We are living in the age of information explosion. 24-hour news channels, newspapers, and social media platforms are making news accessible round the clock. It seems tracking and studying current affairs for UPSC is the easiest. But the reality is different.
This article discusses 7 things you should avoid while studying current affairs as part of your UPSC preparation. Stay with us.
What is current affairs for UPSC?
Current affairs cover anything and everything related to events or issues of public importance that have happened in recent time. It can be about,
- Government policy decisions
- Law and order issues
- Performance of Indian athletes in a global sports event
- Recent developments in science and technology
- Public health issues like outbreak of pandemics and epidemics
- General elections
- Cultural and religious phenomena
The list is not exhaustive, as the field of current affairs is highly dynamic. The purpose of current affairs in the UPSC CSE is to assess a candidate’s general awareness about the contemporary news updates that apply to society, the nation, and the world.
Some characteristics of current affairs for UPSC are:
- It is interdisciplinary.
- The field is highly dynamic and evolves every day.
- Effective study of current affairs involves analytical and critical thinking.
- Questions on current affairs can be both direct and indirect.
- Current affairs related questions can comprise over 60% of total marks in UPSC Prelims.
How is it different from regular news reading?
Studying current affairs for UPSC differs from casual newspaper browsing. Some of these differences are:
- Casual news reading involves following topics that are interesting to us. But for UPSC current affairs, you need to follow every relevant news piece, editorial, op-ed articles published in a paper. You cannot afford to miss anyone.
- It is mandatory to read only the reliable and authentic news articles if you are preparing for UPSC. Wasting time on following unreliable sources can hamper your UPSC dream.
- When we read newspapers or news magazines casually, we mainly aim to notice the recent updates. For UPSC, you have to do more than just knowing the updates. It requires understanding the meta-knowledge regarding a piece of news. It helps to approach a current affair critically and build connections with your previously read pieces of information on that topic.
7 things you must avoid while studying current affairs for UPSC
As questions on current affairs in the UPSC carry significant weight, you have to be careful about avoiding mistakes in your daily study plan.
1. Lack of regularity in following news sources
Current affairs as a field of study is very dynamic. So, you must allocate time every day to studying newspapers, magazines and other sources. Irregular study habits create unwanted gaps in your knowledge base. Reading daily newspapers on the same day helps manage time better, otherwise, study load can quickly get out of proportion. As an alternative, you can subscribe to curated daily news updates from UPSC online coaching institutes. They save time.
2. Following any and every news source.
UPSC coaching experts advice to follow only a handful of trustworthy news sources. It can include 2 or 3 national dailies in English, top few periodicals and TV channels like Sansad TV. Following too many sources creates confusion. They can also end up wasting your valuable preparation time.
3. Hopping from one headline to another
Stop following the habit of casual news reading, like headline hopping. It adds zero value to your understanding of the news pieces. Before you read, browse through the paper quickly and mark the pieces that are relevant to current affairs for UPSC. Once done, start reading each piece from the beginning till the end thoroughly; skip nothing.
4. Not making notes while studying news sources
Taking notes is very important for UPSC preparations as it improves the understanding of a news piece. Do not forget to write key points, names, policies or other important items mentioned in the article. Such an active reading habit helps remember facts and figures.
5. Tendency to avoid reading editorials, analytical and opinionated pieces
Often, students avoid reading long articles like editorials, news analysis and opinionated pieces. The reason could be a lack of time, focus, or motivation. But this makes the purpose of reading news articles for UPSC current affairs useless. If you
6. Not revising previously taken notes current affairs
Always revisit your previously taken notes on current affairs and try to link them with most recent updates on related topics. It provides a dynamic perspective. You also get a better critical understanding of a news piece.
7. Not attempting mock tests on UPSC current affairs paper
For measuring your preparation in current affairs for UPSC, mini tests and quizzes are only reliable options. Review your performance in these tests and revise your strategy.
Check UPSC online coaching https://www.iasgyan.in/ for Daily News Analysis and Daily Editorials.
