How to Prepare for Current Affairs in UPSC Exam
The UPSC exam has a huge syllabus structured into three parts for the three different phases. While the pattern of these three may vary, the one point of similarity is the current affairs. It forms a major chunk of the syllabus and is also mostly undefined. Aspirants always find themselves in a rough spot while trying to figure out how to work through the current affairs for the IAS exam.
It is far from a nerve-wracking affair if dealt with methodically. Everyone can make their way through the crowd of news and endless affairs of that pop-up from all around the world every day by putting to use the following tips-
- Allotted Time: It is advisable to spend dedicated time on reading current affairs on a regular basis. This will ensure that you are always updated with the latest and this won’t hit you in the last days of preparation as a herculean task.
- Limit the Time: Ensure that you limit the time spent on Current Affairs so that it does not eat up all your time allocated to studying/practicing other subjects.
- Limit the Number of Newspapers: Follow some good national newspapers like The Hindu, The Telegraph, or The Indian Express; and one regional newspaper only for the interview. Among magazines, you can read Kurukshetra Magazine, Yojana Magazine, etc.
- Know Which Portions to Focus On: There is a lot of news that is unnecessary for the UPSC exam. While reading, highlight the headlines related to the general UPSC exam syllabus and read through political news of national and international importance. You also need to be familiar with scientific developments. However, you can avoid news related to entertainment, personal news of one politician blaming another, feuds between political parties, etc.
- Read Periodicals: Manorama Yearbook is a very handy resource for developing General Knowledge and polishing the knowledge of important current affairs. You can follow Government publications like India Year Book and Economic Survey.
- Make Notes: You can make handwritten notes or e-notes. When you write after reading, it not only helps you remember and grasp the information better but also makes you aware of the opinion you are forming about the news. Furthermore, it also helps in the last moment revision if you have everything ready and organised in notes format.
- Read the Newspaper Wisely: Instead of reading or gathering in-depth details of each news article, you just have to know the basic information that forms the basis of the news, what actually happened, the reasons behind it, and your own opinion on it.
- Revise: Just like any other subject, this also needs revision; otherwise, the probability of forgetting it and having to start from scratch is quite high. Make the notes topic-wise (example- geographical, political, scientific development, historical) so that it is easier for you while revising.