Target IAS 2021 – Strategy & Tips for Current Affairs Preparation

The UPSC IAS exam is said to be one of the highest level examinations conducted in the country and cracking it requires exhaustive, strategic and comprehensive preparation. The official notification for the upcoming recruitment was released in March 2021, and the prelims are scheduled for October 2021. Thus, applicants must pull up their socks and give the final touches to your preparation.

One of the most important parts of the written examination and Personality test of the civil services examination is current affairs. Questions based on the latest developments across the world are not just asked in the IAS Prelims and Mains but also in Interviews.

This is a dynamic topic wherein there is no specific syllabus. Any event of importance which has taken place in the country or anywhere across the world can be a part of this section. Thus, it requires extra attention as it may help in increasing the overall scores in the final paper.

In the first phase of the examination, questions based on current affairs are asked in the General Studies paper. For the second phase, the four General Studies papers comprise questions based on the same, especially GS papers 2 and 3. Candidates can update themselves with the latest daily and monthly current affairs at the linked article.

Easy Tips on How To Prepare Current Affairs

This is one part where candidates can easily score more and increase their overall marks and with the increased competition over the years, the more marks you obtain, the higher are the probability of cracking the exam.

Given below are the tips which can help aspirants score more in the current affairs part of the paper:

• Read Newspaper – This is one of the easiest sources of getting the latest news of events across the world. While setting up the timetable for exam preparation, candidates must devote an ample amount of time to carefully reading the newspaper. In case candidates have issues as to what type of questions based on current affairs may be asked, they can refer to previous year papers and analyse the same. Accordingly, they can comprehend what part of the news is important from the examination perspective
• The focus should be more on issues than on news – It is a common observation that static GK questions are asked from different topics based on the events which are in news. This means, that the candidate must not just be aware of the latest happenings but also of its background, origin, facts and other important aspects
• Make Proper Notes – Just reading the news or current affairs may not stay in the mind for a longer period of time. Thus, one must ensure that they make proper notes which are systematic and understandable. Aspirants can use hand-written notes or can even opt for online note-making tools, as per their convenience. These shall be helpful in the long run as well for the candidates
• Best Sources for Current Affairs – Apart from reading the newspaper, there are multiple other trusted sources where candidates can find the study material. These include:
  • India Year Book
  • Newspaper- The Hindu, Indian Express
  • Manorama Yearbook
  • Economic Survey
  • Release by Press Information Bureau
  • Mathrubhumi Yearbook
  • Current Affairs – Arihant
  • Yojana Magazine
  • Kurukshetra Magazine
  • Pratiyogita Darpan Magazine

Though there are various other sources of information but studying from the most trusted resources is of utmost importance

• Make it a point to revise – While you make notes, make it a point to revise them on a regular basis. Since the syllabus is vast and this is not the only subject to prepare for, revision is the only way to keep in touch with what you had learnt in the past. It is very important that separate time for revision is dedicated by the candidates during their preparation to ensure that nothing erases off their mind
• Solve Current Affairs Quiz – Various online portals provide daily, weekly or monthly current affairs quizzes to assist aspirants with their exam preparation. Solving these will help one apprehend their own level and also analyse what more can be done to improve their performance

Current affairs will also help candidates in writing the essay or descriptive answers as adding up the latest statistics or facts in your answer may get you a few more marks. Aspirants can also visit the Current Affairs Quiz page for exam preparation.

With Prelims tentatively scheduled for October 10, 2021, and the mains from January 7, 2022, onwards, this is the time for aspirants to put in their time and efforts to crack the exam in this very attempt.