The Officer's Secret Tricks: Comprehensive Study Guide (50 Tricks for Competitive Exams)

Constitutional Schedules and State Borders

• The 12 Schedules of the Constitution: A mnemonic to remember all $12$ schedules is TEARS OF OLD PM.

  • T (Territories): Schedule $1$ - Pertains to States and Union Territories.
  • E (Emoluments): Schedule $2$ - Deals with salaries and emoluments of high officials.
  • A (Affirmations): Schedule $3$ - Contains forms of Oaths and Affirmations.
  • R (Rajya Sabha): Schedule $4$ - Allocation of seats in the Council of States.
  • S (Scheduled Areas): Schedule $5$ - Administration and control of scheduled areas and tribes.
  • O (Other Areas): Schedule $6$ - Provisions for tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
  • F (Federal): Schedule $7$ - Division of powers (Union, State, and Concurrent lists).
  • O (Official Languages): Schedule $8$ - Lists the $22$ recognized languages.
  • L (Land Reforms): Schedule $9$ - Validation of certain Acts and Regulations.
  • D (Defection): Schedule $10$ - Provisions regarding disqualification on grounds of defection.
  • P (Panchayats): Schedule $11$ - Powers, authority, and responsibilities of Panchayats.
  • M (Municipalities): Schedule $12$ - Powers, authority, and responsibilities of Municipalities.

• Indian Standard Time (IST - $82.5^{\circ}\,E$): The $5$ states through which the IST meridian passes are remembered by UP in COMA.

  • UP: Uttar Pradesh.
  • C: Chhattisgarh.
  • O: Odisha.
  • M: Madhya Pradesh.
  • A: Andhra Pradesh.

• Tropic of Cancer in India: The $8$ states where the Tropic of Cancer ($23.5^{\circ}\,N$) passes are remembered by the mnemonic Grum J CHMTM.

  • The states are: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram.

• Legislative Councils (Vidhan Parishad): The $6$ states that possess a Legislative Council are remembered by KUMBAT.

  • K: Karnataka.
  • U: Uttar Pradesh.
  • M: Maharashtra.
  • B: Bihar.
  • A: Andhra Pradesh.
  • T: Telangana.

• International Borders with India: The $7$ neighboring countries sharing land borders, ordered by length, are remembered by BACHPAN MBA.

  • BA: Bangladesh.
  • CH: China.
  • PA: Pakistan.
  • N: Nepal.
  • M: Myanmar.
  • B: Bhutan.
  • A: Afghanistan.

Biological and Chemical Sciences

• Vitamins and Chemical Names: The common name for vitamins $A, B, C, D, E, K$ is remembered by Rath Ek Toffee.

  • Vitamin A: Retinol.
  • Vitamin B: Thiamine.
  • Vitamin C: Ascorbic Acid.
  • Vitamin D: Calciferol.
  • Vitamin E: Tocopherol.
  • Vitamin K: Phylloquinone.

• Vitamin Solubility:

  • Water Soluble Vitamins: Remembered by WBC ($W = \text{Water}$, vitamins are $B$ and $C$).
  • Fat Soluble Vitamins: Remembered by KEDA (Vitamins $K, E, D, A$).

• Alloys:

  • Brass: Composed of Copper ($Cu$) and Zinc ($Zn$).
  • Bronze: Composed of Copper ($Cu$) and Tin ($Sn$).

• Blood Groups:

  • Universal Donor: Blood group $O^{-}$.
  • Universal Recipient: Blood group $AB^{+}$.

• Newton's Laws of Motion: Remembered by the mnemonic IBA.

  • I: Inertia ($1^{st}$ Law).
  • B: Balance/Force ($2^{nd}$ Law, $F = ma$).
  • A: Action/Reaction ($3^{rd}$ Law).

• Bacterial Diseases: Common bacterial infections are recalled using TCT.

  • TB: Tuberculosis.
  • C: Cholera.
  • T: Typhoid.

History and Geography

• Delhi Sultanate Dynasties: The sequence is remembered as Ba-Khi-Tu-Sa-Lo.

  • Slave (Mamluk), Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodi.

• Major Battles of Babur: Four consecutive victories from $1526$ to $1529$.

  • Panipat ($1526$).
  • Khanwa ($1527$).
  • Chanderi ($1528$).
  • Ghagra ($1529$).

• Mughal Emperors: The sequence is remembered by BHAJSA.

  • B: Babur.
  • H: Humayun.
  • A: Akbar.
  • J: Jahangir.
  • S: Shah Jahan.
  • A: Aurangzeb.

• Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) Boundaries: Remembered by NEWS - MADS.

  • North: Manda.
  • East: Alamgirpur.
  • South: Daimabad.
  • West: Sutkagendor.

• Excavators of IVC Sites: Remembered by HD & MR.

  • Harappa: Excavated by Daya Ram Sahni.
  • Mohenjodaro: Excavated by R. D. Banerji.

• Buddhist Councils: The locations are remembered by RV P K.

  • Rajgir, Vaishali, Pataliputra, and Kashmir.

• Indus River Tributaries: The five rivers of Punjab are remembered by JC RABS.

  • Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.

• Ganga River Tributaries: A specific set includes Ramganga, Kali, Gandak, Kosi, Gomti, and Ghagra.

• Yamuna River Tributaries: Remembered as Ken, Betwa, Chambal, and Sindh.

Political Science and Economics

• Fundamental Rights (Articles $14$ to $32$): Categories include:

  • Right to Equality.
  • Right to Freedom.
  • Right against Exploitation.
  • Right to Freedom of Religion.
  • Cultural and Educational Rights.
  • Right to Constitutional Remedies.

• Article $19$ Freedoms: Remembered by BAWA.

  • B: Basis of Speech and Expression.
  • A: Assembly and Association.
  • W: Walking (Movement) throughout India.
  • A: Abode (Residence) and Profession.

• Types of Writs: The $5$ writs issued by courts are HC PM Q.

  • HC: Habeas Corpus.
  • P: Prohibition.
  • M: Mandamus.
  • C: Certiorari.
  • Q: Quo-Warranto.

• Direct Taxes: Remembered by WEPRO CO.IN.

  • Wealth Tax, Property Tax, Corporate Tax, and Income Tax.

• Indirect Taxes: Remembered by EXCUSE ME.

  • Excise Tax, Custom Tax, Service Tax, Market Tax (VAT), and Entertainment Tax.

• Core Industries of India: The $8$ core sectors are remembered by CCC FRENS.

  • Coal, Crude Oil, Cement, Fertilizers, Refinery Products, Electricity, Natural Gas, and Steel.

• Economic Plans: The models for the first three Five-Year Plans are H-M-G.

  • $1^{st}$: Harrod-Domar Model.
  • $2^{nd}$: Mahalanobis Model.
  • $3^{rd}$: Gadgil Plan.

• Inflation Definition: Summarized as "Too much money chasing too few goods," leading to a rise in prices and a decrease in the purchasing power of currency.

International Organizations and Global Geography

• United Nations Security Council: The $5$ permanent members are remembered by FACER.

  • F: France.
  • A: America (USA).
  • C: China.
  • E: England (UK).
  • R: Russia.

• SAARC Nations: The $8$ members are remembered by MBBS PAIN.

  • Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Nepal.

• G-7 Nations: The member countries are remembered by JUICE GF.

  • Japan, USA, Italy, Canada, England, Germany, and France.

• Oceans of the World: Remembered by PAISA.

  • P: Pacific Ocean.
  • A: Atlantic Ocean.
  • I: Indian Ocean.
  • S: Southern Ocean.
  • A: Arctic Ocean.

• The Great Lakes of North America: Remembered by HOMES.

  • Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.

• Countries Using Rupee as Currency: Remembered by MAMA SRI NE BHAI SE PAI MAANGI.

  • Includes Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bharat (India), Indonesia, Seychelles, and Pakistan.

General Knowledge and Miscellaneous

• Kumbh Mela Locations: The four locations are Prayag (Prayagraj), Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik.

• Planets of the Solar System: Sequence from the Sun is My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nuts.

  • Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

• Atmospheric Layers: Sequence from the ground up is Trust Me In The Exam.

  • Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Ionosphere/Thermosphere, and Exosphere.

• Bharat Ratna $1954$ Recipients: The first three recipients are the 3 R's.

  • C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and C.V. Raman.

• Constitutional Committees and Heads:

  • Union Power/Constitution Committee: Jawaharlal Nehru.
  • Provincial Constitution Committee: Vallabhbhai Patel.
  • Drafting Committee: B.R. Ambedkar.

• Seismic Waves:

  • P (Primary): The fastest waves.
  • S (Secondary): Intermediate speed.
  • L (Love Waves): The last to arrive but the most dangerous and destructive.

• Vedas: The four Vedas are Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda.

• Medicinal Sources: Quinine, used to treat malaria, is derived from the bark of the Cinchona tree.