The current affairs segment is designed to test the dynamic knowledge of future IAS Officers.
As a result, current affairs are an integral part of many competitive exams. However, it is a difficult task to keep track of all the current affairs, as well as analyse and understand them to enhance one’s knowledge.
But a little bit of reading and planning will go a long way in helping candidates prepare better for this segment. This is where the article will give tips on how to keep track of the current affairs for the UPSC 2023 exam.
What Are the Tips to Learn Current Affairs Better for the UPSC 2023?
The following are the right steps to learn current affairs for the UPSC 2023:
- Choosing the right sources: There is no shortage of reading materials, both online and offline, which makes it tough to differentiate which sources of information are the best to study from. But the cardinal rule is that one must choose quality over quantity any day.
There is a lot of reading material – both online and offline – on current affairs, which makes it difficult for the aspirants to understand what to read.
For starters, the following reading materials are a good way to keep track of current affairs:
- Newspapers – The Hindu, The Indian Express, etc.
- Monthly Current Affairs Magazine – Pratiyogita Darpan, Civil Services Times, Yojana, NITI Aayog reports, Economic and Political Weekly (for some topics only), World Focus year-end issue only, etc.
- Read beyond the headlines: Learn to read beyond the headlines. It’s prudent to concentrate on the issues which make the headlines. When reading through a piece of news the following points need to be kept in mind:
- Why is it in the news?
- What is the background, facts, etc.?
- What is the current status?
- Pros and cons (if any)
- Opinions/suggestions regarding the news
- Make notes: There is a high chance of a large volume of data being collected when you study for your current affairs. Making notes will help you in keeping track of the type of information gleaned from the latest in current affairs.
Keep in mind that the notes themselves must be short and crisp in nature, with the important points being present.
Making short notes after reading a topic several times will help you to identify the keywords. This is another important solution to the question of how to prepare for current affairs.
- Try avoiding rote learning: We all have the habit of mugging up or, in more polite terms, rote memorisation. This is even more evident when it comes to competitive examinations, like the UPSC 2023, trying to cram in as much information as possible.
Of course, sections can be cleared, but in the long run, it is inadvisable as we might end up forgetting what we have learnt already.
- Keep revising: Constant and consistent revision is your best bet to clear the UPSC Exam 2023, as it will help in retaining what you have learnt and might even improve the quality of your answers. This is especially true due to the fact that news is always constantly changing and evolving daily.
