Current affairs preparation is a very important cog in the wheel of the strategy to clear the IAS examination. Current affairs are the fulcrum in the preparation for the Civil Services Exam. The range of topics that needs to be covered is humongous; hence there needs to be a strategy to cover the topics very efficiently and effectively in a limited time span and make the preparation very simple.
It is extremely important to keep a tab on the major news and happenings that affect us socially and politically. Not only should one be aware of the facts but also be able to analyse the news, dissect it, and evaluate it from different dimensions while preparing for the IAS Exam. Hence, in this article, we will help candidates to make the preparation for Current Affairs 2022 simple and easy.
Tips to Make Current Affairs Preparation Easy
- The best bet to cover current affairs is daily newspaper reading. Candidates should inculcate the habit of reading newspapers regularly. Daily newspapers ensure that candidates do not miss on any contemporary issues that hit the news frequently, such as economic and political issues, environmental disasters or programmes, a new development in the science and technology world etc.
- Reading news magazines religiously also helps to cover important news with minute details. There are plenty of magazines or periodicals that are available in the market. Once again, don’t overburden yourself with too many magazines; rather stick to a few magazines that have a proven track record of providing the right information with excellent analysis. Candidates can follow monthly and bi-monthly magazines such as India Yearbook – Publication Division (GOI), Yojana magazine, Kurukshetra magazine, Economic Survey and Pratiyogita Darpan magazine. These should be well read for the preparation. Complement your daily newspaper reading with Yojana or Kurukshetra, or any other relevant magazine. This should suffice for your preparation of current affairs for the IAS exam.
- It is advised to candidates while preparing for the current affairs section to keep the previous years’ question papers along with them and understand what type of questions has been asked, as it will give an idea to candidates on how to prepare for current affairs. Question papers from previous years aid in understanding this section, how the news is linked with a particular subject, what type of news is asked frequently under the current affairs section, etc.
- Analysing more than memorising should be the concept while dealing with the current affairs section. Most of the candidates just give importance to memorising current affairs. One needs to understand that the UPSC is not checking your memorising skills; rather they are checking how well you have the ability to absorb the details and go beyond the information and look behind the screens. UPSC is more interested in checking your ability to answer questions on why, what, when and how.
- Taking notes is a must to have a habit. Never forget to make notes on the analysis of the topics you have studied. Make sure that you write your analysis as well. Notes will really help your preparation at the advanced stages of preparation while the exams are approaching very close.
A bonus tip, candidates should learn how to link the topics. This is a very important skill set that aspiring UPSC candidates must develop while studying current affairs. A good candidate should develop the ability to link one subject to another subject. For example, the topic Miyawaki Method (India pledges to adopt Miyawaki projects under the Paris Agreement to expand its green cover from 25 to 33 per cent. After that, the Telangana Government introduced this Japanese afforestation method to increase the state’s vegetation). This can be linked with International Relations as well as Environment.
The commission has included current affairs in the exam, but the syllabus of current affairs is not defined for both prelims and mains exam; hence all that an aspirant has to do is to read major newspapers and magazines every day and make notes out of it. Candidates have to make their current affairs preparation an easy ride to ace the exam smoothly.
