How to Score 90+ in English for Any Competitive Exam

If you’ve been struggling with the English section in your competitive exam, this blog post is written just for you. Let’s talk honestly about how you can crack English and score 90+.

Be honest for a second. When someone says “English section,” do you feel a tiny knot in your stomach?

You’re not alone. Thousands of students preparing for SSC CGL, IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, RRB NTPC, and other competitive exams feel the exact same way. English seems unpredictable. Sometimes the questions look easy but you still get them wrong. Sometimes the passage in Reading Comprehension just doesn’t make sense no matter how many times you read it.

But here’s the truth that toppers know: English is one of the most scorable sections in any competitive exam. With the right approach, consistent practice, and a few smart strategies, scoring 90+ is absolutely possible — even if English was never your strong subject in school.

In this guide, we’re going to break it all down – simply, practically, and in a way that actually works.

Let’s get into it.

Why English is Actually a Goldmine in Competitive Exams

Most students focus all their energy on Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning, treating English as secondary. But here’s the thing — English has a fixed syllabus. The topics don’t change from year to year. Grammar rules are the same. Vocabulary patterns repeat. Reading comprehension follows a structure.

Once you understand these patterns, your accuracy goes through the roof. And high accuracy = high score.

In exams like IBPS PO, SBI PO, SSC CGL, RRB NTPC, and CDS, the English section typically carries 25–30 marks and can be attempted in less time compared to Maths. That’s your golden opportunity to gain marks quickly and save time for tougher sections.

Know What’s in the English Section (Exam-Wise)

Before you start preparing, know your battlefield. Here are the main topics that appear across almost all competitive exams:

• Reading Comprehension (RC) — 5 to 10 questions, often passage-based
• Cloze Test — Fill in the blanks based on passage context
• Error Spotting / Sentence Correction — Identify grammatical errors in sentences
• Para Jumbles — Arrange jumbled sentences to form a coherent paragraph
• Fill in the Blanks — Single or double blanks with vocabulary-based options
• Vocabulary — Synonyms, antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution
• Sentence Improvement — Replace an underlined part with a better option
• Para/Sentence Completion — Choose the most appropriate sentence for a blank in a paragraph

Sounds like a lot? It isn’t — once you prepare topic by topic with a plan. Let’s go through each one.

Strategy 1: Crack Reading Comprehension the Smart Way

RC is usually the most feared topic but also the one that gives the most marks. Here’s how to handle it:

Read the Questions First

Don’t start reading the passage line by line. First, quickly skim the questions at the end. This tells you what to look for as you read. You save time and stay focused.

Understand the Tone and Theme

Is the passage critical? Analytical? Informative? Understanding the tone helps you answer “attitude of the author” type questions instantly.

Don’t Read, Scan

For factual questions (“According to the passage…”), you don’t need to memorize everything — just scan for the relevant part after you’ve read the question.

Read English Every Day

This is non-negotiable. Spend 10 minutes daily reading a newspaper editorial (The Hindu or The Indian Express are great). Your reading speed, comprehension, and vocabulary all improve together. Just 10 minutes a day. You can do that, right?

Pro tip: On PracticeMock, you get full-length mock tests with RC passages that exactly mirror the difficulty level of actual exams. Practice at least 3–4 RC passages every week.

Strategy 2: Nail Grammar Without Memorising Thick Books

Grammar is the backbone of English sections. It covers Error Spotting, Sentence Correction, Fill in the Blanks, and more. The good news? You don’t need to study an entire grammar textbook. Focus on these high-frequency topics:

Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must agree with its subject. “She goes” not “She go.” Sounds simple, but competitive exams make it tricky with complex sentences. Practice identifying the actual subject in long sentences.

Tenses

Get your tenses right — especially Perfect tenses (has/have/had + V3) and Conditional sentences. These are exam favourites.

Articles (A, An, The)

Incorrect use of articles is one of the most common errors tested. Learn the basic rules — when to use “a”, “an”, “the”, and when to use none.

Prepositions

Learn common prepositional phrases: “interested in“, “capable of“, “depend on“. These come up in fill-in-the-blank questions all the time.

Modifiers, Pronouns, and Parallelism

Advanced grammar topics that separate 80-scorers from 90+ scorers. Spend extra time on these once you have the basics covered.

Simple routine: Study one grammar rule each day. Then solve 10 error spotting questions based on that rule. Repetition is your best friend.

Strategy 3: Build Vocabulary Without Rote Learning

Vocabulary questions in competitive exams typically ask for synonyms, antonyms, and one-word substitutions. Trying to memorise a dictionary doesn’t work. Here’s what actually does:

Learn Words in Context

When you come across a new word while reading, don’t just look up the meaning — read a sentence using it. The brain remembers words better when they have context.

Learn Root Words

Most English words come from Latin or Greek roots. If you know that “bene” means good, you can guess the meanings of “benefit”, “benevolent”, “benefactor” — without memorising each one separately.

Use Mnemonics

Associate difficult words with images or stories. “Loquacious” (talkative) — imagine someone talking endlessly about locks. Silly? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.

The 5-Word-a-Day Method

Learn 5 new words every day. Review yesterday’s 5 before learning new ones. In 60 days, you’ll know 300 new words — and remember most of them.

Practice Previous Year Questions

Exam vocabulary is not random. Certain words appear again and again. Solve the last 5 years of previous year questions and you’ll see patterns. These are available in abundance on PracticeMock’s topic-wise practice sets.

