Ask a room full of aspirants which subject worries them most and many will say English. Some feel they “never had a good base”. Others score well in mocks one day and badly the next. The truth is that English for competitive exams is not about speaking like a novelist. It is a fixed set of question types that can be learned, practised and mastered in about three months.
This guide, written from our classroom experience in Chandigarh, gives you a simple routine that works for Bank, SSC and Defence exams.
Why English Deserves Your Attention?
- In SBI PO Prelims, English carries 40 of the 100 marks.
- In SSC CGL and CHSL Tier 1, it carries 50 of the 200 marks, and well-prepared students often score near full marks.
- In NDA, English alone is worth 200 marks in the General Ability Test.
- In CDS and AFCAT, it is a full paper or section.
It is also the subject that keeps rewarding you after selection, in interviews, group discussions and on the job.
Understand What Is Actually Tested
Nearly every competitive exam English section is built from the same blocks:
| Area | Common Question Types |
| Grammar | Error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks |
| Vocabulary | Synonyms, antonyms, one-word substitution, idioms and phrases, spelling |
| Reading | Comprehension passages, cloze test |
| Sentence structure | Para jumbles, sentence rearrangement, active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech |
Once you see English as these four areas, preparation becomes much less vague.
The 90-Day Routine
Days 1–30: Grammar foundation
Spend 45 minutes daily on one grammar topic, in this order: parts of speech, tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, conjunctions, conditionals, and voice and narration.
For each topic, learn the rule, then solve 30–40 error spotting and fill-in-the-blank questions on it. The rule makes sense only after you see it fail in a sentence.
Days 31–60: Vocabulary and reading
- Vocabulary: learn 10 to 15 words a day using roots, prefixes and suffixes. For example, once you know that “bene” means good, words like benefit, benevolent and beneficiary become easy to remember.
- Idioms: learn five idioms a day, each with a sentence of your own.
- Reading: read one newspaper editorial daily. Underline unknown words and look them up only after finishing the article.
Days 61–90: Speed and exam practice
- Solve two comprehension passages and two cloze tests every day.
- Take one English sectional test daily in the exam’s time limit.
- Maintain an error log. Write down every mistake, the correct answer and the rule behind it. Revise the log every Sunday.
Quick Tips for Each Question Type
Error spotting
Check the subject and verb first, then tense consistency, then articles and prepositions. Most errors hide in these four places.
Reading comprehension
Read the questions before the passage so you know what to look for. Answer only from the passage, not from your own opinion.
Cloze test
Read the full passage once before filling any blank. The tone of the passage often decides the right word.
Para jumbles
Find the opening sentence first. It usually introduces a subject without pronouns such as “it”, “this” or “they”.
Vocabulary
Do not try to memorise word lists in one sitting. Short daily revision beats long weekend cramming.
Common Mistakes Students Make
- Learning rules without practice. Grammar sticks only when you apply it in questions.
- Reading too fast. In comprehension, accuracy matters more than speed in the first month.
- Ignoring previous years’ questions. SSC, in particular, repeats vocabulary and idioms. Previous papers are a goldmine.
- Not revising. New words are forgotten within a week without revision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I improve my English for competitive exams quickly?
Focus on the question types that appear in your exam, follow a daily routine of grammar practice, vocabulary and one editorial, and take a sectional test every day in the last month.
Which newspaper is best for English preparation?
Any national English daily with a good editorial page works. Read the editorial and opinion section for vocabulary and comprehension practice.
How many words should I learn per day?
Ten to fifteen words a day with revision is realistic. That builds a strong exam vocabulary of over a thousand words in three months.
Is grammar more important than vocabulary?
Both matter. Grammar drives error spotting and sentence improvement, while vocabulary affects synonyms, idioms, cloze tests and comprehension. Start with grammar and add vocabulary from the second month.
Learn English with Ankush Sir
At Chanakya’s Coaching Centre in Sector 34-A, Chandigarh, English Language is taught by Ankush Sir using our own Grammar and Vocabulary books, designed around the root method and previous years’ questions. You can also find free lessons on the “English By Ankush Dawra” YouTube channel. Visit us for a free demo class.