Current affairs is one of the important sections of UPSC exam preparation. Its importance and difficulty level is increasing every year for aspirants. Preparing for UPSC is a mountain to climb in itself, but with sections like current affairs, where the syllabus changes every time and piles up, it’s difficult for students to manage along with other exam sections. Many students find it difficult to prepare for current affairs in the UPSC exam. If you are facing similar issues, we are here to help you with ways to tackle current affairs in UPSC.
Where can you find the best sources for current affairs?
To start your preparation for current affairs, firstly, it’s important to ensure the source of current affairs. There are many websites, magazines, and channels, but not all provide complete information with citations, etc. So, it’s important to have sources that can provide you with information for UPSC prevention properly. We are listing some important sources for UPSC current affairs sections:
- www.gov.in is the top option for getting government information. The official website is a national portal where all government-related information is updated.
- The main website of the Ministry of external affairs is to get information about global affairs.
- Similarly, there are other official websites like the Reserve Bank of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment, and more to gather trustworthy information on some topics.
- Apart from these, there will be different magazines and newspapers that are authentic and trustworthy. These sources will be discussed further in this article.
Tips or ways to tackle the current affair section in UPSC preparation
Here is the list of ways or tips you can implement in your current affairs preparation:
Pick sources with proven track records
You can find many resources online, but mugging up information from every source will only waste your time. Therefore, it’s more beneficial to pick limited and authentic sources. So, you can gather the right information at a place to learn about current affairs. It will make the learning process easier to follow, and you will stay organized. So, instead of overburdening yourself with newspapers and magazines, you can pick official websites and sources listed below:
- Yojana Magazine: Magazine focused on socio-economic issues on a monthly basis. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting publishes it.
- Kurukshetra magazine: This magazine focuses on rural development aspects published by the government.
- Economic and political magazine weekly.
Make notes and analyze
The biggest mistake many students make during their preparation of current affairs for UPSC is not making notes. They develop the habit of learning, reading, and analyzing newspapers and magazines every day but don’t make notes. When you are preparing for UPSC, you have a lot of other subjects, books to learn and analyze. Remembering everything is not easy or possible for everyone, along with current affairs every day. There are high chances you will miss out on details when needed for final revision or during exams. Therefore, it’s important to learn as well as make notes about current affairs to analyze and practice effectively.
Making notes can help you keep it organized so you can revise and have a look at them whenever needed. Moreover, when you read, analyze, and write in your own language, you are most likely to understand and remember key elements. Therefore, make a habit of developing notes and organizing the way you do with other subjects.
Developing a habit:
Reading current affairs every day can be complex and boring. So, if you do not form a habit of reading current affairs, you are most likely to drop it out of boredom. Start by reading a newspaper or magazine for 5 minutes; make notes only if you find something significant or important. Continue this process for a few days at a fixed time, most likely early morning. When you feel comfortable and become consistent with reading, start analyzing news and making notes. Make sure you devote half an hour minimum for this purpose, so you can develop effective results. Once you develop a habit, you can create better results and prepare for current affairs effectively.
Revise and maintain consistency:
Many students do not revise current affairs and lose consistency. This leads to a lack of preparation and missing key points from current affairs that might be important from UPSC’s point of view. Therefore, it’s important to maintain consistency with current affairs preparation as well as revision. After every week or month, you must revise the current affairs you read. Make it a consistent process to ensure you develop a habit and prepare for the exam effectively.
Read government reports:
For an important or significant event, make sure you read reports published by the government rather than opting for third-party sources. Directly reading from government sources might be difficult or complex for you, but it’s important to check official websites for facts.
Cater your focus to important events:
Many, many students lose focus on important events and shift to reading current affairs that seem interesting or cater to their entertainment. Current affairs for UPSC preparation are different compared to socialites or gossip. There are many magazines and newspapers that have sections for gossip or entertainment, which is not going to help during the preparation for UPSC. So students have to filter the content and need to understand which topic is important for them. Newspapers like ” The Hindu” and official government websites stick to important topics. Therefore, students must keep their focus on current affairs that affect the country or society rather than gossip news.
Final Thoughts
Preparation for current affairs can be boring when there is no entertainment or gossip section for students to keep themselves entertained; these topics can be complex and difficult on many levels. So students can use these above-stated tips for the preparation for the UPSC exam; these tips are well-proven and will ensure that students are on the right track during their preparation. In addition, there are many sources listed above that students can opt for preparation of current affairs for UPSC.