Strategy 4: Master Para Jumbles and Cloze Tests

Para Jumbles

The trick here is to find the opening sentence first. It’s usually the one that introduces the topic without using pronouns like “it”, “they”, “this” (since there’s no reference yet). Then find the closing sentence — it usually summarises or concludes. Fill the middle from there.

Also look for connector words: “However”, “Moreover”, “Therefore”, “But”, “Thus” — these tell you which sentence logically follows which.

Cloze Test

Read the entire passage once before filling any blank. The context of the whole passage matters. Often, the correct word isn’t just grammatically right — it must also fit the tone and meaning of the paragraph.

Time hack: If two options seem similar, eliminate the ones that change the meaning of the sentence. The correct option preserves the author’s intended message.

Strategy 5: Manage Your Time Like a Topper

Scoring 90+ isn’t just about knowing the answers — it’s about answering the right questions at the right time.

Here’s a rough time allocation for an exam with 30 English questions in 20 minutes:

• Reading Comprehension: 6–7 minutes
• Cloze Test: 3–4 minutes
• Grammar-based questions (Error Spotting, Sentence Correction): 4–5 minutes
• Vocabulary and Fill in the Blanks: 3–4 minutes
• Para Jumbles: 2–3 minutes

If a question is eating up too much of your time, mark it and move on. Come back later. Don’t let one hard question cost you three easy ones.

Your Weekly Study Plan for English (4 Weeks to 90+)

Week 1: Build the Foundation

• Revise all major grammar rules (tenses, articles, prepositions, subject-verb agreement)
• Start the 5-words-a-day vocabulary habit
• Read one newspaper editorial daily
• Solve 20–25 grammar questions per day

Week 2: Topic-Wise Mastery

• Focus on Sentence Correction and Error Spotting (20 questions/day)
• Practice 2 Cloze Tests every day
• Solve Para Jumbles (10 per day)
• Continue vocabulary and reading

Week 3: Reading Comprehension and Speed

• Solve 2–3 RC passages every day
• Work on increasing reading speed (aim for 200–250 words per minute)
• Practice previous year English question papers

Week 4: Mock Tests and Revision

• Attempt 1 full-length mock test every alternate day
• After each mock, analyse your errors — don’t skip this step!
• Revise the grammar rules and vocabulary you struggled with
• Focus on improving your weakest topic in this final week

The Secret Weapon: Mock Tests and Analysis

Here’s something most students don’t do — they take mock tests but skip the analysis. That’s like going to the gym but never checking if you’re lifting the right weight.

After every mock test, ask yourself:

• Which English topics did I get wrong?
• Was it a knowledge gap or a silly mistake?
• Did I run out of time on a specific section?
• Which question type is consistently pulling down my score?

This analysis is where the real improvement happens. One honest 30-minute analysis after a mock test is worth more than 2 hours of random studying.

And this is exactly why thousands of aspirants trust PracticeMock — because our mock tests come with detailed performance analytics that show you exactly where you’re losing marks, how your speed compares to other students, and which topics need more attention. It’s not just a test , it’s a feedback machine.

Why PracticeMock is the Best Platform for English Preparation

Let me tell you why I’m genuinely proud of what we’ve built at PracticeMock.

When I talk to students who cleared IBPS PO or SBI Clerk, one thing comes up again and again: “The PracticeMock mocks felt exactly like the real exam.”

That’s not an accident. Our team works hard to make sure:

• ✅ Exam-pattern mock tests for IBPS PO, SBI PO, SBI Clerk, SSC CGL, RRB NTPC, CDS, and more
• ✅ Topic-wise practice sets for every English sub-topic — RC, Cloze Test, Vocabulary, Grammar — so you can practice exactly what you’re weak in
• ✅ Previous Year Question Papers with detailed explanations
• ✅ Smart Analytics — know your accuracy, time per question, and your rank among thousands of test-takers
• ✅ Affordable plans — so your preparation doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket

Whether you’re just starting out or in your final weeks before the exam, PracticeMock has a plan for you.

🎯 Start your free trial today and experience how smart preparation actually works. Visit PracticeMock.com and take your first free mock test right now.

Motivation Corner: For the Days When You Feel Like Giving Up

I want to take a moment to speak to you directly — not as a content writer, but as someone who knows how tough this journey can be.

Competitive exam preparation is a marathon. There will be days when you study for hours and still get half the questions wrong. There will be mock test scores that make you want to quit. There will be people around you who don’t understand why you’re working this hard.

Those days are not signs that you’re failing. They are signs that you’re pushing your limits.

Every topper you admire had bad days too. The difference is they didn’t let one bad mock test define their journey. They analysed, adjusted, and kept going.

You are building something that will change your life. A government job. Financial security. A career that your family will be proud of. That deserves every hard day you’re putting in right now.

So here’s a small challenge for you: Today, right now, spend 30 minutes on English practice. Just 30 minutes. That’s it. And tomorrow, do it again. Build the habit, and the score will follow.

You’ve got this. 💪

Quick Revision: 10 Things to Remember for 90+ in English

1. Read one editorial every day — no excuses.
2. Learn 5 new words daily, revise yesterday’s words first.
3. Study grammar topic by topic, not all at once.
4. For RC, always read the questions before the passage.
5. In Para Jumbles, find the opening sentence first.
6. In Cloze Tests, read the full passage before filling blanks.
7. Solve previous year papers — patterns repeat.
8. Take mock tests regularly and analyse every mistake.
9. Don’t waste time on hard questions — mark and move on.
10. Stay consistent. 30 focused minutes every day beats 3 hours once a week.

All the best for your exam. Go get that score you deserve! 

— If you found this helpful, share it with a friend who’s also preparing. Let’s crack this together!