How to Prepare for Current Affairs for UPSC Exam?

Current Affairs is an integral part of your UPSC CSE preparation. It is included in the syllabus of Prelims under the title, “Issues of national and international importance”. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the syllabus of the UPSC CS (Main) Examination, descriptive questions on recent events are often asked in the examination.

Moreover, it has been observed that aspirants who supplement their descriptive answers with recent pointers score higher than others. Hence, it is imperative for Civil Services aspirants to develop a habit of reading up on current affairs on a daily basis. But one question that frequently arises in aspirants’ minds is- “How to prepare for Current affairs for UPSC”.

Strategy for the UPSC current affairs, how to crack it?

Aspirants should develop the habit of reading newspapers, and make it a routine to dedicate an hour to study the newspaper thoroughly. That, however, does not mean reading all newspapers! Let us look at the important principles to follow while preparing for current affairs in order to prepare current affairs effectively:

Principle 1: Know the syllabus

Glance through the newspaper and mark the news headlines that are relevant to the UPSC syllabus. For this, you are required to have a complete understanding of the syllabus first. Hence, always keep a list of micro-topics for UPSC CSE at your study table.

Principle 2: Limit the Resources

There is a deluge of reading materials, especially with current affairs. We have plenty of newspapers, websites, monthly magazines, yearly magazines at our disposal. Hence, aspirants may get confused about what to refer to. Hence, it is important to identify the most useful resources for the UPSC exam. From what we at Career Launcher have gathered by analyzing the previous year papers, you should rely on just the resources mentioned above to cover current affairs holistically.

Principle 3: Know What Not To Read

It is very important to figure out what you do not have to study when preparing for current affairs for UPSC. not everything in the newspaper is worth current affairs for UPSC. You can refer to our previous year current affairs questions to better understand what needs to be studied.

Principle 4: Check Time Allocation

You must read only the relevant news articles thoroughly. However, while doing so, make sure you are not spending more than an hour reading newspapers. You should finish reading daily current affairs within 2 hours. Freshers may take a bit longer in the beginning. However, make sure you limit the time to two hours per day during the weekdays. During the weekend, make sure you revise your notes at least once! And then, at the end of the month, go through the monthly compilation of Career Launcher for a quick revision.

Principle 5: Leverage online tools to make notes

While it is advisable to make small handwritten notes from important editorials for answer-writing, you should avoid doing so for all the current affairs as it is extremely time-consuming. However, you can leverage the benefits of online tools like Evernote, google docs, etc to prepare notes online. All you need to do is copy the content from the website and paste it into your doc. Make sure you organize the content according to the subject so that it is convenient to look for them when in need.

Principle 6: Keep Revising the Current Affairs

Revision is extremely important when it comes to current affairs. While the static portion of the syllabus is limited, current affairs get piled up by the day. Hence, if you haven’t indulged in constant revision, it will be extremely difficult for you at the end to look up the current affairs for an entire year. Hence, keep revising the current affairs constantly so that you never lose a track of it. Incorporate them in answer-writing and keep referring to the current affairs even while preparing the static topics.

Current Affairs Syllabus for UPSC

Before moving towards the preparation part and getting the answer to the question, ‘How to prepare for current affairs for UPSC?’, first, refer to the syllabus for this part. Though there is no fixed syllabus for this section, and the range of questions is varied. Candidates must keep themselves updated with all recent events in news, and also be prepared with their background study.

The GS Paper in UPSC Syllabus comprises current affairs as a key part, and candidates can refer to the syllabus for the same given below:

UPSC Prelims GS Syllabus (200 marks) – Duration: 2 hours

Current events of national and international importance.
History of India and Indian National Movement.
Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation General Science.

Aspirants can get the IAS Current Affairs Questions and Answers based on the latest developments across the world by visiting the linked article. These questions have been curated by experts keeping in mind the UPSC prelims syllabus.

Current Affairs Preparation for UPSC:

Reading the newspaper alone is not sufficient for UPSC Current Affairs preparation, below listed are some useful books that candidates can refer for current affairs:

Newspaper- The Hindu, Indian Express
Economic Survey of India (Published annually read latest)
Current Affairs – by IAS Next
Yojana Magaz ine
Kurukshetra Magazine
Pratiyogita Darpan Magazine

One of the most important topics included in the current affairs syllabus for UPSC is the schemes and policies released by the government of India.

FAQs about How to Prepare for Current Affairs for UPSC Exam?

Q1: Why is current affairs preparation important for the UPSC Civil Services Examination?

A1: Current affairs preparation is crucial because it forms a significant portion of both the Prelims and Main examinations. Questions related to national and international events, policies, and issues are asked to gauge the candidate’s awareness, analytical skills, and ability to connect current events with broader socio-political contexts.

Q2: How should I choose the relevant news articles to read from newspapers?

A2: Scan the headlines and focus on news that pertains to the UPSC syllabus. Ensure you have a good understanding of the syllabus topics. This will help you select articles related to subjects like history, geography, polity, economics, environment, etc.

Q3: How can I manage the overwhelming amount of reading material available for current affairs preparation?

A3: Limit your resources to reputable newspapers like The Hindu and Indian Express. Also, consider referring to monthly magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, and Pratiyogita Darpan, as they often provide comprehensive coverage of important topics.

Q4: What news articles should I avoid reading during UPSC current affairs preparation?

A4: Not everything in a newspaper is relevant to the UPSC syllabus. Focus on news that pertains to the micro-topics listed in the syllabus. For instance, you might not need to deeply engage with sports or entertainment news unless they have broader societal implications.