Things You can do to Achieve Success in Current Affairs for Civil Service Exam

The current affair is an important portion of both civil service prelims and main examination.

The weightage of current affairs is very high in civil service. In prelims, the number of questions on current affairs remains unpredictable, while in mains 60 %-70% questions are asked.

The best way to prepare for current affairs is by regularly following a newspaper, as they are a great source of information.

However, there are ways through which you need to follow the newspapers so that you can get maximum information in the least possible time.

Here are the tips that will help you in doing that.  Which newspapers to follow?  How much time should be given to newspaper reading?  What to read & what to avoid from the newspaper?  How to make notes from the newspaper?

 Which newspapers to follow?

Most of the aspirants or IAS experts recommend reading “The Hindu”, which is followed conventionally for UPSC exam preparation.

It is also suggested to read other newspapers like  The Times of India  The Indian Express  Economics Times  Live Mint

Whichever newspaper you read, you have to focus on getting good coverage of National, International, administrative, economic, science & technology related news.

 How much time should be given to newspaper reading?

IAS aspirants should spend less than two hours in reading the newspaper and not beyond that.

This is because they have to dedicate their valuable time to cover the static part of the syllabus and should read the newspaper from exam point of view.

 What to read & what to avoid from the newspaper?

n Aspirants must know that reading the newspaper from the exam point of view differs vastly from the usual way of reading.

The aspirants should read news related to the UPSC syllabus and news related to National and International importance.

You must read the editorials and also matters related to the Administration, Economy, Business, Environment, and Science & Technology.

You must spend less time in sections like Sports, States/ Districts/ City news, and issues related to your profile, which might help you in the interview.

You should not spend any time reading news related to entertainment and lifestyle.

 How to make notes from the newspaper?

IAS aspirants should be well acquainted with the UPSC syllabus and divide the syllabus between static & dynamic parts & should give equal importance to both the parts.

It is advised to the aspirants to keep the syllabus handy while reading the newspaper as they car mark out important facts related to their syllabus and take notes.

Finally Candidates should start their preparation a year before the examination and should cover GK issues, at least 12 months prior to the exam. Moreover, aspirants should never miss reading the newspaper until they clear the IAS exam, as current affairs play a crucial role in all the three stages of the exam.

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