The Union Public Service Commission is the body responsible for conducting the recruitment for appointing civil servants in various departments and ministries of the Government of India. Of the various posts for which the exam is conducted, the Indian Administrative Services are the most sought after.

It is believed that the IAS Exam is one of the toughest competitive examinations conducted in the country. The UPSC syllabus is comprehensive and both objective and subjective type papers are conducted for recruitment.

Of all the major subjects which are included in the syllabus, current affairs is one of the most important topics. Questions based on the latest events and news across the world in fields of economy, ecology, geography, etc. are included in the prelims and mains examination. To get the updated Current Affairs 2021, candidates can visit the linked article.

Discussed further below are the tips which can be followed to prepare for this section and the trusted resources where aspirants can find the latest news with factually correct information to prepare for the upcoming civil services exam.

Tip To Prepare Current Affairs for the Upcoming UPSC Exam

Given below are the tips which can be followed by candidates to prepare current affairs for the civil services examination. Since it is a scoring part and can boost the overall marks of the candidate, emphasis must be paid to its preparation. Furthermore, candidates can refer to the tips below:

  1. Make Reading the Newspaper daily a Habit – The easiest way to stay updated with the events across the globe is by reading the newspaper on a daily basis. One must make it a habit to regularly read every corner of the newspaper daily and dedicate atleast 1 hour to reading it on a regular basis
  2. Focus on the background of the news – It is not the news that is of importance. The aspirants must have a clear idea and knowledge of the background information of the news. As generally, direct questions are not asked in the written papers, be it objective type or descriptive in nature
  3. Stay Updated with recent developments on Backdated Important Events – Many times candidates tend to analyze just the existing news. But that is not the case with IAS Exam. There are various news headlines that have a historical background and may have come into the foreground due to a recent discovery or invention. Candidates must have in-depth knowledge of such aspects. This is applicable to historical monuments, rulers, ancient discoveries, etc.
  4. Only Refer to Trustable Sources – There are multiple platforms that provide study material for civil preparation. However, not all can be trusted. Candidates must only rely on official sources for factually correct information as it can affect the overall scores in the written papers
  5. Revision is the Key – Unlike other subjects, there are no fixed topics under current affairs and the syllabus which needs to be covered for this section. Thus, it is not possible for the aspirant to keep everything in mind by just going through it once. Proper time must be devoted to revision. This will ensure that even after a period of time, the background information about the latest news and events is clearly in the aspirant’s mind
  6. Make Proper Notes – As stated above there is no set syllabus for current affairs. So, just by reading the newspaper or magazines, one cannot learn everything. It is extremely important to make proper and understandable notes which can be referred to at any point of time for the purpose of preparation
  7. Refer to Previous Year Papers – One of the biggest confusions that one might have is that what type of questions are asked in the paper. This can be resolved by referring to the previous year’s question papers

It must be known that the more prepared a candidate is for the paper, his/her confidence also builds along with it. Thus, by referring to the tips mentioned above candidates can get slight assistance on how to prepare current affairs for IAS Exam.

Sources To Prepare Current Affairs for Government Exams

Mentioned below are a few of the most reliable sources for current affairs preparation:

  • Newspapers – The Hindu and The Indian Express are the most recommended newspapers
  • Magazines – Monthly edition of Pratiyogita Darpan, Yojana, Economic and Political Weekly etc.
  • All India Radio
  • RSTV Discussions

Candidates can also test their preparation with the Current Affairs Quiz and solve such mock quizzes at regular intervals to comprehend the type of questions that may be asked.

Since the UPSC Prelims are set to be held in October and the Mains at the beginning of 2022, candidates must start their revision and focus on the current affairs part.