The Union Public Service Commission holds Civil Services Examination annually. The CSE or UPSC, being a dream of many, is one of the most difficult exams of the country hence, preparation for the same requires some clarity.
There are three stages in the UPSC Exam that are Prelims, Mains and Interview. All these stages comprise various subjects which IAS aspirants have to deal with in a span of a year.
The subjects that are the most important in the UPSC exam are History, Geography, Polity, Economics. However, there is one section of the syllabus which has become the most favourite of the exam-setters and that is the current affairs.
Even though the syllabus does mention that current affairs of national and international importance are asked in the UPSC exam. Yet aspirants find it difficult to figure out a way to prepare for the same.
The first thing to understand is as to what comprises current affairs for an exam like UPSC civil services examination. The notion that anything under the sun can be asked is a confusing one and that makes aspirants go haywire during preparation.
Hence, through this article we aim to provide candidates with some workable tips to prepare for UPSC Current Affairs.
Easy Tips For UPSC Current Affairs Preparation
- Make newspaper your ally – It is very important for UPSC aspirants to read the newspaper daily. For that candidates should select the few best newspapers that cover all the relevant news concerning national and international issues. The recent trends have shown that ‘The Hindu’ is the go-to paper for UPSC aspirants as the newspaper mentions all the important issues in an elaborate manner touching all of its spheres. It is advisable to stick to only one newspaper throughout the preparation and read it religiously.
- Watch news shows – every aspirant of Civil services exam whether beginner or veteran must follow some important news shows to keep themselves abreast with the happenings around the globe. Some of the important news shows that will be fruitful for exam preparation are RSTV – Big Picture, RSTV – India’s World, RSTV – State of the Economy, Pradhanmantri (ABP News), and Bharat Ek Khoj (doordarshan).
- Dynamic Subjects are important – Subjects like Polity, Economics and Geography are the ones from where most of the current affairs questions are asked, hence it is a smart way to focus on these topics while reading the newspaper or watching any news show.
- Divide current Affairs into sections – Aspirants should complement the static topics with the current affairs and hence it is suggested to divide UPSC current affairs into sections. The Sunday edition of ‘The Hindu’ should be well-read for History and Art & Culture. Similarly, Friday’s edition should be read for Science & Technology.
- Revision Modules can be saviour – Revision modules cover all the sections of UPSC syllabus. In each revision modules detailed and in-depth solutions to each question are provided and most importantly most probable questions are given in the module which will be of great help for preparation of latest matters. Most of the coaching centres come out with their revision modules. Candidates can pick any one and revise it periodically.
- Test Yourself – To know if you are updated with the current affairs, analyse the previous year question papers of UPSC and then can take current affairs quiz. Taking regular current affairs quizzes can help you make good notes from the answer keys and quick revision periodically.
Follow the above-given tips to prepare for current affairs and nothing will go wrong during the UPSC exam. However, even after a lot of reading, solving current affairs quiz and revising, there are chances that you may not be able to recollect all the learnings in the exam hall. No one really can, just trust yourself and you will outperform in the exam. For further assistance in preparation candidates can check the UPSC Online page on the given link.