepare English for SSC CHSL?
Below are some of the SSC CHSL English Preparation Tips that will be helpful to prepare for the English language section.
- The overall syllabus of English can be divided into three parts, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.
- Shown below is the topic-wise distribution of last year’s paper.
| Section | SSC CHSL English Language Topics | Difficulty Level | Average Number Of Questions |
| Grammar | Direct Indirect | Easy | 1 |
| Sentence Improvement | Easy-moderate | 2 | |
| Error Detection | Easy | 2 | |
| Active Passive | Easy | 1 | |
| Vocabulary | Fill in the Blanks | Easy | 2 |
| Antonyms | Easy | 2 | |
| Spelling Correction | Easy | 1 | |
| Idioms and Phrases | Easy | 2 | |
| Synonyms | Easy | 2 | |
| Phrase Substitution/One-word Substitution | Easy-moderate | 2 | |
| Verbal Ability | Sentence Rearrangement | Easy-moderate | 2 |
| Cloze Test Passage | Easy-moderate | 5 | |
| Total Number of Questions | 25 |
- Vocabulary is considered to be one of the most important sections among all the sections.
- In order to make your vocabulary strong, learn the word asked in all PYP. Develop a habit of reading good content that will boost your comprehension skills. Do not go for typical reading material like the Hindu- article in the beginning, always start with something easy and gradually increase the difficulty level.
- Reading good content will increase your comprehension skill and as a result, you will be able to ace the Cloze test (5Q=10 marks).
- For learning Vocabulary use all types of resources available in the market like vocabulary learning apps, dictionaries, youtube videos, Mnemonics, etc. Learning vocabulary is an exhaustive process, if you get stuck with one method you will eventually get bored so the whole idea here is to keep the learning interesting and fun.
- For grammar, you may refer to any decent book like- Plinth to Paramount and SP Bakshi. Pick any one book, and read it thoroughly again and again and do the practice.
- Last but not the least, attempt SSC CHSL mock tests and quizzes on daily basis.
How to Prepare English for SSC CHSL – Topic-wise Tips
Candidates can have a look at the topic-wise tips for the English language that can turn out to be helpful for them to attempt more questions in the examination from this section.
1: Spotting Error
Candidates have to seek out the grammatical error within the sentence. Solving this section requires an honest knowledge of grammar. Read the entire sentence and you’ll detect the errors instantly. Check the subject-verb agreement while reading the sentence. Examine the sentences carefully to identify the error.
2: Fill within the blanks
Read the sentence carefully and choose the foremost appropriate word for the solution. Check which option satisfies the simplest entry. After filling within the blanks, re-read the sentence and see if it sounds right. It comes only with practice.
3: Synonyms and Antonyms
Learn new English words daily and write down the meaning of the words. Make notes of the latest words that you simply read. Write shortcuts, tricks and learn new words easily. Use new words in daily communication. Learn Synonyms and Antonyms from the previous year’s papers.
4: Idioms/Phrases & One Word Substitution
Solve One Word Substitution and Idioms and Phrases from the previous year’s question paper. Solve Daily Quiz in English for SSC CHSL exam.
5: Spelling Mistakes
It is a scoring section if you follow all rules for spelling errors which is important to know the rules of English Grammar.
6: Sentence Correction
Sometimes, the sentence is ideal and doesn’t need correction. At other times, you’ll get improve the sentence. Be careful with clues. it might be better to eliminate answers that are wrong and 0 down on correct answers.
7: Cloze Test
A passage with 5 blanks is predicted to return in SSC CHSL Exam. During this test, you’re given a passage with few blanks and you would like to fill these blanks from the given options. Choose the foremost appropriate word for that. Eliminate irrelevant answers and specialize what’s right. Find a relation between the provided options.
8: Reading Comprehension
Read the questions first. Identify the tone of the paragraph and therefore the given passage. Read the passage twice. Practice speed reading to enhance your speed. Don’t skip the comprehension passage because it is high scoring.
SSC CHSL Books For English
English is one of the scoring sections in SSC CHSL provided that it is studied with the right strategy and books. Many candidates end up learning things that are least beneficial from the point of view of exams. Below is the list of books useful for both tier 1 and tier 2 exams to take reference.
| Name of Book | Author | Publisher | Importance |
| From Plinth to Paramount | Neetu Singh | KD Publication | This book contains detailed explanations of all subjects. |
| English for General Competition | Neetu Singh | KD Publication | This book contains all important topics including 10 model test papers. |
| A Mirror of Common Errors | Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh | – | Each and every topic in this book is described in detail. |
| Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | Goyal | This book contains easy tips for improving one’s vocabulary and word skills. |
| SSC English | Ajay K Singh | MB Publication | This book contains practice sets along with answers for all papers. |
| Objective General English | SP Bakshi | Arihant Publication | This book covers the most important topics that are useful in all competitive exams. |
SSC CHSL English Preparation Tips
Here are some of the general tips to prepare for the SSC CHSL English language subject. These tips will help you build confidence to score more marks in the English language section.
We hope that after going through this article on How to Prepare English for SSC CHSL, candidates must have got an idea about the preparation tips and strategies they must follow to ace the English language section in the SSC CHSL exam. Download our Testbook App for free from the Google play store and get access to multiple courses.
How to Prepare English for SSC CHSL FAQs
Q.1 Which is the best book for SSC English?
Ans.1
Candidates can refer to General Competition by Neetu Singh, Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, and others mentioned in the article.
Q.2 Is attempting a previous year’s paper helpful for SSC CGL English?
Ans.2
Yes, attempting the previous year’s paper will be helpful for preparing SSC CGL English.
Q.3 How many marks of questions are asked in the English section?
Ans.3
A total of 25 questions are asked for 50 marks in the English section of the SSC CHSL exam.
Q.4 Is there any negative marking in the SSC CHSL exam?
Ans.4
Yes, there is a negative marking of 0.50 marks in the SSC CHSL exam.
Q.5 What are the basic SSC CHSL English preparation tips?
Ans.5
The Basic SSC CHSL English preparation tips are to improve grammar, improve vocabulary, improve reading comprehension skills, practice previous year papers, etc.
Practice is the key to success therefore, boost your preparation by starting your practice now.
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