You may already be comfortable with percentages and data interpretation from Economics. Teaching aptitude, research aptitude and higher education may be less familiar. Give Paper I its own study time from the start.
Download the official Paper I syllabus in English or Hindi. Then try a mixed set to see which units need the most work. Our Paper I PYQ bank has 200 questions across four cycles.
For complete past papers, use the paper downloads and final keys.
On this page
What to practise in each unit
| Paper I unit | What to study or practise |
|---|---|
| Teaching aptitude | Compare teaching methods, learner needs and assessment. In a classroom question, identify what the teacher is trying to achieve. |
| Research aptitude | Use a survey or experiment to compare research methods, sampling choices and ethical issues. |
| Comprehension | Read a passage and choose answers supported by its text. |
| Communication | Use examples to revise types of communication and barriers to it. |
| Mathematical reasoning and aptitude | Practise ratios, percentages, series and other syllabus topics. Keep the working so you can find calculation errors. |
| Logical reasoning | Practise syllogisms with diagrams and distinguish deductive from inductive arguments. Include Indian logic and means of knowledge (pramanas). |
| Data interpretation | Solve tables and graphs; check units, totals and percentage bases. |
| Information and communication technology | Learn common terms and abbreviations with their uses; practise questions on the internet, email and digital education. |
| People, development and environment | Connect pollutants with their sources and effects; compare energy sources and revise environmental agreements. |
| Higher education system | Make a timeline of higher education in India. Compare the roles of regulatory bodies and accreditation agencies, alongside policy and governance. |
A sample weekly routine
Here is one way to spend 3 hours per week on Paper I: six sessions of 30 minutes each.
| Study session (30 minutes each) | Paper I topics or practice |
|---|---|
| 1 | Teaching or research aptitude |
| 2 | Logical reasoning |
| 3 | Mathematical reasoning or data interpretation |
| 4 | Comprehension or communication |
| 5 | Information and communication technology (ICT), higher education, or people and environment |
| 6 | A mixed set from units already studied; check the explanation for each wrong or guessed answer |
Change the topics each week. For example, if session 5 is ICT this week, use it for higher education next week. Add a session when a new unit needs more reading.
Once you know a unit, spend that session solving questions. Try the difficult ones again a few days later, with the solution covered.
Data interpretation and numericals
Check the units before calculating. Is the table showing numbers or percentages? If two groups have different sizes, simply averaging their percentages can give the wrong overall percentage.
Write enough steps to find a mistake later. If you repeatedly lose marks on percentages, ratios or averages, practise that calculation separately before trying another full data set.
Comprehension and research aptitude
For comprehension, answer from the passage. Something you know about the topic may be true, but it may not be what the author says.
Research methods are easier to follow through an example. In a household survey, who is being studied and how were the households selected? Use those details to understand the sampling method.
Include Paper I in full mocks
Keep Paper I in your full mocks, even when most of that week’s reading is Economics. Our study plans allocate time for both papers; the mock-review guide covers timing and checking answers.
For Economics questions, use the free practice resources page.