We are telling you detailed information about how to prepare for upsc prelims current affairs, the best Upsc Prelims’ current affairs source, and Upsc Prelims’ current affairs strategy. Current affairs are important for prelims, mains, and interviews. Studying only a static syllabus i.e. General Studies will not work, but you also need to study current affairs to qualify for the exam.
The weightage of the current affairs section is increasing in the prelims. For current affairs, you need to read daily national-level newspapers like – The Hindu, and Indian Express. For economics-based current affairs, you may require newspaper reading like Business Standards or The Economic Times.
There were 28 questions from the current affairs section in the 24th UPSC prelims exam. Every year in the UPSC prelims exam there are many questions based on current affairs. You can’t ignore current affairs to prepare for prelims and mains and interviews. No matter how many general studies books you may have read, if you ignore current affairs, your studies are of no use. Almost all upsc toppers prepare for current affairs throughout the year.
They read newspapers daily without fail and also study weekly and monthly current affairs magazines regularly. You have to be careful while choosing the best source for current affairs i.e. you need to study specific but quality and reliable current affairs from the source.
Importance of Newspapers for the UPSC exam – It is also important to know which news to read in the newspaper. First of all, you need to understand which news to read and which news to avoid. It has been seen that UPSC papers do not ask sports-related questions. But if you are interested in sports then you can read news about sports.
If your hobby is related to a sport then you can be asked must questions in the interview. Avoid reading political news as much as possible. Read the news of social, economic, and educational current affairs in the country. You must read the editorial in detail. Do not read the news of political allegations. Being neutral is one of the qualities required to be an officer.
You have to read about India’s role in international affairs, India’s international cooperation, international trade, and international investment. Important domestic news like government schemes, government regulations, cooperation and the relationship between central and state governments, central government investment in states, central government policy, state government policy, and central security scheme, have to be read in the news. Similarly, in the state-level news, you need to know about the state government’s various welfare schemes of the state government. This question on the important welfare scheme of any state government can sometimes appear in the UPSC prelims exam.
Current affairs/general knowledge weightage -It is necessary to give priority to current affairs. Usually, 60 to 70 percent of the questions in the prelim exam are based on current affairs. Whereas in the mains exam usually 50 to 60 percent of questions are based on current affairs. Some interview with UPSC toppers was only based on current affairs. While preparing for upsc you need to update yourself. Reading national-level English newspapers is very beneficial for UPSC Current Affairs. Similarly, you need to read a quality newspaper in the local language of your state.
You have to read weekly and magazines every month which are important for competitive exams. Similarly, you need to read new general knowledge by using online internet. It is necessary to analyze the news in editorial articles. It is necessary to give at least two to three hours daily for current affairs. You should read the newspaper directly rather than reading any current affairs notes of any classes. For competitive exam monthly magazines and weeklies, you can read ministerial reports. But you don’t need to depend on any classes for current affairs.
Current Affairs-based question types are – Current Affairs Based question, Current Affairs Applied questions, and Fundamental and Current Affairs type questions. Current affairs-based questions usually ask questions in one sentence directly from current affairs sources. Current Affairs Applied-based questions are generally based on reasoning power and current affairs questions. There are some current affairs-based questions where common sense has to be used. For example, in the prelims exam of 2024, a question was asked about which countries in the world have low aging and low birth rates.
So using some common sense you have to solve that question. You may have heard in the news that Japan has a very high aging population, followed by countries like Italy which also has an aging population, and countries like Nigeria whose population is growing rapidly. For these questions, you have to study international current affairs. If you have current affairs preparation done properly throughout the year, you can easily solve any question on current affairs.
Many current affairs-based questions are being asked on environmental and economics topics. So, while studying this subject properly, you need to get knowledge of current affairs on that subject. The UPSC Civil Services Exam and UPSC Indian Forest Service Exam are conducted on the same day, so many questions are asked in the UPSC Civil Services Exam related to the environment. If you want to know what type of current affairs questions can be asked in the UPSC prelims exam then it is necessary to read the exam question papers for other services through the exams conducted by UPSC – capf ac exam, NDA exam, upsc epfo / eo exam, CDS exam. You must read other exam question papers which are conducted by the upsc commission.
best current affairs source for upsc exam – To prepare for current affairs, you need to study as many government reports, government websites, and government magazines as possible. The information received from the central government and the state government is accurate and authentic. Current affairs sources like the Press Information Bureau, PRS legislative research, the Press Trust of India, etc. are very useful and authentic.
Central Government Ministries, Departments, and government reports are important. Along with study you also need to plan for current affairs. You should read one to two national-level daily newspapers daily for current affairs. You can include important news in your self-written notes. There is no need to read anything more than this only it is necessary to revise what you have read i.e. revision of the monthly magazine is necessary.
You don’t need to read a lot to prepare for the UPSC prelims exam current affairs. It is necessary to read the government reports of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Science and Technology. You can also read the Department of Space and Technology’s science-based reports on technology. The most difficult questions are current affairs based on Science and Technology. Some questions are asked from the direct government report and Government Scheme.
When to start preparation for UPSC Current Affairs?
For UPSC current affairs you should start from day one. You need to study current affairs without missing a single day of the year. At least one hour a day should be given to prepare for current affairs. You need to plan the day, week, and month for the current affairs revision. As such, it takes very little time to revise the current affairs. Our humble request to all students is that you should not ignore current affairs. You have to study every new coming government scheme properly. No matter how many books you read, if you don’t take the time to study current affairs, your studies will be of no use.
India’s yearbook is a government current affairs book. If you have enough time you can read India yearbook. You should have your self-written notes when you are traveling. For current affairs monthly magazines, you should use only one magazine and not read more than one magazine. The upsc may be asked questions from various static subjects based on current affairs such as History, Geography, Political Economy, Environment, Art and Culture, and Geography.
Don’t choose the resources for current affairs on someone’s advice, you have to start preparing for current affairs by analyzing and reviewing yourself. There is a constant change in current affairs in the UPSC prelims exam even though current affairs has a good marks weightage there is no fixed marks weightage for current affairs. From prelims exam to interview, you can’t ignore current affairs.
As you can see, there is no need to prepare much for current affairs, you simply need to read one or two newspapers daily and read one monthly magazine in a month. It is very important to read the Employment News portal of the central government. Current Affairs in the UPSC exam are very vast. Current affairs in SSC cgl, railway exam, banking exam, and state pcs are easy. However current affairs in UPSC are very vast and different. UPSC never asks questions on current affairs in the prelims exam in a single sentence but asks questions based on statements base.
Many current affairs questions are asked based on important topics like general science, environment, economics, and geography. Polity questions are usually asked directly from the books. Questions on the topic of new laws, constitutional amendments, and bills can be asked based on current affairs. Questions based on history and culture may also ask about current events such as questions about excavations, newly recognized heritage-protected sites