How to prepare for the IAS Exam and how to prepare for current affairs for UPSC
The UPSC Civil Services Exam, which is the most difficult exam in the country, is tough. To pass the UPSC exam, you need a strategy and a smart aspirant. The UPSC Civil Services exam is composed of three stages.
- Preliminary exam (objective facts)
- Main exam (written- analysis, opinion, interlinkages, etc.)
- Interview (verbal-personality test).
The Civil services exam is very heavily influenced by current affairs. Many questions are often posed from this section at each stage. The current affairs section is complex and undefined, which can confuse those who are trying to learn how to handle it. To prepare for the current affairs section, you need a plan. To get an understanding of the types of questions you will be asked in the current affairs section, you should first go through the question papers from previous years. You need to be consistent in your efforts to succeed in Current Affairs.
Identify sources: It is difficult for aspirants to comprehend what they are reading online or offline.
Quality over quantity is the best choice.
The best resources on How to Prepare for Current Affairs UPSC
- Newspapers– The Hindu, The Indian Express, and others.
- Monthly Current Affairs Magazine– Pratiyogita Darpan. Civil Services Times. Yojana. Niti Aayog reports. Economic and Political Weekly. (for certain topics only), World Focus Year-End issue only.
- Internet-You can find a variety of resources online that you might like to follow.
- All India Radio
How to prepare for UPSC Prelims Study
- Practice 50 MCQs on current affairs daily
- Practice 100 MCQs every day until the exam is closer.
Mains study
- Every day, newspaper reading (30-45 minutes)
- Take a look at the issues you see and take notes (one to two per day).
Details about how to prepare yourself for UPSC’s current affairs
Focus on the issues, not the news. Always look beyond the headlines and news. UPSC generally asks questions about the news. This is an important point in the question about how to prepare for current affairs. You must learn the issues and take notes. News is about the event, but issues are about the ideas. These points may be helpful:
- Reason- Why is it in the news?
- Background Knowledge – Facts, Data, and Reports
- Current Status – Have any actions been taken?
- Both sides – Cons and Pros
- How to make it better: Opinion/ Suggestion
Notification: It is a good idea to practice taking notes online and offline. This will help you revise quickly before the exam. This is one of the best ways to answer the question about how to prepare for current affairs. There are two types of notes that can be written:
- Date-wise Notes – These are usually of no use as it is difficult to sort important information and study from them daily.
- Topic Wise Notations – These are the best as they contain all information relevant to one topic in one place.
When preparing current affairs notes, the most important thing to remember is to keep your notes concise and to the point. UPSC exams allow you to write 250 words maximum for questions where you must also present all relevant aspects of the topic along with a solution that you believe would be appropriate.
For making notes, you should use flow charts, mindmaps, and pointers. These can be used to help you remember all the details and concept clearing. You should write the topic in a note. Practice online or offline whichever suits you best.
Focus on keywords: Notes can be made after you have read a topic many times. They will help to identify keywords. This is an important way to answer the question about how to prepare for current affairs. Keywords are essential for current affairs. You can write all keywords that are related to one topic in one place. Later, you will be able to relate the keyword directly with the topic.
This makes it easier to write the exam. For example, if you see a keyword in a question, try to recall the news/topic related to it. You can then easily answer the question by remembering everything. Each question comes with a tag, which is the keyword that you will need to search for when preparing for a topic in current affairs.
Choose quality over quantity: Some people research extensively about the best sources to study from, such as the best newspaper or website for current affairs, but don’t take the time to read them. People who read extensively and take extensive notes on the material they are studying for exams could also be found.
These things don’t work. These things are more likely to fail the more you do them. Spend a few days researching, choose your sources and then stick to them. You should read everything in the source you choose. You will be fine.
You don’t have to read every newspaper article. However, it is not necessary for the UPSC exam that you avoid news about political parties, the share market, entertainment news, and other news. You should not read them unless you enjoy them. You must read the important information for the UPSC exam. Reading everything blindly is not an option.
Don’t try to mug when it comes to taking an exam, we all attempt to be muggy. You can clear certain sections in UPSC by mugging up, but not the current affairs section.
If you’re stumped about how to prepare for current affairs, please follow the steps above but don’t try to memorize everything. It won’t work. In this instance, you will only need to remember the dates and names that are relevant to the current affair.
RevisionsRewriting over and over is the best way to revise. This is why revision is so important if you want to pass UPSC Civil Service Exam. These methods will help you capture more current affairs relevant to the exam.
Because current affairs change daily, constant revision is the best way to keep the content fresh. Revision is important. You should revise every day and then execute the answers in the answers (in one or two sentences) that you submit in mock tests. You will improve your ability to answer questions.
The practice of answering-writing: Write every day. Answer-writing is the only way to learn, so practice it daily. Keep in mind the IAS officer’s answer and prepare well.
Learn from your mistakes and make improvements. Take a newspaper editorial or a topic from the syllabus and create a question and answer. This is the answer to your question about how to prepare for current affairs.
Here are some more tips to help you prepare for IAS
Learn how to understand your syllabus is crucial to be able to comprehend the scope, nature, and clarity of the syllabus for you to prepare well. This will allow you to know what to study and which not. You will be able to answer all questions in the exam if you follow the syllabus. Gk in Hindi
Select the material you prefer: It is difficult to choose the right study material. You need guidance. It’s a good idea that you start preparation by learning the basics of each subject. NCERT books, from classes 6-12, are the best way to find high-quality information about the subjects.
Take a look at the pattern. It is important to review the question papers from previous years as it will help you determine the type of questions in UPSC. These questions will help you find the best study material. Analyzing the papers from previous years will help you understand the syllabus better and identify areas where more questions are being asked.
Mock TestsCandidates can take mock tests online and offline in India. These mock tests will help you prepare for the mains and give you an experience of the UPSC exam. How will it go, what are the exam rules? Regular mock tests can help you learn how to manage your time. Although mock tests can be costly, they can prove to be equally useful if given from a trusted source.
General Advice
It is important to locate the most important current affairs and take notes. You should also study every day, but you can only revise all of it together on weekends. It is common to observe that current affairs are a burden and people spend too much time on them, whereas they can compromise on other subjects.
This strategy is not good for the long-term because all subjects play an equal role in current affairs. You will fail if you don’t prepare well. Only Current affairs will not help you to pass the UPSC Civil Services Exam, so you need to have a proper balance between everything while preparing for the examination.
Practice writing straight-to-the-point notes. This will help you make your answers concise. This will improve your writing speed and allow you to include more information in your responses for the exam. You will need to be able to write more information in a shorter time. This will help you build a vocabulary and other skills that you can use when you read the newspaper.
Last Thoughts
For success in the UPSC Civil Services Exam, I recommend that you keep these points in mind. I’ve answered questions about how to prepare and what to do to be prepared for the UPSC current affairs exam. Don’t give up, work hard and never lose heart. It doesn’t all depend on luck.
Your hard work is all that matters. Trust me. You can always count on luck to be there for you if you give it you’re all. Keep these points in mind and practice often to be prepared.
All the best with your UPSC Civil Services Exam and IAS.
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